The Ohio Independent Baptist, December 1961

December, 1961 T"[_IE o - ~~~~~~~~~~~~=~ ~~H~I~O~IN~D~E~PE DENTB~TIST ~----------------------------------~P~a~ge Th~ CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. SCHLATTER In our October issue we contrasted our harmony w1ch the disharmony within the Oh10 J::Saptist Convention, not dreaming chat "Controversy I n Ohio" would head a page in the ovember Crusader. Ed i– to r ~aul Allen is no t like most conven– tion otficials, who cover up all they can. Actually, he knew he could not cover up che news that the Linden Avenue Baptist Church a nd its pas tor, Dr. ch1atter, had refused to entertain the sta te convenc1on 1f it insisted on having Or. b aw10 1 . Dahlberg as i ts m ain speaker. It m us t be explained, or there rrught be a repeti– tion 1n other sta tes. Back in eptember, v. 1 hen we saw che con\ent1on p 1.ogram 10 The Ohio Bapust, v. e supposed the pastor ot the host church atqu1es\..ed 1n 1t, even if we we1e sure h e v.oLld not approve. We said that we v.onaered how he fel t , tor we were sure he Knew that Dr. D ah1berg stood 1or the very opposite of wh a t he himself h ad preache...1 so many years at Linaen Avenue. uur only conclusion was that · he and all the other tundamencalists who are still in the convention are so used to such incons1stenc1es tha t they do noc bO.. .liei: them. Well , praise the Lord, he and his chu rch withdrew the.1.r inv1tat1on tu the convention, and we congratulate them! The story in The Crusader is very in· teresc1ng. lt tries to throw the blame tor v. hat happened on Circuit Riders, Inc., an organ "zat1on of Methodist laymen who are tight1ng modernism and commu nism by publishing the pink connections ot hu ndreds of the leaders in the National Council denominations. They list Dr. Dahlberg as a signer of 25 communist- 1nspired petition s over a long period ot years. The Crusader does not mention Pastor Schlatter, since i t is sti ll trying to be nice co h im; but it does give a dig to rhe effeet that "ma ny who had opposed his ( Dahlberg's) coming apparently were not present ro hear his explanations." The Crusader plays up Dr. Dahlberg in rwo g roup pictures and wants us co know that he received a standing ovation after he had answered question s. Yet it reveals more than it intends. It reveals tha t Dr. Schla tter and his church tried co avoid trouble by asking as far back as in May that the invitation co Dr. Dahlberg to be the main speaker be withdrawn. Dr Chapman, Executive State Secretary of the Ohio Convention, refused. H e said it would be "unthinkable chat any be– liever be refused the rig ht to speak 1n God's house because his opi nions may not in a ll po1nts be che same as those of other equally sincere believers." We un– ders tand from another good sou rce that then Pastor Scl1latter appealed co Dr Dahlberg to withdraw in the interests of l1armony, but that he also refused. So a peace-loving pastor and c.hurch were l1ter ally driven ro take a stand or surrender all local cl1urch sovereignty! Brotl1er Scl1larter may not altogerher appreciate our coming to his defense, but after what '"'e said in a previous editorial, V.'c: f e~l '-' e ov.•e l1im an a1>0logy and glati· l)' offer it. We l1ave kno"' 'n l1in1 frorn sen11naf)' day~ as a good a11d godly n1ao . Why sl1ould f u11da1nentalist:, be co11dc111ned for ~randing for tl1e trutl1? Wl1y n<>t conden111 c}1ose c11at i11sist <)n con1i11g i11 \\'ith false docrrine? r. l ahll,erg conde1-i111s l1im elf "hen J1e ays l1e l1as r1ever sig11ed a 1,et i tion }1e knew to be sponsored by a communist f~onc group. He must no t have much d isc.ernmenc if he has signed 2) o" chem over a period of many years! 