FEBRUARY
19 3 3
She tSible Tamil# îhaga^ine
Photo by Adelbert Bartlett
Cypress Lane, Syria
PRESENT STUDENT BODY OF BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES
D o n ’t let lack o f fund s d isrup t the ir tra in in g
88 of the above students will be forced to return home on account of lack of funds to pay their room and boa r d at B i b l e In st itu te of Los Angeles ... unless God moves Chris tians to prevent their going
T he above student body of Bible Institute of Los Angeles consists of 385 consecrated young lives representing 28 denominations, andq drawn from 32 states, 9 foreign countries, and 1 United States'possession. Each of these young people has a definite Christian objective. They will become mission aries, pastors, evangelists, and leaders in Sunday- school and church activities— an earnest, cour ageous, hard-working, sincere, and prayerful group. On October 5th, 1932, two hundred and eighty students entered the Bible Institute, ex pecting to pay for their room and board (tuition is always free) by means o f part-time employ ment. Owing to the present unprecedented busi ness conditions, it has been impossible for our employment department to obtain work for all students, consequently E IGHTY -E IGHT who are UNEMPLOYED will find it necessary to
of Men, and Miss Mabel Culter, Superinten dent of W om en; and under the personal super vision of Mr. O. Howard Lucy, Business Man ager and Treasurer. Contributions to this fund in the past have enabled scores of students, now in useful Christian work, to finish their Bible Institute courses. Never was the need for Christian workers so apparent as today;— and never were there so many difficulties to be faced in training them. A Plan With a Purpose H ow would you like to be the answer to somebody’s prayer— the guardian for one or more of these earnest young Christians during the next four months? The Second Semester opens on February 8th and continues through the first week of June— cov ering seventeen weeks., The actual cost of a stu dent’s room and board for this period is $144.50,
$36.00 a month, or $8.50 a week. The whole amount does not need to be paid in advance, but may be donated in weekly or monthly installments. If the need of these consecrated young people has touched your heart, and you have decided to help along the lines sug gested, kindly fill in the appropriate coupon below. If you desire, a student will be selected as your ward, or you may name a stu dent whpm you already know. You will hear each month regard ing his or her Christian testimony and progress in study and soul saving work. The student will write you personally, send you a photograph, and enable you to see for yourself just what your gift is accomplishing for Christ. T o support one or more students would be a splendid contribution from a Sunday-school Class or Missionary Society,— an effective way to further gospel work. Please use one of the accompanying coupons and act as quickly as possible, for the need is yery great.
return home with their CHR IST IAN TRA IN ING UNF IN ISHED , unless help is forthcoming from some other quarter. Employment Department Results Our Employment Manager gives the following statistics re garding students who find it necessary to earn as they learn : 141 are earning a salary sufficient to pay their board and room expenses. 51 are also employed, but not earning enough to meet board and room expenses. 88 are wholly unemployed. Student Aid The Bible Institute maintains a STUDENT A ID FUND whose activities are under the direction of Dr. John A . Hubbard, Chairman of the Faculty; Mr. C. B. Whitwell, Superintendent
FOR DONATION TO STUDENT AID FUND
FOR THE ENTIRE SUPPORT OF A STUDENT
Mr. O. Howard Lucy, Business Manager and Treasurer, B ible I nstitute of L os A ngeles , 536 So. Hope St., Los Angeles, Calif.
Mr. O. Howard Lucy, Business Manager and Treasurer, B ible I nstitute of Los A ngeles , 536 So. Hope St., Los Angeles, Calif.
Yes, I will undertake to help a student through the Second Semester at the Bible Institute, by remitting $8.50 weekly, $36.00 monthly, $144.50 total sum—to June 3, 1933—and direct you to take charge of the disburse ment of this fund, applying it to the student’s room and board expenses at the Institute. THE STUDENT AID FUND is to select as my ward for the next four months, a young lady/man of whose progress I am to be kept advised. ' • --------—
I will contribute $——_________ weekly/monthly/total sum to June 3, 1933 to yoür STUDENT AID FUND of the Bible Institute, to be used in paying room and board expenses of unemployed studénts at the Institute.
N ame
A ddress
A ddress
He Received a Salary Raise Eleven Times “ I want to relate what the Lord has done to a fam ily since they contribute to the cause of the Jewish mission. The head of the fam ily, a man about 45 years of age, has received a raise in sal ary eleven times since they have: c o n t r ib u t e d to th e cause of bringing the gos pel to the Jews, which, of course, is only secondary to the spiritual blessings the L ord has bestowed upon them.” (Name and address in our files.) You see, it’s this way; the Jews are God’s property, and you can’t touch them for good with out some blessing sticking, as a contagion to you; no less than did the poor woman who said, “ Let me hut touch the hem of His garm en t!” Do you know of anything more directly in the line of God’s blessing than helping those “ of whom as concerning thè’’ flesh, Christ came” ? Or, do you know of any other people or person concerning whom He has said, “ I will bless them that bless thee” ? Our work merits your every confidence. Our field is not only the 2,000,000 Jews o f New York, but the 4,000,000 Jews o f Amer ica. And through co-operating missionaries we are represented, and our Yiddish publications are b'eing distributed, in all the im portant Jewish centers of the world. In America, Branches are being established in the larger cities as the Lord gives us the means and the workers. Your help and prayers are always need ed. “ The Chosen People,” loved by many Bible students for its helpful information on Prophecy and the Jews, is sent to all contri butors. May we hear from you?
