Tag Archives: Jimmie Beller

A Modern Plea for Ancient Truths

It’s Tuesday, which means another book being added to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary (you do know about it, right?).

This book seeks to summarize the “Restoration Plea” in an easy to understand way, and points out areas in which the plea is made.

  1. A Plea for Unity
  2. A Plea for Liberty
  3. A Plea for Loyalty
  4. A Plea for New Testament Evangelism
  5. A Plea for Progress
  6. A Plea for Love

The author of this book, J.H. Garrison, was co-editor of the Christian-Evangelist along with B.W. Johnson, then took sole ownership when Johnson died.  Garrison went on to become a leading voice for the “progressive” (i.e., “liberal”) element of the church.

There are some good thoughts throughout this book, but as always, make sure you compare what is said with God’s word, because Garrison misses the mark some as well (especially in chapter 5).

This book will challenge you.

And you can download it by clicking the link below

A Modern Plea for Ancient Truths (J.H. Garrison)

-Bradley S. Cobb

The Model Church

Sometimes, when people realize that I’ve made a lot of old brotherhood books available again (electronically and in print), they send me requests.  “Do you have this book?”  “Can you make this book available?”  And I think it’s great!  One of the ones that I get the most requests for is today’s addition to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary:

The Model Church by G.C. Brewer.

Here’s why: It is a good, succinct description of elders (and their qualifications), deacons (and their qualifications), and reverential worship in the church.

Having said that, brother Brewer did take the position in the book that female deacons were probably acceptable–so while there’s a lot in the book we agree with, there’s also that part that we don’t (we wrote an article that dealt somewhat with this here).  As always, compare everything with the word of God.

Here’s the chapters, to help give you an idea:

 

  1. What Constitutes A Congregation
  2. The Qualifications of an Elder
  3. The Duties of the Elders
  4. The Relation of the Overseen to the Overseer
  5. How Elders Are Made
  6. How Elders Are Unmade
  7. The Diaconate
  8. Dealing with the Disorderly
  9. Figuring on the Finances
  10. Church Music
  11. A Model Church
  12. Prayer-Meeting Topics

Because of the continual requests for this book, we are making it available in the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary, but also in print for those who want to use it in their Bible classes or personal study.

To purchase the print edition, click here.

To read this book online, or save it for later enjoyment, simply click the link below!

The Model Church (G.C. Brewer)

-Bradley S. Cobb

Atheism and Arithmetic

The apostle Paul informs us that we can know the invisible God exists by looking at the things which do exist, and there’s no excuse for ignoring it.  David said, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

With those thoughts in mind, we are happy to announce the latest addition to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary: Atheism and Arithmetic, by H.L. Hastings.

Originally written in 1884, this book is filled with evidences of mathematic design in nature, in plants, in the planets, in time, in chemicals, in science, and even in music itself.  There is also a valuable section which debunks some of the atheists’ arguments regarding God and pain and suffering.

Here’s a sample of what you’ll find in this book:

The appetite for religion is as universal as the appetite for bread, and as natural.

It is true that many men make a living out of religion, but so do many men make a living by baking bread; but no one proposes to go without bread because bakers get their own bread by furnishing bread to others. It is equally true that there is much poor religion in the world, but there is also much poor bread; and if Pharaoh’s baker baked no better bread than some men bake in these days, it is not strange that his master hung him. But people will have bread, though it be poor; and if the supply be scanty they still insist that “half a loaf is better than no bread.” And so people will have a religion, though it may be small in quantity and inferior in quality. And this inclination for religion is not an acquired and debasing appetite, like the appetite for opium and tobacco; it is the spontaneous and universal uplifting of the soul to adore something higher and greater than mortal man; and the higher the nations rise in virtue and excellence, the more firmly are they established in their religious convictions. And this appetite for religion is older than the priests, just as the appetite for bread is older than the bakers; the demand existed before the supply was provided. The instinct of worship is a natural instinct, indicating an actual need inwrought in the human constitution, for some wise purpose, by the Creative Hand.

As always, we have taken the time to proofread, update, and completely reformat this book to give you the best possible reading experience.

Just click the link below to read this book online or to download to your device for later enjoyment!

Atheism and Arithmetic (H.L. Hastings)

-Bradley Cobb

The Emergence of the “Church of Christ” Denomination

Those of us who are conservative in doctrine insist that the church of Christ is not a denomination, and never will be.  However, there are those within the church who seemed determined to change that.

Today’s addition to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary is an interesting and worthwhile contribution to this discussion.

