Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

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Very soon after having withdrawn from the evil, the Lord very graciously opened our eyes to see that the prime issue in His mind was not the overt act in New York, serious and condemning as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


Aberdeen and New York, 1970