Sermons Too Short •** From a survey made by the church page of the New Orleans Item, ten Baptist ministers were agreeably sur prised when many of the church mem bers said their sermons were too short. The survey showed that 98% of the church members who were asked liked their ministers’ sermons but a small minority said that some of the sermons lacked spirit, that the ministers lectured instead of preached, and that the clergy men were not sufficiently evangelistic. Other criticisms were that sometimes the pastors were too personal, the sermons too formal, and that once in a while the ministers used “ big words.” Record for Giving The Seventh Day Adventist national headquarters announced a new all-time record for giving by members of a single church. The Isabel Street Adventist Church in Glendale, Cal., with 1,557 members, reported total contributions of $377,698 in 1951, or an average of $242 for each member for the year. Of this sum $266,422 was collected as tithes, and $11,275 represented mission and church expense offerings. Ban Liquor Advertising «5* A bill to ban liquor advertising from radio and television was introduced in the Senate by Senators Edwin C. John son, Colo., and Francis Case, S. D. The measure is expected to have strong sup port from religious and temperance groups. Early hearings on it were promised by Senator Johnson, chairman of the Senate Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. The bill would apply to “ distilled spirits for beverage purposes” and apparently would not affect beer advertising. Shun Psychiatry & Preachers should stop trying to be psychologists or psychiatrists and start being “ ambassadors of Jesus Christ,” ac cording to Dr. John S. Bonnell of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, of New York City. Dr. Bonnell suggests that “there are men much better trained in that field than we can ever be,” and that “ the Christian pastor is competent to deal with real guilt and the delivery from such guilt through the transform ing power of Christ.” Korea Church Flourishes Mrs. Maud K. Jensen, a woman mis sionary from Korea, reports that the Christian church is flourishing as never before. While over half the population of Korea is displaced today it is the Christians who have suffered most and have been the most under attack. Yet, in spite of this, the church is making great strides in bringing in those who never before had a chance to hear the gospel. The work goes on in hospitals, orphan ages and prisoner of war camps and the big problem is how to provide enough places for worship. Page Fourteen
Lack of Priests A fundamental Roman Catholic prob lem in Latin America is a lack of priests with only 25,000 for the 154,000,000 in habitants the most of whom are nominal Catholics. This report, issued by the Sacred Congregation for the Propaga tion of the Faith, stresses that 70,000,- 000 persons in Latin America can neither read nor write which is quite a commentary on the fact that Catholicism has held sway in this territory for centuries. Flying Evangelist An Indiana clergyman, Rev. Paul Hartford, has been named by the Youth For Christ International as its first full time official flying evangelist. The plan is to tour the West Indies by air, con ducting evening gospel services at which he would play the trumpet and sing solos as well as preach. During the day Mr. Hartford will drop literature and broad cast^ messages publicizing the evening services over an amplifying system which he is installing in his Cessna plane. New Record The dollar value of new church con struction set a new record in 1951 despite strict government controls. The value of church construction reached $429,000,- 000 or over five per cent over the previ ous record. However, it may be that the larger expenditure purchased less actual construction due to the increase in build ing costs. Church construction accounted for about one-sixtieth of the total con struction outlay in the United States. Rabbis Oppose * Recently the New York State Board of Regents suggested that a prayer be offered daily in the public schools. Op position to this has come from the New York Board of Rabbis who expressed the belief that the proposal would “ do violence” to religious liberty if carried into effect. The Rabbis believe that the proposal will give rise to sectarian prac tices in the public schools and will cre ate division and confusion where harm ony and unity should prevail. Protestant Faults Roger W. Babson, nationally known economist and churchman, said today that if Jesus returned to earth on a Monday afternoon he would need “ a burglar’s jimmy to enter most Protes tant churches.” Babson remarked that practically every Catholic church is open all day and in the evening but there are over 100,000 Protestant church edifices which cannot be entered on most week days. To remedy the Protestant situation, the 74-year-old Babson suggested that Protestants consider these five pdints: 1. Adequate pay for the clergy. 2. The wisdom of division. 3. Greater use of church edifices. 4. More active protests against American “moral cancers.” 5. Wider use of publicity. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
By William W. Orr, D.D.
Commandments in School <£* A movement has been launched in Louisiana to place a plaque carrying the Ten Commandments in every school in the state. This idea was borrowed from a New England town where a plaque saying, “ In God We Trust” was hung in all public school buildings. An opinion from the state attorney general revealed that such a project would be constitu tional and if the state council approves, the state will be asked to provide the plaques. One to Nine Hundred •S* The armed services of the United States now have one chaplain to every nine hundred men, according to Secre tary of the Army Frank Pace, Jr. He praised the work of chaplains of all faiths in keeping the morale high among the fighting men. He declared that the spirit of the armed forces was not auto matic, but was largely due to chaplains and others who are charged with this responsibility. Anti-Liquor Ads <** The Baptist church of Bluffton, Ga., has begun a program of counteracting the appealing liquor advertising. Every week the church’s temperance committee runs a small two-column ad in the local paper appealing to the young people on such themes as “ Think Before You Drink.” The committee hopes that in terested groups of laymen in other churches and communities will join them in this advertising effort. It is to be re membered that the bill for liquor ad vertising runs into astronomical figures. Make Oregon Dry? With the filing of a preliminary in itiative petition, a new move has been launched to make Oregon a dry state. The petition would bar the manufac ture, sale or importation of alcoholic liquor containing more than one-half of one per cent alcohol by volume. There would be exemption, however, for medi cinal purposes upon the prescription of a licensed physician.
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