David Edwin Harrell, Ph.D., is a recognized scholar, whose writings have been reviewed (usually positively) by major scholarly journals in the field of history and religion.  He’s also a Christian.

In this short book, Harrell traces the rise of the Restoration Movement from what historians and sociologists call a “sect” (a devout conservative group) to a “denomination” (a liberal, complacent group).  He shows how a portion of the church fought against being denominationalized, but that the same movement is being made once again within the church.

It shows very clearly, from an objective historian’s perspective, that it is the liberals among us that are trying to turn the Lord’s church into something different–and that they are either “ignorant or dishonest” to claim otherwise.

We are happy to present to you this book.  Like always, we have proofread it, reformatted it, and made it just right for reading on your computer, phone, tablet, or other such device!  Just click the link below!

 

Emergence of the Church of Christ Denomination

Is Smoking Sinful?

 

Today, I read through a 40-year old debate book with the proposition, “The Scriptures Teach that a Christian May Smoke.”

The topic is one that I’ve written on before (see here), but it never hurts to restudy positions, so long as you come to the topic willing to accept whatever the Bible has to say on the matter.

Rolf Miller, a gospel preacher who smoked, took the affirmative in this debate, saying that smoking is not sinful in and of itself, but that in some instances it could become sinful.

Eugene Britnell, a gospel preacher who had quit smoking several years earlier, took the negative position, stating that smoking did harm to the body, and therefore it was sinful.

At some point in the future, I might post a review, giving my thoughts on the debate, and areas which didn’t get emphasized as they should have, but for now, I thought it’d be worthwhile to make it available for you as the latest addition to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary!

This short debate (44 pages) features five presentations from each writer, as well as a summary from both.

We hope that you find this debate to be interesting and a useful resource for your studies.

It can be read online or downloaded to your computer/tablet/phone/whatever by clicking the following link:

Britnell-Miller Debate on Smoking

A Debate on Preterism (AD 70 Theory)

We are pleased to bring you the latest addition to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary:

The Jack Hansen/Bruce Webster Debate:

This written debate, taking place in the mid-1970s, is billed as “A Debate on Eschatology: Does Matthew 24 and 25 Refer Only to the Destruction of Jerusalem?”

The propositions debated are:

1. In Matthew 24, the Lord distinguishes between the destruction of Jerusalem and His second coming. (Webster affirms, Hansen denies)

2. Matthew 24 and 25 speak only of the fall of the Jewish commonwealth in AD 70 (Hansen affirms, Webster denies).

It became quickly evident that Jack Hansen was leaning towards full preterism (the stance that all passages which speak of the end of the world/age are referring to the end of the Jewish world/age).  But by the time the debate had ended, Hansen rejected that position (while still maintaining that there is no division in Matthew 24).

The issues debated in this book are ones which are still present in the Lord’s church today, nearly 40 years later.

This debate, like so many others, had times where it devolved to a “he said, he said” contest, but if you are willing to read past those petty parts, there is some great information on both sides to be gleaned in this book.

I believe that you will find information worth considering in this book, regardless of which position you take in regards to the dividing of Matthew 24 and 25.

As always, this book has been completely reformatted and edited to give you the best possible reading experience.

Click the link below to read or to download this debate

Hansen-Webster Eschatology Debate

-Bradley Cobb

The Library has Grown!

We’ve not been just twiddling our thumbs around here.  We’ve been getting more books ready for the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary!

Abner Jones

First, we have made available a biography of Abner Jones, one of the earliest preachers of the Restoration Movement.  This was written in 2009, and updated in 2015.  It is called “Abner Jones – Christian Only.”

Click the link below to read or download it!

Abner Jones – Christian Only (Bradley Cobb)

Baptism

The second book we’re bringing you is a 12-page work entitled “The Act, Subjects, and Design of Baptism” by James Anderson, a preacher from Australia.  While it’s short, it has a lot of really great information in it.

Click the link below to read or download it!

Act, Subjects, and Design of Baptism (James Anderson)

The Gospel Plan of Salvation

And finally, we’re happy to announce that we’ve included T.W. Brents’ classic work, “The Gospel Plan of Salvation.”  You’ll definitely want to get this one and read it.

Click on the link below to read or download it!

Brents, T.W. – Gospel Plan of Salvation

 

-Bradley Cobb

(FREE) Why We Believe the Bible by George DeHoff

While we’re trying to get more work done on our book on the apostles of the Bible, we thought we would add some more books to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary.

Today’s new addition is a book by George DeHoff entitled “Why We Believe the Bible.”

It is a good basic book on apologetics.

