Eutychus and His Kin: March 23, 1979

I have been a classified ad afficionado for years. I first got intrigued with them in college, when I began reading Saturday Review. Through the magazine’s ups and downs—and it’s been like a roller coaster lately—the classified section has remained a constant, a stabilizing force in the face of editorial changes and design quirks. (It seems to me that someone tried to dispense with the SR classifieds, but reader outrage brought them back, even more enticing than before.)

Classified ads are not easy to write. The average length, just a few lines, puts great demands on the creativity of the advertiser. (You might say it’s an advertising version of “let your yea be yea, your nay, nay.”)

Anyone can come up with a splashing winner if given slick paper, four-color possibilities, and a full page to work with. But to grab a potential buyer, get him to read, and then beguile him enough to sell him something—that’s a tough assignment.

I don’t know where SR finds its classified ad people, but they deliver the goods every issue. Take a couple of examples: “LEARN 10 LANGUAGES A YEAR while striding for exercise.” That one’s got it all. You’ve stamped the envelope before you know it. Or, “FREE BOOK. Prophet Elijah Coming Before Christ.” That’s a recurring ad in the latest SR. Makes me suspicious. Is it a plant? Would a reputable magazine tamper with such a big reader favorite? Surely, that’s no place for humor. Anyway, it sounds more like it belongs in a CT classified section.

Which brings me to the relatively new and burgeoning section of this journal—Marketplace. With pleasure, I noted its appearance a couple of years ago. As I said, I like classifieds.

But, again, I find suspicious entries interspersed with the real thing (“WONDERS NEVER CEASE” or “BACK FROM BRINK!”). And each ends with one name: Lawing.

Who is this Lawing? He appears too often and has so many addresses. Is he ubiquity personified? Either that, or he heads a vast, evangelical conglomerate—a rival, a fierce competitor for my own company, Evangelical Amusements, about which I have written upon occasion. He bears watching—or should I say reading? Candy bars stamped with “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good.” A sure winner. I wish I’d thought of that. Maybe Lawing would consider a merger.

EUTYCHUS IX

Unbounded Joy

Your editorial on “Human Engineering” (Jan. 19) was a great encouragement to this particular believer. It was gratifying to see such a prominent evangelical spokesmagazine being so current and concerned about an area of ethics so much neglected by the evangelical community. To add unbounded joy to my gratitude though, you also published a very thoughtful article on the same subject by Craig Ellison. Good for you!

ROBERT A. CASE II

Yakima, Wash.

Intellectual Integrity

An article with the intellectual integrity and depth of “Things of the Spirit, Matters of the Mind” by David L. McKenna (Feb. 2) is most helpful to those of us seriously concerned with the consequences of conservative Christianity. Thank you for publishing it.

FRED SMITH

Dallas, Tex.

Spiritual Exercise

I have just read and reread Dr. Vernon Grounds’ article “Getting Into Shape Spiritually” (Feb. 2), and have enjoyed the challenge of spirituality that he presents. Many of us as pastors and church leaders are too often not in shape for the confrontations of the day, and thus, are too soon exhausted.

JAMES W. GREEN

Faith Baptist Church

Hillsboro, Ore.

A Lesson To Learn

Thank you for your important editorial “The Bewitching of the Churches” and the extensive news article by Mr. Plowman, “The Legend(s) of John Todd” (Feb. 2). In the aftermath of Jonestown, the Christian community needs this type of information and warning. Perhaps the churches should start applying the same biblical guidelines when inviting speakers as Paul did for the office of bishop (elder) in 1 Timothy 3:6: “He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.”

DONALD DYKSTRA

Lansing, Ill.

Congratulations and hearty thanks for the editorial and article on the Todd mania. You have rendered an important service to those who have been seeking information their own church leaders cannot seem to supply. I share your dismay that so many Christian people are vulnerable to this kind of sensationalism. I shouldn’t wonder if some might become quite upset with you for trying to take from them a scenario of doom to which they have become attached! But do not far too many members of the flock want or need to be kept frightened and a certain number of the shepherds find it useful to keep them that way?

WALTER C. UTT

Angwin, Calif.

You have no need to apologize for the coverage you devoted to the ministry of John Todd and the unfortunate response he evoked from hundreds of churches and pastors who were too willing to be judgmental of other, legitimate Christian perspectives and, at the same time, quick to absorb Todd’s fabrications. If someone had been as thorough about Jim Jones three years ago, many lives might be different today. I hope you never feel the need to apologize for exposing such opportunists and cult leaders. We need more, not less, of the same!

JOEL A. MACCOLLAM

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

Glendale, Calif.

