Reflections on Basil Overton's Passing

Basil Overton, James, David Kenney at
2001 West Virginia Christian Lectureship in Martinsburg, WV

REFLECTIONS ON BASIL OVERTON’s Passing

 

by David R. Kenney

The news of Basil Overton’s death on February 28 is heart breaking to our family. Outside of my parents, if I was to pick one name who encouraged me to be a preacher and fostered my love of Restoration History it would be Basil Overton. I never had him for a class; however, he was my father’s cherished teacher at the Nashville School of Preaching. Both Basil and his “My Margie” remained dear friends of our family despite being separated by many miles.

 

Basil was the main speaker at the first Restoration Workshop in Lexington, Kentucky. I was thankful my parents made a special trip to attend this Workshop. It has meant so much to me over the years and planted a love in my heart for men such as Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone and Raccoon John Smith.

 

He encouraged me as a writer and printed my first article which appeared in The World Evangelist which he edited for over 30 years. He encouraged me to be a preacher, even writing letters of recommendation on my behalf. He did this for many others!

 

I subscribed to his paper for several years. I may not have read every article written, but I was sure to read his articles. His love of Greek revealed itself in “Gems from the Greek”. He would often state that “I am a word nut.” I was inspired to incorporate much NT Greek vocabulary in my teaching, preaching and writing from Basil Overton. He instilled a love of etymology in me before I even knew what the word meant!

 

Basil set a sterling example of a Christian gentleman, scholar, teacher, preacher, editor and writer. When he was to be introduced by someone, he would dispense with all the degrees and accomplishments (of which he had several) and want to be introduced as “a gospel preacher”. Some may not realize he graduated with A. A. degree with the highest honors bestowed from Freed-Hardeman College, B.A. degree from Eastern Kentucky State University, M.A. degree from the University of Kentucky, and Doctorate of Humanities from Morehead State University. He also served as Vice President of International Bible College (now Heritage Christian University). With all this learning, he never tired of the farm and country life as his column “Mule Musings” revealed.

 

When he was able to be with you, he was with you. I can recall as a student at Freed-Hardeman College (not quite University), he would lecture and I would seek him out. I was able to join him for lunch one day as he wanted to hear about me and my parents. Someone invited themselves to our table and attempted to direct Basil’s attention to some other matter. He listened, replied, and then said “Have you met David Kenney? Do you know I was a teacher of his daddy at the Nashville School of Preaching? David is a student here.” The man realized he had interrupted and graciously left without embarrassment. 

 

In my library are several books, but few are as precious as the ones he inscribed to me with notes of “High Hopes” for me as a preacher. When my son James was born, he sent me one of his books inscribed to James—“I hope you will become a gospel preacher”. This book is stored up for future encouragement of that soon to be young man (Hebrews 11:4). Basil wrote over 50 tracts and several highly recommended books.

 

One of my favorite expressions by Basil about being a preacher was “I love what I do because I don’t know what I am doing! Now you think about that! If you are a preacher of the gospel you do not know what you are doing either! You have no way of knowing the good you are doing this side of eternity!”

 

In a recent lecture I heard the speaker cite a popular line from General Douglas MacArthur in his farewell address before Congress—“…old soldiers never die; they just fade away.” Basil Overton was a Christian Soldier who will never die, but will shine on. As the Preacher once stated—“But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18, NKJV.)

