The Fiddlers

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     The classic example of majoring in trivia in time of crisis seems to be that of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, more popularly known as Nero. While Rome was burning on at least five of the Seven Hills, he insisted on limbering up his fiddle and bow and sawing away at the Roman equivalent of "Turkey in the Straw."

     We believe that some of our brethren should be given consideration if there is a modern contest for Nero's crown, not as emperor, but as king of the inconsequential. A good example is that of the Church of Christ in a Chicago suburb. Far away men were dying in the jungles of Vietnam. Close at hand other men were marching in the asphalt jungles of city streets. Automobiles were being overturned and burned. Rocks and curses filled the air. Obscenities were being shouted at Roman Catholic priests and nuns.

     At the height of the tension the congregation imported a guest speaker who valiantly and courageously faced up to the great moral and spiritual issues of the day by proving beyond his own doubt that the Herald of Truth program sponsored by a congregation in Texas had not violated the autonomy of his own congregation, nor obtained their money with a switchblade knife.

     If this seems a little absurd under the circumstances, let me assure you that it is the rule, not the exception. In a world of foment and ferment most of our brethren insist upon ignoring what is happening to give lengthy orations on things which it happens the world is ignoring. Nothing makes the dudgeon rise higher than to insist that we need

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to become relevant. That is a fighting word! One who uses it must be willing to bear the brand of every caustic term in the alphabet of invective from apostate to zealot.

     One can now see the true perspective of the problem faced by the great apostle to mankind who was bounded and harassed by the Jewish legalistic party whose members wanted the message to the Greek world presented in the language and forms of the familiar synagogue sermons. To them Paul was a "liberal" who insisted on recognizing as brethren those who had not been circumcised. He would be called the same in our time if brethren ever awoke to the fact that in his epistle to the Romans he mentioned baptism three times, and grace twenty-three times!

     Recently I saw a carping criticism of a preaching brother of whom it was alleged that he only quoted three scriptures in a thirty minute discourse. Paul would never have landed a job in the Church of Christ by using his message on Mars Hill as a trial sermon. Not only did he not quote a single scripture in it, but he referred to a heathen poet, Cleanthus, taking what he said in a hymn to Jupiter and applying it to God. Paul would have flunked any homiletics class in a Bible College. He might have flunked a class in Literary Interpretation at the University of Athens also.

     But the point is that if you can quote enough scriptural passages you can often conceal both your ignorance and irrelevance. Frequently the audience can quote them right along with you (most brethren use the same ones in every talk) and you are not proclaiming at all, but leading the audience in a joint recitation. It will not harm the participants. It will not help the rest of humanity either. Quoting scripture whether it applies or not does not mean that you are facing up to the world of which the scripture speaks.

     Our world is washed over by great problems and is wallowing in the trough of grave concerns--hunger, nakedness, famine, war, fear, racial animosity and economic exploitation--to mention a few. The thundering hooves of the steeds ridden by the Four Grim Horsemen echo all over the universe.

     While a million people are threatened with death from starvation and pestilence we fight about such things as whether it is right to eat in the meetinghouse. While teeming thousands in steaming jungles have no written language we debate about the validity of Sunday School literature.

     Move over, Nero, and give the professionals a chance. No, thank you, that's all right, you may keep your fiddle, because we do not use instrumental music. But we can all join in and sing "with the spirit and with the understanding" while the devouring flames of hell burn unchecked and the licking tongues engulf our world. Who has a tuning fork so we can get the pitch?