While working with the church in Dalhart, Texas, the elders asked that I begin a religious paper. Thus I edited Back to Basics, beginning the first of the year in 1982. When I moved to West Plains, Missouri in August of that same year, I was no longer editor of Back to Basics. During the following months, I received a number of calls and letters, encouraging me to start another paper. In particular three gospel preachers expressed their confidence in me in such a way that I felt compelled to approach the elders at Curry Street about the venture. Those men, L. O. Sanderson, Guy N. Woods, and W. N. “Bill” Jackson, all have departed this life, but I will never forget their words of encouragement, and just hope that our efforts have been what they expected. The elders at Curry Street readily accepted the challenge and thus, the first issue of SOUND WORDS was sent forth in February, 1983. There was a hiatus in the publishing of SOUND WORDS for five years, 1990-1994 first while I edited The Proclaimer for a couple of those years. Beginning in 1995 until now, SOUND WORDS has resumed and continues. So many things have happened during the 23 years that have gone by since that first issue, but our purpose is still the same as that stated on the front page of the very first issue, the first three paragraphs as quoted below.

            “The significance and value of any religious periodical is in its content. For another periodical to appear requires not only a statement of purpose, but also of need. Lethargy and a terrifying lack of knowledge has pervaded the church and what little we can do, we must do to see that the church once again is understood to be a unique, divine institution with a holy purpose, thus requiring sound words for guidance both in teaching and in upright living.

            “The severest tests the church has ever faced, or ever will, come from within. The identity of many congregations can be seriously questioned as a result of the commonly held “ostrich” viewpoint, little has been done about either in our generation. Another ten years of the kind of onslaughts on truth that have taken place during the last ten years coupled with the same kind of action  taken will result in precious few doctrinally sound congregations remaining. The time has come for a halt to the drifting and a reversal of action to the solid foundation of sound words.

            “Presentation of truth is our aim for  the purpose of glorifying God and lifting up the Christ. We have not a single ax to grind nor any cause to champion (other than the Truth). We have no man-made schemes to promote. Our desire put simply is to try to better instruct and inform brethren of what God’s Word teaches and how it presently applies to the purpose of seeing the church being grounded in the truth and thus carrying out scripturally its mission.”

                                                                                                                                       Oran Rhodes