Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

manners."
none."
Glimpses of the Religious World
Frank E. Allen, D. D.
Formal Worship
The editor of United Evangelical Action says: "There
is in America a disconcerting tendency toward hollow ritual,
especially in "liberal' churches which call themselves Prot
estant. Unfortunately evangelicals of a sort are succumbing
to the popular trend. Wherever interest in formal worship
is found there is usually a marked indication that spiritual
religion is on the wane ....
Possibly
the time has come
for a fresh study of the basic principles and practices of
evangelical Christian worship as revealed in the Holy Scrip
tures and to rethink their meaning for us. Let us measure
our practices by what we discover and take steps as may
be necessary to restore the simplicity and reality which our
Lord counseled in His discourse to the woman at the well of
Sychar."
Before the Reformation ritual worship was almost
universal and meaningless, but the most scholarly and con
sistent reformers turned back to simple, plain worship
with the use of Psalms without instrumental music. There
is a call, even in the Covenanter church, to guard against
the beginning of ritualism and formality.
Bible in Schools
A bill to permit Bible reading in the public schools of
California has been defeated by
a vote of the Senate com
mittee on education. The bill provided that materials which
will promote and encourage moral and spiritual values, in
cluding selections from the Bible, may be read in the public
schools. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction was
opposed to the bill, and the Attorney General E. G. Brown
indicated that he was preparing an opinion to the effect
that the proposed legislation was unconstitutional. The Jews
were opposed to it. Men pay lip service to the Bible Society
and the Bible and yet oppose its use in the very place where
it may be most effective, namely on the youth of the land.
Such actions are a direct affront to God who gives us His
Word.
Thank God for Food
The State Board of Education of Georgia has directed
that a set of rules be drawn up which would require teach
ers to sit with students during meals in school lunchrooms
and see that a blessing is asked at the table. One board
member said that many children will never hear grace said
unless they hear it at school. Another board member stat
ed: "Nobody but atheists and agnostics could object to the
saying of grace. I also think the teachers could do a lot
for table
Surgeon and Christian
Mr. Ernest Gordon produced an article on
"Arthur
Rendel Short: Surgeon and Christian," in a recent issue of
The Sunday School Times. It is also the title of a book
which may be had from Intervarsity
Christian Fellowship,
vival City, Nev., bursts in the pre-dawn darkness
Thursday (upper left) and two or three seconds
later (upper right) the fireball developed streaks of
dark and churned the earth into waves of dirt. Dust
from the desert floor at Yucca Flat (lower left)
was stirred into mountainous gray billows as the
blast expanded with a roar. (Topeka Capital)
May 18, 1955
1444 North Astor, Chicago 10, 111., price $2.50. The Lancet
(British medical journal) said of him, "He was a general
surgeon in the best sense of the word and, as diagnostician,
he yielded place to
He was a professor of surgery
in the University of Bristol, England, and wrote very many
scientific articles and some books. A few years ago he sent
to me as a gift his book, "The Bible and Modern Research,"
which tears to shreds the theory of evolution, especially the
evolution of man and stands firmly for the inspiration and
infallibility of the Bible.
Of the relation of man to the higher animals he says :
"Likeness is no proof of common descent .... As for the
blood test, no sane physician would transfer ape's blood
into a living man. Except in tiny doses it would almost
certainly kill him .... At no stage is the human embryo
at all like an ape or monkey."
Dr. Short was an active Christian, a member of the
Brethren, a promoter of missions. He taught elementary
medical courses to missionaries and gave his services al
most without charge to ministers and missionaries. One
wonders how he ever did all the work that he accomplished
either in the medical field or the religious field.
Ambrose Fleming
Sir Ambrose Fleming was a very prominent young
British scientist who was also opposed to evolution, speaking
and writing against it and showing the fallacy of those
who argued in favor of it. He also died not long ago. Great
names favoring certain statements do not necessarily prove
that they are true, but when psuedoscientists declare that
we have no great names in science upholding the authen
ticity of the Bible and opposing evolution, they show that
they are either ignorant or guilty of falsifying, for the
names of Short and Fleming stand at the top in the scien
tific world.
Religion in the Classroom
Bangor, Michigan, is a town about 27 miles west of
(Continued on page 310)
THE COVENANTER WITNESS
Issued each Wednesday fay the Publication Board of the
REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
OF NORTH AMERICA
at 129 West 6th Street, Newton, Kansas or
through its editorial office at 1209 Boswell Avenue, Topeka. Kansas
to promote Bible Standards of Doctrine, Worship and Life
For individuals, churches and nations
Opinions expressed in our columns are those of the individual writers ;
not necessarily the views of the Covenanter Church or of the Editor.
Dr. Raymond Taggart, D.D., Editor
1209 Boswell Avenue, Topeka Kansas
Contributing Editor
Frank E. Allen, D.D.
Prof. William H. Russell
Walter McCarroll. D.D.
Remo I. Robb. D.D.
Departmental Editors
Rev. John O. Edgar
Mrs. J. O. Edgar
Mrs. Ross Latimer
Subscription rates: $2.60 per year; Overseas, $3.00; Single Copies
10 cents.
The Eev. R. B. Lyons, B.A., Limavady, N. Ireland, Agent for the
British Isles.
Entered as second class matter at the Post Office in Newton, Kansas
under the Act of March S, 1879.
Address communications to the Topeka office.
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