©he Sidle Tamil# 2Ha#a^ine Motto: “ Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood .”— R ev . 1 :5.
Volume XXIV
February, 1933
Number 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS Crumbs from the King’s Table— Stewart P. MacLennan...,:.............43 God and the gadget—R. Celestia Churchill..;...................................... 44 The Laymen’s Foreign Missions Inquiry— W. J. Mosier:'.. ........ 46 An Experience in Lost City Hunting—J. A . Huffman...................... 48 The Trend o f Modernism in the Larger Denominations — Stanley Bailes....................................... ....................................49 The Greatest Business in the World— Paul W . Rood.........................51 God and Gog-and 1937 ( ? ) —Louis S. Bauman................................... 53 Heart to Heart with our Young Readers — Florence Nye Whitwell................................... .........................56 Girls’ Query Corner—Myrtle E. Scott................... .............................. 57 Bible Institute Family Circle-^Cutler B. Whitwell...... ..,.....'..........,59 Our Literature Table....... .......................................................................... 60 Junior King’s Business— Martha S..Hooker..........................................61 Living Lessons from the Book of L ife and Everyday Life —Roy Talmage Brumbaugh............................................,........... 63 International Sunday School Lesson Commentary............................... 64 Notes on Christian Endeavor—Mary G. Goodner.............................71 Daily Devotional Readings........................................................................75
SUBSCRIBERS’ INFORMATION
Five annual subscriptions............................................$ 5.00 Eleven annual subscriptions.......... ............................10.00 Subscriptions in countries outside of U. S. require 25c extra. REMITTANCE: Should be made by Bank Draft, Ex press or P. O. Money Order, payable to “ Bible Institute of Los Angeles." Receipts will not be sent for reg ular subscriptions, but date of expiration will show plainly, each month, on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. MANUSCRIPTS: THE KING'S BUSINESS cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts sent to it for consideration. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please send both old and new address at least one month previous to date of desired change.
ADVERTISING: For information with reference to ad vertising in THE KING’S BUSINESS address the Re ligious Press Assn., 325 North 13th St., Philadelphia, Pa., or North American Bldg., Chicago, 111. Entered as Second Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage pro vided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized October 1, 1918. TERMS: Single Copies............................................ 15c Annual Subscription ..................................................$ 1*50 Two-year subscription or two annual subscriptions 2.50
POLICY AS DEFINED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES (a) To stand for the Infallible Word of God and its great fundamental truths, (b) To strengthen the faith of all believers, (c) To stir young men and women to fit themselves for and engage in definite Christian work, (d) To make the Bible Institute of Los Angeles known, (e) To magnify God our Father and the person, work and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; and to teach the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our present practical life, (f) To emphasize in strong, constructive messages the great foundations of Christian faith. 536-558 S. Hope St., BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Los Angeles, Calif.
American Board of Missions To The Jews, Inc. SI Throop Ave. Brooklyn, N.Y.
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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
February, 1933
When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out.” —A cts 12:10.
I n the prison Peter slumbers, When the angel says, “Arise!” And the Lord’s disciple follows —
Though with wide and wondering eyes. Through the first ward, and the second; Down the dar\, deserted halls: And no sentinel accosts them, And no guard a challenge calls. But “the iron gate which leadeth To the city”— who would dare Hope to pass that mighty portal? Must he not meet failure there? Yet he falters not, nor questions, But goes forward with the Lord, And the iron gate swings open — Open of its own accord. So with you who serve the Master, So with you who trust and pray: Gates of trouble, gates of sorrow — They shall never bar your way! Gates of hate arid opposition To the preaching of God’s Word: They shall open at your coming — Open o f their own accord. And you ’ll need no \eys to aid you, N eed no sword, no crushing rod, Bor your hope is in the power O f the unseen hand of God. Then press onward, happy pilgrim; Leave your problems with the Lord,
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February, 1933
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
G r u m L f r o m T m K IN G ’S TABLE . . . B y the E ditor
conflict of laws and of judicial decisions, thus enhancing uncertainty in the administration o f justice. Surely the world cannot be saved by law. Law con demns. Law reveals the deep necessity for a Saviour. “ Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” A Cleansed Ministry Needed T h e c h u r c h e s in America have lost their grip on the troubled millions o f America. It is interesting to see that the men who are leading in the great affairs of state and economic life feel keenly that the church has failed the people and the nation. Mr. Babson again and again points out that the great necessity of the hour is a ' revival; that it has been the departure from God and ordained religion that has brought conditions to the impasse they have reached. And now comes Judge Kavanaugh in his book, The Criminal and His Allies, saying: It is because the ministers o f our religion have grown satisfied with the mere routine and mechanical work of their calling. Sermons are not so much needed by the tempted as the personal touch. The old-time clergyman, who sought out and understood the needy homes, and