Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Incorporated
Motto of Sixty-Seven Graduates in the Class of 1943, Bible Institute of Los Angeles
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★ For a limited time and in reasonable quantities, we offer for prayerful free ★ distribution choice salvation leaflets- prepared by experienced tract writ- ★ ers. Ask for samples, referring to this advertisement. Don't wait—win souls ★ todayl ^ A d d re ss, K 6 5 2 C O L P O R T A G E D I V I S I ON MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE 153 INSTITUTE PLACE * CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
W E S T M O N T S T A N D A R D L I B E R A L A R T S CO L L E G E — Christo Centric — Interdenominational Coeducational K I E Ü L QUARTERS R I R BEGIN W 0 June 21, 1943
O D H A Li L
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March 27, 1944
Wallace LeRoy Emerson, Ph. D. President
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Old rockin' chair s flot me . Anyway, I’m glad I’ve got the time and the means to relax a bit . . . thanks to my Moody Annuities! e
YOUNG EDDIE JONES WANTS A BIBLE•••BADLY Is it asking you too much to give him one? Young Eddie Jones, the boy down the street, is a prisoner of war—living in bitter misery. More than anything else, he wants a Bible to fill his mind and heart and sustain his courage. The American Bible Society through its of fice at Geneva, Switzerland, has already pro vided over 200,000 Bibles, Testaments and Portions, in more than 30 languages, to grate ful prisoners of war in all countries. Through American Bible Society Annuity Agreements, which now provide as high as 7% returns, friends have helped to meet emergen cies like this for nearly 100 years. Find out more about this great Annuity Plan and how it entitles you to certain tax exemptions. Send for the interesting booklet “A Gift That Lives’.’ URGENT! Fia OUT AND MAIL THIS^COUPON TODAY! □ Please send me, without obligation, your booklet KB-35 entitled “A Gift That Lives!’ □ I enclose .... to provide Testaments for prisoners of war. Name ..............,..........-................................................................................................ Denomination _____...------- ----------------------------------------------- A tl 1 l.rp.fi 9 ..,.:. ......................................... .................................. I City. .State. American Bible Society, Bible House, NewYork 22, N.Ÿ. I I I I I I
It’s too bad more folks don’t realize what an easy way it is to attain peace and security . . . regular checks twice a year as long as they live. . . . And besides, I’m happy to know that my money is being used to train Christian workers for a life of soul-winning service. If YOU aren’t familiar with the Moody Annuity Plan, the coupon will bring full details.
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July 1943
A-Millennial? Pre-Millennial? Post-Millennial?
MoHo: “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev. 1:5). The King's Business Volume XXXIV July, 1943 Number 7
If you are a pre-millenarian, I have a message of supreme value for these dark days. I advertised this same message some time ago. The responses from those who had sent for it were filled with grati tude to God for a new revelation that had come to them; almost every one said in effect: “This should be read by every Christian in America.” So I am making the same an nouncement once again: I want to reach every true Christian who is longing for the coming of the King, and I am doing my part .to accom plish it. Whether I reach you de pends on yourself. Just enclose 10c (stamps will do) in a letter and say, “I am a pre- millenarian; send me your mes sage.” If yop are not a pre-millen arian, please do not answer this advertisement. And may I remind you also of the continuous needs of our missionary undertakings? In the spirit of Isaiah 40:1-2, we stand astride the world and seek to bridge the gulf between a misrepresented "Chris tianity and a misled Judaism. In this ministry of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18) your faithful, prayerful undergirding is needed far more than you \^11 ever know this side of eternity. Our work merits your every con fidence. It is a program of world wide Gospel testimony to the Jews. Your fellowship in prayer and in gift is always welcome and appre ciated. Our monthly publication. THE CHOSEN PEOPLE, is of course sent to all contributors. ?T?r f y? yyyy f t f yf qnr
The True-to-the-Bible Family Magazine
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ransom D. Marvin, Staff Artist Cover: Drawing by Ransom D. Marvin ; Student Photographs by Witiel
Around the King’s Table — Louis T . Talbot ....................................................242 America’s Collapse of Conscience — Dan Gilbert ..............................................243 Give Us a Voic e-k-JLbuts H . Evans .................................................................... 244 Newspaper Publicity for the Gbspel — Carl F. H . Henry.. .... ..................... ......246. The Train of Opportunity .— A Student Story ................................................249 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box..................... ................................. ......................... 250 . The Second Coming of Christ — Norman F. Douty ......... ........... :.................251 Pointers for Preachers — Assembled by Alan S. Pearce ....................................254 ; Junior King’s Business —Martha S. Hooker ...... .................^..........................253 International Lesson Commentary ...... .....................:.......................................258 Notes on Christian Endeavor — Lyman A. Wendt, William Retts, Thelma M . Bain, Myrtle E. Scott, Carlton C. Buck ................................268 Daily Devotional Readings ..................................................................... .........273 Bible Institute Family Circle ............................................................................ 277 Our Literature Table ................................................... :.................................. ?79
The Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc.
