that particular campus. The direc tor of vocational education for a southern state is a devout Christian. Other examples could be given of devout believers who are counter acting the trends of unbelief. Here is a mission that we dare not neglect. RESEARCH & W RITING. Not only in the classroom, but in research, in curriculum, in the development of educational philosophy, in the writ ing of textbooks is there a need for devout Christians. Tragic indeed that John Dewey, the educational philosopher who exerted the great est influence in educational practice during the past half century, had no sympathy for the Christian ver ities that we hold to be essential. One of the most widely used text books in educational psychology equates the evangelical position with other causes for adolescent frustration and maladjustment. In stead of lamenting over the unbe lief of some of the outstanding peo ple in these areas, the more con structive and sensible approach would be to recognize that here is a mission, and train Christian per sonnel who are adequate for the mission. Psychology has been an area in which many young people have lost their moorings. From the days of Wundt until the present, the soul has been considered an unscientific concept by the majority of psychol ogists. The B e h a v i o r i s t i c school looked upon man as purely a reac tive animal, to a large extent a victim of his stimuli and of his conditioning. Personal responsibil ity had no part in this kind of an approach. There appears to be a hopeful swing away from a purely mechan istic approach to the study of hu man behavior. Psychologists, as Jersild, Maslow, Allport are delin eating man as a cognitive, pur posive, dynamic individual. Such a concept is in keeping with the great est hook on psychology — the Bible. It is heartening to note the publi cation of a book by Harpers, Chris tian L ife and the Unconscious, by Ernest White, a psychiatrist of CONTINUED
Prayer and NEHEMIAH
T . , , , JL here are eight ejaculatory prayers in the little Book o f Nehemiah (2 :4 ; 4:4, 5 ,9 ; 5:19; 6:14; 13 :14 ,22 ,29 ). Undoubtedly, in this habit o f ejaculatory prayer we have a principal key to the fine temper and sanctified drive and God-glorifying exploits o f one o f Israel’s greatest figures. Nehemiah’s ejaculatory prayers presuppose three things— first that God is sovereign every minute; second that God is present in every place; third that God really hears and answers each sudden call. O h , it is a great thing to cultivate the habit o f ejacula tory prayer to this wonderful "God o f heaven” (2 :4 ) whose will is sovereign over emperors and kingdoms, whose presence is ever with us in every place, and who hears instantaneously every SOS o f the soul, every whisper o f adoration, every sigh for holiness, every cry for help, every appeal for strength, every prayer for guidance, every secret utterance o f the heart! Every day we ought to be in touch with Him again and again by this wonderful "communication-cord” o f ejacu latory prayer. It will keep us calm and steady. It will keep us patient and cheerful. It will keep our minds on a high level. It will enrich and sanctify us. It will bring a thousand streams o f blessing into our lives from the hills o f God. ( Included in "Explore The Book ” Vol. Two; Marshall, Morgan & Scott, Ltd., London.) — J. Sidlow Baxter . .
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