Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

name."upon."world."Glimpses of the Religious WorldFrank E. Allen, D. D.Young People Aiding EuropeOver 100 volunteer young people sailed in June forEurope and Asia to serve in work camps. They come from29 states and represent 75 colleges. They expect to participatein 33 overseas camps distributed among 22 nations in buildingschools, churches, playgrounds,refugee settlements and otherprojects for the victims of war and natural disasters.Assembly of World CouncilAs this is written the Second World Council of Churchesis meeting at Evanston, 111. Some churchmen from communistcountries have been allowed entrance to the U. S. to attendthese meetings. The McCarran-Walter Immigration Act barsmembers of totalitarian organizations from entry to the U. S.However, the Attorney General is allowed to waive restrictionsagainst any individuals whose admission is specifically recommended by the State Department.We are aware that the World Council includes such aconglomerate of religions that it is not expected to issue anypronouncements on religion that are strongly evangelical.Billy Graham had been invited to address the Council, butdeclined on account of ill health due to his recent operation.However, in his message on "The Hour of Decision" he declared that the World Council should make deliverances onseveral fundamental facts of the Christian faith. We regretthat he named one which we do not think is taught in theBible, namely, the coming of Christ to reign on earth and totransform the world. Christ is here now working by His Spirit.He is now reigning and shall reign until he has put all enemiesunder his feet.must be Someone to solve the problems of the world. But doour friends know him? Have we told them what this Lordis to us? What right have we to keep still about this greatestgood? ....Lord, give us the zeal and the wisdom for thedissemination of this the greatest news in theDefining Free MethodismIn an article setting forth the doctrine and practice of theFree Methodists in The Free Methodist, the writer says, amongother things: "Believing that all early Christian and earlyMethodist worship was informal, the Free Methodists havemaintained the utmost simplicity in worship, and until as recently as 1943 did not permit the use of choirs or musicalinstruments. Like the Wesjeyans, they forbid not only alcohol,tobacco and secret societies, but also anyother but simpledress and all use of ornamental jewelry. Many wives do noteven wear wedding bands. Elaborate and costlychitecture is frownedOil by the Dead Seachurch arThere is a crew of Texas and Oklahoma oilmen drillingfor oil near the Dead Sea 390 feet below sea level. More testdrills are to be operated within the year. It has been longthought that there was oil in the region of Sodom which addedto the great conflagration which destroyed that city. Manyyears ago Sir Wm. Dawson, the noted geologist who hadvisited that area, discussed the conditions at some length.Slimepits are spoken of as being in that region (Gen. 14:10).Bible in the SchoolsW.C.T.U. Intensifies EffortsThe Women's Temperance Unions of New York andNew Jersey are intensifying their efforts against alcohol,tobacco, narcotics and legalized gambling. They are urging theNew Jersey legislature to enact bills making it illegal to possess alcoholic beverages at any interscholastic contest and torequire race tracks to list all stockholders. They are increasingtheir campaign against tobacco on the basis of recentmedical pronouncements concerning its effect upon health.Nuns Teaching in KentuckyThe Attorney General of Kentucky has issued an opinionto the effect that Roman Catholic nuns may teach in theirclerical robes in the public schools of that state. This hasaroused Protestants to protest his opinion and some havethreatened to stage a march on the State Capitol and even refuse to pay taxes. In Marion county alone there are 85 nunswho teach in the schools.Helen Keller's FaithThere is an item in The Free Methodist which states:Because she was deaf and dumb and blind, Helen Keller seemsnot to have been given religious instruction early in life.Finally she was taken to Phillips Brooks, who told her thestory of God's love as shown in His gift of Jesus Christ tothe world. Delighted, the girl responded, "I knew all the timethat there must be One like that, but I didn't know HisThe writer continues :"'One like that.' Indeed, in a moraluniverse there must be. There must be Someone to save usfrom our sins and from ourselves and from disaster. There130We are told in United Evangelical Action that "A strongmovement to restore the reading or study of the Bible in thepublic schools of the South is being promoted here (Charlotte,N. C.) by J. B. Spillman and a group of Christian laymen.Under the leadership of Dr. J. P. McCallie an agreement wasreached in 1922 between the pastors, PTA groups and publicschool executives to teach the Bible in the Chattanoogaschools. This movement soon spread to North Carolina wherethere are now over 100 communities in which the Bible isbeing taught in the public schools."In Gaston, Cabarrus and Mecklenburg counties in NorthCarolina the schools have a daily morning devotional periodin which the Bible is read. In Gaston County copies of Mrs.Catherine Vos' Child's Story Bible was placed in all elementary grades. In this county a drive is now on to place tenChristian books to every 100 books in each school library."Pastors and Christian laymen are invited to write Mr.J. B. Spillman for information about how to start similardrives in their communities. Address him 911 S. Tryon St.,Charlotte 2, N. C."H. J. Ockenga Goes to SeminaryDr. Harold J. Ockenga, who has been pastor of the historic Park Street Congregational Church in Boston for 22years is: resigning to devote full time to the presidency of theFuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. He has been president of Fuller Seminarysince it was organized seven yearsago. It has been stated that the point had been reached whereDr. Ockenga had to give up one position or the other and hedecided to devote his energies, after the first of the year, tothe seminary.THE COVENANTER WITNESS