369
SEPTEMBER, 1946
Are Modern
Youth Rallies
Worth-while?
DY MILDRED M. COOK
T HE plump Scotch wife of a famous preacher had an answer ready. When people remarked about the effectiveness of her husband’s ministry, she Gospel!" The “good Gospel” is being sounded forth today in a manner different from yesterday. “Youth for Christ” groups, which sprung up no longer ago than the recent war years, are functioning in more than seven hundred centers on the American continent' and in thirty-two foreign countries. In Minneapolis there is the largest regular attendance; newspapers announce that 6,000 “ bobby soxers” and their friends attend each week. Toronto and Chicago each average 3,000, while Los An geles welcomes to its downtown center at the Bible Institute and Church of the Open Door an enthusiastic crowd of 2,000 each Saturday night, and often twice that number. Furthermore, frequent mammoth mass meetings have been held since the first one, in 1944, at Madison Square Garden, in New York City,, drew 20,000 participants and set the pace for future effort. To return to more recent instances—some 50,000 heard the Good News at Soldier Field, Chicago, on Memorial Day of this year, when Charles E. Fuller, direc tor of radio’s Old-Fashioned Revival Hour, and a gradu ate of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, spoke at the second annual youth rally held in that famous arena. Again, 18,000 listened to the message of salvation in the fabulous Hollywood Bowl on June 29 when Percy B. Crawford, another Biola alumnus, President of King’s College, and pastor of the Young People’s Church of the Air, addressed an eager throng. Other thousands overseas heard G o d’s challenge when a team of four Youth for Christ leaders spent seven weeks in the British Isles and Europe this spring, help ing young people in various war-stricken countries in their determination to go forward in Christ’s name. The question may arise: Are these popular meetings for youth worth-while? Skeptical observers are to be found outside the church tnd in it, although they are reported to be a weak ninority. Labels of "fascist,” “anti-labor,” “ anti-Semitic” have been attached to this work by its enemies. Liberals and modernists have fought the movement with fierce but futile gestures. Some so-called fundamental agencies
A section of the Choir at the Hollywood Bowl Rally—Photograph by Los Angeles Examiner.
would reply sweetly, “Yes . . . he preaches such a good
have declined support on the ground that the conversions resulting from prevailing methods cannot be genuine. Christians whose sympathies are strictly in line with the soul-saving objective see, nevertheless, points which they feel could be strengthened. Every individual must formulate his own opinion as to what positive benefits result from the present up surge of interest in youth evangelism. As an aid to this evaluation it may be helpful, therefore, to observe certain scenes sketched in their place in the broad picture. What Happened in Chicago On the memorable night of May 30, at least 685 persons, ranging in age between seven and seventy-three, knelt on the grass of Soldier Field in Chicago, ready to to accept Christ as Saviour. Other hundreds joined them, in dedication of their lives for Christian service. Thus some 2,500 individuals bowed at the edges of the huge cross which was laid out on the picturesque field—men and women and children whose dealings with Christ were personal and definite'. A police captain declared, “This is the most out standing meeting in over twenty years here in Soldier Field. I ’ve been here for every type of gathering, but this is by far the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.” A Christian leader who has spent over a quarter of a century in nation-wide evangelism, remarked, “This is the most wonderful thing I believe I’ve ever seen.” One may ask what was the secret of the spontaneous response of young people and others to the invitation on Christ’s behalf. Answering that question, one Chicago writer, R. S. Wilson, made these observations which were later published in the United Evangelical: “It was not the greatness of the message that ac counted for the response. The message was very simple, based on a verse of Scripture which had helped the speaker to yield his own life to Ch r i s t . It was not oratorical, not striking, not humorous, not emotional. “Neither was it the method used that was responsible for getting the large number of converts. Those desiring salvation were asked to do something that required ef fort. To reach the place where they were asked to come, it was necessary to find their way to four special aisles
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