HOW TO DEAL WITH ERROR by H. F. PHELPS

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 30, 1900

HOW TO DEAL WITH ERROR.

By H. F. PHELPS

H. F. PHELPS.

(St. Paul, Minn.)

The following from Mr. Moody, as given in the Literary Digest, is worthy of a place in the REVIEW AND HERALD. It contains a good lesson for those who should feed the flock of God with food well winnowed. Mr. Moody says:—

A statement of error is like dropping a seed. It often suggests what would otherwise never occur to a man. I once heard a man combat the very liberal views of two able men. The men who were supposed to be unsound were so much more able than the one who criticised them that I found, unconsciously, that my sympathies were being roused in their behalf. This taught me a lesson that it is always a dangerous thing to attack men who hold error.

It is for this reason that Christ’s teaching was always constructive. He gave little attention to tearing down, because he knew that as light dispels darkness, so truth scatters error. His method of dealing with error was largely to ignore it, letting it melt away in the warm glow of the full intensity of truth expressed in love. But most important of all, let us remember the injunction of the apostle Peter, “Above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves.” Let us hold truth, but by all means let us hold it in love, and not with a theological club.

Now there are several points worthy of consideration in this. “A statement of error is like dropping a seed.” When we drop a seed, it is supposed that it will grow. That is why we drop the seed. But when we drop a seed of error, by quoting the words or statements of those in error, would we like to have it grow? We quote it for the sake of refuting the error. But why not refute the error by presenting advance truth? In so doing, the error will vanish in the minds of the honest, without the sowing of a seed of error for some one to catch up, who, in all probability, would never have thought of the error or of the would-be argument if we had not quoted it. On this point the Spirit of God has spoken: “Let your pens trace advance truth.” And the voice should do likewise.

This is the quotation in full, as found in “Special Testimony for Ministers and Workers,” No. 4, pages 22, 23: “The pen so often traces words that are sharp, and by repeating the statements of the advocates of error, our brethren sometimes give currency to the error. This is a mistake. Let your pen trace advance truth.”

This is so very plain that it needs no comment. The Spirit of God is able to say just what it means, just what is for our good, and for the good of the cause of God as well. From a careful consideration of the foregoing quotation, it seems to the writer that in dealing with error—imperialism, for instance—we should present the truth in contrast,—hit the very “thing” itself, and hit it hard, with the truth of God. We can even name the error, the very thing we are after, and show how the truth of God proves that it is an error; and all this without giving quotations or so-called arguments of the error. The need of naming the “thing” is because many persons have so benumbed the finer faculties of the mind by indulgence of appetite that they would not be able to see the application if the thing were not named. With many the mind is rendered so obtuse by stimulants and narcotics that they can not see clearly. So we may name the thing; but we do not need to quote the error.

Another very suggestive word in this quotation from Mr. Moody, is that deep-meaning word “constructive.” There is altogether too much tearing down, and not enough building up, in this world. It is the work of Christ, and of all who co-operate with him, to build up. But it is the work of an enemy to tear down. When Christ was here among men, his work was to counteract the work of the enemy. And, as noticed by Mr. Moody, he did it by “the full intensity of truth expressed in love.” And the followers of Christ must do the same. This, indeed, will be the chief characteristic of the people of God in the crisis that is before them. Christ will, by them, be represented before the world. The world is in perishing need of Christ. All the world will see Christ in his people. And seeing Christ in his people will lead every honest soul to flee out of Babylon.

Another point: “Have fervent charity among yourselves.” But this never can be secured in any other manner, nor will it be manifested in any other manner, than that set forth by the Spirit of God through his servant Paul, “which is, Christ in you,”—Christ in the believer. When Christ is seen by the world, in his people, in all his fullness, then there will also be found “fervent charity” among them. And that charity will manifest itself toward the erring, to the extent that its possessors will not judge the motives of any soul of man, not even of their persecutors. They will not judge the motives of even the most zealous National Reformer, nor of the most ardent imperialist; in fact, they will “judge nothing before the time.”