mission sponsored by the National Coun cil of Churches. Reports are that Mr. Templeton declared that neither educa tion nor psychiatry will make a better world, and that America desperately needs transformed lives. At the close of one meeting an estimated 400 persons raised their hands to signify their new “ Commitment to Christ” and stayed after the meeting for personal instruction on how to live as Christians. The Templeton theory of evangelism is that hell-fire and damnation techniques should be avoided and that people should be won, not by terrifying them into mending their spir itual fences, but by appealing to their better natures. Just what Mr. Temple ton does with the “ better nature” of man which is described in the Bible as being deceitful above all things and des perately wicked, we do not know. How one is to rule out the divinely-given warnings concerning hell at the end of a Christless life, we cannot understand. Graham on Sex <£ In his recent campaign in Hollywood, the sex capital of the world, Billy Gra ham told the crowd, “ Sex is heaven on earth if practiced within the confines of God’s law; there’s nothing wrong with sex. God has given it. But it’s hell on earth when God’s law is disregarded.” The evangelist went on to remark that the Hollywood film colony is not the focal point of sex promiscuity that some people believe. The focal point is within the hearts and minds of individuals and only when the hearts of individuals are changed can society be changed on this point. The Pope on Sex iJt T o a special audience of delegates of the Italian Catholic Union of Obstetri cians the Pope recently spoke words of total condemnation of birth control and a solemn warning against the habitual use of the so-called “ rhythm” system. Contraceptive birth control or steriliza tion intended as a means of preventing procreation is always wrong no matter what medical, eugenic, economic or so cial reasons may be offered in justifica tion, he declared. Furthermore, in dis cussing the rhythm method, the Pope added that even when this was used the “moral norms to which application of that theory is subordinated must be made known and upheld.” If there are serious reasons to avoid motherhood, the church recognizes only one natural way to attain that purpose—abstinence. Cigarettes Promote Cancer A noted cancer authority, Dr. Alton Ochsner, past president of the Ameri can Cancer Society, states that a man over 50 who smokes a pack or more of cigarettes a day has fifty times as much chance of developing cancer of the lungs as does the non-smoker. Furthermore, Dr. Ochsner reports that cancer of the lungs is increasing faster than other forms of cancer and cigarettes are main ly responsible for this increase. In 1920, (Continued on Page SI) T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Catholic Antagonism in Mexico *£ During the last summer, in the city of Guadalupe, taking advantage of the great pilgrimages to that city, the Roman Catholic authorities distributed many thousands of handbills urging the Catholic population into action. The fol lowing is an accurate translation of the handbill into English: “ MEXICAN CATHOLICS. Defend your faith, your dignity, your tradition, your country. Protestantism is knocking at your doors and wishes to drag you into its errors, to its infamy and its des potism. “ The Protestants are the advance agents of imperialistic interests of North America and wish to divide us in order to bring us under their domi nation. Resist them. “ The Protestants act as the allies of Communism because they sow the seeds of division between Mexicans in this hour when all should be firmly united as one front against the Red Danger. Fight them. “ You are a Catholic; remain firmly united to your only authentic Christian faith. There is only one Church and only she can save us. The religious unity of the Mexicans is our only guarantee of triumph as we confront the powerful agencies that dispute for the dominion of the world. “You are Mexicans; resist with energy those who wish to take from you the love of the Virgin of Guadalupe forged from our nationality and Captain of our holy wars. “ Defend yourselves. Defend your sons, defend your family, defend your religion, defend your country. “MEXICO IS CATHOLIC. MEXICO IS GUADALUPAN. AWAY WITH PROTESTANTS.” Largest Church Gains The First Baptist Church of Dallas, which is the largest in the Southern Baptist Convention, reports a net gain of 255 members for the past year, bring ing its total membership to 9,383. The average attendance in the Sunday School during the year was 2,681 and the total contributions, according to Dr. W. A. Criswell, pastor, was probably the larg est of any church on earth or nearly three-quarters of a million dollars. Of that sum approximately one-third has been earmarked to erect a million-dollar activities building. Should Ministers Unionize? Jt The Rev. Howard P. Weatherby, di rector of public relations for New Eng land Baptist Hospital, suggests that min isters should unionize to get better pay. He points out that the average clergy man’s salary last year was $2,276.00 compared to a national average among all groups of $3,024.00. Thus ministers were getting a thousand dollars a year less than hod carriers. Mr. Weatherby’s idea is that the only way to solve the problem is for a unionization of the Protestant clergy, pointing out that teachers have done so and have greatly profited thereby. Page Thirty
By William W. Orr, D.D.
Houghton Revival A genuine revival among students at Houghton College gained such momen tum that classes were either cancelled or reduced for an entire week. It seems that the revival began in a prayer meeting on Sunday night and grew so large that the meeting had to be moved into the college church. Dr. Stephen W. Paine, president, was convinced that this was a sincere expression by young people who believe in the validity of Christ as Saviour but expressed hope that the regular class schedule could be resumed soon. Hough ton College is a Wesleyan Methodist In stitution with an enrollment of 615 stu dents of various denominations. California Bible Reading Jt Before the State Board of Education hearings were recently begun to intro duce Bible reading into California Public Schools. Dr. Frank Dyer, retired Con gregational minister, is chairman of the committee introducing the bill which calls for reading of the Bible aloud in the schools without comment. It is point ed out that 36 states have Bible reading in public schools in some form and that this bill would silence the cry that there is godlessness in the schools. United States Department of Religion A proposal that the United States government have a Department of Re ligion has been made by Alexander F. Jones, executive editor of the Syracuse Herald-Journal. Mr. Jones pointed out that every activity of man is represented in our government except the most im portant one—Religion. We have depart ments of Labor, Education, Commerce, Justice, but our spiritual life is not guarded by any recognition whatsoever. This would be at long last a recognition of the importance of God in our national life. Evangelism Sans Hell-fire jt The largest crowd to occupy Stan- baugh Auditorium since it was built in 1927 heard the Rev. Charles B. Temple ton in the first evangelistic preaching
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