Why Have These Speakers Been Invited?

Last week we used this space to highlight the apostasy of Dr. Rubel Shelly, concerning whom much more could have been said. He is scheduled to speak at Harding University today on the subject of “One Body.” Since he considers the Lord’s church a denomination and fellowships denominations, he certainly does not believe in the one body concerning which the Apostle Paul wrote. Therefore, we must conclude that Harding University no longer considers there is one church, either. In fact, we know that graduates of Harding do choose to worship with denominational groups instead of the Lord’s church.

But Shelly is not the only speaker that faithful brethren would question. The following information comes from Matt Cliffton, who wrote: “Why You Don’t Know the Harding Lectureship Speakers,” which is dated August 13, 2025.

Dr. Bruce Rogers-Vaughn, a psychotherapist and ordained Baptist minister, will be on the program speaking about mental health issues. He styles himself as an “anti-capitalist,” which may be a nice word for communist. We’ll have to ask him. I am pretty sure George Benson would not love seeing him on campus. Whatever the case, Rogers-Vaughn lets us know he is a “straight, cisgender, white man who grew up in Alabama but is committed to dismantling white supremacy and patriarchy, and to an uncompromising love that embraces all forms of gender and sexual identity and expression.” This is a direct quote from his own website.

First, we cannot help wonder why a Baptist minister was invited to speak. Baptists do not agree with the Scriptures (and therefore us) on much. Your congenial editor is reminded of another situation that occurred fifty years ago. It was somewhat a different situation in that the program in question took place on Thanksgiving Eve. Another visiting preacher and I were informed by disillusioned members that a Baptist had been invited to speak on this program—and that he was so liberal that other Baptists would not even fellowship him.

The biggest difference is what is required for a person to be saved. The Scriptures answer that question in Acts 2:37-38, Acts 8:35-39, Acts 22:16, et al. Baptists disagree, claiming that people are saved by “faith only.” They also believe in “once saved, always saved,” which opposes much of the New Testament teaching, not the least of which is Paul’s declaration to the Judaizing teachers that they had fallen from grace (Gal. 5:1-4). Most of them teach pre-millennialism, a manmade theory that contradicts John 18:36, among other passages. So, why would one who holds these views be asked to address members of the church? The prophet Jehu asked Jehoshaphat: “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?” (2 Chr. 19:2).

Second, what is this cisgender nonsense and embracing “all forms of gender and sexual identity and expression”? The one thing the churches of Christ used to have in common with the Baptists involved the moral stances we both took. Now Dr. Rogers-Vaughan seeks to take that away—or is he one of those Baptists that other Baptists won’t fellowship?

A Florida Native

Another speaker is Ben Pukas (no, your congenial editor is resisting the urge to write what you may be thinking), who is from Tampa; he attended the University of Southern Florida. He then became a student pastor at Brandon, Florida in conjunction with Grace Community Church. Then he received another year’s training in Dallas before moving to Searcy, Arkansas, where he is the “Lead Pastor” for the Fellowship Bible Church. The “Local Outreach Pastor” is a female.

According to their website, they take the Lord’s Supper only once a month. What about salvation? Amongst other things, they say:

All who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by grace through faith have been regenerated by and baptized in the Holy Spirit. They become, thereby, the children of God forever and members of the one true church, the universal Body of Christ.

First, one does not receive Jesus by grace through faith alone. Second, no one is baptized in the Holy Spirit today. Third, when a person is saved (as the New Testament teaches), he does become a child of God, but his name can be blotted out of the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5). Fourth, the statement implies that if one is not baptized in the Holy Spirit, then he is not a member of the one true church. Fifth, do they agree with the concept of denominationalism or the one true church?

In their explanation of the way to be saved, the reader will notice that nothing was said about water baptism—only baptism in the Holy Spirit. The reason for that is they do not believe that “baptism doth also now save us” (1 Peter 3:21). They omit it because they think people are saved before and without baptism (contrary to Mark 16:16). On the subject of baptism, they say:

Baptism is an essential ‘first step’ for a believer who seeks to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. We uphold the act of baptism as a sacred command of Scripture.

Notice that baptism is the first step for a believer—in other words, after one is saved. They practice baptism because it is a command—not because it is part of the salvation process. They prefer immersion and present some Biblical reasons for that. What they don’t say is if they will accept as members those who were sprinkled.