who talked with the tempted boy and girl, was worth a dozen eloquent scholars in the pulpit, as far as prevention of crime was concerned. With a general return to the old-time reverence for Almighty God, the laws would almost enforce themselves. But in the actual life o f many o f our public universities, colleges, schools, as well as in our social centers and places of philanthropic activities, religion is considered only a gesture; in numbers of these places, the mention of A l mighty God is taboo. In many o f our churches, too, there is only a grudging seat for a man with a shabby coat, or for a woman who has lost her standing. Why do not the ministers, rabbis, and priests take a hand in the troubles and intimate temp tations of their neighbors? Why don’t they follow the mourning processions, which drift every Saturday from the sorrow-infested courthouse back to the desolate home ? The Saviour of mankind spent little time in the temples. He wandered out into the byways where the needy, the sorrowful, and the sinful might touch His very garment, and on whom His healing might be directly laid. The clergy of the United States should be reminded that the people of a country never desert their church until the church first deserts the people. Ministers of Christ, awake! I f, revival is needed in this nation, surely it must come by a cleansing of the foun tain, the ministry o f the land. In the days of Malachi, we hear the prophet ringing out the words that have significance and meaning for our day: “ Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before m e; and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple ; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts. “ But who can abide the day o f his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and he will sit as a refiner and purifier o f silver, and he will purify the sons o f Levi, and refine them as gold and silver, and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness” (Mai. 3 :1 -3 ). The leadership o f the church must be cleansed and ■[Continued on page 58J
In the temporary absence of Dr. White, the editorials this month are written, as were those o f last month, by Dr. Stewart P. MacLennan, Pastor of the First Presbyte rian Church, Hollywood, Calif., and a member o f the Executive Committee of the Bible Institute. A Coming Dictator
S tewart P. M ac L ennan
echnocracy has swept the country in the brief space of a few weeks. Everybody is talking it. America sürely will not, in her sane moments, adopt the program that is now being projected. In reality, it is only communism with a hair cut and a shave. The Technocrats, however, are serving their purpose. They are facing America with some real facts that must not be overlooked. The machine is putting man on the shelf, as surely as it put the horse in the same place two decades ago. The significance for lovers o f the Bible and students o f the prophetic Scriptures is that the day will come when a dictator will arise to take over the reins o f government. There can be no escape from the conclu sion that the world calls for a superman to lead. The late war was won when the governments united to deliver their power and will to one mind. In America, one man became virtually dictator. Into President Wilson’s hands were given autocratic powers. The wealth of Amer ica was at his disposal. It may be that before this present depression is ended—and it is undoubtedly as great a siege as was that of Belgium and France— the situation will again require that even in America there shall arise a dictator. All o f this points to the day prophesied in the Scrip tures. At first men may succeed and bring on a counterfeit millennium, but when they say, “ Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child,” and then will God send forth the world’s righteous Ruler, who is King o f all kings and Lord of all lords. The coming o f the Lord draweth nigh! M a n g e l s announced to the humble shepherds in Bethlehem that a Saviour was born. Paul recalls their mes sage in his letter to the Galatians, saying, “ When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman . . . to redeem them that are under the law.” Law, then, could not save. It required a Saviour. And the law today cannot save. W e are the most law-ridden nation on the face of the earth. A committee o f the American Law Institute on July 29, 1927, ascertained that 112,111 new laws had been ground out by the lawmaking powers of the nation during 1926, and that we had on our different statute books alto gether 1,900,000 laws. It is easy to perceive how this glut of law dams up the currents o f justice, and brings about Law Cannot Save
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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
February, 1933
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his ■will, he heareth us: And if we know that h'& hear Us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that •we desired of him.” gj flPf JoHirlikM, IS.
G O D __
B y R. CELESTIA CHURCHILL
Los Angeles, "Calif.
ello ! Mary Martha Home ? This is the Travelers’ Aid. I have a couple of girls down here who need a place to stay. We want to get in touch with our workers in Akron, Ohio, to see if their parents would like them re turned. Can you keep them?- They look like boys, but I guess they’re girls all right.” “ This is Mary Martha. Are they eligible ?” “ Yes, and xery nice appearing girls.” “ All right, send them out.” And so they come. One to stay ten days, when she goes to relatives in Nebraska. The other remains with us, and arrangements are made for her to finish that last semester of high school work that she had failed to complete in the East. Nice girls— but in need of a friend and a home at a critical time. The next call comes from the hospital. “ W e are dismissing a girl. She has been through an operation and needs a place for a few weeks to build up. Will you take her?”?