In the next issue of the Tidings, Lord willing, will appear the first of a series of articles on the Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith, The intent of this series is threefold: (1) To emphasize the importance of adherence to the B.A. S.F. for the preservation of the Truth; (2) To enable all of our readers to gain greater familiarity with the basic fundamentals of Truth as they appear in the statement; and (3) To prevent the introduction of error into the brotherhood through misunderstanding or misconstruance of the various articles as they appear in the B.A,S,F.
Our Lord and Master warned us, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many, And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matt. 24:11-12) In past decades, many false teachings have arisen from the very ranks of the believers which have posed a threat to the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of the vigilance of faithful brethren and their tireless efforts to defend the faith, we have had preserved the One Faith, We are surely living in the days spoken of by the Master when ‘iniquity shall abound”, and when adherence to laws of any nature are considered old fashioned and degrading to human pride, It is popular and progressive today to be independent and tolerant of other’s views. Such an attitude in the Truth, however, if not controlled can become its destroyer, and will ultimately cause the faith which was once delivered to the saints” to vanish from the earth, If ever here were a time, in the words of Jude 3, to “earnestly contend for the faith”, it is now. The word, “contend” in the Greek is a very strong word, signifying a stalwart defense of the Truth in the face of strong rivalry.
At recent meetings of the Tidings Staff, it was decided that a series of articles of this nature should have the consent and backing of all members on the staff. It was further deemed advisable to solicit the very able capabilities of another brother living in the Sacramento area, whose experience and years in the Truth could be of great value to us, Brother Carl Wolfe has been asked and has consented to become an associate editor for the Sacramento area, for assistance in the printing of these articles. His background in printing the Junior Christadelphian Magazine before the Tidings, and his vitality as a preacher of the Word, I am certain, will add immeasurably to the spirituality of this series.
It is intended that the material used in subsequent articles shall meet the approval and consent of the entire staff, and shall, hereafter, simply be signed as the Tidings Staff, The names of those serving on the Tidings magazine are Brethren Robert J, Lloyd, Richard R. Stone, Robert L. Brinkerhoff, Paul Phillips, John McConville, and (for this series) Carl S. Wolfe, As always, we would invoke the blessing of God to rest on this effort, and ask our readers to pray that the guiding hand of our Heavenly Father will direct the work, and endow us with that wisdom which is from above.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One