these pictures mean," she sug gested. They pronounced one sound after another until before they knew it they were sounding out the words for "God," "love," and "mother." One of the elderly women in the group, herself a grandmother, and perhaps a bit wiser than the rest, began to realize what had hap pened. She turned to the mission ary with tears running down her cheeks, "Do you mean to tell me that I as a woman am really learn ing to read? I am not just an ani mal anymore?" When I heard that, I said once again, "Thank God for the transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ!" The Gospel of Christ is also changing society. In some conti nents today there is a tremendous social revolution going on. Chris tians are multiplying the fastest in many territories. The concern of the evangelist has been with con version rather than social and eco nomic problems. When men and women come to Christ they begin to drink less and to work more. Their children go to school and the family unit is greatly strength ened. These are evidences of the life-transforming power of Christ upon society. Yes, wherever the message of the risen Christ has gone, it has had a forceful impact upon men and nations. The sacredness of mar riage has been set forth; women's rights have been acknowledged; institutions of higher learning have been established; child labor laws have been enacted; and in time slavery has been abolished. A mul titude of other changes have been made for the good of mankind, too. All of these are facts of history. Page 11
in common by men and that the children be cared for by the gov ernment. Women were taken as slaves or traded as temple prosti tutes in the name of religion. There are still countries in some societies where women walk duti fully behind their husband. When travelling they may carry burdens on their heads while their hus bands ride the family donkey or camel. Women are often taught absolute obedience to their hus bands in the hope that they might be reborn as a man. Only within the past century in the Indo-Pakis- tan sub-continent has the custom of widow burning been outlawed. Previously there were times when a man who died had his body cre mated. His widow was tied to the funeral pyre and burned along with him. This was so that she might precede or accompany him in the next life. Christianity revealed the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Sometime ago, in North Africa, a missionary woman was attempt ing to teach village women to read. None of them could even read their own name. Presenting the idea they were less than enthusias tic. They felt it would be impos sible since they were women. So, the missionary taught them a game. She bent over and in the soil wrote out a letter of the Arabic alphabet. She challenged, "Can you do this?" The women all did the same. Then, she explained, "Every time you make that little picture know that this is its sound." And with this "game" she taught them the al phabet. She then made four or five of these letter pictures in a row as the eager women now followed her. "Let us say out loud what
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