- She, too, comes to the Home. Other calls come from Christian workers throughout the city, and from .organizations where perhaps at the time there is no available bed. One girl who has lived with us tells another or brings a sister, a cousin, or a friend. Young women missionaries home on furlough, others in Christian work in our own land, come to Mary Martha to rest and to regain their strength. Five hundred and fifty girls have made their home with us— some for only a short time, but many for three, four, and five years, until we have Mary Martha children in almost every state of the Union and in many countries o f the globe. And what is this Mary Martha Home? Just a work that the Lord began about ten years ago in one little down town room in Los Angeles. W e had no thought at the time of a permanent w ork .:The Lord directed in the care of the one girl who “ happened” along, alone and in need o f a friend. Then out o f the one little room, we grew into the five-room bungalow, the six-room flat, and the nine-room house, which has been remodelled twice, in which we now have twelve large rooms, and to which was added, nearly two years ago, the place adjoining-^^six-room house and a three-room bungalow, twenty-one rooms in all, with thirty available beds. The Mary Martha is a non-sectarian Christian home for any worthy girl in need. Frequently we have at the same time Jewish, Mormon, Catholic, and Protestant girls. Among these are the business girl who makes her home with us, the school girl with us throughout the school year, girls, who are. here to regain their health, and others looking for work. Then there is the transient, nonresident girl. Many from other sections of the country come to Los Angeles with barely enough to bring them here, They expect to find
work without any trouble, and fail, and many a girl in just such a crisis takes her first step downward. A thousand times more important than rescue work is the preventive work, and for that reason we have opened this emergency home. The plan at the beginning was to provide for the girl only through the emergency, to help her find work and a suitable place to stay, and to keep in touch with her as best we could afterward ; but as the work has grown, we are now able to keep many o f these girls for an indefinite period of time, providing a real home with all home privileges for the worthy girl who needs it, and who really wants to help herself. The Mary Martha Home is largely a work o f faith, for although we ask $5.00 per week from those who live with us, many are out o f work, without funds, and unable to pay for months at a time. Some never pay—-nevertheless the Home provides for them, and the girl is tided through an emergency and often kept from utter discouragement or desperation. The actual amount that the girls pay covers from one-third to one-half the amount needed to carry on the work. Through choice, we are not under the Commun ity Chest ; we have no endowment and no regular gifts. “ Our expectation is from Him.” W e have never asked for a cent o f money except through prayer, yet for ten years we have never owed pc bill, the rent has been paid in ad vance, and all needs supplied. T o be sure, God uses His other children to help supply those needs— sometimes only a dollar hère and a dollar there, provisions, bedding, etc.-#' but it is all under the Lord’s direction. He alone knows
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February. 1933
a family before leaving the breakfast table to begin the day’s work;, go to the God who is enough for every experience o f life. There is nothing He calls us to, no matter how great nor how small, for which He will not qualify us. He says, “ My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). And again, in Philippians 4:19, “ My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” This covers all problems. Edith had been sick for a long time. Hospitals and private physicians had helped her very little. One morn ing in emergency we called in a specialist. He examined her and said, “ An operation at once.” She had spent all her money, and we had little. We needed time to pray, so we told the doctor we would phone him at. noon. As we prayed, very definitely the Lord di rected us 'to send her. The ambulance came,, she was admitted, and we wrote a check fo r $32.50. This left
the need. Each month there has been just enough to meet the bills as they came due. Frequently we pay the rent and have only thirteen cents, five cents, and even three cents left—but always enough and to spare. Our first New Year’s verse for the Home was Ephe sians 3:20, “ Able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” Never a day has passed that we have not had special evidence o f the Lord’s love and chre—more, much more than we could ask or think. Our rent is paid in advance the first of each month. Dur ing the first summer o f our work, a certain month opened on Sunday. W e did not have enough on hand to pay that day. It was not needed that day, but we did need it the next. W e said, “ Lord, it’s your home, we’re just keeping it. I f the rent is not paid, the home closes.” Monday morning in the mail I received two letters from friends in the middle west. One had a check for $3.00 and the other a five-dollar bill. I brought out the books and found that, with what we had, this made $50.05. I paid the rent for July and had just five cents over. W e needed vegetables that day, and five cents would not buy them; but by going to the wholesale market we could get the vegetables from dealers there who often give them to us when we come after them. I had the carfare to go down, but how was I to get home? I thought of two milk bottle tickets I had from down town, so slipped two empty bottles into my bag, dressed for town, paid the conductor my last nickel, and asked for a transfer. When I reached town, I went to the two places, and at each received a nickel for the bottle. There was carfare home and five cents to spare. Walking over to the transfer point, I used the transfer and went to the wholesale market. Never had such a variety been given us there before. The meat man gave a five-pound roast and a big piece o f salt pork. The vegetable man gave carrots, peas, celery, cucumbers, lettuce, and cantaloupe. He put them into a new gunny sack, had the Jap sew it up with a handle, and I came home loaded. Never before in my life had a nickle gone so far. Little is much when God is in it. On October 11, 1924, under the Lord’s direction, we moved into an unfurnished nine-room house. W e had a bed or two, a little