1) 1 a he not know chat Earl Browder was r- resi– d.ent of the Communist Party when he sig ned a petition to gee him ouc o.l 1ail ? ~1an t he know tha t cne newspaper s were full of ~barges or commun1s1n agai nst Harry Bridge~ back in 194:1 and a1d he not chink the government h~d good rea– sons for wa nting co deport him? rte lame– ly says tha t this was during the last world war, when we were " not then so aware of subversive activi ties on the pare 01 our wartime allies." Bibl e be11evers were awar e of them, so why wasn c he? His excuses may have convinced those who sat u nder the spe1l of his personality, but do no t look good in print . Even if the convenc1on had withdrawn its invi tation to D r. D ahlberg, what can be said 1n de1ense of 1ts having Rev. Clarence J ordan ot Ko1nonia !-- arms there co promote his inter-racial experiment in socialism? I f a fe\\ 1 BeatntK W h ites and some Negroes want co l ive a nd 1arm to– gether and have everything 10 common, that is their private business; but we don ' t t hink Baptis ts should invite Mr. J or– dan to come and preach that chis is the Ch ristian solution to our racial and ec– onomic problems. This is noc at all l ike the Ami sh brand o f Christian Commu– n ism: i t is a radical, modernise experiment in practicing the Social Gospel. le seems to us that thi s upheaval in Ohio, and the way the convention Jeaders try to turn 1 c co the advantage of the radicals, ought to convince many more churches tha t the only cure for the situ– a tion is to "come ou t from among" un– believers and seek for fellowship am ong those chat are likeminded. In saying thi s, we naturally would no t mind inviting them to look into the meri ts of fellow– sh ipping with us. WHAT A STATE PAPER IS FOR Dr. Paul Tassell is the new editor of the ILL-MO Regu lar Baptist. As a former Toledoan we might well cake to hear t what he says hi s Illinois-Mi ssouri paper is for and then just subs titute the letters OIB for ou rselves: An in fo r1r1ed fellowship 1s an ef I ective fellowship. It is the purpose of the 111-,\lo Re?,11lar Baptist to keep the people of our 111-110 churches informed abou r the act1v~ it1es, the chal lenges and che needs of our State Fellowship . One o f che besc \\ays for a pastor to gee hi s people 1 nteresced in what 1s going on around the scare 1s to encourage h1s men1bers to read cl1e pages of rhe Ill /\1o regularly When the inJ1 v1duals \.Vho make up our lo al chu1 ches are informed, che} 1 ~ 111 be n1ort enthusiastic \\ 1 hen the pastor 1,resen c5 (er rain needs and challenges ,vhi{h conf1onc our fello\\'shi1,. An inforr11ed fellc>,\•sl1ip is effe tive in pta;e,. Ho,v ar1 ,ve effe cively pra} for each ocher unless \,•e kno,v t:a( h other·~ nee<is ? ' l 'he e,v.s and \ 'ie,,, I>nge c..an and :should serve ~1~ .t guide tor inter es– sory prayer. Too ofte,1 ou1 l)rayin Ll v r a vast area ge11eralJ y but very Iirtle , re.t " 'lien it con1e:, to s1 ci fi reque c . ~fhi is true be an~e t 1 eciuenrly ,,·e ar not ,, ell enough i,1fl)rn1e I t() })fa)' inct·lligenrly. The Oh io Independent Baptist Published Monthly by ·. THE OHIO ASSOCIATION OF REGULAR BAPTIST CHURCHES == ========================---·· •• Publication Office 153 South J efferson, Berne, Ind Per Per Editor RALPH T NORDLUND 586 Maple Street Fostoria, Ohio Circulation i\f anager MRS. JOHN KAUTZ 4519 Welling ton Ave. Parma 34, Ohio S11bscription Rate: single copy -----------– Year - -- --------- -- DEADLINE FOR NEW : 15th of each m onth Advertising Rate : $ .15 2.00 Per column inch ___________ Per ha lf page ------------- Per full page ______ -----· $2.00 $27 .00 $50.00 Second class postage paid at Berne, Indiana. Postmaster : Please send form 3579 to The Ohio Independent Baptist, 4519 Wellington Ave., Parma 34, Ohio. COUNCIL A D OFFICERS c ha;rmatl Dr. Howard G. Young 450 Third t. Gallipolis, Oh10 ecretary Rev. J o hn crong -,27 Mentor Ave. Painesville, Ohio T rea.surer Rev L)nn Rogers "" 4 . Boyden orthfield, h10 ,,JtSJIOJltlf} (.'htn, Rev Donald !of fat Cedarville, ()h10 ) 0 111/J J1re, for Re, Glenn l;reen,,ocxi l '> ken\1ngcon Pl~tl "pr,nAft~l,l, Ohio E,l1:cat1u11 v111. Rt., "' I,,, torrcll, Jr. - 2() Av 11on, fl 2 Be"lforli, hio 01he 11,e,nberJ R . K F ETli fllL J1R Ll\ Rl E 1"' \'\T } 1 D J()l 11'. l3AL\ ' O ~ Ll-A . Ll·~ 7 1 I 1 1 l Il· I'' Y