Axioms of Separation
The late Dr. John Ashbrook, long–time pastor of Bible Community Church in Mentor, Ohio, wrote a little book called Axioms of Separation. The current publisher has kindly given us permission to serialize the book here on Proclaim & Defend. We begin our publication today with the Preface and include ordering information at the end of this post.
Your editor was personally acquainted with Dr. Ashbrook and still holds Dr. Ashbrook’s son-in-law as one of his closest friends. Dr. Ashbrook was a gracious Christian gentleman and a fundamentalist. He demonstrated that it is possible to hold and practice the doctrines of separation with a godly Christian demeanor.
Axioms of Separation
John Ashbrook
Preface
I was reared as one of four children in a pastor’s home in Columbus, Ohio. Some pastors’ children seem to find it a traumatic experience. For me, it was a very happy one. I owe more to my father than to any other man. My boyhood summers were spent working on my grandfather’s old-fashioned farm. I would not trade that experience.
I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour beside a chair in the choir room of the Glen Echo United Presbyterian Church when I was twelve. Shortly thereafter my father left that denomination in protest of its apostasy and founded the Calvary Bible Church of Columbus, where he served the rest of his life.
During World War II I attended Northwestern University, courtesy of the U.S. Navy. I graduated in 1946, having earned a B.S. degree, majoring in chemical engineering. In the service God led me to Christian buddies. We encouraged one another. Barracks and shipboard Bible classes gave me a vision for serving the Lord.
After discharge from the service I spent a year as an engineer with a research institute. It was a year of struggle with the Lord’s call. God made His will plain. In 1951 I graduated from Faith Theological Seminary in Wilmington, Delaware. It was an education in the old Princeton tradition of language, exegesis and theology. The shadow of J. Gresham Machen still hung over the school, giving it a strong separatist emphasis.
On graduating from seminary I knew little about being a pastor. Fortunately, the Lord led me to a small church which knew little about being a church. I served as Pastor for forty-six years and we learned together. Not long ago I resigned the pastorate, feeling that the church should be in younger hands. Since 1968 I have had a happy association with the men of the Ohio Bible Fellowship. These brethren have been drawn together by the desire to take a clearcut stand on the issues of the day. It is my hope that this small booklet may encourage pastors and their laymen to do the same. It will not be popular. Taking a stand never is; but, as stalwart old Luther said: “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen!”
Ordering Information for Axioms of Separation
Single copy …………………………. $2.00
Five copies …………………………. $9.00
Ten copies ………………………… $17.00
Twenty-five or more ……… $1.60 ea
Order Information:
Here I Stand Books
PO Box 130
New Boston NH
03070
603-487-2713
Website: www.hereIstand.com
Next in this series: Axioms – Introduction
Dr. John Ashbrook served the Lord for many years as pastor of Bible Community Church of Mentor, OH. His ministry made a strong contribution to Biblical fundamentalism.