bedding, and perhaps fifteen dishes — no two alike. W e had no chairs— only a piano stool. W e started moving early in the morning, and by one o’clock were out o f the old house and into the new one. When dinner time came that night, we not only had a good meal, but each member of the family had a dish of some sort to eat from, and by using the piano stool, a high chair, and a rocker with the other four, chairs that had been given us that day, we each had a seat at the table. Some o f us used saucers and soup bowls, one had a platter and one a pie tin, but we each had a fork and a spoon—and knives enough to share up. Within the next few days, there began coming in furniture, dishes, bedding, etc. From that day to this, as the demand has grown, so also has the supply. Today we have twenty- one rooms and every one comfortably furnished. “ My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4 :19 ). If a girl comes needing hospital care or clinic treat ment, we see that she has it— and a place to stay after leaving the hospital. A few weeks here after an operation ordinarily puts the girl on her feet, and she is ready to go back to her work. Problems? Yes, plenty o f them. With well girls, working girls, sick girls, nervous girls, and girls o f every temperament— to be sure there are problems— for them and for u s ; but Christ is the Head o f the house, the Source o f our every supply. Daily we need wisdom, grace, patience, and love. Daily we go to this Source as
us a little over $1.00 on the Home account. Yet we knew it was the Father’s will and did not hesitate. : I was with her through the operation. A fter it was over, and during a little talk with the doctor as to the girl’s condi tion, he remarked, “ And now what shall we tell the office?” He knew our financial condition and that it had taken almost every cent we had to bring the girl to the hospital. “ How much do you think it will be?” “ As little as possible. Probably about $100.” “ Doctor, twenty-four hours ago we did not know this was ahead. I know we have done the right thing. This is Friday, I will let you know Monday.” About three that afternoon the girl was resting com fortably and I drove home. On my desk were two letters: one, the telephone bill, and the other a very ordinary looking envelope. I opened it—and there was a hundred- dollar check! It had been mailed the previous morning at the very hour that we were upon our knees. “ While they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isa. 65:24). And prayer does change things. One of our girls had been looking for work— rather unsuccessfully. We took the matter specially to the Lord, and He opened up a position in a department store. A fter a time, she be gan to have some rather unpleasant experiences with the department manager. She resented his advances and felt she must give up her work to escape him- The Lord had opened the place for her in answer to prayer, so we took this matter to Him also. As a part of our morning devo tions, we each draw a promise from the promise box. The next morning this particular girl’s verse was Isaiah 5 9 :19: “ When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the [Continued on page 52]
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February, 1933
I N Q U I R Y B y W . J. MOSIER, Demarest, N. J.
T C he Laymen’s Foreign Missionary Movement was con- ceived, born, nursed, and trained in modernism. It is a child of the modernistic element o f the church. A millionaire modernist called its first meeting. The modernists of seven denominations and o f seven denominational missionary boards selected the fifteen mod Is this fair play? Is it fair to the God o f the Bible, the Christ o f the Great .Commission,- the early church, the pioneer missionaries, or the church as a whole? Is it fair to the fundamentalists, the humble, devoted, and most efficient members o f the church who have remained true to “ the faith once for all delivered unto the saints,” and who are the- only conserving elements in these times when rationalism and unbe lief and worldliness are shaking the church to its very foundations ? ernists to make the missionary survey. . Their report is purely modernistic.
The laymen’s report is a sad example o f compromise. It makes Christianity one o f many religions. It sees “ good” in all of them. The practical ideal is to combine the best from all faiths. The heathen are quite comfortable and happy in their age-long religions. They must not be unduly disturbed in their customs and beliefs. The gospel" of “ good will” and Christ as an example, “ a way of life,” is sufficient. Nothing must be taught so definite and dogmatic as “ I am the way, the truth, and the life” ; “ I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” ; and “ if the Son therefore shall make you free, -ye shall be free indeed” ; nor this, “ and this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life”— not that, but a diluted gospel message that does not hurt nor heal, that does not convict nor convert, that does not smite nor saye. The report o f the fifteen ap
A R ationalistic O utbreathing This modernistic report is sim ply the outbreathing o f the ration alistic party o f the church. It is the best planned, best organized, most united, most subtle, the.strongest, boldest, and most violent attack ever made against the true church. It virtually denies the inspiration o f : the Scriptures, the absolute authority, headship, and deity of Jesus Christ, the universality and curse ’ o f sin, salvation only by faiith in the •atoning sacrifice of Christ, eternal punishment, the sec ond coming of Christ, and the call o f all believers to evangelize the world by the simple preaching of the gospel. It exalts the natural man, minimizes his sin, and mag nifies good works and growth into grace without conviction and con version. It is silent on the subjects o f consecration, separation, sur render, and the filling and anoint ing of the Holy Spirit. It substi tutes education, reformation, social and institutional work, and reli gious form and outward profession for the inward work o f grace. Modernism is not Christianity, but a libel upon it. It is a counterfeit religion—a false religion and far more dangerous than any other false religion.
