mass
The Bible Family Magazine
F orever , 0 L ord , T hy W ord is S ettled I n H eaven PSALM 119:89_________ p - ......... .
No. 8
VOL. XV
3 September, 1924 ™»««™
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I N T H I S I S S U E Christ Unique.........— .......................Dr. James H. Brookes Peace or W a r ? ........... I...... I............... Christabel Pankhurst Grasshopper Men________Dr. John Murdoch Maclnnis Not Yours, but You .......... - I - - . ................. Hugh R. Monro The Empty Seat (Concluded) ..Dr. John Roach Straton Athenian Culture and Christianity-Dr. i M. Haldeman FOR THE OCTOBER LIBRARY TABLE Lawlessness...................................................................... Dr. A . V . Kimmell The Lord is Coming........................................... Dr. H. Grattan Guinness Will Babylon Be Rebuilt?...................James Dunbar (New Zealand) Modernism: The Outlook in Great Britain...... Dr. Arthur H. Carter Our Continual Need of the Holy Spirit for Service (The first of a series of three articles)............. Dr. F. E. Marsh
TheWrittenWordOLjseparaJbl^ THY WORD IS TRUTH john -17‘ 17
I AM THE TRUTH john - i 4 -6
A training school for Christian w o rke rs .
No charge for tuition
Bible Institute of Los Angeles An Interdenominational, Aggressive, Progressive, E v a n g e l i s t i c and E vange lica l En terpr ise Founded on the Old Bible and the Whole Bible
STATEMENT OF DOCTRINE The Unity in Diversity of the Church, which is the Body and Bride of Christ. The Necessity of the New Birth. The Maintenance of Good Works. The Second Coming of Christ.
The Trinity of the Godhead. The Deity of Christ. The Personality of the Holy Ghost. The Substitutionary Atonement. The Supernatural and Plenary Author ity of the Holy Scriptures.
The Immortality of the Redeemed. The Resurrection of the Body. The Life Everlasting of Believers. The Endless Punishment of the Impeni tent. The Reality and Personality of Satan.
NO ONE CAN EVER PREACH OR TEACH IN THIS INSTITUTE WHO DOES NOT SUBSCRIBE TO THIS STATEMENT OF DOCTRINE
W e Carry On Active Evangelistic Work In the Following Departments:
TWENTY-FIVE BIBLE WOMEN Engaged in Bible Class Work for women in homes, Women’s Clubs, and High School girls, as well as house-to-house visitation. SEAMEN’S WORK Reaching men from every nation on the globe. JEWISH WORK Giving the Gospel to the Jewish peo ple on the Pacific Coast.
SHOP WORK Holding Gospel meetings in shops, factories and car-barns. SPANISH WORK Evangelistic work among the Span ish-speaking people of Los Angeles and surrounding towns. BIOLA HALL, (Los Angeles) Our City Mission work. Open day and night for men.
BIOLA CLUB, (Pasadena) A center for Bible Class and Evan gelistic Work for Men and Women. OUR FOREIGN WORK A Bible Training School in Chang sha (Hunan Province) China, and Twelve Colportage Boats (13 men on each boat) studying the Bible and doing personal evangelistic work among the native Chinese.
