DR. TALBOT’ Movies Q. M y Sunday school teacher often illustrates the lesson with stories t a k e n f r o m t h e “ better type” movies. Is it right for a Christian to attend the movies? A. T o illustrate any portion of God’s W ord from outside sources is needless. The Bible is the most up- to-date book in the world, and there is no human experience of today for which a parallel cannot be found within its rich store of incidents and facts. The Scripture is a com mentary on itself, and the greater mastery one gains of the truths con tained therein, the more fascinating the study w ill become, the greater the personal blessing, and the more spiritual fruit the teaching will bear. If one must resort to choosing illustrations from current movies, it is questionable whether the teach er’s appreciation or knowledge o f the W ord is very deep. Furthermore, the length o f time given to the actual study o f the W ord in the majority o f Sunday schools is forty minutes or less. This brief period is all the time which the average student gives to the contemplation o f the Scriptures in an entire week. Therefore, to fill the hour w ith the presentation o f God’s sacred truth should be the aim and accomplishment o f every born-again teacher. It m ay be argued that classroom discussion of the movies is no more than the utilizing of a point o f contact — a principle of teaching which Jesus Himself employed. But there is this difference: when Christ spoke of familiar things, the subsequent teaching always led to Himself as Saviour; for instance, Light (John 8 :12) , Bread (John 6 :35) , etc. Can these movie stories likewise lead
patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord” ( 5 : 11) . Referring to the book of Job, Dr. Scofield wrote: “ The book sheds a remark a b l e l i g h t o n t h e philosophic breadth and intellectual culture of the patriarchal age.” Bible teachers who accept the inspiration o f the Scriptures agree that Job actually lived and that his experiences are historical facts — blessed examples dealing w ith the problem o f why the godly suffer. The Power of the Spirit Q. H ow could the disciples do greater works than Christ, as He said in John 14:12? A. The disciples were to do greater works than Christ because the H oly Spirit, whom Christ promised to send, was not to be confined b y a body to one place. He could so ener gize believers everywhere that the gospel could spread far more rapid ly and more w idely than when pro claimed individually by the Lord Himself, and supported b y His m ighty works. The power was not in the disciples but in the promised Comforter. The first fulfillment o f this promise is seen in Acts 2 in the m ighty power that accompanied Peter’s preaching. Someone has suggested that soul-winning is the greatest work in all the world, greater even than feeding the mul titudes and healing the sick. James closes his epistle with the following words: “ . . . he wh ich converteth the sinner from the error o f his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude o f sins.”
one quickly to the Saviour? This comment does not purport to be a criticism of movies as such. Neither does it attempt to distin guish between the “ better type” or any other kind. W e point out on ly that the movies, as a whole, are produced b y people who disregard the Lord, His W ord, and His stand ards. A n y fair-minded person cer tainly agrees that movies are “ of the world.” The honest Christian cannot afford to allow his personal relationship to Christ (1 John 3 : 1 ) , his “ holy calling” (2 Tim . 1:9; 1 Thess. 4 : 7 ; 1 Pet. 1 : 15 , 16 ) , and his r e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f influence among men (1 Cor. 8; Rom. 14:21- 23 ) , to be damaged b y carelessness or willfulness in regard to so-called worldly amusements. Job Q. Is the Book of Job an allegory? A. No. That Job was an actual per sonage is proven in the words found in Ezekiel 14:20: “ Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it. . . .” This reference, prophetic o f the destruction of Jerusalem, classifies Job w ith two other literal heroes of the Old Testament whose reality of existence is unquestioned. As surely as Noah lived and “ found grace in the eyes of the Lord,” and Daniel became God’s representative in the midst of His nation’s captivity, so Job became the one whom God trusted to Satan in a great exhibi tion of the fidelity o f God’s child in the midst of the loss of all earthly riches and loved ones (Job 1:21). W hen exhorting the Christians to be patient in enduring suffering and disappointment, and in reminding them that this attitude o f trust re sults in blessing from the Lord, James says: “ Ye have heard of the
Readers are invited to submit questions to both Dr. Narramore and Dr. Talbot. Address questions to them c/o The King's Business, 558 So. Hope Street, Los Angeles 17, Calif.
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The King's Business/April 1958
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