praisers is rationalistic, materialis tic, and naturalistic. It is unscrip- tural, unspiritual, 'unevangelical, and unevangelistic. It has no living message, no burning zeal for God or for mankind, no mandate from heaven, no supernatural motive power, no worthy objective. It practically annuls the force of the Great Commission, hints that the gospel can now propagate itself, and dimly sees all mission work committed to the religionized heathen. This report will be accepted only by modernists and the undis- cerning. Is not the spirit and method and work o f modernism, as exhibited in this missionary inquiry, religious racketeering? Is it not underworld tactics in high places ? It is founded on a false philosophy o f the Chris tian religion and its divinely ap pointed mission. Its origin, its spirit, its operation, and its conclu sions must therefore be out o f har mony with the will and the Word o f God. A H ome S urvey What therefore should be the true course o f the churches at this juncture? Most clearly, they should disapprove o f the whole action of
[ ru in g in the Watchman-Examiner, Mr. Mosier says: A- newspaper writer has sum marized the work of the commission [Lay men’s Foreign Missionary Inquiry] -as follows: In general, the inquiry is attempting to ascer tain what changes must be made in foreign mission planning to meet the three great changes' that the last century has brought in civilization—an altered theological outlook, the emergence o f a world culture, and the rise of. nationalism in the East. As though the great Head of the church did not foresee al.l.changes, or, seeing them, did not make provision to meet them® Trifling with. His marching orders is serious business. This committee o f fifteen laymen seems critical of -’ the motives, the spirit, the methods,-the per sonnel, and the results of modern missions. A few quotations from their report .will give a general impression of the whole: The pioneers o f Protestant missions were moved by the disturbing sense that many in Asia had not so much as heard the gospel, that mil lions o f souls, believed to be in danger of eternal ■death, might be given the opportunity of life; there was but one way, the way ■ of Christ. There was need of haste. This is a veiled indictment against all who sincerely believe that men are really and eter nally lost without Christ, that there is no other way but “the way of Christ,” that the speedy evangelization of the whole world is the most urgent, commanding call of the great Head of the church, and that the cause of Christian mis sions is the greatest, the most important, and most promising movement in the world today. Here is my concluding quotation from this daring and strange report: Whatever its present conception o f future life, there is little disposition to believe that sin-
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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
February, 1933
The Betrayal Commission Ü oes the title o f this edi torial seem too severe ? The facts here brought out, available to every one in the published re port, must be the answer. The Com mission members are before the world as followers of Christ; their conclusions betray His cause, His commission, and His name. The Appraisal Commission has become The Betrayal Commission. Christian missions are assumed throughout the book to. be a human movement of human origin. But true Christian missions are o f di vine; not human, origin and con duct. “ Go ye therefore, and;teach all nations, . . . and, Id, I am with you alway,-”' said our ' Lord, the Head of the Church. “ The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” The Commission says “ the reli gious mission . . . takes the special form of promoting one’s own type of thought.” “ Religious” missions may do this ; Christian missions do not ; they teach “ whatsoever I have commanded you.” “ At the center of the religious mission;!’ ; sayS the Commission, “ there is an always valid impulse of love to men.” Now love to men is,
cere and aspiring seekers after God in other re ligions are to be damned: It has become less concerned in any land to save men from eternal punishment than from the danger'of losing the supreme good. Is “the present conception” the standard for missionary operation, or is the Word of God the standard? Did the Lord Jesus Christ'know when He attached to the. ;GreaL Commission these solemn words: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ;;-but he that believeth not shall be damned” ? Was He not competent to declare this who was in the bosom of the Fa ther from all eternity, who was Himself God, by whom all things were made, the Life and the Light of men, their only Saviour? Did He not know? Did He not provide and offer to all men by the sacrifice of H imself on the cross the “supreme good,” and commission all His mes sengers to the end of the age 'to offer the same?, These fifteen appraisal commissioners seem to be unsympathetic with the whole modern mis-: sionary movement. They regard the workers on the field as largely incompetent, and the major ity o f the mission churches as small and of questionable vjlue. They say: “There is a long list of weak churches and dull services-to re port.” With this, compare the tender words of the Master: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” What will the churches do with this report ? Will they sanction it or reject it? In any case, it will tend to cut the nerve of missions. If ac cepted and literally followed, it would mean .death not only to foreign missions, but also death to the church at large. A nonmissionary church soon becomes a missing church. Let the watchword be, “Back to Christ and the apostles and Pentecost and the pioneer mis sionaries, and forward as an army with banners to the world’s sure and speedy evangelization.”
the modernistic group in this serious matter and then appoint another committee of the most spir itual and experienced men avail able, for a survey of the conditions o f the home church. As the stream o f missions cannot rise higher than its source, the fountainhead should be purified and elevated and freed from all obstructions. This ap praisal body would soon tabulate something like this: The church at home is far removed from the scriptural standard. It is honey combed with worldliness, unbelief, rationalism, formalism, indiffer ence, pleasure-seeking, and conse quent lack of influence and power.' In general, it grossly neglects the W ord of God, prayer, public and family worship, personal work, church discipline, consecration, and world-wide evangelization. O f five leading denominations the mem bers are averaging only one cent a day for missions. Eleven repre sentative denominations give less than one-twentieth as much for for eign missions as for home work. Thousands o f churches give noth ing for foreign missions. Fairs and festivals and bazaars and amusement programs are substi tuted for God’s method of raising money, that is, by voluntary, proportionate, c h e e r fu l g iv in g .
of course, a vital part o f Christian life and missions. But missions based only on love to, men are powerless because dead. Paul, the first and final norm for all true mission aries, said “ the love of Christ constraineth us . . . and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are .ambassadors for Christ.” Paul loved men be cause he loved the Lord. Throughout the report there is practically no mention of love, for God or for Christ as the great motive of missions, but only an altruistic attitude toward fellow men. There is no recognitioh o f the' Supernatural,-’-except to condemn it as superstition. The entire report is a study by the natural man of that which no natural man can under-: stand, for “ the natural man receiveth not the things o f the Spirit o f God: for they are foolishness unto him.” . . . Surely the strange,¿sinister, Satanic document issued by the Appraisal Commission is a reminder to the true Church of Christ that “ we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” ; and is a call to all who bear the name of Christ to “ take unto you the whole armour of God, . . . and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word o f God,” that we may pray prevailingly that utterance may be given unto the ambassadors :of Ghrist, that they may speak boldly, “ to make known the mystery of the gospel.” — T he S unday S chool T imes . The Cover Picture The sixty-year-old cypresses shown in the cover picture stand on the campus of the American University of Beirut, Syria, overlooking the blue Mediterranean Sea. A coastal sailing ship from Sidon is seen beating north toward An tioch and Smyrna. Beirut was the seat of law schools foun ded by the Emperor Justinian, compiler of the corpus juris.
