The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-01-22
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Challenge to Rev. Mr.. McCracken.

t Challenge to Rev. MIR. McCracken.
AS the reverend gentleman has
stated in The Fargo Forum of Jan. s
that he wanted the people Of Fargo tC
hear both sides OF the question. and
as he has had false statements made
in The Forum concerning Pastor Rus
sell, I handed him a personal challenge
to meet me in open debate, and l al
so CAV him a copy of the Casey,
Illinois, paper in which was an offer
of 81, 900 for any court evidence that
Pastor Russell was an impure man.
1t is difficult to understand why
Christian ministers who have been TO
i college and have been ordained and
who have Divine authority to tell the
people what to believe should put III
so much of their time malignlng a
man who only went to school seven
years, they say, and yet none OF them
answer him from the Bible, but
have to resort to methods that would
make even a worldly man blush, let
alone one who poses as a follower or
Christ. Our Lord said, Learn of me,
for / am meek and loWly IN heart.
These gentlemen can find no place in
the Scriptures where our Lord went
about trying to bring up personal &C
cusations against his opponents, and
so we have no desire to bring any
personal accusations against any man,
for if all the ministers in the world
were above %reproach. which they arc
not, their doctrine would be just as
bad news as it is now so we stand
upon the Bible and desire to speak
evil Of no man. | have been personal
ly acquainted with Pastor Russell fer
twenty years and have been a student
of his writings for that time, and |
am in a position to say that the
statements made in The Forum were
utterly false: that Pastor Russell
e made answer in any cour tina
he had been ordained ny men and
then changed his statement, because
Pastor Russell has always rejoiced
that he was free from all creeds, and
he could no he that and be ordained
by any set of men, men ordained
evolutionists, higher critics, agnost!cs
and what not, but God ordain3 thos"
who have the spirit of Christ. "lf
anw man hath not the spirit of Christ,
he is none of his" Rom. s, 9.
We would invite any Of these
learned gentlemen to produce Scrip
lures, proving that Pastor Russell is
wrong. and would honor them in it,
bat we cannot honor the spirit which
pervades all the things that have yet
been published, and we wonder how
long it will take them to see that theil
foul attacks are not injuring either
Pastor Russell or his work. The work
is going grandlv on and in due time
these people who arc maligning will
receive a blessing under the Kingdom
of Christ If they do not harden their
hearts too much.
The challenge which ] presented TO
Rev. Mr.. McCracken follows, also the
terms of the challenge.
Fargo. N. D.. Jan. IS. 1914. To Rev.
q. f. McChacken. 1410 First avenue
south. Fargo, n. d.
Dear Sir: On my arrival in the
city yesterday / vas handed a copy
of The Fargo Forum of date Jan. s,
in which you copy something pur-
porting to show up Pastor Russell. We
would hardly think that even a world
ly man would make such an attack
as you make without any authority.
For instance, the article states that