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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
December, 1939
Not Religion—but Christ for Mexico By W. CAMERON TOWNSEND Siloam Springs, Arkansas
F OUR and a half years ago it was against the law in Mexico to send religious literature through the Testaments was held up at the port of Vera Cruz. Sunday-school papers were stopped at border postoffices and re turned. Mexico definitely went on record as being against everything t h a t smacked of religion. As do many indi viduals, Mexico failed to distinguish be tween the teachings of the Bible and ecclesiastical systems, between the Christ who was rejected by the religious leaders of His day and the various and divergent christs which human organi zations have invented. The closing of Mexico’s mails to things religious was only the culmina tion of many drastic measures Which her reform or revolutionary Government had enacted in its efforts to rid the country of spiritual beliefs which it con sidered to be ‘.‘capitalism’s opiate for the exploited masses,” and of ministers of religion whom it termed “parasites on the backs of mankind.” By the middle of the first year of the Administration of President Lazaro Cardenas, the present incumbent, thirteen out of the twenty- eight States in the Mexican Union had prohibited’ religious services of a public nature, and several had closed; church doors entirely. The remaining States had placed serious, restrictions upon re ligious activities, and it seemed to be only a matter of time until all churches in Mexico would be closed. Factors Underlying Great Changes Today the situation has changed radically. The laws of Mexico have been modified so that the Bible not only may enter, but it also enters free of duty. In fact, President Cardenas himself, has recognized the Bible to be a great moralizing force, and he has said that “the greatest problem of the nations is to raise the moral standards of men.” As he attacks this problem, he not only welcomes the aid of the most revolu tionary Book of history, but he also has invited the cooperation of its adherents, in his crusade against social injustices, gambling, liquor, graft, and vice of all kinds. •What has brought about the tremen dous change of the past four years ?* Many influences have doubtless been at work, but the change cannot be attrib uted merely to a turnover in govern ment.1Perhaps the first-and outstanding, cause was that President Cardenas him
enemy. This does not mean that they necessarily attacked the principles enunciated in the Gospels. They simply could not see Christ, because of the ob struction that Christianity itself placed in the way. When their attention is called to the precepts and example of Christ, they realize that He is not their: enemy but that He is the best- Friend of the poor and downtrodden. Many Christians, in turn, upon seeing how the reformers react to the simple teachings of- the Bible when their attention is called to them, have come to realize that they are not their enemies but men who should be helped. Viewing the Situation Fairly In ' every movement, of course, there is much that is false. The Lord Himself had a traitor among His chosen twelve, and it is not to be wondered at that many of the men in places of authority in Mexico are not as sincere as they • [Continued on Page 488] B io la C h im e s Not just at the season of Christmas carols, but in the morning,1at noon, and- at the close of each business day, hymns played on Biola’s eleven bells carry a message from the Lord to a busy City. Many are the stories of lives' influ enced by the' Institute’s chimes. An ex ample is that of a young woman who, although a leader among boys and girls in a large city church, was unaware of a great need in her life. While she was staying in the vicinity of the Institute, she experienced a crisis. “While I was alone in my room,” she relates, “the chimes began to play ‘There Is Power in the Blood!’ During the playing of that song I was gloriously saved, with a salvation that has never ceased to be a cause for a song in my heart, a cause' for everlasting thanksgiving and joy in my life, and an entirely new ministry to my Saviour in my church. Many; times I have thanked God for the mes sage in the chimes at Biola.” Gordon E. Hooker (Biola ’22), a mem ber of the institute’s music faculty, for many-years has had charge of playing Biola’s chimes. To Christian friends who comment on the music, Mr. Hook er replies: “Remember to look to the Lord in prayer whenever the bells ring out; , then you will have a part in the harvest reaped through them!” ,
self saw that the Government’s cam paign to i m p l a n t rationalism was alienating such a big percentage of the populace that it was holding up his economic program and imperiling the whole revolutionary cause. A second reason was the President’s preference for ■less drastic methods than those ’ which the Calles regime had employed, though his ultimate objectives were often more radical. President Cardenas felt that it was both unwise and unjust to take away, almost by force, that which provided the masses some degree of consolation in their poverty and misery, unless something better were given in return. He quietly resolved first to give them land enough on which to make a semi-decent living and schools to dispel their ignorance. Another factor, however, which has played an important part in the change, has been the attainment of a better understanding between the parties in volved. Catholics have come to under stand the Government better. Evangel? icals, particularly,'have come to admire the tireless efforts of men like Prési dent Cardenas to help the poor. When by intimate acquaintance, I found that the leader of the Mexican reform move ment himself was a man who walked the path of self-sacrifice, who picked up children of poor parents and took them to his own home to live with his son, who placed the ban of his influence upon luxury, preferring to direct the economies thus attained to charitable purposes, who let justice and magnani mity rule his public life, who opposed bloodshed even to the extent of frown ing on prize fights, and who literally poured out his life in the service of the masses with- no thought of reward, not even of appreciation, I felt assured that he was a man raised Up of God to lead his nation tò a higher standard of liv ing, materially and morally, and that his influence would eventually reach to other lands including our own. The sincere reformers among the officials in Mexico want the people to be freed from ignorance, superstition, and drunkenness. Heretofore, the eccle siastics generally have been content to leave these things as they were. The reformers seek to mitigate poverty. The ecclesiastics too often have been staunch allies of the exploiters. In fact, religious elements in Mexico had gen erally tried to block the reformers in their efforts, and naturally the latter had come to look upon religion as their
mails. A big shipment of Bibles and
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