The Daily Alaska empire., 1947-04-05
WHAT E
 THE CHURCH!
A reply to Mar. 29 Knights of
 Columbus paid Adv.

Two and two do not make six. Two end two make four Any one in the third grade knows that this is the truth. The reason that any third grader knows that this is the truth is because this truth has not been suppressed or hidden.
 Jesus promised to build His Church and declared that the gates Of Hades shall not prevail against it. Matt. 16:l8 He trained the disciples for the purpose of organizing and spreading the church all over the world through the preaching of the gospel. The head of the church Christ built is Christ. For the hus- band is head of the wife, as Christ is also head of the church, being Himself the Saviour of the body. But as the church is subject to ] Christ, so let the wives also be to their husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:23. 24 Paul declared that the head of the church which Christ built is Christ Himself and not some man ill Rome.
 There is danger of an institution drifting away from it's original pur- rose and mission. For example many of the colleges and universities throughout our land were establish ed for the express purpose of de- feuding the Bible as the inspired word of God and to teach it as a sufficient guide and way of life. But since the founders have died and new administrators have taken ot- flee. large number of these Bible | schools have drifted away from their original purpose. Infidelity and atheism are encouraged and taught. Fallible men have brought about I these corruptions.
 The apostle Paul foretold of such a corruption in the church ol our Lord. It is known as the apfstasy 1 Let us read from his 2nd letter to the church in Thessalonica. Now We beseech you, brethren. touchlng l the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto i Him. to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor ' vet be troubled, either by spirit, On by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day Of the Lord is just al hand; let no man beguile you ln any wise. for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son oi i perdition, he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped: so that he sitteth ill the temple of Gcd. setting himself forth as God. II Thessalonians 2:1-4. The Hebrew writer also has something to say of those who have apostatized. For as touching those who. were once en- frightened and tasted of the heavenly gift. and were made partakerS of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, 1t is impossible to renew them unto repentance; seeing they cruelty to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame" Heb. GAS. This condition might be true of an individual Christian or of a i whole church.
 We do not deny that the Roman Catholic church originated from the one established by Christ and the apostles. We maintain that 1t has drifted away from the teaching and practice of the original church es- 1 tablished more than nineteen hun dred years ago. We deny it's claim that it teaches to the letter the things Christ taught His disciples and commissioned them to teach all oyer the world. Many examples of practices contrary to the teaching of Christ will be given upon request.
 In order for a church to be identi- cal with the one established more than 1900 years ago with Christ as
 
 it's head, it must be the same in doctrine, organization and practice.
 Now let us apply the afore-men- toned mathematical problems to re- ligion. The Lord and His teaching plus the acceptance and practice of the same equals the true church. The accordance and practice of the doctrines of the legislationS of coun- cils plus the traditions of men mix ed with the teachings of Christ do not equal the true church. To claim such is as inconsistent as to say that two plus two equals Ihree, i've, ,ix or l08. Therefore, reject the tradi- tions and commandments of men and accept the Bible, which is the Word of God, as the only safe guide for faith and practice
 For additional information on the subject of the church and the apostasy write Box 67l, Juneau, Alaska
 By a group of Christian ministers.
 Signed by BOYD FIELD,
 Box 671, Juneau, Alaska