The World Evangelist 1972 – 2004 on DVD, Basil Overton, Editor

The World Evangelist 1972 – 2004 on DVD, Basil Overton, Editor

In 1972, Basil Overton was asked by the President of International Bible College (now Heritage Christian University) to begin a paper evangelistic in scope and international in focus. Brother Overton borrowed money to finance the launch of The World Evangelist which fulfilled that request for over 32 years. Many writers’ first writings appeared in the paper, including my own. At the Annual Appreciation Dinner at 2000 Freed-Hardeman Lectureship the Overtons were honored for their many years of service in various capacities. I recall the words brother Overton spoke on this occasion, and several times prior, about the importance of editors of our papers to remember the audience. People will be turned off by caustic and mean-spirited material and consequently will turn a deaf ear to our plea for the gospel. Even material that may be factual and not malicious can be construed as mean-spirited and become a stumbling block to those who would otherwise obey the gospel. Brother Overton encouraged us not to forget the work of evangelism. In May 2004, the final issue of The World Evangelist appeared. While it contained notice and farewells, the main thrust was evangelism including articles on first principles as it always had. In fact, the final issue was 16,000 copies and was mailed all over the world. Sister Overton, or as Basil called her “My Margie”, also regularly wrote for the paper in the column “Woman to Women” for nearly 27 years.

Brother Basil is a people person! He loves souls and is a soul winner. I cannot think of a single person who has said a disparaging word about the Overtons which could carry any weight with anyone that had a casual knowledge of the Overtons. They are above reproach. Brother Overton often said he preferred to be introduced simply as a “gospel preacher” rather than “Doctor Overton”. One may not realize that he graduated with the highest honor conferred by Freed-Hardeman College under the esteemed N. B. Hardeman in 1949. He also obtained a Bachelors degree from Eastern Kentucky State University, Masters degree from University of Kentucky, and Doctorate from Morehead State University. Brother Overton resisted the temptation to have these degrees interfere with his ability to relate to everyone. According to the introduction of his 2004 book, A Book About the Book, he has written nearly 2,500 articles! Many will recall his love of days gone by with his “Mule Musings” column. I always appreciated his “Out of My Memory” and “Gems from the Greek” columns and recall him stating he was a “Word Nut”. He has published over 50 tracts and several books. His writing is clear, concise and convincing. If someone had an idea or a special event, Overton would encourage them to send it into the paper. If the person was reluctant to write, brother Overton would really pour on the encouragement. Because of that encouragement, the paper had pieces of information that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Each issue of The World Evangelist was a storehouse of information including restoration history, first principle lessons, Bible class lessons, Bible geography, introductory material on books of the Bible, book reviews, current events, lives of preachers, elders, teachers, lectureships, and congregational events. In fact, the book reviews in The World Evangelist provided me with the idea to write my own for The West Virginia Christian and my first blog. Accessing this information is a daunting task for any researcher, but thankfully we live in an age where computers make material more accessible. Brother Tom Childers approached the Overtons about scanning the paper for a DVD that could produce the paper exactly in the layout it was published but also searchable. The Overtons quickly agreed and also offered hundreds of photographs related to the paper. Due to the format of the paper, a special scanner was purchased to scan the paper so it could be available for others in the future. The paper is in PDF format that includes a search engine that can literally pull up every instance where a word occurred in the 32 years of the paper. Imagine the information available to researches at their fingertips! For example, I recalled many articles brother Overton wrote relating to J. D. Tant, whom he greatly admired. When I was preparing my lecture on the life of brother Tant, one of the very first tools I used was this DVD. Simply by typing in the name “Tant” in the search engine brought up every article Overton had written about him or published by J. D. Tant plus any other mention of Tant’s name by other writers.

The Overtons have enriched our lives with The World Evangelist and thanks to the work of Tom Childers, this enrichment can continue. The cost of the DVD at the time of release (and possibly still is) was $25.

Originally printed West Virginia Christian, Vol. 16, No. 6, June 2009, p. 8. Reprinted by permission.

Seven Score Short Sermons, Basil Overton

Seven Score Short Sermons, Basil Overton

This book contains 140 sermons that are grouped in areas of: Bible, Sin, Jesus Christ, The Resurrection of Christ, Faith or Belief, The Conscience, Baptism, What is a Christian, The Church, Apostasy, Music in Worship, Catholicism and Related Matters, The Sabbath and the Law, Miscellaneous, and Strong Drink. On average, each sermon is approximately 1.5 pages in length. Brother Overton has done an excellent job in being concise in this work so as to pack a substantial amount of information relating to fundamentals of Christianity. It takes effort and determination to write on a topic in such a short format and get across the points one needs to make.