INFORMATION FOR SUBSCRIBERS
J. Hoffman Cohn» American Board of Missions
S U B S C R IP T IO N P R IC E : o u o o u n i r i iu it r n i u c . “The King's Business" is published monthly, $1.00—one year; $1.50—two year’s; 50 cents—six months: 10 cents—single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to be,come effective. Please send both old and new addresses. R E M I T T A N C E — Payable in. advance, should be made by bank draft, express or post office money order payable to “The King’s Business." Date of expiration will show plainly each month on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. A D V E R T IS IN G - For information with reference to advertising in “The King’s Business," address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, Calif., or our eastern representative, Religious Press Association, 51 No. 52nd St., Philadelphia, Pa. M A N U S C R IP T S —“The King’s Business" cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts sent in for consideration. Entered as second-class m atter November 7, 1938, a t the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act Of February 28. 1925, embodied in paragraph 4, section 538, P. L. and R., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. , THE KING’S BUSINESS, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles, Calif.
to the Jews, Inc. 31 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn, New York,
Dear Brother: I am a pre-millenarian; herein I enclose 10c; send me your message. I' also joyfully enclose $..... ................... as my fellowship with yoiuin your world-wide Gospel ministry to Israel.
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THE K I NG ’S BUS I NE S S
242
Around the King's Table LOUIS T. TALBOT, Eclitor-in-Chief
Board of Trustees of-the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, under authority of the State of California, to take the neces sary steps. For a number of years this Bible In stitute has enjoyed the right to grant certain degrees to students who com plete the prescribed four-year courses in the above-named fields of study. Much of this work is of theological seminary level ; therefore, the members of the Board feel that the work should merit theological s e m i n a r y rating. They are desirous of keeping the Bible Institute of Los Angeles abreast of the times while presenting, as always, the Scriptures as the inerrant Word of God. Thus, continually, as the need arises, the curriculum is being strengthened, the faculty personnel enlarged, and the whole program expanded so that students who pursue their studies here may be qualified to present Jesus Christ in a most effective manner. Seminary students will have the ad vantage of receiving Bible Institute training along with their seminary in struction. No doubt there always will be a large majority of young people who. will take only the Bible Institute work. Such students will not be neglected in the least. It should be thoroughly un derstood that the establishment of the seminary in no way changes, modifies, eliminates or minimizes the work of the Institute nor is the seminary de signed to take its place. The Institute curriculum has been so arranged that a person who cannot remain more than one year will still receive'a" maximum of instruction in that time. Those who have not had the privilege of high school training still will be welcomed and will be enabled to receive all the help possible. At the same time, the new courses will constitute a chal lenge to the increasing number of uni versity students who are interested in the training Biola offers. Friends of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles ,may rest assured that the original purposes for which the school ■was created will be maintained and, in addition, the demands of this pres ent day in the educational life of young people will be met to the very best of our ability. Liberty in Christ Very shortly we shall be celebrating another “glorious Fourth,” marking the signing of the Declaration of Inde pendence, back of which lay the un questionable desire for liberty. Billions upon billions of dollars are now being
The Gospel for Thousands by Radio That the midnight hour of this dis pensation is fast approaching is cer tainly evident. Evening shadows are fast gathering about us. Apostasy is doing its deadly work. Yet over against these facts, more millions are hearing the gospel of salvation now in one week than could hear it in a year be fore the advent of the radio. The Editor-in-Chief of this magazine has been privileged, under God, to be one of the many whose ministry of the Word by means of radio has increased through the years. Beginning eleven years ago with six broadcasts a week, these Scripture expositions have "been sent forth with blessing and enlight enment to thousands. In addition to this, a few months ago, evening broad casts were added reaching along the Pacific coast into Canada. But a greater advance has just been made in sending out these “verse by verse” expositions five mornings a week at e l e v e n o’clock, Monday through Friday, over the California Mutual chain of fifteen stations. The response has been mo s t gratifying. Thousands of new friends in the coast al states are being made for the Bible Institute of Los Angeles along yith an awakened interest in Bible study in this large territory. Inquiries are com ing from far eastern states concerning the possibility of extension of this par ticular ministry to that locality. The extension of this work to new terri tories needs more than a “pull” from these new sections. It needs a “push” from the field already covered. Shall we give it? A forward step in the life of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles is being taken which, under God, will doubtless prove to be of far-reaching impor tance. "The Bible Theological Semin ary of Los Angeles,” affiliated with the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and oc cupying its buildings has been cre ated for the purpose of providing theo logical seminary recognition for those students who desire to work for de grees in Theology, Christian Educa tion, or Sacred Music. For years, Christian leaders on the Pacific Coast have realized the need for an interdenominational theological seminary in this region. There has heen much discussion concerning the possibility of establishing such an in stitution, but it has remained for the Bible Theological Seminary of Los Angeles
WITH US STILL By VELMA GRAY SUNDERMAN Above the cannon’s roar, we hear the lark; Above the battle’s fire, we glimpse a spark O f glory in a star; and in a bomb-dug hole A flaming poppy bares its soul. God’s love is reaching toward us still, God’s love is reaching toward us still. Far from the blood - w a s h e d field, a field of wheat Is golden that a hungry child may eat; Below the war-plane darkened skies The light of faith is shining in a child’s eyes. God’s love is gracious toward us still, God’s love is gracious toward us still. When there is hush of heavy marching feet, A mother’s p r a y e r is heard, serene and sweet; Amid the horror of consuming hates The holy Christ with love and pardon waits. God’s love is calling to us still, God’s love is calling to us still. O man, so slow to know the Father’s will, God's love, God’s w o n d r o u s love, is with us still.
