Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

Glimpses of the Religious WorldRev. L. E. Kilpatrick, D. D.207 Darlington RoadBeaver Falls, Pennsylvania 15010MISSISSIPPI LA W REPEALEDMississippi's law against teaching evolution in publicschools — the last of several such state laws — has beenrepealed by the state's supreme court.The Mississippi court, noting a decision by the U.S.Supreme Court in 1968 holding unconstitutional the antievolutionlaw in Arkansas, declared that "for all practicalpurposes," the decision also applied to Mississippi.A REALIGNMENT OF PRESBYTERIANS?Atlanta—Leaders of three independentconservative groups within the Presbyterian Church US(Southern) have issued an appeal for the realignment ofAmerican Presbyterianism.Executive committees of Presbyterian ChurchmenUnited, Concerned Presbyterians, and the PresbyterianJournal called for a creation of a "fervently evangelisticchurch, faithful to the Bible, the Reformed faith, andPresbyterian polity."The document, released after the meeting here,opposed current plans for uniting Southern Presbyterianswith the United Presbyterian Church USA and theproposed nine-denomination Church of Christ Uniting(COCU).PRIORITIES IN SPENDINGAccording to Evangelical Press News Service, in1968 people of the United States spent $130 million formissions. For every dollar spent to carry the Gospel, theyalso spent $231 for gambling, $154 for crime, $69 forliquor, $38.50 for house pets, and $1.35 for dog food.SIDELIGHTS ON DRUG ABUSEIn 1970 New York City police reported one druginducedsuicide every two days.According to a Food and Drug AdministrationBureau of Drug Abuse Control survey of LSD users, 13percent reacted with overwhelming panic, 12.3 percentshowed violent tendencies or committed violent acts, 8.6percent showed homicidal or suicidal behavior characteristics,15 percent required hospitalization for psychotictreatment.Heroin users get hooked. The average addict needsfrom $15 to $100 per day to satisfy his cravings. Andhaving lost the ability to keep steady, good-paying work,the addict turns to crime. To support a $15-a-day habit,requires stealing S18,000 worth of resalable goods per year.From WIN Magazine.DIM VIEW OF CARBON DATINGCaldwell, Idaho (EP) — It is doubtful thatradioactive decay systems, such as Carbon-14 uranium tolead, potassium to argon will continue to be used to date4the age of things.So writes a chemist in the February Bible-ScienceNewsletter. Dr. Earl Hallonquist, of Vancouver, B.C., savthat the Keilor skull is supposed to be 200,000 to 300,00years old, and yet Carbon-14 claimsit is only 8,500 yearsold, and that "they are having trouble with Carbon-14dating because they find that even today the ratio betweenCarbon-12 and Carbon-14 are not constant — off as muchas a third."CHURCH MEMBERSHIP UP SLIGHTLYNew York (EP) — Membership in churches of theUnited States is holding its own, but barely. An annualtally according to the 1971 edition of the Yearbook ofAmerican Churches, shows that membership of 230 U.S.church bodies rose 35,348 to an all-time high of128,505,084.However the rise did not keep pace with thepopulation rise of1.1 percent. Gain in church membershiprepresented an increase of only .03 percent. Previousyear's gain was 1.6 percentBIBLE READING RISING IN U.S.New York (EP) — More citizens in the United Statesare reading the Bible, according to a report by theAmerican Bible Society.A subsidized offer of a Bible for $1, which rannationally in public service radio spots and print advertisements,had resulted in requests for more than 17,500Bibles, the Society says.In 1971 Daily Bible Reading plan, titled "One World— One Book," has totaled nearly two million copies soldor given away, more than twice the number supplied lastyear.JOE BASS CHALLENGES SOVIETS TO ACCEPT 2MILLION BIBLESLondon (EP) — During an interview aired by theBritish Broadcasting Company, the president of the U.S.based Underground Evangelism, challenged the"enlightened, cultured Soviet Union " to accept a gift oftwo million Bibles, if its touted freedom of religion isindeed a fact.L. Joe Bass, whose challenge to the Communists waspicked up in the Manchester Guardian and the LondonTelegraph, said the Bibles would contain nothing but aplain cover and Scriptural text from Genesis toRevelation."There would be no anti-Soviet statementwhatever," he said, "and we would ask for a guarantee thatthe Russian Bibles would be distributed freely and that noSee Page 9COVENANTER WITNESS