I just finished reading your story “The Legends of John Todd.” Congratulations on a superb job of … reporting.

Houston Chronicle

LOUIS MOORE

Houston, Tex.

The news article on John Todd was disturbing to me, although not because of Todd or his activities. While I am deeply concerned for those individuals whom he has deceived, I am not overly concerned by his particular brand of heresy. John Todds have plagued the Christian church since the first century when Philip baptized the magician Simon Magus who later tried to buy God’s miraculous power from Peter. Simon Magus was rebuked and faded from history as will John Todd, while the church continues to minister to a world in need of God’s love. What disturbed me about the article was a reported statement by Todd that, “To survive, Christians must arm themselves,” etc. Apparently, Todd is building a following based upon the premise that Christians must survive at all costs. It is my conviction, however, that it is not the business of Christians to survive but to serve God and minister to his children throughout the world. Perhaps, if we were more concerned with the self-giving devotion to God’s love which led early Christians to eternal life, but not always to survival, we would not be so easily deceived by the John Todds and Simon Maguses who will continue to appear.

MARVIN MCCLAIN, JR.

United Methodist Church

Fort Meyers, Fla.

Ground Cut

The review of Armegeddon Now! (Feb. 2) authored by Dwight Wilson and reviewed by Timothy P. Weber almost made my day. After the decades-long dreary record of Bible prophecy addicts pointing to this demigod and that one, to this notable event and another as sure fulfilment of prophetic scripture, it is refreshing to find that an unprejudiced and objective exposure of these follies has been written. I am delighted that a scholastically qualified person has dealt with these obvious misuses of the Bible, and, I hope, cut the ground from under many a “Lo, here” or “Lo, there” enthusiast today.

DONALD E. KOHLSTAEDT

Spokane, Wash.

Deficiency Addressed

Being involved for a number of years as a professor and dealing with the preparation of men for the ministry, I want to express my appreciation for the article, “Preaching with Power and Purpose,” by Lloyd Perry (Feb. 2). I feel that while it was intended for ministers in general, in a positive way it addresses itself to a great deficiency in our colleges and seminaries today. While, of course, there are exceptions, I am wondering if our educational institutions are really training men who can preach the Scriptures in a sound academic manner, without the loss of a burning, bleeding, broken heart.

RONALD G. WELLNER

First Alliance Church

Charlotte, N.C.

One Sentence Clincher

Mark Noll’s article, “America’s Battle Against the Bottle” (Jan. 19) was excellent. His last sentence (“… which should suggest that evangelicals frame their arguments against liquor in terms of expedience rather than divine absolutes”) was the clincher.

HELEN LOUISE HERNDON

St. Louis, Mo.

As a student of the pre-Civil War temperance reform, I appreciated Marie Noll’s article on the subject. As contemporary Christians we are lacking in historical perspective on this and similar issues. Particularly in the antebellum era, this movement for social reform was led by evangelicals of high standing in their communities, intent upon realizing in America a Christian republic in the best sense of the word. Even in the deep South, where reform sentiment supposedly was lacking, the temperance movement flourished under the leadership of men like John Belton O’Neall of South Carolina, president of the Baptist state convention and chief justice of the state supreme court, who was as committed to a Christian republic as Lyman Beecher. Present-day evangelicals possessed of a social conscience will find kindred spirits and a heritage of activism among the workers in the antebellum temperance reform.

DOUGLAS CARLSON

Savoy, Ill.

Reader’s Answer

Being a graduate student in psychology and having a seminary background, I read “Is Psychotherapy Unbiblical” (Jan. 19) with interest. Unfortunately, Humphries fell short of my expectations in that he never adequately answered his own question. One might infer that since therapy has been of help to people it falls in the area of common grace just as auto mechanics or printing. Unquestionably he made no attempt to integrate the Bible and “the couch,” but rather presented them as parallels with occasional (and problematic) crossings. A second disappointment was that he lumped all therapy (there are over twelve major ones in use today) together. His bias appears to be Freudian, but that is not the problem. He should have acknowledged his bias so that readers do not misconstrue or become confused about what goes on in a therapy session.

RONALD R. HOOEY

Saddle Brook, N. J.

Crux of Issue

I appreciated very much your feature article and editorial dealing with “Human Engineering” (Jan. 19). Mr. Ellison is to be commended for his easy to understand presentation of the issue and his mind stimulating questions which must not be ignored by evangelicals. The editors are also to be commended for placing their fingers on the crux of the issue—that absolutes are foundational in determining the extent and limitation of human engineering; without them “trouble ahead” is certain.

CHARLES KELLEY

Arlington, Tx.

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