Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

Glimpses of the Religious WorldRev. L. E. Kilpatrick, D. D.1031 E. Glenrosa AvenuePhoenix, Arizona 85014DEPORTING MISSIONARIESCyprus! Taiwan! South Africa! Rhodesia! Whathave they in common? We have just heard Thomas Edgartelling of new laws in Cyprus that make the future of ourmission work there very uncertain. The permit of at leastone of our missionaries, Dick Ayres, to remain in theisland has been denied. Other permits are uncertain.The Rev. Milo Thornberry, with his wife, was takeninto custody, and,it is alleged, given 48 hours to leave theisland of Taiwan. Mr. Thornberry was teaching in aseminary operated by the Presbyterian Church of Formosa.Christianity Today reports: "A series of governmentraids on the homes and offices of church officials, anddeportations of clergymen have shaken up church leadersin southern Africa and in the United States." Three youngAmerican church workers were ordered to leave SouthAfrica by March 14, "No official reason being given." ACongregational Church "lay worker" with his family offive, was giventill March 28, the "tenth (expulsion order)for a church worker during one week." Two Americanborn Roman Catholic missionary priests, both outspokencritics of "apartheid," were also expelled, one from SouthAfrica, one from Rhodesia.In the Cyprus situation, it seems that the government'sreasons are religious — or social, in the othersituations, political — or social as some might interpret.In connection with the deportation of Mr. Thornberryfrom Taiwan, the charge was made that"Taiwan is a police state." I inquired of Mr.Chao, since he has been in Taiwan for several years,if he would comment on Thornberry's deportation.He says that the Rev. A. N. McLeod, missionaryof the Southern Presbyterian Church and a teacherin the Presbyterian seminary in Taiwan, also a goodfriend of the Reformation Translation Fellowship,knows Mr. Thornberry well, and says that he hadsuggested five years ago that he be dropped from thefaculty. (This, I would guess, was for doctrinal reasons.L.K.) Mr. Chao says that it was reported that Thornberry"had disobeyed regulations of the government." He saysfurther that he was no doubt too friendly with critics of thegovernment. As for the charge that Taiwan is a policestate, he says that this is untrue. There are hundreds ofmissionaries in Taiwan, and it is "untrue that there isincreasing pressure on the churches, visits and questionsby the police. . . ." He says further, "We really enjoyreligious freedom here. No matter wherever you want toopen a chapel, you can. There is no need to register at thegovernment."Actually, the idea of civil governments beingcompletely neutral toward religion is impossible. Manyeducators (but note the Glimpses item regarding the NewYork State Commissioner of Education, November 11,1970) and political leaders are trying to maintain theneutrality idea, but it is a farce. There is an official religionin the United States and it is the false religion ofhumanism, and in principle the opposite of the gospel ofJesus Christ. Other countries along with the U.S.A. aretrying to unravel and keep separate, affairs of religion andgovernment.When the Church is faithful in bearing witness to thetotal claims of the living and true God, it will find itself,sooner or later, in conflict with any government thatrefuses to acknowledge Him and His claims. I'm sure thatI have no more than a glimpse of what is involved, but wedo know that "the kings of the earth do bring their gloryand honor into (Christ's kingdom). . . . And they shallbring the glory and honor of the nations into it" (Rev.21:24,26).THE TOTALLY SCIENTIFIC MINDI trust it was a slip of Billy Graham, in a recentReader's Digest article, when he said, "The evidence ofthe Resurrection of Jesus Christ is overwhelming; yet it isnot conclusive enough to satisfy a totally scientific mind.That is where a step of faith is needed." This certainlysuggests that faith is inconsistent with consistent science.While there is still "science falsely so called," truescience is merely an orderly arrangement of theknowledge we gain. A believer and an unbeliever can lookat the same store of data, and come to opposite conclusionsas to the interpretation of those data, and thebeliever be just as scientific as the unbeliever. It is quitelikely that he is more scientific, for he has taken intoaccount a significant factor in the meaning of those data,namely, God, the Creator and Sustainer.One does not need to modify and qualify hisscientific stance in order to see God's hand, not only in theresurrection of Jesus Christ, but in all his understanding ofScripture and life.RELAXING OF "LAWS ON SEX"It is reported that Hawaii is considering a change inits criminal code which will legalize all forms of sex actsperformed privately between consenting adults, exceptprostitution. Illinois and Connecticut already have suchlaws in force. The reason given for making an exception ofprostitution is that this would not match current attitudesas to acceptable human behavior.Common arguments given by those who question ordeny moral absolutes include the idea that times havechanged so much that it is impossible to say in a givensee page 7COVENANTER WITNESS