The church has billions of money, but no healing for the hurt of humanity. Persevering, prevailing prayer is largely a lost art. Prayer meetings are being abandoned, evening services dispensed with in many places, and church attendance is fast declining. The church generally has lost its song, its testimony, and its influence. The masses are unchurched, unsought, unsaved, and untaught. Many thousands o f children have no religious instruction in home or school or church. Joy rides and ball games and golf links and picture shows are well patronized, and that on the Lord’s Day. A N eed for C onfession In this sad and deplorable condition, a duly const!-. tuted committee whose hearts the Lord had touched would issue an immediate and urgent call for penitence, con fession, humiliation, and prayer. The Spirit o f God would cooperate, and soon, in cottages and parlors and mission halls and churches, God’s people would assemble and would wait on Him till the heavens were opened and showers of blessing were poured out. Soon the fire would spread, a world-wide revival would result, and multitudes would be saved. . . . . • In such an atmosphere, a new spirit of missions would be born. If the Lord should tarry, a great army of youths would heed the King’s call, and would go forth to the ends o f the earth as His endued ambassadors, with His glad message of salvation and peace. This is the cure of the present troubles of the church and the solution of the present missionary problem. May it soon be made effectual. Till then a fitting prayer would be :
Revive Thy work, O Lord, Thy mighty arm make bare, Speak with the voice that wakes the dead, And make Thy people hear,
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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
February, 1933
A N EXPERIENCE
CJn cJ 2 o sl ( ë i iy Ç J tu n iin g
B y J. A. HUFFMAN* Marion, Ind.
/
T:
HE ANCIENT town o f B e e ro th has been lost for fifteen hundred or m ore yea rs. But how do we know that there ever was
From these references to Beeroth and its associations with places already known, something o f a general idea o f its one-time location is'obtained. Following this clue, our search took us to the border of the tribe of Benjamin, six or seven miles northeast o f Jerusalem. How to C hoose a S ite There are several other things which must certainly be reckoned with in searching for a lost city. One is the prob ability that it may continue as a village, and be known by a different name. But as the Arabic language, from which most Palestinian cities have their names, belongs to the Semitic family of languages, it is not so likely that the name, if the city or village still exists, will be so much dif ferent that it cannot be recognized. It is almost certain that an early Palestinian city is marked by a hill or an elevation. An elevation was indis pensable for protection against the attack o f enemies, and if no natural elevation was available, an artificial citadel was built. The debris resulting from the occupation and destruction of a city can scarcely fail to mark the spot as a city site. It is absolutely certain that ancient city locations had accessible to them a water supply— in hilly countries, in the form o f springs. It is also certain that the occupation of any site for any considerable length o f time will leave behind a certain amount of potsherds (broken pieces o f pottery) from which, if they can be found, definite infor mation can be obtained concerning the periods o f occupa tion. So important is pottery in such a study, and so well have the various types become known to archaeologists, that pottery is considered one o f the “ telltales” o f the science. I nvestigations in P rocess By the process o f elimination, we chose two sites to in vestigate, not far apart. On approaching the one, we began the search for potsherds on the hillsides. This was to be our first evidence o f the former occupation o f the site by a city. A careful examination o f the locality furnished no evidence that a city had once occupied the place, so we abandoned this as a probable site o f Beeroth. Proceeding to our second location, we began a similar investigation. The first favorable indication was a sherd, which the writer found, and which Dr. Albright, who was our authority on pottery, identified as belonging to the Early Iron Age II, a period from 900 to 600 B.C. “ This,” said^Dr. Albright, “ proves that Israelites lived in this local ity.” The period represented by the sherd was that o f the divided monarchy. A further examination of the site resulted in the finding o f a small amount o f pottery reaching back to the Middle Bronze Age, 2000 to 1600 B .C .; a small amount o f the [Continued on page 58]
HILLS OF PALESTINE
a Beeroth ? And if there was, what difference does it make whether if is ever found or not ? These are questions which immediately and legitimately arise. The party preparing to go in search for this lost city was composed o f three persons: Dr. W . F. Albright, of Johns Hopkins University, field director o f our archaeolog ical researches in Palestine; Dr. Saarisalo, an archaeologist from Finland; and the writer. Our headquarters were at the American School o f Oriental Research in Jerusalem, and it was from there that we started. S ources of I nformation Almost our only source of information concerning the city o f Beeroth is the Old Testament, which refers to it and its inhabitants ten times. Half a century ago, there would have been a number o f critical scholars who would have been ready to discredit the Old Testament reference to Beeroth, declaring, as they did of some other cities and peoples mentioned in the Bible, that it never existed, and characterizing the biblical mention o f it as a “ tale o f orien tal fiction.” Fortunately, no member o f our party ever belonged to the group which is ready to discredit the historical and geo graphical references of the Bible. It is interesting to note that this group is now almost extinct, for too. often have those who decreed against the trustworthiness o f the Bible been put to shame by the confirmation of biblical refer ences by archaeology. The best cure for a destructive crit ical attitude toward the Bible is a change o f heart by regen eration, but a good course in biblical archaeology goes a long way toward correcting the head o f saint and sinner, and certainly warms the heart o f the believer. Besides the references to Beeroth in the Bible, both Josephus and Eusebius make mention o f the place, but they add practically nothing to our knowledge concerning the city. From Joshua 9:17, we learn that Beeroth was a city belonging to the Gibeonites, and it is listed with their other cities, Chephirah and Kirjath-jearim. In the eighteenth chapter and the twenty-fifth verse o f the same book, it is recorded that, in the allotment o f the land o f Palestine, Beeroth and the other Gibeonite cities were awarded to the tribe o f Benjamin. The reference made to Beeroth in 2 Samuel 4 :2 seems to indicate that the city was upon the border o f Benjamin, for it says that Beeroth was “ reckoned to Benjamin.” *Dean o f Divinity School, Marion College, Marion, Ind., and Dean o f Divinity School o f Winona Lake (summer sessions), Winona Lake, Ind.