It is important for growing Christians to learn the first principles New Testament Christianity. With the fragmented/segmented schedules some have today it becomes a challenge to find blocks of time to read. This work provides an excellent format to assist with this challenge. Each sermon is self-contained so the book can be put down and picked back up over the course of reading. It contains instruction for new Christians that will educate and strengthen them. It is also good material to read as part of your family’s devotional. The author’s stated design for the book is to be used for bulletins, magazines, newspapers, and to be shared with those not yet Christians. If feasible, a copy should be given to each new convert along with Why I am a Member of the Church of Christ by Leroy Brownlow. If a copy could not be given, then placing a copy in the church library for Christian to borrow and return when done is recommended.

An example of Basil Overton’s pointed lessons relates to the Catholic’s Church. The Catholics sometimes claim that they had given us the Bible as we have it today. This is very important since the Mormons attempt to give the Catholics the same credit so they can accuse them of tampering with the text. Both the Catholics & the Mormons are incorrect. In 397 A. D. was the first council that determined what books would be in the NT; however, we have copies of manuscripts which predate 397 A. D. which proves there was not tampering with the text as some would have us believe. Also, Boniface III was the first official pope, a title that he claimed for himself in 606 A. D. So the succession of popes from Peter to John Paul II is not continuous or even true. Brother Overton’s tone is not caustic and shows true concern for the truth and those in error.

Brother Overton is the founder of The World Evangelist and has been its sole editor since 1972. The World Evangelist has been in publication until 2004—over 32 years of articles designed to take the gospel to the world. His work as editor has had a very positive influence among the brotherhood. Brother Overton was kind enough to print my first article. He was one of my father’s instructors at Nashville Bible School. He is also retired Vice President and Bible Professor from Heritage Christian University (formerly International Bible College). As a young boy, I first remember meeting him at Cane Ridge, KY as he spoke on the topic of the Restoration Movement. Whenever feasible, I seek to hear him preach or to visit with him. He once told my father that he preferred to be introduced simply as a “Gospel Preacher” rather than a recitation of his academic qualifications. He has been a gospel preacher since 1945.

Some of the sermons from this book have also been printed in tract form entitled “Truth Tracts”. This provides another medium to share these lessons on the fundamentals of Christianity with those who visit our assembly or outside the assembly.

Conversions in Acts, Basil Overton

Conversions in Acts, Basil Overton

I was recently honored to participate in a gospel meeting preaching one night on the theme of “What Must I Do To Be Saved?—Lessons in Conversion from the Book of Acts”. My topic was the conversion of the treasurer of Ethiopia. I had long desired to have a copy of Brother Overton’s book Conversions in Acts, but had not found the time to purchase the book. But, the book was added to our family library as a congratulatory gift from brother Overton on the occasion of the birth of our son, James. The inscription reads, “I hope that James will be a faithful and able gospel preacher—Basil Overton.” I hope his inscription inspires our son to fulfill this high and noble position in the kingdom.

This was the first book I pulled from my shelf to review in preparation for this sermon. The book is very concise at just over 100 pages, but the lessons are weightier when compared to some other books of much longer length. There are those who complain about the faithful proclamation of the plan of salvation at the conclusion of a sermon. I had a discussion with a friend who was of this persuasion. I asked why one would not offer an invitation for those who wanted to respond to the message proclaimed. When he stated he had no problem with inviting people to obey the gospel, I realized his issue was not with the invitation. The real complaint is the explanation of the gospel plan of salvation as part of the invitation. Inviting people to obey the gospel without telling them what to do is like telling them to take medicine without directions. In my opinion, any preacher who refuses to explain the gospel plan of salvation at the end of a lesson is in “dereliction of duty” and should be fired. Likewise, any church leaders who would forbid the proclamation of the plan of salvation should be rebuked. I cannot fathom why some attack the instruction on the steps needed to obey the gospel other than being ashamed of the gospel.

