Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

BOOKSFrom The Study Window by Rev. DavidM. Carson, Ph. D. 120 pages. Paper back$1.50. The National Reform Association,45 S. Bryant Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15202Dr. David M. Carson, a ReformedPresbyterian minister and Head of theDepartment of Political Science at GenevaCollege, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, haswritten this collection of 60 brief essaysover a period of several years. They haveappeared periodically in The ChristianStatesman, official publication of TheNational Reform Association. They dealwith a wide variety of subjects of greatmoment to the Christian and to our nation.These are easily read and quite informing.See a sample on page 8.M.W.D.TEN RULES FORCONVERTING NOBODY1. Let your supreme motive bepopularity rather than salvation.2. Study to please your congregationand to make a reputation rather than toplease God.3. Take up popular, passing, andsensational themes to draw the crowd, andavoid essential doctrines of salvation.4. Denounce sin in the abstract, butpass lightly over sins that prevail in yourcongregation.5. If asked, "Is it wrong to dance,play cards, or attend the theatre?" answervery pleasantly, "Oh, that is a matter forprivate judgement. It is not for me to sayyou shall or shall not."6. Preach on the loveliness of virtueand the glory of heaven, but not on thesinfulness of sin and the terrors of hell.7. Reprove the sins of the absent, butmake those who are present pleased withthemselves, so that they will enjoy thesermon and not go away with their feelingshurt.8. Make the impression on worldlychurch members that God is too good tosend anyone to hell, even if there is a hell.9. Preach the universal Fatherhood\ of God and the brotherhood of man so asto show that no second birth is reallyneeded.10. Do not rebuke the worldliness ofthe church, but fall in with the amusementpolicy. Instead of meeting for prayer, letthe people "sit down to eat and drink andrise up to play."Another, speaking under inspirationof the Holy Spirit, once said: "Preach theword; be instant in season, out of season;reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time willcome when they will not endure sounddoctrine; but after their own lusts shallIhey heap to themselves teachers havingitching ears; and they shall turn their earshorn the truth and shall be turned untofables. But watch thou in all things, endureafflictions, do the work of an evangelist,make full proof of thy ministry."— The Herald of Light.INTER-VARSITY CHRISTIANFELLOWSHIP'S 10th BEACHEVANGELISM PROJECTFt. Lauderdale, Florida,April 4-9,1971Walk up and down a mile-longstretch of beach at Ft. Lauderdale, Floridaany afternoon during Holy Week and everytwenty yards you could see some of the 225Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowshipstudents, recognizable by their white wristbands, intent in their conversations withthe sun-bathers. More students wereclustered around two umbrellas at whichthere were forums on various aspects ofChristianity and around the city-sponsoredbandstand. There from 2:00 p.m. untilmidnight, two Christian rock bands, theExkursions and The New Wine, played andrapped about Jesus Christ.The beaches were less crowded atnight, except for the 4,000 gathered infront of the bandstand. Under the cover ofdarkness and while the police turnedtheir backs, the sex, liquor and drug-usebecame blatantly open. Liquor wasbrought to the beach by the cases. Onefellow howled at the full moon as hefreaked out on an acid trip; another told adiscouraged I-Ver, "I don't want Jesus; Ijust want some marijuana."But Satan did not have everyone inhis grip. Some were listening. When thebreaks in the concerts came, I-V studentswho had been praying that God's powerwould triumph over the evil forces on thebeach were ready to introduce thosestudents to their Lord.One such student was Steve. He'drun away from home and been on drugssince he was 14. Invited to the Alternativecoffeehouse after a conversation on thebeach Monday night, he rapped for fourhours, and came to understand that hecould know God — who had always beenso big and abstract that Steve thought Hecouldn't touch his life — through JesusChrist. Danny Taylor, the Christian folksinger whose gracious witness andcharisma was used by the Holy Spirit tocontrol the atmosphere of the Alternative,introduced Steve Wednesday night. Theaudience became still as Steve told themthat they, too, should investigate Christand take Him as their own.The raw concentrated force of sin hitmany Christian students for the first time intheir lives. A 7-month-old Christian girlsaid, "The concerts on the beach are veryworthwhile but dangerous. Here is whereour faith is really tested and our courage isneeded." Another girl who has been aChristian a vear and who led two to commitmentto Christ during the week added,"It was easy to feel lonely and scared in thecrowd, but I just looked to the white bandsand to God for comfort. I know that Satanworked just as hard as we did, but God waswith us here."Claiming God's power, they were aninfluence for good on that beach. Steve'sstory attests to that. So do the words of apolice lieutenant. "It is a genuine pleasureto work with such a group," Lt. Brewsterreported. "They help turn the crowd frombeing a potentially trouble-making one. Iwish they could come earlier, stay outlater, and stay longer."It was at the invitation of the cityofficials of Ft. Lauderdale that I-V's PaulLittle began the beach evangelism projectin 1962, the year after the student riots.The project has grown steadily over theyears in conjunction with a committee oflocal pastors and laymen, the ChristianAction for Student Evangelism. WilliamM. York, I-V staff in Virginia directed thisyear's project and Pete Hammond,Southeast Area Director, headed up themorning training sessions. IVCF's MissionsDirector, David Howard, gave the Bibleexpositions.Two other innovations this year, inaddition to Inter-Varsity's bands being theonly city-sponsored entertainment, were"floating forums," yacht trips anddiscussions with local pastors about thechurch, and surveys the students took for aChristian sociologist investigating youngtransients' concepts of freedom. Both lednaturally to conversations about Christ.Said one student, "The people herewere so ripe. The Spirit had prepared themso that their openness was almost unbelievable.I've really gained confidence inthe power of the Holy Spirit to touch andopen men's hearts, and to give me wisdomin an intense witnessing situation."About eighty-five were touched byGod so that they desired further contactwith Christians on their campuses: half ofthese indicated that they, like Steve, hadtaken their first step of commitment toChrist. Paul Woodard, staff in Missouri,who led one of the seventeen "families" ofstudents, said that only God can score theconversions, but in his family there wasone new birth for every two Christians.REPORT OF THE RESCONFERENCE ON RACECHICAGO YMCAMarch 2-5,1971I. The mandate of this Conferencewas "to test conditions in their churchesand countries according to the norm of theWord of God as this is explained in theRES resolutions."In response to the mandate of theMAY 12, 1971 !=>