Demoted Saints

By Lee Carter Maynard

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     I have Just read in the papers that a number of the venerated saints of many years past have been removed from the roster. If those dear ones are in heaven it must have been a terrible blow to learn that they are under question after all the years they have enjoyed as a go-between for the folks still on earth. I reckon though that if men can make them saints, the same men can unsaint them. Being a saint with some folks is like getting your name on a postage stamp. No picture appears on our stamps until after the patriot has died. It is about four hundred years after their demise that some become saints. Now it seems that either the roster is getting too clustered or else a lot of mistakes are being discovered. Some of the sainted ones never even existed. That is a big blow to those who have relied so much upon them. One party told me that even though "the

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church" left Christopher off the list, he would always be on her private roster.

     I suspect that more of the saints who have gone on will live in jeopardy every hour for fear they too may be dropped from the holy roll. Things are changing rapidly in our day in colleges, schools, politics, war, sex, morals and also in the churches. I see where Protestant preachers are conducting weddings in Catholic churches, and now I have just read of a Protestant preacher conducting a funeral in a Catholic church, and being assisted by the local priest. That's ecumenicity! They would not have allowed a Protestant preacher in their building a few years ago, and if they had wanted one, he could not have been dragged in with a team of mules.

     It could be that this is a good thing. Maybe folks are getting ready to lay down some of their written or unwritten creeds and have fellowship in Christ with other believers. I have known little congregations that were just as exclusive as the Catholics ever were. Of course they would deny this when pinned down, but being one of them, we did believe that we were the true and exact replica of the church which was born on the great Pentecost nearly two millenniums ago. We did not exactly claim to be a duplicate of the Jerusalem church, because it was Jewish and Gentiles were not admitted unless they were circumcised. Besides they forbad certain meats and they also met on Saturdays.

     We were not sure we were exact duplicates of the Corinthian church either, for they had trouble with adultery, misbehavior at the Lord's table, the members were engaging in lawsuits with one another, they were speaking in tongues, and the church was divided four ways at the same time. I am not sure which congregation of the long ago we were using as a pattern, but we knew we had the pattern and all who did not subscribe to our unwritten rules were out. We had our own brotherhood, literature, schools, orphanages, etc., and knew all of the loyal preachers. We were definitely not a denomination, and called no one brother unless he was a member of our loyal brotherhood. We were a neighborly and friendly group except when in the meetinghouse. I am happy to see that things are changing.

     We have voices among us of those who know that no assembly can erect a building and hold captive the Lord, the Holy Spirit, or the gospel, to the exclusion of others who worship the same God through the same Christ, and preach the same gospel of salvation. We denied that our church building was a special sanctuary but we thought the things done there were more sacred than those done in another building. I remember once when a visiting evangelist ate dinner with us on Sunday. After the meal my wife played the piano and we sang the same three songs we had sung at services two hours previously. I read the same scripture he read before preaching, and I prayed similar to the benediction which he offered at the morning service. I am still waiting for him to explain why it was all right to do this in my home but wrong and sinful to do it in the meetinghouse. We were indeed a peculiar people, and a little queer along with it.

     I remember one time while teaching the adult class that I referred to Saint Stephen. One of the keepers of the records asked, "Where do you get this saint Stephen stuff?" I said I was only being respectful to this great martyr. He said, "We don't go for this saint stuff. That belongs to the denominations." I recall that we had quite a few off limit words, never to be used by the true brotherhood. We never spoke of sacrament, pastor, solo, choir or sanctuary. When we heard them we knew at once that we were in the presence of a denominational person who was ignorant of the true church.

     It came as a surprise to me that every born again, saved, redeemed and justified soul was a saint. Only Jesus can make one a saint. When one is justified by the Lord he is set apart by the Spirit, and thus becomes a saint of God. His name will be listed on the pages of God's great book. No other man or group can remove it. He will have a new name written

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which "no man knoweth save he that receiveth it" (Rev. 2:17). These overcoming saints of God will not be black-balled but will receive a white stone with the new name written. It is truly exciting to await the new name. Someone has said, "Justification makes saints, and sanctification makes the saints saintly."

     Maybe it would be good to start calling each other Saint Harry, Saint Susan, or Saint George, instead of "brother" or "sister." It would be a bit confusing to see in the society column where the saints had a prom, or where the saints won a ball game. Dear Father, please hasten the day when thy children love Thee and one another, and stop saying, "Of course I am no saint myself."

     (Editor's Note: Lee Carter Maynard can be addressed at 523 Forty-first Avenue, North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33703).