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FODDER By Jeff
Belknap Many who
fellowship the “application” expressed in brother Halbrook’s quotes, have
argued that those exposing his error are to be blamed.
They claim that to do so only gives the enemies of truth “fodder”
against those who have fought the Romans 14 apostasy. While
an end result of the controversy may indeed be that some are evil-spoken-of by
the adversaries of righteousness, has such ever been a
scriptural reason to neglect our responsibility to expose sin?
Those who understand the corruptive nature of this divorce doctrine
should be more concerned with making sure we do not give our rivals legitimate
reason to speak evil of us. When
we expose one false doctrine, but refuse
to expose another (because the timing is bad or because it may give
“fodder” to the ungodly), we become guilty of partiality
(Jas. 2:1, 9; I Tim. A similar respect
of persons in the 1950’s and 60’s may have led to much of the apostasy
we are seeing today, regarding Homer Hailey’s MDR doctrine and the related
Romans 14 error. If brethren who
had knowledge of brother Hailey’s error had stood opposed to it, even in the
midst of the institutional battle, we might have been spared the division we are
experiencing today. The reason the
present schism is so great, may very well be the result of the unchecked
leavening influence of a man whom many knew to be holding false doctrine,
but failed to speak out against it
(Jas. 4:17). Instead,
several continued to fellowship and commend brother Hailey, in spite of
his erroneous doctrine. He was
invited to many meetings and praised for his good work.
How many in subsequent generations came to know brother Hailey’s
teaching on MDR and excused it as unimportant, following the lead of their
parents’ generation? We will
never know, but we do know that I Corinthians 5:6-7 says, “…Know ye not that
a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven,
that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened…” (cp. w. II Tim. 2:16-18).
The
scriptures teach us to purge all
leaven. Not to ignore the presence
of an agent that we, in our human reasoning, deem to be beneficial to the lump
in fighting a “bigger battle.” Such
logic implies a belief that God will not help us fight more than one battle
against sin at once (Prov. 24:10). Where
is our faith? Do we still believe
that one man and God is a majority? Do
we expect the devil to give us a “convenient season” for exposing sin before
we will do it? Can we afford to wait until it is too late
for too many, to determine that this
is a battle worth fighting? My intent
is not to berate those who failed to act in the past.
However, it is said that they who do not learn
from their mistakes are destined to repeat
them. Even though not long ago,
I had the utmost respect for brother Halbrook (just as I once esteemed brother
Hailey), I am resolved not to be a
part of making the same mistake with Ron (and others), that brethren made
with Homer Hailey, years ago. The
error this website is devoted to exposing is the
leaven currently among us, which
makes it infinitely more dangerous. The
influence of these men is too great for us to take lightly.
If we tolerate and defend those involved in this doctrine now, it will be
inconsistent (and less effective) to give warning later, after it has grown. In
addition, to charge those who are fighting against this present error with being
“unwise,” “helping the enemies of truth,” “being divisive,” etc., is
placing the blame where it does not belong (Prov. According
to the scriptures, who gives “fodder?”
"When
men sin by silence, when they should protest makes cowards of men." Abraham
Lincoln "Evil
flourishes when good men do nothing!" Author Unknown |
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