Asistinginthese departments,andthusbeingtrainedinpracticalChristianwork, areourfivehundred .students
T he K ing ’ s B usiness M otto: “ I, the Lord, do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day," Isaiah 27:3. PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY AND REPRESENTING THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES T. C. HORTON, Editor-in-Chief R. H. RICHARDS, Business Manager CONTRIBUTORS DR. R. A. TORREY DR. LEANDER S. KEYSER DR. JOHN MacINNIS WM. JENNINGS BRYAN DR. A. C. DIXON_______________ DR. J. FRANK NORRIS__________ DR. L. W . MUNHALL__________DR. F. W . FARR____________ DR. CHARLES R. ROADS THIS MAGAZINE stands for the Infallible Word of God, and for its great, fundamental doctrines. ITS PURPOSE is to strengthen the faith of all believers, in all the world; to stir their hearts to engage in definite Christian work; to acquaint them with the varied work of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles; and to work in harmony and fellowship with them in magnifying the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ, and thus hasten His coming. Volume X V September, 1924 Number 9 T able o f Contents Editorials Page
A Deserved Tribute to Dr. Torrey.................... ............................._................. 539 Giving the Gospel to a Great City............... ...................................... .............. 539 The Plea of the Pacifists............................................ '.............. ....... .....................540 Correcting an Unfounded Rumor........................................................................540 A Change of Label but not of Liquid.......................................... ....................541 The Glorious Gospel of the Son of God ..........................................................541 Epochal Ecclesiastical Events....................................... 542 Griffith Thomas— the Gifted Teacher................................................................ 542 Contributed Articles Was the General Assembly Conservative? — Rev. A . Gordon MacLennan............... .......................... ....... ...........543 Mr. Bryan’ s Nominating Speech....................................................... :.544 Reflections on the 1924 General Conference — Dr. G . W . Ridout........................ ................................. .....;.............. ....545 The Northern Baptist Convention at Milwaukee — Dr. Frederic W . Farr......................... ........................................... ........ 545 Sixth World’s Fundamental Convention at Minneapolis..........................546 Grasshopper Men— Dr. John Murdoch Maclnnis....................................... 549 Men of the June Graduating Class of 1924 — Manford George Gutzke........ :.................................................— ___ ..551 Christ Unique— Dr. James H. Brookes................................................... .........552 Peace or W a r?— Christabel Pankhurst............................................................. 553 Athenian Culture and Christianity— Rev. I. M. Haldeman.................... 554 Not Yours, but You— Hugh R. Monro.............................................................555 The Empty Seat— Dr. John Roach Straton.....................................................55 7 Our Bible Institute in Hunan Province (China).....................................................558 Evangelistic Department (Interesting Soul-Winning Stories from Real Experience)............. ...... ........... ............................ ..............560 Pointers for Preachers and Teachers (Homiletical Helps)................................. 563 The Family Circle (For Fellowship and Intercession).......................................564 Practical Methods of Christian Work (For “Defenders of the Faith” ) .......565 Comments on the Christian Endeavor Topics...........................................................566 The Children’s Garden..................... 567 International S. S. Lesson Helps......................................................................................568 The Whole Bible (Fundamental) S. S. Lesson Helps..........................................575 First Fruits from Gospel Seed-Sowing.......................... 590 Current Comment..................... 593
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BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES
September 1924
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R E V . R. A . T O R R E Y , D. D
For Twelve Years the Dean of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and for Nine Years the Pastor of the Church of the Open Door Dr. Torrey has resigned both positions to give-his life to Bible Conference and Evangelistic work. Dr. Torrey is a peerless preacher and a transcendent teacher, and has been used of God in moulding the lives of hundreds of students and strengthening the faith of thousands of people. The prayers of his people follow him in the new service to which he is givinghislife. T. C. HORTON, Superintendent
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fested in unusual power, hundreds of conversions resulting, Dr. Torrey laid the matter before the Lord for decision as to his future, as a result of which he felt that the Lord would have him answer the call for the larger service. When he tendered his resignation as Dean of the Institute and Pastor of the Church, his definite decision
A DESERVED TRIBUTE TO DR. TORREY Twelve years ago Dr. R. A. Torrey accepted a call to the position of Dean of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles,—having completed his world evangelistic campaign and at that time conducting evangelistic Ser vices and Bible conferences in this country. The Bible Institute of Los Angeles was organized in 1908 and had gathered into its fold about a hundred
as to the Spirit’s leading left no other course open to either organization but to accept, and, with gratitude to God for his long and helpful service, he was bidden God-speed, with the assurance of continual prayer in his behalf. Dr. Torrey will maintain his h o me in this city, and his greatly beloved wife will abide here for the greater part of the time. He will, of course, be a frequent preacher and lecturer in the church and school, where a warm welcome will always await him. GIVING THE GOSPEL TO A GREAT CITY There are two simple and imperative words which em brace the command of the Lord to all saints everywhere, and throughout the whole Christian age,— “ GO and GIVE!” The giving of the Gospel to all people is the obligation im
young people as students. The need of a leader of experience was recognized and the Insti tute considered itself very for tunate in receiving a favorable response from Dr. Torrey whose long and successful service as Superintendent of the Moody Bible Institute eminently quali fied him for this responsible position. The Institute has had a n o r m a l and wholesome growth and its graduates are now scattered over the world field. When the Institute building with its fine, large auditorium, was completed, Sunday services w e r e conducted and , as a result, an interdenominational church was formed, the name s e l e c t e d for it being 1 ‘ The Church of the Open Door.’ ’ The new organization carried a statement of doctrine identical with that of the Bible Institute, comprising all the great funda mental doctrines of the Bible. The Church of the Open
Lo! within the congregation, Stands the Lord, our God Most High: He among the gods now judgeth; None His wisdom can deny. How long will ye judge unjustly? How long wicked mien accept? Now defend the poor and needy, And the fatherless protect. Yea, the needy now deliver, Save them from the unjust hand, For they know not of .their danger, Neither will they understand. Oiut of course are the foundations Of the earth, because of sin; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Now the reign of grace begin. 1 have said that ye are children Of the Lord, our God Most High'; : But ye all, like men, shall perish, And like princes fall and die. God arise! and judge the nations, Claim the earth, and dwell therein; Thou all nations shalt inherit, ' And them cleanse of ev’ry sin.