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ed righteous, looked upon as though we had never sinned, is that not being really set free from guilt? And He of fers this to all as His free gift to be accepted solely by faith. Nor is this all. He also liberates from the power of sin. “He breaks the power of cancelled sin, And sets the prisoner free.” Are you enjoying the liberty where with Christ sets free? If not, take Him as your Saviour now. And if you are already free from guilt, but are being held in bondage to known sin, yield yourself to Him and trust Him, and you will find that the Son really sets free.
or a religious platitude. He is speaking of a genuine emancipation. According to Thayer, the word rendered “indeed” means “in reality, in point of fact as opposed to what is pretended; fic titious.” In his Emphasized New Testament, Rotherham renders the verse thus: “If perfhance, therefore, the Son make you free, really free shall ye be.” In His death on the cross, Christ has made a provision by which any one can be completely and forever de livered from the guilt of his sins. “Through his blood we have forgive ness” (cf. Eph. 1:7), and believers are “now justified by his blood” (Rom. 5:9). When we say “justified,” deelar-
spent; thousands upon thousands of lives are now being sacrificed in order that we may be saved from an un speakably horrible tyranny and con tinue to enjoy our dearly bought lib erty. There is, however, a bondage far worse than any that man can impose upon man—bondage to sin. Th« Lord Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (John 8:34). Thank God, from this worst form of slavery all who will can be delivered by Him who declared, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). In.these words our Lord is not giving us a pleasant theory
Collapse of Conscience
America's
By DAN GILBERT San Diego, California
that one should fail to be caught, fail to be punished for sin. Fear of being caught is what controls men after they have killed their conscience. HOW CONSCIENCE IS KILLED: • It is sometimes said that it is a difficult task to kill one’s conscience. This adage, however, is not demon strated by the facts of human experi ence. The truth of the matter is that it is difficult to keep one’s conscience alive and functioning. Conscience is a delicate and fragile flower bloom ing in the human breast. It withers up and dies of neglect as often as it is done to death by rough handling. In his Moral Maxims, George Wash ington counseled, “Labor to keep alive in your breasts that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.” Un ceasing vigilance is the price of a living conscience. Lord Byron ob served, “In early days the conscience has in most, a quickness which in later life is lost.” .Conscience must be constantly exercised, lest it lose its power, falling first into disuse and fi nally into decay. In his study of pagan cultures, Lecky, the “great historian of morals," notfed that as moral corruption be came “more deep-seated," conscience “dried up and disappeared, ceasing to have any hold in later life on those who had failed to heed it when young.” To drive conscience away, out of your life, you need not even “talk back”; you need only ignore it. The conscience which is not listened to will, in time, cease to speak. Con science must always be a queen, a commander. It dies before it will be come a servant or a slave. The man [Continued on Page 250]
Perhaps, not until after death will some men discover for a certainty that they possess an immortal soul. But no person can live beyond the earliest phases of childhood without discovering that he owns a conscience. The existence of conscience is the simplest and surest fact of everyday, universal, human experience. You will have to take your physician’s or physiologist’s word for it that you have a pineal gland, but you can dis cover your conscience for yourself. It is so much more obvious than eyes that see or a heart that beats or lungs that breathe! WHAT CONSCIENCE IS NOT: • Even among those who concede the existence of conscience there are fre quently the most childish and super stitious ideas regarding what it is and how it functions. The brilliant skeptic, H. L. Mencken, has said, “Conscience is the suspicion that a policeman is watching. Conscience is what makes a man walk down the other Side of the street when he sees one coming.” Mr. Mencken probably thought this a clever and penetrating observation. In reality, it is puerile nonsense, plain stupidity. Conscience is not what causes the wrongdoer to fear and flee the police officer. Conscience is what keeps the wrongdoer awake at night until he goes out and hunts up an of ficer of the law and confesses his crime! Conscience is not the fear of getting caught; it is the fear of not getting caught. Conscience hurts a man most, not when he fails to get away with an evil deed, but when he succeeds. Con science gives a man no peace, not when he is punished for wrong, but when he is prospering in wrong. The one thing Intolerable to conscience Is
THE COLLAPSE OF CONSCIENCE: • A well-known Washington com mentator recently made this declara tion:
“Uncle Sam has suffered a collapse of conscience. The American people have lost their capacity for righteous indignation. The war effort is being impeded for this very reason: There is no protest of an outraged national con science against the forces of corruption a n d selfishness that are hampering the drive for national unity. “Our very conception of the difference between right and wrong has become blurred. Large elements of our people see nothing wrong in ‘hoard ing,’ if they feel that they can get away with it. Indeed, they seem to admire the wrong doer if he is smart enough to avoid being caught. “Without a strong and vo cal conscience, a nation is bound to drift into confusion and ultimate chaos. Unless a people’s conscience is their guide, they can have no moral guidance at all.”
WHAT IS CONSCIENCE? • The controversy which followed this charge that we have undergone a “col lapse of conscience,” led inevitably to a consideration of the question: What is conscience? In a scientific age in which the in tricacies of bodily functions have been laid bare, men remain in densest ignorance as to what conscience is and how it works. It is even popu lar in some scientific circles to deny that man has a conscience—or a soul.
THE K I NG ’S BUS I NE S S
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Give U s ...
