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[Note: <\/strong>This MS is available in larger font on our Longer Articles<\/strong> page.]<\/span><\/p>\n Introduction<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Some time ago a friend and brother in Christ sent me the recordings of a Gospel meeting series he had recently attended, asking me to comment on their content. Since these lessons were delivered publicly, I feel at liberty to fulfill my friend\u2019s request. The preacher in this series was the late Jimmy Allen (1930\u20132020). He was a Bible professor at Harding University for half a century but was perhaps best known for the fifty city-wide evangelistic campaigns in which he preached during the 1960s and 70s.<\/span><\/p>\n The Gospel Meeting Sermons<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The recordings revealed that Allen preached some powerful sermons on \u201cfirst principles\u201d (particularly on Acts 16 and the conversion of the jailor), which I could wish that the entire world could hear. One very noticeable thing, however, was the abundance of references he made to his evangelistic campaign appearances, including the mention of the hundreds (sometimes thousands) who were in attendance and the number of responses to the invitation. I could not help thinking of Solomon\u2019s caution to all of us: \u201cLet another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; A stranger, and not thine own lips\u201d (Pro. 27:2).<\/span><\/p>\n I further questioned the relevance of his repeated praise and endorsement of his old college classmate, Jerry Jones. He was chairman of Harding\u2019s Bible Department in the 1980s when he was fired because of his defense of the Crossroads\/Boston Movement (which eventually imploded, the remnants of which became \u201cThe International Church of Christ\u201d). Jones thereafter moved to Boston and joined the cult, but his enchantment with its leadership was short-lived. He thereafter began conducting \u201cdiscipling seminars,\u201d apparently for about anyone who invites him (including liberal congregations and denominational groups).<\/span><\/p>\n The Class on Romans<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n During the Gospel meeting, Allen taught daytime classes on Romans, and with some of his class material I must take serious exception.<\/span><\/p>\n Assertions About the Holy Spirit<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n One such issue was his advocacy that the Holy Spirit directly \u201cenhances,\u201d \u201chones,\u201d and \u201csharpens\u201d our natural abilities so that we are \u201cmore gifted\u201d and can therefore do some things we might not be able to do otherwise (to his credit, he disclaims any present miraculous manifestation of the Spirit).<\/span><\/p>\n Strangely, he did not cite even one Scripture for his assertion that the Spirit aids us directly. His \u201cproof,\u201d at least on this occasion, was, \u201cI am convinced of that\u201d\u2014about the same level of evidence the Mormon \u201celders\u201d use to \u201cverify\u201d the inspiration of the Book of Mormon. If the Spirit so helps me, how will I be judged at last? Will I give a final account to the Lord of the deeds I have done in the body or of the deeds the Spirit\u2014helping me directly\u2014and<\/strong> I have done (2 Cor. 5:10)? And if I arrive at the Judgment unfaithful to the Lord, will not the Holy Spirit have to share in the blame?<\/span><\/p>\n The question is not, as he asked, \u201cDo you suppose the Lord could<\/strong>\u2026\u201d do this or that, but rather, \u201cWhat does the New Testament teach about what the Lord does and how He does it?\u201d I was made to wonder how far he might go with the suggestion that the Spirit \u201cenhances\u201d one\u2019s natural abilities. Suppose one\u2019s \u201cnatural gift\u201d is adeptness at interpreting the Scriptures. Does the Spirit \u201cenhance\u201d that gift to make him a better interpreter than a brother or sister who is not so naturally gifted? What is the practical difference in this claim and the \u201cenlightenment\u201d claims of Calvinists? What is the difference in this claim and inspiration?\u00a0 Despite his disclaimers relating to miraculous activity, I am unable to see how there can be a direct impact of the Holy Spirit upon a human being without some sort of miraculous activity being involved.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I reject the claim that the Spirit does things to<\/strong> the Christian directly<\/strong> and immediately<\/strong> (i.e., apart from what He does for<\/strong> us through His Word and through providence [Rom. 8:16, 26]). I do so on the ground that the Scriptures do not so teach. We cannot have a better ground for said rejection.<\/span><\/p>\n Assertions About Drinking Wine <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Brother Allen indicated he had a drinking problem in his youth, but gave it up to be a \u201cteetotaler,\u201d for which he is to be commended. However, I have heard no plainer blatant justification of \u201csocial drinking\u201d (disclaiming all the while any encouragement of it) than he offered. On Romans 14:21, discussing the \u201cstrong\u201d and the \u201cweak,\u201d he asserted that wine<\/em> in this verse refers to fermented, alcoholic wine. He then concluded that those who are \u201cstrong\u201d can drink \u201ca small amount\u201d of wine with an evening meal without sinning. He asked that, if we count such drinking habits as sinful, then what shall we do about brethren in Argentina, Italy, and Russia who drink wine with their meals? Please consider the following:<\/span><\/p>\n Again, nothing in Romans 14:21 encourages anyone to drink any sort of alcoholic<\/span><\/p>\n beverage. Allen ought to have been ashamed for teaching otherwise.<\/span><\/p>\n Concluding Observations<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Over the years I have observed more than one case of the following phenomenon: A Gospel preacher who faithfully proclaimed the Word for decades then \u201cmellowed out\u201d in his late years, adopting compromising or outright false positions. Many believe this occurred with Alexander Campbell, a veritable firebrand with the Gospel for several years of his preaching life, but who made serious compromises in his dotage, seen in such things as his infamous \u201cLunenburg Letter\u201d and his endorsement of the American Christian Missionary Society. This observation of the behavior of others may explain one or both of the following occurrences:<\/span><\/p>\n Perhaps an appropriate conclusion to my comments is a statement by Jimmy Allen from his autobiography, Fire in My Bones <\/em>(privately pub., 2004, p. 244): \u201cI am too liberal for churches where I used to preach, and I am too conservative for some of the others.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n [Note: <\/strong>I wrote this article for, and it originally appeared in the March 2002 issue of The Gospel Journal, <\/em>a 36-page monthly of which I was editor at the time. I afterward made a few additional updates]<\/span><\/p>\n Attribution:<\/strong> From thescripturecache.com<\/em>; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Views: 0[Note: This MS is available in larger font on our Longer Articles page.] Introduction Some time ago a friend and brother in Christ sent me the recordings of a Gospel meeting series he had recently attended, asking me to comment on their content. Since…<\/p>\n\n
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