It Gets Worse

Why, then would Harding University invite someone to speak who holds so many views that are contrary to the Scriptures? But there is more. Dr. Chris Buxton, another speaker founded a university campus ministry, called ULife. He attends the Southwest Church of Christ in Jonesboro, Arkansas, which has a strange statement of beliefs for a church of Christ. Concerning salvation, they say that it is “by God’s grace, through Christ’s cross, and a result of the Spirit’s active work. It is received through faith. It is sealed in confession and baptism.”

What exactly do these words mean? To be sure, salvation is offered by God’s grace, and it certainly involves the cross, but when they say it is received through faith, they have not said enough (for what purports to be an explanation). What does it mean that it is sealed in confession and baptism? And have they never heard of repentance? Fortunately, they say more when they talk about baptism.

Just as the Fellowship Bible Church did, so does Southwest count people as believers before being baptized. “Jesus was baptized and calls for believers to enter into a life with Him through the act of baptism.” Well, maybe they just use believer to refer to someone who has accepted the truth concerning the identity of Jesus and is about to be baptized to obtain forgiveness of his sins. No, such is not the case. They conclude:

We do not believe our salvation comes from any exterior physical act, but rather from our inward belief and faith in Jesus. Baptism is to be viewed as an outward declaration of that inward belief and conviction.

Notice that they avoided saying that “baptism is an outward expression of an inward grace,” but it is obvious that this is what they mean. They can clarify this position by answering one question: “Is it necessary to be baptized in order to be saved from sin?” Incidentally, Cliffton adds that Buxton “also preaches once or twice a month at Remmel Church in Jackson County, Arkansas, where women lead singing and an instrumental praise service is held right before ‘regular worship.’”

Instrumental Music

About ten men on the program have ties to the Christian Church, which is amazing. One would have thought that this issue would have never raised its head again, but it has. In fact, for some time now, some churches have been having Scriptural worship for the old fogies while a “contemporary” service is conducted for youths and those who no longer care about Bible authority.

The sin of adding musical accompaniment to singing was defeated (basically) back in the 1920s and remained out of favor for about fifty years. In 1987 Alan Highers debated Given O. Blakely on the topic and utterly demolished the error. (Yes, your congenial editor was present.) Probably the debate was held because of the compromises that arose prior to and at the Joplin Unity Meeting in 1984. In the ’70s, even Rubel Shelly debated against the use of instrumental music quite effectively and afterward presented information about that debate at the Freed-Hardeman lectures.

In the past few decades, some churches have grown tolerant concerning the practice, and some have adopted its use. Now Harding is using men as speakers who either worship with it or won’t object if others use it.

Another person listed on the program is John Mark Hicks, who co-wrote The Second Incarnation with Rubel Shelly. Your congenial editor reviewed that book previously; some of his excerpts are repeated below

One of the most ridiculous arguments ever made is aimed at those of us trying to restore New Testament Christianity. The authors chide us for wanting to re-create the Jerusalem church, asking if we want to imitate Ananias and Sapphira or neglect widows (6). A more ineffective and irrelevant argument would be difficult to make. Obviously, when brethren advocate following any church in the New Testament, we recognize imperfections; we praise, however, the strengths and are inspired by the ideal. Brethren in Corinth were plagued with numerous problems, but they listened to the apostle Paul, something that today’s liberals refuse to do.

The writers insist that we need to be flexible with respect to the ways in which we conduct worship—including catering to people’s “musical taste” (7). They advocate analyzing our culture and discerning the most effective ways of communicating with people. They are in favor of replacing “time-honored traditions” with “creative innovation” (8). One example they provide is that some congregations are still using Vacation Bible Schools, but others have “transformed them into one-day circus-type events to introduce community children to the church” (8). What?! How does a “circus-type” event introduce them to the church, and what kind of church will they be expecting when they come to visit?

Quoting from E. Glenn Hinson, the authors affirm that the church “exists to pour out its life in service…to satisfy human need wherever and in whatever form it finds it” (60). They lament that many “Christian” groups spend their time “in legalistic battling over relatively insignificant issues while ignoring such major issues as justice, racism, and hunger” (188). They suggest that the church engage in several activities, such as A.A. meetings. Most congregations are not equipped with enough funds or personnel to meet all of a community’s social needs. The Scriptures command us to do good to all men—not solve society’s problems (Gal. 6:10).

Hicks, Shelly, and others are false teachers.