Aberdeen & New York conflicts, 1970
Plainfield, N.J. [USA]
September 17, 1970
Mr. James Alec Gardiner
[Aberdeen, Scotland]
Beloved Brother,
On August 22, an overt act of evil, fully witnessed to, was
brought before the brethren in New York. The perpetrator, Mr.
James Taylor, Jr. refused to acknowledge or judge the evil, and
walked out of the meeting, followed by a considerable number of
brethren. Those that remained, about one hundred, desirous of
maintaining a holy place for the Lord, acted as in assembly and
withdrew from the guilty person. 2 Timothy 2:19.
The next morning, Lord's Day, August 23, an announcement,
privately prearranged by a few brothers in this city of
Plainfield, given out at the commencement of the assembly time,
linked the brethren here with the evil doer and those prepared
to go on with him in New York. Thus precedence was given to
following a man instead of maintaining allegiance to Christ and
the principles which govern the house of God. This forced those
who desired to maintain the truth to immediately act in the
light of 2 Timothy 2:19. Therefore, 24 brethren protested the
announcement and withdrew, refusing to be linked with unjudged
evil. "But let a man prove himself, and thus eat of the bread,
and drink of the cup". 1 Corinthians 11:28.
Very soon after having withdrawn from the evil, the Lord very
graciously opened our eyes to see that the prime issue in His
mind was not the overt act in New York, serious and condemning
as this was, but what occurred during the course of the meetings
in Aberdeen on July 24 and 25. The witness of those attending
these meetings and the tapes, part of which some of us have
listened to, bear out conclusively that serious evil was
current. Blasphemous speaking (irreverent and jocular use of
God's name "EL") and vile language was extensively used.
Leviticus 24:15-16 and Colossians 3:8. This is abhorrent to God
and must be completely rejected by every lover of the truth.
If the position in Aberdeen was to be protected and maintained
according to divine principles it became necessary for those
walking in the light of the Assembly to immediately meet this
thrust of the enemy. The faithful in Aberdeen rose to it, and
in assembly repudiated these meetings. This judgment was
ratified by the assembly in Peterhead, which is your nearest
meeting. This action should have then been endorsed in every
assembly universally, if we had carried out the truth laid down
at the time of the Glanton issue.
The brethren in this city, who have withdrawn from unjudged
evil, have expressed our full support, in assembly, of the
action taken in Aberdeen pertaining to these meetings.
Therefore, as lovers of Christ and desirous of holding things
for Him, we have commenced breaking bread declaring ourselves as
in fellowship with you and others taking similar ground. "But
if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another...." 1 John 1:7.
We are supplicating God that the consciences of the brethren
universally might be aroused as to what has come in and in
fidelity to Christ take a stand against it.
Affectionately in the Lord Jesus Christ,
(signed)
P. W. Coombes
Cyril F.Dadd
Keith Adamson
Robert Dadd
Gunnar Hesterman