One of the earliest religious books my parents
gave to me was a 200+ page little black book small enough to fit
into my shirt pocket entitled Nichol's Pocket Bible Encyclopedia.
From this invaluable book I drew material for my first attempt
at delivering a lesson that was supposed to be 10 minutes at the
Weirton Heights Church of Christ. Being so nervous, I think I
finished my material in less than 7 minutes. My father stated
that this little book is full of excellent material that one could
preach throughout his entire career. While I have not put this
to the test, I am confident that many lessons that need to be
taught in our pulpits could be organized from the material in
this book.
Some time ago, I read a review in The Messenger
about this encyclopedia which I enjoyed so much that I saved the
article for reference in preparation of this article. Charles
Ready Nichol was an effective evangelist, debater, and writer.
Every Christian should pursue his debates and books. I recently
saw that all of his published works are now available on CD. Based
on what I have seen of his writings, I am confident this CD would
be a wise investment for those who are able to use electronic
books on the computer. The Gospel Advocate has recently reprinted
his series of books entitled Sound Doctrine that would
be another fine addition to a church library.
C. R. Nichol lived from 1876 to 1971. He was a
fellow debate student with another famous debater among us, Joe
Warlick. He attended Nashville Bible School under David Lipscomb
and James Harding. His sermons were described as so filled with
information that the audience was captivated by the sheer volume
of material presented in such a short amount of time. By the time
he was 28, he had already been in sixty debates, but before his
career was over the number climbed to 300.
He was also president of Thorp Spring Christian
College in 1916. He also worked closely with both the Gospel
Advocate and the Firm Foundation. It is estimated that
he baptized over 30,000 people by the time he reached his prime.
He has had a tremendous impact on many other preachers who contributed
greatly to the cause of Christ as well; e.g., Foy E. Wallace.
The book has a table of contents of nearly 60
topics that provide for quick access to material on various subjects.
Relevant scriptures are quoted in the manuscript for quick review.
One of the practices that C. R. Nichol incorporated was to use
multiple passages from differing angles to more fully illuminate
the truth on the topic.
The encyclopedia, which was copyrighted in 1949,
is still available for purchaseanother testimony to its enduring
value. Its size makes the book fairly inexpensive to purchase
and share with others. It makes a great reference work for new
converts who need further instruction in the word of God. I highly
recommend it for young men working to develop material for sermons.
Sources: Mel Futrell, "Nichol's Pocket Bible Encyclopedia,"
The Messenger, Knoxville, TN: East Tennessee School of
Preaching, July 2001. Nobel Patterson, "Restoration LeadersC.
R. Nichol," Opening Our Eyes to Jesus from Darkness to
Light in Acts, Henderson, TN: Freed-Hardeman University, 2004,
pp. 341-345. Earl Irvin West, The Search for the Ancient Order,
Germantown, TN: Religious Book Service, Vol. 4, 1987. -29 Flora
Dr., Bedford, OH 44146-2011. DRKenney@email.com For previous book
reviews, visit www.streetsborochurch.org