Can A Mason Be A Christian? Rev. Walter Bauer, pastor o f the Trinity Evangelical Church in Fish- erville, near Lake Erie, plainly told his congregation, “ No.” Pastor Bauer argued that nowhere in their prayers and ritual do Masons make mention of Jesus Christ, and that Masonic teachings were un-Christian. As the pastor’s words were aimed at three church members also in the Masons, the matter was put to a vote o f the congregation with the result that the three members were allowed to stay in the church for one-year probation ary period. More Church Members <3* The United States o f America is 5% more religious than it was ten years ago—at least on paper. Re cently released are the official statis tics o f church members from thè Christian Herald. During 1949, when our population increased by 1.5%, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and oth er religious bodies gained by nearly 3%. Today, o f the total population, 54.2% are church members, an in crease during the decade o f over 5%. The ratio o f the three chief religious bodies remained virtually unchanged : Protestant, 59% ; Roman Catholic, «** Perhaps the nearest thing to the human brain, claim inventors, is the electronic calculator, able to perform fantastic feats, and is a pos sible important factor in future re search. Only about half-a-dozen of these machines are in existence. Com pared to the ordinary calculator this collection o f relays, vacuum, and wire is what a bomb is to a fire cracker. Not only can it add, sub tract, multiply and divide^ but it ap pears to remember, exercise judg ment and think for itself. A look at the machine reveals banks o f 12,500 electronic tubes, 21,400 relays, rolls o f paper punched full o f holes, re volving on spindles, a control desk covered with lights and switches, all tied together with 2,000 miles of wire. Recently this machine in 200 hours solved a problem presented by the Atomic Energy Commission which would have taken an accountant 2,000 years to accomplish. This is a com mentary on the value o f the worth whileness o f higher mathematical education. It seems that man is able to fashion something which exceeds his own powers o f research. With that solved, perhaps more time can be devoted to spiritual matters. (Continued on Page 23) T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 33% ; Jewish, 6%. Mechanical Brain
jatjara in Australia; Wewjewa in Sumba, Indonesia and Zapotec, spo ken by Indians in Mexico. However, there are still a thousand more lan guages into which no Scripture has been translated. Through the untir ing efforts of missionary-translators, portions o f the Bible appear in at least one new language about every five weeks. The Bible Talks Early risers in New York City and vicinity can hear the Bible read every Sunday morning starting at 7:00. This new program, sponsored jointly by the American Bible Soci ety and Station WNEW presents a half hour of continuous Bible read ing, which began with Genesis. The program is composed o f Talking Book Records which the Bible Society has prepared for the use o f the blind. It will take three years to complete the reading o f the entire Bible. Biggest News? <** Recently Merlyn S. Pitzele, one o f the editors o f Business Week, wrote to 69 newspapers from New York to Los Angeles, asking their editors what one headline their news paper would like most to print. The replies were very interesting. Four out o f five desired an end to war, hot or cold. Only one out o f ten editors thought the biggest news would come in religion, science or both. Here is a sample o f some suggested head lines: Boston Post: “ Million-Dollar Bandits Caught” ; Chicago Daily News: “ Cancer Cure Is Found” ; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “ Science Proves Life A fter Death” ; Los An geles Times: “ Atom Bomb Outlawed; Nations o f World Ban War in Any Form” ; Youngstown, Ohio, Vindica tor: “ Christ Returns to Earth.”
100 Pianos
Recently Minneapolis, Minnesota, was treated to one o f the most un usual musical programs ever put on when a symphony o f 100 pianos pre sented two concerts in the Minneapo lis Auditorium, sponsored by the Minneapolis Youth fo r Christ under the leadership o f George M. Wilson. The pianos were donated by piano dealers and played by young people from 18 denominations in the sur rounding area. The numbers played included “Wonderful Grace o f Je sus,” “ 0 That Will Be Glory,” and “ Onward Christian Soldiers.” Lutheran Hour TV A televised Lutheran Hour on a national scale was recently approved by the Lutheran Layman’s League in their annual convention held in Mil waukee, Wisconsin. Dr. Eugene R. Bertermann o f St. Louis, director of the weekly radio broadcast, stated that the television program would start about the first Sunday in Octo ber. Owners o f television sets are asked to keep this in mind. The Lutheran Hour TV is the second Christian group to televise their programs, the first one being oper ated by Percy Crawford over the American Broadcasting Corporation TV network, entitled “ Youth on the March.” Now 1118 Languages As o f the end o f last year, some part o f the Bible has been published in no less than 1,118 languages and dialects, according to a report just issued by the American Bible Soci ety. New languages to appear in 1949 were: Biete spoken in India; Chin- Anal in Burma; Hula in Papua; Loma, Liberia; Piro, Peru; Pitjant- Page Twenty
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