Fundamentals of the Faith, David E. Sproule, II

Fundamentals are so vital. A healthy congregation needs to have regular preaching on the fundamentals. After all, a healthy congregation is a dynamic group and will include those who may not be as knowledgeable about the fundamentals. One does not need to have a class “on the side” for these subjects. Perhaps we may have not preached or taught on these for so long that a congregation needs a refresher course too? I have adopted a phrase that I use when I am teaching something that I believe to be fundamental but am concerned may be perceived as elementary: “I know that you may know these things, but I want to make sure that you know that I know these things.” A preacher that refuses to preach on the fundamentals is a threat to a congregation, and a preacher ignorant of the fundamentals is no better. The fundamentals should never be viewed as “out of style.”


With delight I received Fundamentals of the Faith by David E. Sproule, II. I have known David for several years now, as we have a mutual friend, Dr. Clyde Woods (AKA “Doc”), at Freed-Hardeman University. After spending some time looking over select chapters such as “Music in the Worship of the Church,” “The Role of Women in the Church,” and “Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage” I wanted to make others aware of this material. There are actually two versions of this work: one is a teacher’s edition and the other is a student’s workbook. After looking over the book’s table of contents and reading what is happening in various parts of the brotherhood, I realized that this set of books could be an invaluable study to teach these fundamental truths once again. The material could be taught in adult or teenage classes, or sermons could be developed from this material. For example, I appreciate David’s emphasis on both marriage and divorce with the statement of understanding these matters in God’s eyes as “The Only View That Matters!” The Student Workbook has portions of the material as “Fill-In-The-Blanks,” but the basic material is present and nothing is lost by an overabundance of “Blanks.” There are 20 subjects covered in this material. The material is formatted in sentence outlines, so it is highly organized and very easy to follow the flow of thought. The detail in these books is substantial, so it would be unwise to think one can just breeze through these matters.

David Sproule serves as one of the evangelists at the Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ in Florida. I always look forward to hearing David lecture at the Freed-Hardeman University Bible Lectureship. I also look forward to seeing him at Doc Woods’ “Bargain Book Finders” booth where we talk books or “talk shop.” On the subject of fundamentals of the faith, Sproule wrote: “New Testament Christianity, with all its doctrines and practices, finds its roots and origin in ‘the faith’ (i.e., the one gospel system) revealed and established within the pages of the New Testament.” David Sproule’s study is a great resource for lessons from the pulpit or the class lectern. Surveying the religious climate of our day, certainly a case can easily be made for the need to regularly study the fundamentals of the Christian faith! When we have congregations adding instrumental music, moving women into leadership roles or leading in worship, the time for the fundamentals is now! If you would like to order the book in bulk, I suggest you contact the Palm Beach Lakes Church of Christ. You can also find these books online at Amazon, but if you want to order in bulk you should contact the congregation directly.

Originally printed West Virginia Christian, Vol. 26, No. 12, December 2019, p. 8. Reprinted by permission.