Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

an aid to missions. In country after country, missionarypersonnel turned over complete administrative responsibilityto national staff members.RaceAlthough progress was made in race relations during1970, the weapons and voices of black militants were by nomeans silent. Herman Holmes, acting national chairmanof the National Black Development Conference,demanded of United Presbyterians in Chicago $25 millionin reparations to the black community to atone for "exploitation."Clenched fists were raised by Afro-Americanstudents as their leader Jeff Thomas led in prayer at theSouthern Baptist Convention in Denver. MuhammedKenyatta, leading blacks seeking "reparations" atSwarthmore Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania, threwCommunion bread and wine on the floor. Black EvangelistWilliam E. Pannell told a gathering of evangelicalhistorians in Washington, "We have got to dehonkifyhistory." Mormons admitted that church doctrine did notteach Negroes were under a curse, that the ban againstNegroes in the priesthood was mere tradition.On the positive side: Bi-racial greeting cards wereselling big as blacks relaxed and began laughing atthemselves. Black evangelists convened a congress inKansas City sponsored by the National Negro EvangelicalAssociation. Urban Ministries, Inc., the firstpredominantly black-owned publishing company, wasorganized in Chicago primarily to produce interdenominational(Sabbath) school literature.The events of 1970 will be interpreted according to theprejudices of all who read them. But it will surely be theyear remembered by all as the year of the worst disasterin living memory when tidal waves in East Pakistan tookthe lives of perhaps 150,000 people and when earthquakeskilled some 30,000 people in Peru.1970 — the year a scientist created a living andreproducing cell ... the first man-made gene ... andfound the "center of creation" among the Milky Way.This was the year of Women's Lib, the formal searchfor Noah's Ark, the public's determined outcry againstpollution of natural resources, the "Jesus Freaks," thehistoric "Frankfurt Declaration" refuting the identificationof messianic salvation with progress,development, and social change, the blessed campusrevivals originating at Asbury Theological Seminary.This year women entered pulpits of majordenominations, were allowed to be divorced in Italy, andcampaigned for ZPG (Zero Population Growth).DeathsNotables who passed from the scene this year wereFrank Laubach, famed "apostle to the illiterates" ... theRev. Dr. Ralph W. Sockman, pastor emeritus of ChristChurch, Methodist in New York City . . . BritishEvangelist Tom Rees . . . Gladys Aylward — "The SmallWoman" of the Inn of the Sixth Happiness . . . PioneerEducator Mark Fakkema .«. . and Evangelist A.A. Allen.1970 — a year that could happen only once. If thereare any tears in heaven it will be for lost opportunities, forthe time spent in neglect of God.But the measured cadence of the calendar moves onto a new year with its promise of hope.The Fourth Commandment (Revised)Remember the worship hour to keep it holy. Onehundred and sixty-seven hours shalt thou labor, and do allthy work; but the one hundred and sixty-eighth hour is theSabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do anywork, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant,nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thystranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the Lordmade heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is,and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessedthe worship hour* and hallowed it.I must admit I have some misgivings about thisrevision, for it has certain difficulties. There is norelationship between God's making all things in six daysand resting one day, and our keeping one hour holy to Him.The most alarming thing about the whole revision is thatwhen we took the 23 hours away from God we left ourselvesunprotected from the floods of ungodliness, and theeroding winds of secularism which are destroyingeverything good in our world.Having completed our revision, it is disconcerting tofind those who insist on revising the other nine commandments.Why can't people understand they are goingtoo far? Man has nothing to gain from tampering with therest of the commandments of God; it will only get him intotrouble.* RWClIf it is not convenient to keep the hour on what used to beknown as the "Lord's Day" it may be observed on aWednesday or Thursday night, and thus thou shalt trulypreserve thy week ends to thyself alone.6 COVENANTER WITNESS