- "A voice ol noise from the city, a voice from the terapie, a voice of the Lord" (Isa. 66:6). ~ W E -HAVE solved one thing in this age^-the d i s c o v e r y of means by which the human voice may be heard. Some one has said that we never had so many ways of saying things, but never did. we have less to say! The press and plat form are full of hucksters selling this 'and that. The world is a great maga zine of noise. We can talk glibly oh almost any subject. Bût within this great magazine of noise we need one great Voice. An article in Fortune stat ed some time ago: "There is only one way out of the spiral. The way out is the sound of a voice: not our voice but a Voice, coming from something outside ourselves, in the existence of which we caifnot disbelieve. It is the earthly task of thè pastors ■ to hear it and to tèli men what it says.” So long as the church of Christ does that, if will always have a place in the sun, and the pulpit will never be come effete furniture. The problems of the day are such as only Christ can answer. But the world is not listening. The family altar has almost departed from the American home. To a great degree the radio has gone over to the selling of secular wares. It is altogether -pos sible that more Americans listen to the deliverances of a wooden dummy on Sunday night than listen to the gospel of Christ over the radio waves. It has not been an easy era for the church, which is a sounding board for the Voice of God. But we neèd this Voice. Medical science shows that men are going to pieces, and great propor tions of them ,are on the verge Of a t This message, in am plified form , was the address delivered at thé thirty-third Annual Commencement of the .Hib.le Institute of Los Angeles, June 10, by the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church , Hollywood, ■Calif .J
history, and he must be literate about these subjects, for they are his tools of illustration. “Lift up thy voice like a trumpet,” is the admonition, and again it is followed by another Scrip tural admonition, “Make thee two trumpets of Silver!”—not of papier- mache, not of chewed-up sermons from books, reformed for delivery, but of silver—melted, cleansed, a^id forged in • the fires of prayer and study. Paul never insulted the gospel of Christ with a weak syllogism or a carelessly prepared message. People should not have to leave their intellects in the narthex when they come to worship God, for the gospel of Jesus Christ em braces the glories of the mind. This will always be a minister’s bat tleground. He will have to struggle to keep his “study” from deteriorating into an “office,” lest his mind become a victim of the mechanisms of the ministry. Ministers are Called not only to administration but also to ministra tion—the ministry of the Word. Let the trumpet be a trumpet of sil ver, refined in the fires of learning, and shaped on the anvil of hours of careful study, that it may blow a clear note for God. A Clear Voice In the second place, it must be a clean-cut, well-defined voice. We are to preach “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” As ministers, we are not the mere peddlers of the latest modern opinions. We are not in the pulpit to ■» expose the latest fiction, or to “take excursions into current oddities.” We have only a short time each week to win the soul and culture it for God, and we shall have to practice a rigid stewardship of thought. Paul says in Ephesians that we are called to be “pastors and teachers,” and the pastor and the teacher are in separable. As one leader said, there is a difference between “pounding” and “expounding.” He said some preachers “explode” instead of “ex
nervous breakdown. It is said that a thousand people in a certain city visit psychiatrists to keep from breaking. I am not saying that there is not a place for the Christian psychiatrist— there is. But all that a man needs is not to be found in this Science. A great psychiatrist of London Uni versity said that he had never had a patient over thirty-five years of age who had lost his mental balance, who had not first seemed to have lost his grip on God; and he deduced further that he had never been able to restore one. to full mental balance and poise unless that patient found God and re ligion again. Yes, we need this Voice. It is a high duty, then, of the minister and the Christian—and what pertains to the minister does, in truth, pertain to every Christian, for we are all of tjie priest hood of God—to be a voice—the echo of that Voice. Let us look, then, at the quality of the voice needed, if it is to be heard effectuallyitoday. A Prepared Voice It must be, first of all, a prepared voice. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that rteedeth not to be ashamed” (2 Tim. 2:15). This is a primary requiremeiit. We speak a great deal of the “simple gospel,” but it is a dangerous phrase. The gospel is simple in some of its concepts, but deep as the sea and high as the heavens in its implications. It involves a knowledge of the heart of man and its deep needs, of the high love of God and the wideness of His mercy. The minister-draws from illimitable fields of knowledge. He is a prophet, and as a prophet he foretells what God has revealed in His Word, and that revelation covers an untold number of years yet to come. As a prophet he also forthtells and explains history and interprets it through the mind of God. The minister reaches out into the fields of philosophy, nature, law, and
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July, 1943
On the campus of a certain Chris tian college I was giving some ad dresses. Knowing that there were at least a few who were struggling with the matter of a definite commitment to Christ, I suggested that those \yho were interested meet me in a certain small classroom at the close of the evening lecture. To my surprise, in stead of, a handful remaining, one hundred and fifty-seven students had to move from the little room into a small auditorium. That was an eye- opener! That on a campus, of a Chris tian college there should be found one hundred and fifty-seven students who Continued on Page 248]
viction upon which the mighty lever of the cross can operate. A Clarion Voice It should be a clarion voice, calling to action. The task of the pulpit is to bring men to Christ, and etched into the pulpit furniture must always be the words, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” In some way, by some method, the pulpit must urge to definite decisions. I am sure that a great outstanding preacher was right when he said, “Protestantism Sometimes fails to give Christians • a definite technique. It tells them to climb the ladder, but it puts no rungs in the ladder.”
