Royce Money Makes Apology¹

In a stern letter (July 17, 1996) to the editor of the Firm Foundation Royce Money, Ph.D., and president of Abilene Christian University, complains that the Optimist (ACU's student newspaper) misquoted Mr. Joe Cope, executive assistant to the president. President Money acknowledges that the Firm Foundation accurately quoted the Optimist, but the Optimist misquoted Cope.

The Firm Foundation (July 1996) correctly quoted the Optimist (Nov. 19, 1995) that some members of the ACU board of directors can "belong to any denomination." We are now informed by brother Money that "a beginning reporter simply misquoted Mr. Cope and did not check with him about accuracy. ... A correction was printed in the next issue of the Optimist."

The Firm Foundation regrets that the Optimist made this serious mistake. We are happy to take notice of the retraction in the Optimist, and express the hope that ACU faculty advisors will keep a close eye on the writing of beginning reporters. We blame, not the poor student who was there for training and deserved careful supervision, but the head of the ACU department of journalism and mass communication, under whose tutelage the Optimist is produced. Of course, the buck always stops at the president's desk.

Anyhow, we thank Royce for calling this to our attention.

By the way, brother Money, we take note that you do read the Firm Foundation and are concerned about its contents, especially where ACU is mentioned. (The Firm Foundation report which you protest was in a subsection of the paper on page 25.) Now, since we have your attention, how about responding to some other things the Firm Foundation has noted about activities at ACU.

Will you favor the brotherhood by saying if ACU accepts and endorses the following:

• The dynamic Baptist lay-preacher, Charles Hundley, recommended by Dr. Jack Boyd and two of his "highly-placed colleagues at ACU," teaching United States history at ACU.

• The wildly applauded statements of Mark Henderson and Bill Banowsky at the recent ACU lectureship that the church should be in full and unrestrained fellowship with denominations. (The lectureship was managed by William E. Young, ACU's director of lectureship; President Money was on the platform.)

• The statement of Carroll D. Osburn, Carmichael Distinguished Professor of the New Testament at Abilene Christian University, abandoning verbal inspiration of Holy Scriptures and saying the Bible contains mistakes in science, history, and geography (Peaceable Kingdom, pp. 53-70).

• Carroll Osburn's statement (ACU Lectureship, 1992) that women have the scriptural right to preach a sermon (prophesy) during a Sunday worship service where both men and women are present and where the Lord's Supper is served.

• Andre Resner's statement that the blessed mother of Jesus was a "sexually questionable woman" (Wineskins, Nov. 1992, "Christmas At Matthew's House"). Resner is a professor of Bible at ACU.

• Douglas Foster's unscholarly misquote of David Lipscomb (Wineskins, May 1992, "The New Birth and Christian Unity"). Foster is another ACU professor.

• The claim that conversion can consist of finding a lost ring in a dark theater (Optimist, June 4, 1992, "Bible-Preachin' Bike-Ridin' Editor in Chief ").

• Carroll Osburn's appeal for open fellowship; his denial of baptism for the purpose of obtaining the forgiveness of sins; his teaching that instrumental music in worship is not sinful; and his notion that the Lord's Supper does not need to be eaten by the devout disciple every Lord's Day (Peaceable Kingdom, pp.90-91).

• Osburn's claim that the inspired New Testament writer, Jude, was guilty of plagiarizing ("to put forth as original to oneself the ideas of words of another") from profane and impure sources (namely, the Pseudepigrapha book of 1 Enoch) (Peaceable Kingdom, pp. 93-122). (Peaceable Kingdom, pp. 93-122.)

Brother Money, the Firm Foundation would deeply appreciate your response to these matters, even if it is adverse to the Firm Foundation. We love ACU and want the school to stand "in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein, and ... find rest for your souls."

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