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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
February, 1933
THE TREND OF MODERNISM
Cl)
U n l i t e c h a r g e r
e n o m i n a h o n s
B y STANLEY H. BAILES Los Angeles, Cafif.
I know o f no better way to express my personal opin ion o f the trend of modernism as we see it today than to answer four comprehensive questions: (1 ) What is the trend o f modernism in the larger denominations? (2 ) How is this trend expressed? (3 ) Why is this trend with us? (4 ) Whither will it lead ? ■W hat I s the T rend ? The trend of modernism has been gradual, furtive, first raising its head above the ground, then lifting its shoulders, •until today it stalks boldly throughout the earth. There were days in all o f our larger denominations— and I am thinking o f the three most prominent at this time, Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian—when modernism was virtually an unknown quantity. All of these denomina tions were born in prayer and o f the Holy Ghost. Their schools, colleges, and missionary enterprises were the nat ural expressions of an evangelistic fervor which could not be restrained. As denominations, they were founded upon and grounded in the Word of God, and they looked with horror upon such writers as Voltaire, Tom Paine, Inger- soll; even Charles Darwin was definitely beyond the pale. It was perhaps twenty-five years ago that modernism made its first definite gain. These were the days before the World War, when great religious leaders would jour ney to the Continent and come back tainted with what was then called “ higher criticism,” most o f which originated in Germany. Their pulpit statements began to shock the evan-
he vastne S s of the topic can be realized only by one who engages in the task o f summarizing the accumulation of happenings within the church dur ing the past quarter century. It presents, first of all, the opportunity to rightly define the terms “ modernist” and “ fun damentalist.” Perhaps our greatest need today in this whole distressing contro versy is that we shall rightly define these terms. Ecclesiastic leaders, and this includes all ministers, are divided into three classes. Most of them do not like to be labelled, but the label must be affixed for the purpose o f analysis. First, there is the fundamentalist, usually called by his brethren “ narrow, hair-splitting, pessimistic.” He con tends for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints, and he stands firmly upon the old foundation o f the Scrip tures, on which his church has been built. Second, there is, at the other extreme, the so-called modernist, who consciously or unconsciously feels that the old gospel will not fully satisfy a modern age, and who seeks to dilute it with the sweet water o f scholasticism or worldliness. In some cases, he finds his new theories at direct variance with the Word of God and the established doctrines o f his church, yet he substitutes the new for the old to the great sorrow o f devout hearts. Before mentioning the third class, I pause to state that all references to modernism throughout this paper are applied especially, to the ministry and to those who definitely affect the Christian thinking o f today. I have sometimes said privately that I believe modernism is almost entirely in the hands of the leaders o f the church, and that ninety per cent o f the members within our churches have no sympathy with the new belief, but hunger for the Bread of Life. The third, class, for want of a better word, we must call the pacifist. These are they who long for peace at any price. They support either extreme— although more fre quently the modern extreme, rather than seem to be out of the ordinary. Several years ago, when the modernist-fundamentalist battle was at its height, men who could not understand these terms said many things which caused breaches that are not yet healed. At the General Assembly of that year, I heard a prom inent minister define these three classes as follows: “ Out of my study window, I can see Michigan Boulevard. It has three classes o f trafic. On one side o f the street, on the sidewalk, going slowly in one direction, I see men walking. On the other side of the street, coming in the opposite di rection, I see men walking; but the real speed and the real activity is in between, where men are really getting some place.” By this he would infer that those of the pacifist group, or the middle-roaders, are the only ones achieving anything. Personally, I believe his figure is not applicable, and that the actual facts prove the statement incorrect. S t a n l e y H. B a il e s
VERMONT AVENUE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF WH ICH MR. BAILES IS PASTOR. gelical church, but were accepted by some who were not grounded in the Word of God. Twenty years ago, the opinion was expressed that God would punish Germany for the weakening process she had begun through her Christless philosophy within the church throughout the world. There was a saying at that time that “ what Germany thought yesterday, America and .Scotland think today, and England will think tomorrow.” It is an
*Address delivered before the Presbyterian League o f Faith.
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