Dr. Robert Sumner passed away in December 2016. The Biblical Evangelist newspaper is no longer being published and the ministry of Biblical Evangelism has ceased operation.

The remaining inventory of his books and gospel tracts was transferred to The Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles and may be ordered here.

Letters We Love
Dr. Robert L. Sumner, Editor

Our first letter today is one of rejoicing. From Pennsylvania came this good word:

Dear Dr. Sumner:

I read through your Gospel tract and have most definitely received Christ as my Lord and Savior. However, the form at the end would not go through when I hit the submit button. It came back with a server error. I would most appreciate receiving whatever you normally send in response to having received Christ. I am 68 years old and have lived a wasted life in reference to God and the Bible, which I know to be the infallible and unerring Word of God. Hopefully, by His grace, whatever of my life is left will not be wasted.

Coming to Christ has been difficult for me, not only because of my own failings, but also because there is a vast sea of heretical and false Gospel material out there. I have been studying Gospel material and the Bible for several years now. I have learned that most churches are falling away from the truth. Your Gospel tract I know for certain is the truth. I will read it many times over.

Pray for this new convert as he seeks to walk with God according to the Word of God. And pray that we may be able to get our web working properly so we can help people like this dear man. The tract he mentioned is Heaven Can Be Yours! which is available from our office in Raleigh.

Here is a word from a smart brother. He wrote: “I will be moving back to my former address. Because of this my mailing address will be changed. Would you please update my address on your mailing list? I do not want to miss an issue of your newsletter or publication.”

Here is a fine letter from a good brother:

I received this week your books Fights I Didn't Start 1 & 2 as well as Biblical Essays and have been reading from them constantly.  I can't tell you how happy I am to have these items together in book form. Many of these pieces I had saved as they were printed in BE but have lost them in moving and so forth over the years. I also once had your pamphlet on The Interpreter's Bible but it, too, became misplaced. I hope you will continue to dig into your archives and release this kind of material.

Thank you for doing what you do and for all your efforts down through the years.

If one likes reprints of bygone material, he should delight in the book we have just released, Favorite Editorials. It contains the editor’s selections from the past sixty years or so, with even a selection or two from a couple of other magazines where we have been published.

From Indiana: “Wow! What a May-July issue! We always look forward to receiving your paper, but this one is super! Thank you for your very frank, insightful, and truthful article, “Mr. Obama's Love for Christianity!’ Folks here said that article ought to be published very widely. [Others agreed, including a leading evangelical educator who wanted it rewritten as a letter to Obama and then reprinted!]

“Thank you for reviewing Burial or Cremation? by Willard H. Benedict. This is a hot topic with many of the pastors I know, and I agree that there is great ignorance of God’s Word concerning this topic. And thanks for your excellent tributes to Brother Walt Handford and Roger Campbell.”

Then there was this nice note from out of the country: “Dear Dr. Sumner, I read your column regarding an old article by Homer Duncan titled Shame. I would like you to know that God used you and Pastor Duncan to open my spiritual eyes regarding the King James Only issue. Your booklet and this article are valuable to me. I am sorry the Pastor who wrote to you was not open to further research on the KJV issue.” And he added other matters.

Here is another nice note from the Quaker State:

I especially enjoyed the recent information concerning the Rice girls. I think I started reading “The Sword” when I was 16 years old; I quit after the passing of John R. I recently threw away many years of “The Sword.” I had made an index of the sermons. I am now 85 years old and still preaching every Sunday. Thanks for your kingdom service.”

And he signed it, “Your Church of Christ friend.” By the way, some young preacher could have used those old Swords with the index. I merely mention it now if someone else has something like it and is ready to clean house! Give valuable things to those who would benefit.

A brother in Maryland wrote:

Was great getting the latest Biblical Evangelist!

I was so glad you commented in “Incidents …” column about Louis Zamperini. While it was true the movie was based on … the NYTimes best-selling book, Unbroken, you were right that … the movie only dealt with his coming back after the war – only through to chapter 33 of the book.

Well, you’ll be interested in the enclosed tract which tells the “rest of the story,” written by my longtime friend Ed Cheek and published by my favorite tract company, Gospel Tract Society. If you like it, you might mention its availability “free,” though gifts make a big difference.

It was through The Biblical Evangelist a few years ago that you acquainted me with Dennis R… who self-produced his booklet Amazing grace – we have, thanks to you, become friends and I’ve given out a bunch of his booklets, often in association with another enclosed tract, “Amazing Grace.”

He mentioned other things (such as Ramadan, which is already history for 2015), but we will give you the address of the ministry he mentioned: Gospel Tract Society, P. O. Box 1118, Independence, MO 60451. And the number of the tract on Zamperini he mentioned is GTS-506.

The letter was handwritten and hard to read and we could not make out the last name of Dennis. Sorry.

For our final letter this issue, here is a very kind and gracious letter from a leading Jewish missionary:

Just a note to thank you for promptly sending me a copy of Hebrews: Streams of Living Water. I either misplaced or gave it to another preacher. I wish I had 100 copies to give to many of my preacher friends who say, “I have never touched the book of Hebrews; it is for the Jew.”

Enclosed is a gift for the ministry along with my personal testimony. It has been a long journey but due to your influence of The Biblical Evangelist (started getting it as a student of Tennessee Temple) and Dr. Lee Roberson and Dr. Fred Brown and Dr. Bill Compton my wife and I survived the terrible FBC Hammond influence. My friend, Dr. Ron Sanger, Williamson, WV, describes you personally as ‘impeccably honest.’ What a compliment for a man of God in this day.

Thank you for your ministry and trust Biblical Evangelism continues until the church is taken out…

We love to get letters of appreciation. Have you written lately? It is never too late to do good.