The chapters include:

  1. Why We Want to Believe the Bible
  2. Why We Believe in God
  3. Genesis 1
  4. The Origin of Religion
  5. The Bible and Scientific Foreknowledge
  6. Archaeology and the Bible
  7. The Influence of the Bible
  8. Prophecy and Its Fulfillment
  9. The Messianic Prophecies
  10. Proof from Secular Writers
  11. The Other Sacred Books
  12. Internal Evidences of Inspiration
  13. The Indestructibility of the Bible

As always, this book has been edited, corrected, and formatted for your reading pleasure!

Just click the link to download this book or to read it online.

DeHoff, George – Why We Believe the Bible

Misunderstandings About the Lord’s Church

“Your church was started by Alexander Campbell”

“You don’t preach Jesus, you preach works-salvation”

And they go on and on.

Back in the early 1900s, these same things were being said of the Lord’s church, and it hasn’t changed much today.  But to help straighten out some misconceptions that people in the religious world (and even some in the church) have about the church of Christ, J.L. Hill wrote a book, entitled “As Others See Us, and As We Are.”

It is a collection of sermons dealing with misconceptions about the church, put into print so that people can have a better understanding of it.

And today, it is free for you to download, courtesy of the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary.

Contents:

  1. “A Denomination, Founded By Alexander Campbell.”
  2. The Name “Christian”— Is It A Presumption?
  3. “Experimental Religion”— “Is Salvation By Formula?”
  4. “Dangerous Doctrines”— Do We Teach Them?
  5. The Church Of Christ — Its Origin And Growth
  6. Membership In The Early Church
  7. Ordinances And Offices Of The Early Church
  8. Missions The Heart Of Christianity
  9. The Passing Of The Clergy
  10. Corporatism And Ecclesiasticism In The Christian Church
  11. Origin And Growth Of Roman Catholicism
  12. The Reformation
  13. Origin And Growth Of Modern Sectarianism
  14. Ultimate Religion: Christian Unity
  15. A Century’s Growth

Simply click on the link below to read it or download it to your computer for reading later!

As Others See Us and As We Are (J.L. Hill)

Ingersoll’s Mistakes About Moses

D.R. Dungan is best known for his enduring book, “Hermeneutics,” which is still a standard textbook in the study of biblical interpretation, even though it was written over a hundred years ago.  But that’s not the only book that he wrote.

Several months ago, we shared another book by brother Dungan called “The Sabbath or the Lord’s Day: Which?”  And today, continuing the theme of books defending the authenticity of the Bible, we present to you another.  This one is called “Ingersoll’s Mistakes about Moses.”

If you read yesterday’s post [you did, didn’t you?], you’ll remember that there was a man in the late 1800s who went around the country giving a speech called “Some Mistakes of Moses.”

The report of this speech in the Chicago Tribune of March 24th, has laugh­ter eighty-one times; frequently it is preced­ed by such words as “continued,” “renew­ed,” “great,” “prolonged,” “uproarious.” Applause also occurs twelve times.

Like many of today’s comedy personalities, Ingersoll got his kicks by making fun of Christians and Bible-believing people.  Things have not changed all that much, have they?  His tactics were described as:

Mr. Ingersoll is a most extraordinary man. His wit is sparkling and original; his invective is withering, and the undercurrent of blasphemy hisses through almost every paragraph; his humor protrudes, and if ever put on the background comes to the front again on the slightest provocation. He is reckless in his statements; he is irreverent —not to say impudent—in his treatment of believers.

D.R. Dungan, a writer, professor, preacher, and scholar, possessed a quick wit himself, and was a master in the use of sarcasm and humor.  He had quite the knack for “turning phrases.”  For example, here is a quote from today’s book, describing the atheist Robert Ingersoll:

His logic is suffering from paraly­sis and gives no signs of recovery. To make half-statements of facts and create false issues respecting them, he is the peer of any man, living or dead. He is not a slave to truth, but a free man. When he wishes to take a position, he takes it, and if the facts are ad­verse, it is all the worse for them. It would be unreasonable to ask such a man to descend to the dull routine of logic. If he were compelled to establish his premises by the in­duction of facts and reach his conclusion in a legitimate way, the opportunities for the dis­play of genius would be gone, and he would become as tame and dull and stupid and plat­itudinarian as clergymen whom he repre­sents as occupying the caverns of darkness, and, like the owls, “hooting the hoots that have been hooted for the last 1800 years.”

We think that you will enjoy and be benefited by today’s addition to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary: “Ingersoll’s Mistakes About Moses” by D.R. Dungan.  Simply click the link below and read it online or save for later reading on your favorite device!

Dungan, DR – Ingersolls Mistakes About Moses