... a Voice
By LOUIS H. EVANS Hollywood, California
C H O S E N V E S S E L S
Copyright 194) by Kathryn Southern
KATHRYN SMITHERS
K.S.
plain.” There is a technique in Chris tian living, and vve ought to make it clear to our people. A Voice of Repentance Again, it must be a voice calling to repentance. ‘‘Repent ye: ior the*king- dom of heaven is at hand." ‘‘Turn, ye, turn ye,” is our message of trumpeting boldness. This kind of preaching cer tainly is not the prevailing voice of today. Seldom do we hear sin dis cussed. Only now and then do you hear a sermon that mentions hell. Sin has become simply a ‘‘psychological complex,” and the average youth is more afraid of a psychosis, of a com plex, than he is of hell. Sin—we have explained it all away, or rather, the world has. The task of the pulpit today is to declare that sin is sin, and that, ‘‘There is none righteous, no, not one . . . all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgres sion, and the house of Jacob their sins.” There will be no particular fun or ecclesiastical pleasure in talking about sin, in reminding people of their trans gressions; but it is necessary. Miscel laneous subjects may probably serve for a time to cover up the timidity of Cowardice. Other doctrines less foun dational than redemption and the cross may seem to prove more popular. The cross has always been a stumbling block to some men, but it is still “the. power of God unto salvation.” It is not- for us to take excursions into by paths of non-essentials, nor is it our duty, or even our privilege, to invent a message, but to transmit a ftiessage, whatever it may cost us. The gospel message may change our minds through the years, but our minds must never change the gospel message. Let us be definite! Let us call to repentance! There is but one thing the cross of Jesus Christ needs as the lever to lift merf from sin to God, and that is the fulcrum of the preacher’s con
1. We are chos -en by the
Sav . iour, To re - veal His .
2. Ves • sels to
be used by
Je • sus Must be
brok. en in the - i»---- 0-
3. Oth • er souls are long- ing, wait - ing, Drop • ing
love and grace; Chos. en to be His com - píete - ly, Serv . ing by His pow’r; Freed from sin and its do - min - ion, Kept by dark, est night; Thro the v e s -sels He has brok . en May they
Him Him find
in ev - *ry place. each pass - ing hour, ter • nal light. e -
Ves - sels chos - en by the
The Bible lautilute 1943 Graduating Clan» Song
24S
THE K ING ’S BUS INESS
Newspaper Publicity for By CARL F. H. HENRY Chicago, Illinois B IBLE NARRATIVES are studded with characters who labored more effectively because they obviously recognized p u b l i c i t y val
the Gospel
ciently enlightened to permit Chris tian interpretation treat religion from a news basis. It must be remembered that, if church news is thus treated in the larger papers, it is usually because the newspaper cannot find writers with the necessary spiritual qualifica tions. This is a need to which the church, rather than the papers, ought to respond. Another group deals cautiously with the press because it fears misrepre sentation. No doubt ministers have been misquoted at times, but certainly not more than other interviewed per sons, and more certainly not delib erately so. The cooperative group in pulpit- press relations familiarizes itself with the newspaper and its problems. It commends what is helpful, and pro tests vigorously, but with constructive criticism, against the harmful. The alert Christian worker in this number realizes that he must key his message to the day’s news—that it must be .timely, important. He has discovered the .newspaper to be a powerful force in getting his message to the public, because American dailies print more religious news, and devote more space to church activities, than the press of any other nation in the world. And spiritual leaders who have learned the language of the news paper and how to employ its re sources—and they alone—have sensed the power of the press for Christ’s work. The church must awaken to the value of publicity methods. There is' no more conservative organization on earth than the church, but when it moves it does so with an impact that must be felt. To that impact the press can lend assistance, and the re sult ma£ well be for the glory of God. Practical Suggestions If a minister or other Christian leader can present himself to an editor as one familiar with newswriting, he will receive ready cooperation and will enlist special interest in his ministry. The larger papers have church editors, and it is necessary to establish and maintain friendly relations with these writers. When you begin publicity, work in your church, find out the name of the city or church editor of your local paper. If it is an afternoon paper, call on the editor not later#than 9:30 a.m.; if a morning paper, see the edi tor between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Call
and the eight-page typewritten orig inal comes to the city desk for pos sible uSe in Monday’s paper. The editor searches vainly for an excuse to run part of the article when he knows (1) a perfectly good story on the Exodus has already been written (Ex. 14:15-3i); (2) the account by Moses, an eyewitness, runs only 530 words in our translations; (3) the Biblical account “scoops” whatever the newspaper might state by a mere matter of some 3,000 years. Therefore, unless the pastor uses his text as a springboard to leap across centuries of time into the midst of our confused and complex world, and unless he lifts meanings from their Scriptural setting arid transplants them into our homes, churches; and cities, the newspaper shows little interest in his sermon. What Christians Think of Newspapers But what of the Christian wooer’s attitude toward publicity? Some men are utterly unaware that the press exists, except for reminders by an in quisitive reporter or an alert city desk.. If the front page carries an item about such a man’s ministry it is not his fault. Another group holds a critical atti tude. The newspaper, it feels, is com mercial, Untrustworthy, without con science. This group asserts that it desecrates the Sabbath and devotes columns to propaganda that promotes hatred among nations and races. A third group, though recognizing the shortcomings of the press when meas ured by Christian ethics, yet realizes that the printed page may be a pow erful weapon for good and therefore cooperates in securing constructive publicity for the news sheet. Of the unaware, little need be said apart from an expression of hope that they will realize the role which type can take in advertising the Christian message. The argument that Chris tianity is a message of divine origin and therefore needs nothing else to commend it, will hardly stand when we emphasize that not only the proph ets and disciples, but also the great spiritual leaders since their time, have been aware of publicity value. No body will argue that Christianity will make its way simply by publicity; the printed page, however, can arrest at tention and provide new hearers for the messenger of God. The hypercritical must be considered more from the standpoint of convic tion. One group has little to do with newspapers because writers not suffi