Conversions in Acts examines several incidents of conversions in Acts. Of course, not all of the six steps to salvation are necessarily listed as: Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, Baptism & Live Faithfully. However, one can readily see this pattern throughout these acts of conversion. For example, the man from Ethiopia heard the gospel preached to him from Philip. Based upon his query for baptism, his belief in the Son of God is implied. His repentance was already demonstrated in his willingness to travel such a distance to worship God in Jerusalem. His confession is recorded plainly in the text as well as his immersion. Although we cannot validate for certain that he remained faithful, there is historical reference that he went back and preached in Ethiopia. Why is it important to study these acts of conversions? Because the only way to become what they became is to do what they did! We cannot become a New Testament Christian unless we follow the commands, examples and implications in the New Testament.

This book also contains chapters dealing with miracles, Holy Spirit baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. All are well written and readily adaptable to sermons that should be preached. The book first appeared as a series of articles in The World Evangelist. Thankfully, J. C. Choate published these articles in book form and several copies were printed.

Brother Overton is the founder of The World Evangelist and has been its sole editor since 1972 until it ceased publication in 2004—over 32 years of articles designed to take the gospel to the world. I have heard that plans are in the works to convert all the issues to a CD, which I hope comes to fruition. His work as editor has had a very positive influence among the brotherhood. I was honored to attend an Appreciation Dinner at FHU Lectureship in his honor. He commented on his view of editing religious journals that should be followed by others. He is also retired Vice President and Bible Professor from Heritage Christian University (formerly International Bible College). He has been a gospel preacher since 1945.

Indeed one of the greatest questions, “What must I do to be saved?” is one to be studied and preached. This book will assist in teaching and preparing others to share the gospel plan of salvation.

Originally printed in West Virginia Christian, Vol. 15, No. 3, March 2008, p. 8. Reprinted by permission.

Gems From Greek, Basil Overton

Gems From Greek, Basil Overton

The term etymology means “The origin and historical development of a word, as evidenced by study of its basic elements, earliest known use, and changes in form and meaning.” (American Heritage Dictionary, p. 451). At Centralia High School, I took a year of Latin that has forever impacted my view of language. The study of words—etymology, has always been intriguing to me. Another person captivated by etymology is brother Basil Overton, or as he put it during our recent visit “I am a word nut”. Brother Basil has written an excellent work on the language of the New Testament—Koine Greek.

Koine Greek was the common Greek language of Jesus’ day. Koine Greek was an enigma for many years. Koine Greek is different from the more popularly known classical Greek. There existed a popular theory among scholars about Koine Greek:

Within the last hundred years scholars still thought that the language in which the New Testament was written was a special language of the Holy Ghost. They said the Holy Spirit moulded a distinctively religious mode of expression with which to write the New Testament. (Gems From Greek, p. 5.)

Imagine the embarrassment of such scholars when the efforts of biblical archaeology discovered numerous documents containing Koine Greek including receipts, grocery lists, contracts, love letters, military documents, and business letters.

Many are familiar with the World Evangelist, which Basil Overton founded and has edited for nearly 30 years. One of the featured columns of this paper is “Gems from Greek”. After sixteen years, these were collected into book form and are now available through Christian bookstores and The World Evangelist.

Sadly, our culture has moved away from encouraging students to learn other languages. By learning another language, a person’s view of the world is greatly enhanced. I do not know Koine Greek, but I do fully agree with Brother Overton’s assessment about learning about words of the Bible:

This book is the product of my curiosity. I believe one can become a Christian, live the Christian life, and go to heaven, if he never knows a word of Greek. But, there is personal satisfaction in gaining insights from the study of Greek…. I have never taught a class in Greek. I have studied it for personal satisfaction. The lessons in this book are designed to help everyone who reads them not just to learn a few Greek words, but to learn some great spiritual truths and lessons, and to be encouraged to serve God better. (Forward).