—Paraphrase of Psalm 82, from "Peerless Poems of David the King” by Jane Copley.
posed upon believers. The manner, the method, the means, are all incidental. In the days of the early church it was accomplished by word of mouth because they lacked the other means so numerous in later days. As facilities have increased, however, the saints have become more and more willing to “ Let George do it.” No one is able definitely to define just who “ George” is, but they are all satisfied that there is some person or some means other than themselves upon which the responsibility can be placed. And so, in a large meas ure, the command of our Lord is not recognized as authoritative, and is not executed. All honest believ ers acknowledge the fact that the command was given by the Commander, and they recognize the need of its execution, but they are not willing to make a personal application of it. We live in a great and growing city. Los- Angeles claims a million and one hundred thousand people, and is increasing so rapidly "that the (so-called) evangelical churches (which are not all evangelical by any means) are confronted with an appalling proposition. Cults of
Door, from its inception, took the position that it would not solicit people to unite with it, and thus avoid the criticism of proselyting. The students attend ing the Institute were, as far as possible assigned to churches of their own denominations for Sunday services. The Church of the Open Door has now a membership of fifteen hundred and is definitely evangelistic. Its services have been held in the Institute buildings, with out rental, and the two organizations—the Institute and the Church—have worked together harmoniously in service for the Lord. Calls for the ministry of Dr Torrey throughout this and other countries have been continuous. He has been able to respond to a few of these, but has been compelled to say “ No” to most of them. He has felt the strain of endeavoring to meet two imperative obli gations,—first, to the Institute, which has suffered in his absence; and, second, to the increasing world need. While conducting a month’s evangelistic service this spring in Winnipeg, where the Spirit of God was mani
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all kinds are increasing in number constantly. The Bible is “ taboo” in the public schools. Sin is rampant. What can be done? Well,—there was the unchanging and unchangeable command—“ GO—GIVE!” Fourteen years ago the Bible Institute of Los Angeles had put a Gospel mes sage into every home in the city, but it was a different proposition now. However, prayer is the solution of all problems for the saints, and prayer suggested that a portion of the Word of God itself be placed in every one of the 200,000 homes in the city. We chose the Gospel of John as especially appropri ate for this purpose, remembering John 20:31: “These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name.” using our own specially prepared edition which, with its attractive' red covers, is definitely designed for use in personal soul-saving work. A day was set apart— Flag Day, Saturday, June 14—and the Bible Institute and the Church of the Open Door (which worships in the great auditorium of the Institute), together with over sixty cooperating evangelical churches, carried out the program, and Saturday and Sunday saw the good work completed. Every Gospel was dedicated to the .Lord. Prayer preceded and followed the distribution. The results of the service can never be tabulated here, but the books in Heaven will record the results. We are giving in another section of the magazine some testimonies from the hundreds which are coming to us of the way in which God blessed His own Word through His workers, and we commend to our readers this plan of seed sowing which is possible of accomplishment in any town, city or hamlet. Remember God has promised “My word ** »shall not return unto me void, but It shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:1.1. THE PLEA OF THE PACIFISTS “ Let us have peace!” That cry would suit the ban dit or the burglar, but instead of peace they deserve the prison or the penitentiary. “ Let us have peace without any price!’ ’ That is the cry of the religious pacifist. Peace is never obtained without a heavy payment. You cannot have peace by merely wanting it. You must create it. There is a law of peace as well as a law for everything else. There aro essential terms of peace of any kind. The rebel lays down his arms, but he does not make the terms of peace. What does the church pacifist mean when he demands peace? Why, he means “ Don’t let us fight. You have your way and I ’ll have mine.” But there is no foundation for peace in that kind of a proposition. If you are a member of an organization and are opposed to its rules and regulations and insist on having your own way, and then say “ Let us have peace!” they will expel you and rightly so. You don’t belong there. Go somewhere else, or make your own organization. The Bolshevists say: “ Don’t say anything against us. We are hard at work breaking down the founda tions of this government, but please don’t disturb us. Let us have peace.” But every true citizen would reply, “ That is impossible. You are declaring war against the Constitution and we must defend it or our country is gone. ’ ’