ues. They all, however, distinguished between the trumpet of gospel news and the horn of self-exploitation. These two extremes are as far apart spirit ually as were Paul, crucified with Christ, and Diotrephes, who loved the preeminence. During the early centuries of the church, publicity must have been mainly by word of mouth* If, however, publication facilities of the twentieth century had been available, undoubt edly the disciples would haye em ployed them. As it was, Paul wrote the Epistles with considerable incon venience and sent them by special messenger to the local churches. The subject of present-day attitudes toward publicity must needs be con sidered from two viewpoints: namely, that of the press and that of the.pulpit The Editor’s Attitude As to the editor’s attitude, it is as serted by many persons that while newspapers were glad in Moody’s day to receive the sermon copy which he sent, past decades have marked a change in attitude toward religious news. The answer to this is that scarcely a newspaper in America will hesitate to print real news, though propaganda is treated differently. During the last fifteen years, how ever, there has been a gradual recog nition by newspapers of the worth of religious news, especially in the wake of the economic crash at the dose of the 20’s, the moral collapse of the 30’s, and the war shadows of the 40’s. There are more full-time church editors than ever on papers with more than 500,000 circulation. The trained editor always remem bers that the newspaper does not exist to verify what already appears in en cyclopedias. Its main burden is news. This attitude the newspaper takes also toward sermons. For example, a min ister delivers a thrilling "account of Israel’s passage through the Red Sea, [C ombining practical newspaper experience w ith a vision o f m aking Christ know n to unsaved m en and women in our modern day, the author o f this article has become widely know n fo r his exploration of new territory in the field o f religious journalism . He is Associate Professor of Theology and Philos ophy at the Northern Baptist Theological Sem inary, Chicago, 111., and the author of tw o , recen t books, A Doorway to Heaven, and Successful Church Publicity.—EDITOR.]
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July 1943
him by name, introducing yourself, and state that you are going to submit to him occasional news stories con cerning your church. Talk frankly with him, and ask him for some point ers regarding the style of his paper. In this way you place him in the at titude of a tutor, and he will give your news stories more than a casual glance. The newspaper admires 'the coura geous clergyman or worker who faces the consequences of his public utter ances and who does not resent seeing in type what he has spoken openly. It appreciates a preacher who does not demand microscopic accuracy in all quotations, but is satisfied if the es sential thought is conveyed in minia ture for the sake of brevity.-- It pub licizes the man whose sermons are not of the canned-goods variety. In other words, the newspaper enjoys the “quotable-quote” preacher, though not the sensationalist, j : . When the church editor is on friend ly terms with a news-minded pastor, he does not hesitate when important current news arises to call him on the telephone for intelligent comment. Re quests of this kind open the way for far-reaching;Christian testimony. The alert preacher is .posted^on the day’s news and stands ready to express an opinion on it. If he prefers to word his statement carefully, because the situation seems to demand it, the newspaper will gladly call him back. No newspaper, however, can compel a minister or Christian worker to im part information he cannot or does not care to reveal. What Is Considered “News”? In requesting publicity for his church, a pastor needs to understand clearly what Constitutes news. Deter minants of news value on any city desk are: uniqueness, prominence, timeliness, proximity, human interest. What is unique finds ready access most frequently, but the more con servative pastor or Christian worker will hesitate, and wisely so, before undertaking the unique, however much it might appeal to the newspa pers, until he determines whether it is the thing for one in hjs position to do. Prominence or importance of the story is a main test. No matter how- well written or interesting an item may be, it will be sacrificed to more important news if space is lacking. Much of the copy written around ser mons is waste-basketed because it is too inclusive. Had the writer chosen one outstanding point on which to base a few hundred words, the article would probably have a p p e a r e d. Changes in the pastorate must be written from a news standpoint; dedi cations, corner-stone layings, anniver saries of pastorates and churches, gifts of money, all furnish opportunity
Nobody will argue that Chris tianity will make its way simply by publicity; the printed page, however, can arrest attention and provide new hearers for the mes senger of God. ing is.done deftly. It is not necessary to burn down a,church to get a good human interest story on the front page; the erection of one often makes an equally interesting article. Photographs and stories have ap peared for such events as, for instance, four octogenarian ministers singing as a- quartet at an evening service; a twills’ night at a church, bringing out twenty-two pairs; the installation of a pulpit microphone so shut-ins could hear the sermon and choif music. Such stories* have a universal appeal, and it is in this field particularly that the alert pastor watches for opportunity to get his message into the newspa pers. The value of pictures cannot be overemphasized, and if the congrega tion includes a good photographer, he will sometimes cooperate with the pas tor in furnishing human interest pic tures for the press. From the stand point of the attention they enlist, a two-column picture with a four-inch story is far preferable to a full-column Write-up. [Continued on Page 278]
