Report of a Trip

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     In Charleston, West Virginia, a congregation meets at the corner of Boulevard W., at Vine Street. It bears the name "Boulevard Church of Christ." Clinton Looney is the minister. The advertisement in the church column of the Sunday newspapers bears the caption, "An Undenominational Body of Christians." On the bulletin board inside the auditorium is a list of "Loyal Churches of Christ in Florida." All of these use instrumental music in public worship. They are "loyal" because they do not support the United Christian Missionary Society.

     A few blocks away, in easy walking distance, is another "Church of Christ" at the corner of Park Avenue and Main Street. Vestal Chaffin is their minister. The advertisement in the telephone directory carries the caption "No Instrumental Music." Bro. Chaffin will also list for you the "loyal churches." They are the ones that do not endorse instrumental music.

     In the same locality are other "Churches of Christ" and they will provide you a list of "loyal" churches in any locality. They are the ones who do not use individual containers in distributing the Lord's Supper, and where students are not grouped for instruction in the sacred oracles. In short, here are three groups in one community which will give you a list of "loyal" churches of Christ, and no two lists will contain even one of the same congregations. To what are they "loyal"? In passing, it needs to be remarked that I would not be recognized as "loyal" by either group, whatever that means!

     Bro. Chaffin does not regard the mem-

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bers of the Boulevard Church of Christ as his brethren. He is concerned as to whether he ought to "accept their baptism" if they become convinced that instrumental music is wrong and want to join his congregation. He thinks they ought to allow him to re-baptize them, because they were born in Babylon, and therefore, are not really the children of God. In this he is joined by a fellow-clergyman in the area, Charles Garner, the minister of the Belle, West Virginia, "Church of Christ." Charles doubts that those who were immersed by a Christian Church preacher should be considered as brethren. They were baptized into a sect. The truth is that all three of these abortive groups resulting from the restoration movement look upon each other as sects and they are all correct, in the fair meaning of the term.

     I talked at length with Bros. Garner and Chaffin, while in Charleston recently, and went over to see Brother Looney, although without success. However, I did go down to Bluefield, Virginia, to attend a session of the Mountain States Christian Convention. I had several objectives in mind. I wanted to hear my former grade school teacher and good friend, Lee Carter Maynard, who was one of the scheduled speakers. I wanted to observe first-hand the use made of musical instruments, and I wanted to see a convention in progress for comparison with some of the college lectureships. All of my objectives were accomplished.

     The convention hardly compared with those held annually under auspices of David Lipscomb College. In an attempt to achieve informality by indulging in levity, some of the participants hardly maintained the dignity associated with messengers of the King. The first speech had to do with "The Problem of Stewardship" and as usual the speaker limited the term to money. He held forth tithing, thus demonstrating that the Judaistic party has not wholly died out.

     There has been a great change wrought in the arguments used to defend the use of instrumental music in public worship since the day of its introduction. The instruments were brought in on one basis; their present proponents seek to keep them in on a wholly different one. The modern argument is that the instrument is not used in the worship, but is merely an aid in keeping the pitch. It is argued that if you can use a tuning fork to get the pitch, you can use a piano to keep it, and that it is only an aid, as a songbook is an aid. The practice does not coincide with the argument.

     In addition to "aiding the singers" it was also used to "maintain the pitch" in the collection. After a spirited talk in which the dangers of torment were held out to those who did not give that night, several men started out with collection plates and the pianist started out with "It Pays to Serve Jesus." The music was also started again at the close of the benediction to "aid" in emptying the auditorium.

     As an unbiased observer I can testify that the singing was not as well rendered as that at Freed-Hardeman College when I debated Bro. G. C. Brewer on the right of that institution to exist. It is possible that the brethren have used the instrument as an "aid" until it has become "a crutch." I noted that the one who played had to watch the song leader to keep up with his tempo. I feel that some of the good sincere brethren wish the instrument had never been introduced but since it has, they have to defend it or be tagged as "non-instrument," a term which, among them, is next to slander. It is like an unwanted baby, which since its birth, has to be nourished and cared for! The brethren have to alter their defense for it like "The Church of Christ" has to alter the charters of their Bible Colleges, not to harmonize with the word of God, but to enable them to debate the other side.

     The theme of the convention was "The New Testament Church; the Answer to Every Problem." The program stated "It's high time the 20th century church began taking advantage of the divinely inspired answers to the questions that plague the church today." I am convinced that the last thing the brethren

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want is to see a real restoration of the New Testament church. That is true of all three groups or factions in Charleston. They all have what they want and they will defend it regardless of consequences. I met Edsil Dale at the convention. He is the minister of Fairview Christian Church at Carthage, Missouri. He handed me a couple of his bulletins. In one there was a list of twelve men nominated in a primary election. The members were to vote on eight for elders to serve the coming year. So long as such practices are tolerated and condoned the brethren will continue closer to Babylon than Jerusalem. It is time that honest seekers after truth, arise in all of these factions, and "restore the restoration."