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.

Off the Cuff (Special Announcement)
Dr. Robert L. Sumner, Editor

IMPORTANT NOTICE

We have talked and prayed about this for a long time, but now we are taking action. Effective with this issue The Biblical Evangelist will be published quarterly, not bi-monthly. This issue is labeled May-July 2011 and the next one will be August-October 2011 and so on.

Part of the problem is finances. It is the mailing that is killing us. The post office, with its wasteful unionism that we’ve reported in the past, is our number one expense and this ‘monopoly’ keeps raising the rates. By going quarterly we will only have four mailings a year, instead of the current six. That is a 50% cut in mailing expense. Hopefully, we can make it this way if your contributions don’t slack off.

When the Rawlings Foundation announced they would support us to the tune of $1,500 almost immediately our giving dropped that much. I guess folks said, "They don’t need my help as much now." Ah, but we do! For example, the report for our last month as I write saw us losing approximately $2,400.

This is not the only reason we are going quarterly, but it became a deciding factor in what I had been praying about for the last few months or so. I think the time has come for us to make this decision, as much as I didn’t want it. I hope it will not be too much of a disappointment to you.

In addition to the financial consideration, in the words of the old song of the early 1900s I think it was, "Darling, I am growing old." (My golden threads – actually brown – turned silver a long time ago!) After a lifetime of only going to bed for my night’s sleep – I never even took a Sunday afternoon nap; didn’t even lie down, in fact – I now get so "keyed" (is that the right word?); whatever it is, like the stroke I had some time ago and showed you what my typing did while it was starting) I can now tell when something like that is coming on and I don’t even finish what I’m writing. I just get up and go lie down for "a spell."

Not long usually; just for a little bit and then I get back up and return to work. That is happening more and more – and at more frequent intervals. As my Mother would say if she were still around, "Robert, you’ve got to slow down." And she would be right. Going quarterly will take some of pressure off.

I think most of our readers would rather have us quarterly, than not a all. Blessings on you. I thank God for all of you.