(Reprint from Straightway, January 18-24, 1976)

Contemporary Christian thought has become almost an ecumenical melting pot in which the infallibility of Biblical Authority is no longer felt essential to Christian faith in many quarters of the land.

Semantics and Existentialism are quite often replacing former Biblical affinities.

Words such as "love," "unity," "fellowship," "togetherness," and "broadmindedness" are gaining the ascendancy over the words of "truth," "conscience," "character," "righteousness," and "holiness." We also are hearing emphatic demands for the "glossolalia" and "miracles" to an unbalanced neglect of practical holiness and faith in the simple and more ordinary providences of God.

The history of the Bible Colleges of America dealt with that rugged, adventuresome spirit that pioneered the truth in all kinds of environments and circumstances. Many schools of the prophets which sprang up about a century ago across our land were born out of great sacrifice and devotion. The Bible was the main Text, and prayer was the normal attitude of the students. Missionary societies were born, and great and good goals were reached through the doctrinal and practical ministries of the Word of God. The legacy of the Bible College is rich and weighty. We could not possess a greater heritage.

Now, we must forward the great teachings of the word in our own time, giving ourselves to much prayer and study in and around the great principles of truth. When we teach and preach the principles of the Bible, we must likewise demand of ourselves that we practice and live these principles. We must keep faith with the past and despise the hypocrisy of the present. There is no substitute for consistency of character. The man, the message, the mission, the means, and the methods must all be sanctified; there is no room for a double standard. To the Bible believer, separation and consecration are still the motives for evangelism, for without spirituality there is no true witness in soul-winning.