for interesting copy in the newspaper. Timeliness is -an important factor from two standpoints: recency of the event, and prompt notification; of the newspaper. ;When copy is mailed to . the newspaper, it.is often two days old when received and is scarcely news. News should be taken directly to the office^ or if it happens too late for this, should be telephoned or tele graphed, unless it is of insufficient interest. Proximity is another determinant of news value. If the pastor speaks in an out-of-town pulpit, and directs his message against vice and corruption in that city, this is not of as much interest to his home town paper as would be an assault on wickedness in the local community. Human interest furnishes one of the most ready fields for church' publicity. From a straight news standpoint, an automobile gift to a pastor may have become so common that the present of an airplane is almost necessary for good newspaper space—except-in these war days—yet human interest permits opportunity to weave into the story much desirable material, if the writ-:
THE K ING ’S BU S INE S S
243
we not very sure of our message? What have men found that can out do Calvary? Philosophy only cries out with Socrates, "Plato, Plato, I know God will forgive sin, but I can’t see how,” and what else has philosophy to say? Can you find any other who can do what Jesus Christ does to hu man character? Can you find any other force in the world that has the life-changing power of the gospel? Can you find any one else in all history who can so fully answer all the ques tions of the human soul? Christ is the only sufficiency. The pulpit is not afraid of its mes sage. It reiterates the words at the grave of John Knox: “Here lies one who neither feared nor flattered any flesh.” We do not need to change our message to flatter the flesh, or adjust our convictions to please men at the attack of some scientists or philoso phers. It Is not necessary that we run with our truths and trade them in for something at the 5-and-10-cent coun ter of the newest intellectual fads, thus becoming the pathetic victims of mod ernity. The pulpit does not traffic in tin whistles and easily tooted fifes. It deals in trumpets! We have confi dence in our message, and not one jot or tittle of His Word shall ever pass away. Then, too, we must have confidence In the kingdom. We read: “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John.” That is, when they saw their confidence in their cause, they knew that they had been with Jesus. Jesus Christ, too, had confidently stood, His hands bound, helpless, seemingly, be fore Caesar, with Rome against Him, with the dictators in the saddle, and His disciples gone. In an hour when it would not seem that He had the ghost of a chance, He said, “My king dom”! It was kingly confidence in Hi? cause. Peter and John had borrowed that confident voice, and men were beginning to listen. And they will listen again if we are confident. To day, when men have lost faith in about everything else, ours is a con fident message. Jesus Christ will win. We have His word for it. When we serve Him, we serve not only Christus Consolator, our Consoler in times of shadow and fail ure and trial; we serve also Christus Consummator, the Finisher who brings to consummation what He has begun. As ministers and as Christians we are not acting as nursemaids to keep breath in a doddering old faith that is breathing its last. We are crusaders trying to keep pace with tne long strides of a confident faith! As we choose our spiritual notebook paper on which to etch our sermons, let us be sure that every sermon sheet is water marked with the words, “Jesus will [Continued on Page 250]
in a religious periodical that vilified him. It was an unjust article, and quite uncalled for. So he did what a lot of us would be tempted to do. He sat down and wrote an answer, love- lessly logical and fearfully frank. Then he took the article, which was his vin dication, and handed it to a little group of friends with whom he often met, asking them what they thought of it. They returned it to him after careful perusal, • and he found three simple words written over the top of the articlfe: “Not sufficiently redemp tive.” There was nothing of the cross in the article, nothing of “Father, for give them,” nothing of the terrible meekness of Jesus Christ! It was full of retaliation, vindictiveness, and What have men found that can out-do Calvary? Philosophy only cries out with Socrates, “Plato, Plato, I know God will f o r g i v e sin, but I can’t see how,” and what else has philos ophy to say? Can you find any other who can do what Jesus Christ does to human character? Can you find any other force in the w o r l d that has the life' changing power of the gospel? Can you find any one else in all history who can so fully an swer all the questions of the human soul? Christ is the only sufficiency.— LOU IS H. EVANS. fighting back. He knew when he read it again that with -that article he would win his argument—but he would lose his man.. On the cross, Jesus, in a sense, lost His argument, but He won His man. One of the greatest necessities of Chrisfian service today is that you and I die to self. Self-effacement, for giveness, self-crucifixion—do I .know what these are? We repeat then—-■ Preach that which ye know. The pul pit must be the Voice of Experience. The Voice of Confidence Finally, let it be the voice of confi-* dence. In Acts 4:13 we have these words: “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John . . . they took knowl edge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” When they saw the boldness." That always impressed people in the first century—the boldness of the mes sage of these men. These men did not join the mental meandering of those who were zig-zagging on roads of un certainty. “Lift up thy voice like a trumpet”—like a bugle. Are you and I not able to challenge the challenger^ of Christianity? Are
GIVE US A VOICE [Continued from Page 245]