This book provides a good introduction to the topic including the relationship between Greek and English. It explains the difference between translation and transliteration, which is very important to understand. It includes word studies on various topics and from various books in the New Testament, which are indexed in the table of contents. Speaking from personal experience, the study of this subject is very profitable. A person who finds great satisfaction from the study of New Testament words finds it disappointing when he or she cannot convey this enthusiasm to others who have lost a thrilling method of studying God’s word. If you have the resources, then purchase this book. Upon my recommendation, a Christian brother, Chris Funkhouser, purchased the book as a gift for his father-in-law. He later told me his father-in-law was thrilled with the book, and you will be too.

Originally printed in West Virginia Christian, Vol. 9, No. 4, April 2002, p. 8. Reprinted by permission.

Evolution in the Light of Scripture, Science and Sense, Basil Overton

Evolution in the Light of Scripture, Science and Sense, Basil Overton

Organic Evolution is a great evil and falsehood being passed on as truth in our schools. The impact of this godless system has contributed to the great evil mankind has inflicted on their fellow man. For example, abortion, euthanasia, and attempts at human cloning have been accepted largely because we have reduced mankind from created in God’s image to that of the animals with organic evolution. Tragically, our school systems teach the theory of organic evolution as fact while they cannot teach Biblical Creationism (whether it is treated as fact or a theory). If we do not teach our young people the truth about the creation of the world and the fallacy of evolution, then who will? The evidence for Biblical creationism is abundant and actually requires less blind faith then evolution.

Some are intimidated to teach this subject to young people because they do not consider themselves scientists. This is sad because it discounts the fact that the best scientists in the world reject organic evolution. The silence of the churches will speak volumes to young people who will mistake our timidity on the subject as a lack of scientific evidence for creationism. Or as brother Basil stated the matter:

Many of our young people are slipping away from us, not because we do not have the truth, but because we are allowing the enemy to do a better job of teaching them than we are doing. This is a disgrace to us, and it is a tremendous loss to the Lord and his kingdom. So we must teach and teach and teach and ground our children and young people in facts and truths based on the scripture. (p. viii.)

Brother Basil Overton has produced a very profitable book that I wish all congregations would spend at least a quarter of Bible Study to study. It is divided into twelve chapters and includes discussion questions at the conclusion of each chapter. It discusses the fact that it is easy and reasonable to believe that God exists. There is scientific evidence that the earth is young. He cites numerous examples that demonstrate the fallacies of organic evolution. He also deals with another key point—one cannot believe both the Bible and Evolution. The term “theistic evolution” refers to the false concept that God used organic evolution to create the world. It tries to claim that both evolution and the Bible are in harmony with one another. There is no middle ground between evolution and the Bible, and true science supports the Bible.

Studying this book will equip one to teach young people that there is an abundance of evidence for Biblical creationism. It will equip our young people with the truth in front of so-called scientists who try to deny the existence of God and affirm the godless theory of evolution. This work exposes the fallacies of tenets of evolution that makes one wonder how anyone could accept the theory of evolution. Some of the fallacies of evolution are indeed humorous when one applies sense to the matter. Hopefully some day our country will silence the efforts of organizations such as the ACLU in its removal of God from our public schools. They are not only removing God from the schools, but they are removing truth (John 17:17). If we are not willing to equip ourselves to the task of eliminating organic evolution and upholding biblical creationism, then who will? It is a war for the souls of our children, and it is time for soldiers of Christ to arise and protect our children and defend the faith.

Originally printed in West Virginia Christian, Vol. 9, No. 6, June 2002, p. 8. Reprinted by permission.