Missionary Selection
Rev. Saul Paul
First Christian Church
Antioch, Syria
Dear Mr. Paul:
I have your application for missionary appointment before me, and will be as frank as
possible concerning your qualifications as a foreign missionary. We have to be very
careful in choosing our missionaries, and our Missions Board has reviewed your case
thoroughly. We have decided that it would be unwise to send you to the foreign field for
the following reasons:
1. It has come to our attention that you are doing secular work on the side. We do not
feel that making tents and a full time ministry go together very well. It seems that you
do not have enough experience in trusting the Lord for your income. You should make up
your mind whether you want to preach or continue your profession.
2. Your previous actions have been very rash and unseemly for a minister. We learned that
in a public meeting you opposed Dr. Simon Peter, an esteemed minister with a high
reputation. We also hear that you argued so violently with some of our ministers that a
special council meeting had to be called at Jerusalem to prevent a serious split in the
churches. We frown on such radicalism. For your own good, I am enclosing a copy of Daius'
Carnegus book on "How to Win Jews and Influence Greeks. "
3. We understand that you do not agree with all the points in our constitution and
by-laws, and do not even believe in all our doctrines. In checking back, we discovered
your Christian education consisted of a three year course in Arabia. We find that the
Arabian school has not been approved by our accreditation board and we hear that there are
some strange unknown doctrines being taught in that school.
We also hear a rumor that you are a snake handler. Such a reputation could only hurt the
true cause of Christ and the Church. We don't have all the details on that episode at
Melita, but we understand you claim immunity to harm from snake bites through a promise of
Christ. It has come to the attention also that you preach much about "the Power of
God" and the "gifts of the Spirit." Also that you speak in tongues a great
deal. Surely you realize that such as this only drives off the better class of people, and
attracts only the riff-raff.
4. We see here that you have a jail record in several places. If this is true, it puts you
in a bad light, for our denomination has always stood for a high standard of holiness, and
I fear it would damage our reputation to have someone representing us that had served time
in jails and prisons. Frankly, Mr. Paul, we seriously doubt you could have been innocent
and the judge wrong in so many cases. It just doesn't look right.
5. It seems that you are a troublemaker Mr. Paul. Several business men of Ephesus have
written us that you were the cause of severe loss of business to them and even stirred mob
violence. You must learn to cultivate the friendship and influence of men such as these.
We also have some details of a lurid "over the wall in a basket" episode at
Damascus, plus a stoning at Lystra, and several other violent actions taken against your
ministry. Haven't you ever suspected that conciliatory behavior and gentler words might
gain you more friends? We have never condoned such sensationalism in the ministry. This is
just not the type of ministers that we send out. We have learned through channels that
following some trouble with a preacher on the island of Cyprus, you had to change your
name. This does not seem to us to be conduct becoming to the ministry.
6. You admitted in your application that in the past you neglected such needy fields as
Bithynia, just because "the Spirit didn't lead that way," and that you undertook
a hazardous journey on the strength of a dream you had at Troas. Mr. Paul, surely you
don't expect us to go along with such flimsy and fantastic excuses for your seemingly
purposeless wanderings. Many times you did not stay long enough, in our opinion, to get a
church established. You left your converts many times without even a pastor to guide them,
and without setting the church in order in some good fundamental denomination.
We hear also from Troas that you preach too long, one sermon lasting almost twenty-four
hours, Even to the extent that a young man fell asleep and was seriously injured. We
understand that you claim to have restored his life and raised him from the dead by
falling on him and embracing him. What nonsense! If the man was injured, you should have
called in a competent physician.
7. We understand from your own home church that you could not get along with your fellow
ministers, that John Mark, a commendable young man and nephew of one of our leading
ministers, had to leave your party in the middle of a journey, and that you had a violent
quarrel with gentle, good natured Barnabas. Now these men are well thought of in Jerusalem
and we
wonder why you are always having trouble with your fellow workers?
We have notarized affidavits from three fine brethren, Diotrephes, Demas, and Alexander,
to the effect that it is impossible for them to cooperate with either you or your program.
From what we hear, you seem to have a self-exalted spirit, boasting about your revelations
and that God has chosen you to reveal some "new Mystery."
Can't you realize that any new truth that is to be revealed would come through
Headquarters to the recognized, more mature brethren, and that after it had been checked
by our Procedure and Doctrine Committee we would have to bring it up before the retired
missionary select committee for a vote?
As you see, Mr. Paul, we feel definitely after close scrutiny of your case, that you are
undoubtedly the most unqualified applicant we have ever seen, and my advice for you is to
find a church where you can Work in harmony, and use your past education as perhaps a
Sunday School teacher. I hope I have prevented you from making a terrible mistake in your
life.
Sincerely,
Mission Selection Committee