Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-06-08
.CREEDVERSUS BIBLE
SAYS HUGH WALLACE
Young Minister Says That Baptist
Preachers Turned Him Down
Unfairly-Will Answer Them in
Sermon Sunday Night.

Rev. Hugh s. Wallace, whom a COM
mitee of Baptist preachers recently de-
clined to ordain into the ministry because
as they held, his beliefs did not quite
square with the Baptist creed on close
communion and such matters. has is
sued a statement, declaring that the COM
mittee turned him down premeditated-
ly, Mr.. Wallace is now serving Ponders
Avenue Baptist church.
YOUNG PASTOR REPLIES
With regard to the report Of the or
dination committee, which was made
last night at Ponders Avenue Baptist
church, showing that they refused to
ordain me into the ministry, I would
like to make the Following statement:
First, that this ordination commit
tee. either as individuals or as a whole.
acted biased, unfair. and inconsistent.
] propose to show that they overstepped
their authority; took upon themselves
rights and privileges that were not del
egated to them, and which they had no
right to assume; that they were a
stumbling block in the way of my earn
est desire to preach the gospel Of Jesus
Christ (not to preach church ordinances
or the Baptist greedy; that every time
1 would quote my position from the
Word Of God that they would reject the
Word of God and tell me that they were
not talking about the Bible, but were
going by what the Baptists believe"
1 propose to show that one OF the
members OF the committee (who could
not possibly be at the first examination
on Thursday afternoon, but who man.
aged to get with the committee pretty
soon after breakfast when the news
papers got hot on their track was in
consistent in his reasons for not at
tending the meeting on Thursday after
noon; that another member of the COM
mittee was inconsistent in the manner
in which he conducted the examination
reaching the points Of "close commun-
ion and foot washing and stopping
there, not giving me a chance any
further.
ACTION PREMEDITATED.
I propose to show that this commit
tee turned me down, premeditatedly,
upon the questions of close communion
and foot washing. with the loophole OF
my being a novice" in the ministry;
and l propose to show that two Of the
members of that committee-from
statements by members of their own
churches-practice the same thing for
which 1 was condemned by the COM
men opened their mouth about their po-
sition in the presence of the committee;
1 propose to show that the man who
wrote the report and said that / was a
novice" in the ministry-that he went
into the ministry four or five years
younger than 1 did, and that he did not
say one word about IL in the committee;
and 1 propose to show that 1 have the
Word Of God to bear out my contention
mat Jesus Christ commanded just as
strongly that we should observe the
wash ing of feet. as He did that we
should observe the Lords supper"
JOHN XIII. CHAPTER.
I propose to show that told one of
the members of that committee, In the
presence OF the other members, that he
"slided into the Baptist ministry and
changed his views after he got in, but
that was going In Ike a man, making
my convictions known before / got into
the ministry" and 1 propose to show that
this same man told me last October.
when first felt called of God to enter the
pulpit that he promised me that IL he
had anything to do with my examination
for ordination that he would not mention
the question of "close communion" he
knowing then Gin OCTOBER how 1 stood on
the question; and that this same man
was very particular to try to confuse me
with questions on the matter of commu-
nion, and place me in bad light before
the committee, which. of course, / have
forgiven. And propose to show that one
member of the committee went into the
examination with the deliberate and set
tied intention of seeing to 1t that 1 was
turned down unless / agreed to add
something to the word of God by giving
the invitation to the Lords Supper that
Is given by the majority of Baptist
preachers today; and 1 propose to show
that IL l had agreed to add something to
the word of God and, in administering
the Lords Supper, say: 'All Of the same
faith and order take of this communion"
and take away from the word Of God by
refusing to accept the thirteenth chapter
of the Gospel by John, and say that 1
did not believe Jesus Christ meant what
He said when He commanded, great
deal more strongly than He ever did
about taking the Lords Supper, that we
should wash one another's feet-if had
agreed to renounce that-these two things
are the points upon which this commit
tee condemned me. and defy them to
come before the public and prove other
wise.
morning paper said that the report
did not lay special stress upon the ques-
They tried to couch their report in such
language as to dodge the real tSs-Ie at
hand; they claimed what the word Of
God did not claim-that immersion was a
prerequisite to communion-they
claimed what the word of God said I
should not do, that 1 should judge who
should take the communion; they quoted
an instance In the Bible to bear out their
position that j can prove that did not
have any reference to the Lords Supper
at all.
1t is simply an issue between the in
spired word of God and the man-made
Baptist creed" and 1 want to put the
public on notice that 1 propose to stick
by the Bible, and preach the gospel Of
Jesus Christ, IL am carried to the exc
cution block by the Baptists of Georgia.
HUGH 8. WALLACE.