did «ot know how to find Christ or how to accept Him! I think sometimes we need clinics for human souls. We ministers preach sometimes to large congregations, and we become “ranch ers” instead of “shepherds,” and lose the personal simplicity. People do not act because often they do not know what to do. I went home from that college ex perience to re-study ' my preaching. Preaching will not be very efficacious if it does not call to definite action •and definite decision. That is a duty of the church service—to make things clear, to blow a definite bugle note. There be so many voices in this world, so much noise, so much inar ticulate clamor; and if the pulpit trumpet sound indistinctly, who will march into the fray? No leader will ever give his life to or march after any cause that is not made distinct. It is up to the ministry to blow a clear note on the trumpet of the message. The Voice of Experience Again, it must be the voice of experi ence. George Fox said, “Be what ye speak,” and of Henry Drummond it was said, “He was more at home with Jesus Christ than with any other man.” The artistry of the Christian ministry is not merely the ability to tell a story, but to have a story to tell. Bunyan said, “I preached what I did feel— what I smartingly did feel,” and none of us should preach what we do not “smartingly feel.” The degree to which we can convince others of the doctrine we preach will be determined by the degree to which we can live out that truth in our own lives. As Christian workers we are very likely to miss the social discipline which is afforded other men in their calling. There are very few people who have either the desire or the courage to tell us what they think of us. On very few occasions will Christian work- erte exchange their criticisms. A certain evangelist said that he started out kind, humble, teachable and easy to work with, but years later he discov ered that he had become bumptious, arrogant, hard to get along with, and had lost all capacity for team work; and he came to the conclusion that the truth was that being on the road a great deal, he had lacked the social discipline of friends, who, in an inti-, mate circle, might have told him what was happening to his soul. Sometimes we miss by a mile living out what we preach, and not always are we con scious of the fact. “I am crucified with Christ”! Are we? I sometimes wonder whether I am dead to myself. Do I live that out be fore my people? A certain missionary read an article
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July 1943
The Train
of Opportunity
A True Story of Two Students*
as long as their liquor would hold out between stations. The two girls at the other end of the c o a c h were no different. Nan had spoken to them when they had come by the day before. One of the girls had told Janet and Nan that she was going to Los An geles to be married. To Janet’s aston ishment, only a few minutes later she saw the girl cuddled close to one of the soldiers, sharing his drink. Before Janet had recovered from th a t’ sur prise, a sailor came swaggering along and tapped the soldier on the arm. “Time’s up, soldier,” he called jovi ally. Without a word, the soldier got up, and the sailor sat down and took the* giggling girl in his arms. Janet felt her mouth drop open in amaze ment. How could any one with any decency act like that? How could she go from the embrace of strangers to the one she expected to marry when she reached Los Angeles? The other girl had smiled in a shy, friendly way, and Janet’s heart had warmed to her when this stranger told her of her husband overseas. But any sympathy she had felt for the girl faded when she saw her, a little later, in a s o l d i e r ’s arms. Had she no thought of the sacredness of marriage vows? Such a feeling of reversion and contempt swept over Janet that she was surprised at the strength of her own emotion. Then like a still, quiet voice came the thought: “But for the grace of God, that could be I.” And she bowed her head and pleaded be fore the Lord for the two girls, and [Continued on Page 253]
S ANET BLAIR h e s i t a t e d at the doorway of the day coach and turned quickly to her sister close behind her. “There must be a mistake, Nan,” she gasped. “Surely this is the smoker —it’s full of men a,nd smoke.” “No mistake, Lady,” the R e d c a p h a n d i n g up their bags answered cheerfully. "It’s jes’. like dat in de whole train. Dis wah done upset about eberything, I guess.” “But, Nan,” Janet protested. “It’s awful. The air is blue with smoke— and—and,” she stopped helplessly, her dark eyes widened with dismay at the thought of the three days and nights ahead of them, packed in this coach full of soldiers, blue smoke, and stale liquor fumes. “There’s no help for it, Janet,” Nan said, matter-of-factly. “It isn’t a choice time to travel, but we have to if we are to get to the Institute. There are two other girls at the far end of the coach, so we won’t be the only ones. And remember, there is Another with us. He will see us through every trial.” Janet’s eyes cleared instantly. “Of course,” she breathed softly. “It was wrong of me to forget that.” They had reached a vacant seat and put their bags down. Now it was Nan’s turn to hesitate as they surveyed the dusty seat and floor littered with chewing gum papers, cigarette butts, candy wrappers, and bottle caps. “This doesn’t look much like the trains you traveled on as stewardess, does it, Nan?” Janet teased. * For the purpose of this account the actual names have been withheld ,
Nan smiled ruefully. “No. But I ghess it is to be expected. With so much more travel and so much less help, it is no wonder the coaches are untidy. Where's that old cloth we used for our shoes? We can dust this seat anyway.” Through a cloud of dust, Janet saw the appreciative smile of two soldiers sitting across the aisle. She took the moment to be thankful that the two men nearest them were obviously not drinking or taking part in the revelry of the others. The train sped on through the night, the wheels clicking off the miles with monotonous rhythm. Inside the coach es the air grew worse, the revelers noisier. Janet thought longingly of the home they had just left. Mom and Dad would be sitting before the radio, listening to the war reports and pray ing for the boys in service. It would be w o n d e r f u l to be back there, sur rounded by the warmth and love of their home. Her mind raced ahead of the train and was in Los Angeles, in the quiet halls of the Bible Institute, where she had spent one year. She wished she and her sister were there now. She was glad that Nan decided to come with her to the Institute this year. Nan was older than she, and as a nurse and stewardess had seen enough of the ways of the world to create in her heart a new longing for a knowl edge of the Word of God and the means of giving it to others. On this train almost every boy (and most of them were about eighteen or nineteen) had been drinking steadily,
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