Historical truth is narrow. The Battle of San Jacinto was fought in Texas; Valley Forge was in Pennsylvania. These are facts which are understood alike by all students of history. If a student in a history class gave any other answer concerning the location of these spots, he would be incorrect. No one would think the teacher was "narrow" in telling him so.
There are twelve inches in a foot, three feet in a yard all over the world. It doesn't matter whether the one doing the measuring is a president or a preacher, an illiterate hillbilly or a college professor. To fail to recognize these facts would throw the world into hopeless confusion.
Take, for example, the much discussed passage, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). The question about this passage is whether Jesus did, or did not, make baptism necessary to salvation. He either did, or he didn't. Some of us believe that he did; others vehemently deny it. It must be apparent to all that somebody is teaching false doctrine on this point. Is it broad-minded to ignore these contradictions and pretend they do not exist? Baptists and Presbyterians teach that a child of God cannot fall away from the favor of God and be lost; Methodists teach that he can fall away and be lost. Does the Bible teach both?
Some denominations teach hereditary depravity, that infants are born totally depraved as a result of Adam's sin. Others deny this, and teach that everyone is born sinless and only becomes sinful by his own transgressions. Now if we are to escape the stigma of being called "narrow," we must cooperate with and encourage the man who is teaching the very opposite of what we believe to be the truth. Is this honesty? If one preacher preached four conflicting doctrines, people would call him a hypocrite; but if four preachers preach these conflicting doctrines, they are all teaching the truth!
Most members of denominations are not ready yet to take in the Jews and the Unitarians on their broad-minded position. They narrow it down a bit. We must believe in Christ, they say; we must see alike on those scriptures that teach that Jesus was the Son of God; that he was born of a virgin; that he suffered vicariously; that he arose from the dead; that he ascended into heaven, where he intercedes for us. But why must we see alike on those particular passages, but have unbounded liberty to differ on nearly everything else connected with the religion of Christ? Are not the passages pertaining to the organization of the church, baptism, apostasy, worship, church membership, discipline, authority, etc., inspired of God as much as are the other passages? Are not these things a part of the Lord's plan? Have they not place with divine truth? How much truth is essential, and how much is non-essential? How much of the Bible is important, and how much is unimportant?
We feel no personal animosity, of course, toward those who teach things we do not believe; but we cannot, with a good conscience, bid them Godspeed. John said, "If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house; neither bid him Godspeed: For he that biddeth him Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds" (2 John 10). Paul said, "If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:9). These apostles thought it was a matter of much import what a man believed and taught.
We are not infallible, and we are open to any truth that may be presented to us; we will change when convinced we are wrong. But two things we do know, and of them we are certain: (1) truth does not contradict truth, and (2) we will not learn by hiding our heads in the sand and refusing to admit that religious divisions exist, or that such are wrong.
Taken from Gospel Guardian, Vol. 1, No. 31, December 8, 1949, pp. 2-3