𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘
𝗔𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲
𝗯𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗝𝗼𝗲 𝗧. 𝗢𝗱𝗹𝗲

      "We must indoctrinate or we will disintegrate." So wrote H. H. Hargrove in the Western Recorder in 1940. He also said, "Doctrine is the bone of the Christian body. A body without bones or with broken bones becomes a crumpled, helpless, useless mass. A denomination whose constituency is not devoted to its great, vital distinctive doctrines will disintegrate into helplessness first and finally into uselessness.”

      If these words were true twenty years ago, they are even more true today. In this day of conformity and doctrinal laxity there are signs of the development of a weak and flabby Christianity. Southern Baptists must not follow this popular trend. One great revival that we need now is a revival of indoctrination. Our people need to know what Baptists believe and why they believe it.

      Doctrine is of vital importance. More than fifty times in the New Testament the word is used, and the Scriptures make clear that doctrine is to be preached, that people are to be indoctrinated, and that sound doctrine is an essential element in the New Testament church. The churches were reminded to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."

      The present century has not been a time of strong emphasis on doctrinal preaching and teaching. In his book “Doctrinal Preaching For Today,” Dr. Andrew W. Blackwood says that doctrinal preaching “has declined in the first half of the twentieth century.” He states that “when preachers preached doctrine the church made an impact on the age,” and when they did not “the influence of the church and clergy declined.” Some Christian leaders are now charging that Protestantism may be declining. Is doctrinal laxity the reason? Is the failure to indoctrinate our own Baptist people one of the causes of the “slump” that some have felt that Southern Baptists have entered?

      It is a tragic fact that large numbers of our Baptist people know little concerning the doctrines of our faith. A university study from one of our Mississippi churches, wrote to a member of the church staff asking, “What do we believe? I have been asked by a fellow student what Baptists believe and I could not tell him.” Would this be typical? How many Baptists would be able intelligently to present our basic doctrines? Certainly, we would not expect every member to understand our teachings with the same comprehension of the pastor or a theologian, but we do believe that they should have some knowledge of our doctrines. How can one be a witness for Christ or a worthy church member without such knowledge?

      How can our Baptist people know the doctrines? They must be taught. From the pulpit, in the classroom, on the printed page, and in every other possible way the doctrines must be clearly presented if members are to know and understand them.

[By Joe T. Odle, The Baptist Record, October 25, 1962. Document supplied by Ben Stratton, Farmington, KY. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.

(Joe T. Odle (1909-1980) was editor of The Baptist Record newspaper in Mississippi from 1959-1976. Before that he pastored the East Baptist Church in Paducah, Kentucky from 1932-1941. He authored several doctrinal books including "Why I Am a Baptist," "Is Christ Coming Soon," and the important "Church Members Handbook. Odle authored the latter while pastoring in Kentucky and millions of copies have been printed since then. It is one of the best books we have seen to give to new church members.)

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