The Modernists in the church are saying“ 5“ Let us have peace!” and we reply, “ Well, leave your pulpits and your professorships and move out, and we will have peace.” - But they say,.--“ No, we want to stay in our pulpits and our schools and deny the Word of God and the Deity of Jesus Christ, but we want peace. ” Well, just listen to God’s Word: “ As I live, saith the Lord, there is no peace to the wicked. ” ( You are the wicked for you are instruments of Satan. Go where you belong. Join the Unitarians—if they will take you—or organize something else on your own silly, shallow foundation, but do not stay where you are not wanted, violating your own vows and using the livery of the evangelical church to serve Satan. You have done untold harm. You have corrupted the morals of the young. You have taken sacrificial money and used it for illegitimate purposes. Take off the robes you have disgraced, don the red gown of the radicals and have at least a semblance of honesty and manhood. And you, dear brethren, who are true to the Word of God but “ do not want to fight,” —will you not please change your attitude ? Will you not stand by the apos tles and martyrs? Will you not obey the call of your Lord to come out from among the seducers ? Will you not take the sword from the scabbard? What’s the use of a sword if it is not unsheathed? Will you not listen to the warning of Paul: “ Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ!” “ And ye, there fore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also be led away with the error of the wicked and fall from your own steadfastness!” May. the Lord give to us all compassion for all and consistent courage that shall compel us to;come to the help of the Lord against the mighty.
CORRECTING AN UNFOUNDED RUMOR
In order to correct unfounded rumors concerning the work of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, the Board of Directors at their regular July Monthly Meeting unan imously passed the following resolution: WHEREAS , it has come to the attention of the Board of Directors of the Bible Insti tute of Los Angeles that rumors to the effect that its work and organization is about to be co-ordinated with the work of Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson, and WHEREAS , there is no connection or affiliation of any character whatsoever between the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and the organization of Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson, and Whereas, no such connection or affilia tion has been or will be contemplated, NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that all of the friends of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and the general public be, and they are hereby assured that this Insti tution will continue to conduct its work in the future as in the past.
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their sins. Spiritualists seek,—^and die in their sins. Mormons seek,4—and die in their sins. All false systems represent those who seek,-—and die in their sins. They all fail to see Christ upon the cross as the Son from Heaven, the Son on earth, and the Son resurrected and in the Heavens; all are ready to crucify the thought of thd cross as a means of salvation. How our hearts should bow in sorrow over the power of Satan in human life ! How our souls should desire, in loving sympathy, to make the truth known to the blinded and suffering sinners! How we should revolt at the efforts of those within the professing
A CHANGE OF LABEL BUT NOT OF LIQUID
Our cartoon carries a vivid suggestion of the ser iousness of the Satanic methods now pursued by the enemies of our Lord and His Word. There has never been any change in the attitude of heart and mind of those religious professors who hate the doctrine of the Deity of Jesus Christ, but who seek to pose as friends of the Man Jesus, and are at all times ready to say goody-goody words concerning His character and the influence of His teaching, ignoring His repeated claim,
C h u r c h who mask their soul-destroying messages with the label of ‘ ‘ Christian ity !” ;) Can you think of a more debasing and destructive w o r k t h a n t h a t which strikes at the very foundation of o u r faith and belittles the Son of God who says: “ Before Abraham was, I AM!” No power on earth or in heaven can change this state ment. It is the veri fied Word of Him who, in the begin ning, was the Word. THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL OF THE SON OF GOD W e a r e accus tomed to the fre quent use of terms without much regard to their real signifi cance, but it is never so in the Bible. The
by word and deed, to be God manifest in the flesh. In the Gospel of John these deniers of His Deity are so definitely described that they find their only refuge in deny ing the authenticity of the Gospel, or else by using a mass of mawkish, mincing terms, such as “ the adaptation of Chris tianity to the mod ern mind,” etc., de signed to d e c e i v e innocent victims by the use of religious verbiage. . Read the eighth chapter of the Gos pel of John, from 'the twelfth verse to the close, and put a pen cil mark under the repeated assertion of our Lord “ I am” in His controversy with the religious J ews . What could be more conclusive than His words in vs. 21-24:
value of the Scriptures lies in their exactitude in the use of terms, of which we find an illustration in the relation of Gen. 1:2, 3 to 2 Cor. 4 :4-6: “And the earth was without form and void; and dark ness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light; and there was light” (Gen. 1 :2 , 3 ). “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gos pel of Christ who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Cor. 2 :4 -6 ). God has not changed. Light came in response to His command and darkness fled away. Sin has dark ened the minds of men through Satan’s devilish device, and his endeavor is to keep them in ignorance of the truth, which will illumine their darkened minds and lead them into the light and liberty of the children of God. God’s method is simple and practical. It has worked with us who are saved by His grace, and it always works when applied. Preach Christ Jesus the Lord! That is the glorious Gospel of Christ.
“ Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins; whither I go, ye cannot come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above; ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said, therefore, unto you, that ye shall die in your sins; for IF YE BELIEVE NOT THAT I AM he, YE SHALL DIE IN YOUR SINS.” The conflict has always been between light and dark ness. Christ claims to be THE LIGHT, but men love darkness. This was never more apparent than today. Jesus tells men of their origin (v. 44),: ’ “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do; he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar and the father of it.” How fearful are the words, “ Ye shall seek me and shall die in your sins; whither I go ye cannot come.” Theologians seek,-—and die in their sins. Nominal Christians seek,—and die in their sins. Unitarians seek, and die in their sins. Theosophists seek,—and die in their sins. Christian Scientists seek,—and die in
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The word “ preach” here is not used with reference to an ordained minister and a pulpit, but means, sim ply, to “ proclaim as a herald.” God has an ordained ministry, and they have their obligations. Thank God for all of them who ring true to the Gospel of which we speak, and may God multiply their number. But every believer is an ordained herald and empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to go into the highways and hedges, into homes, on the street, into open doors everywhere, proclaiming the wondrous story of the light and liberty which awaits all who will open the doors of their hearts to the Christ of the Cross. The world is short of heralds. We have fallen into bad habits. We have forgotten our calling. God has not committed this whole business to a few wise men-S after the flesh. “ Not many mighty are called,” -— some, thank God! “ But God hath chosen the foolish things to confound the wise, and weak things to con found the mighty, and base things and things which are nothing, to confound the mighty”—because He wants the glory Himself. We are only heralds, called to “ babble” the story of the cross, and He does the work. The ministry is too often to blame for failing to make this fact plain to the people. The preacher is only a leader—a commander. He should rally the heralds and send them out to tell out the good news which has been committed to them. Let us have a few less essays, and a few more “ Thus saith the Lord” - messages. The world is full of grop ing, blind people, and the only hope for them is in the “ light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” ■ Oh, what joy awaits them when they see Him and know Him! “ Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light!” Let us go forth with this glorious Gospel of Christ— eyery one of us—and go while it- is called TODAY! EPOCHAL ECCLESIASTICAL EVENTS The spring has come and gone, but the ecclesias tical events which it brought, in connection with na tional assemblies of the different denominations, were history making in their importance. The main issue in each and all of them was the outstanding question concerning the integrity of the Word of God. In the Providence of God, this issue has been pro jected into every evangelical denomination, and friends and foes have rallied to their respective standards. Now comes the clarion call to the true Church to put on the whole armor of God and, with a firm grip on the Sword of the Spirit, do valiant battle in defense of the truth. There is something inspiring in the very suggestion of fighting for the faith of our fathers. The red blood warms and pulses through the veins with augmented power at the very thought. Our eyes are upon the crucified, risen Christ! Our hearts beat with pure devotion to Him! We lay our lives upon the altar of service, surrender all to Him and await His orders! A few of the outstanding features of some of these gatherings are given in this issue. We regret that our world-wide circulation necessitates our going to press two months in advance of the date of issue, so that news.of this character is not always news.
GRIFFITH THOMAS, THE GIFTED TEACHER— A T HOME!
Where is the believer’s home? It is in Heaven. Where is the foreign field ? It is in this earth—vin this world. If it is “ far, far better” to be at home with our loving Lord, why not rejoice in the home-going of our loved friends? Will we miss them? Yes,—but our hearts can rejoice, in the reception given those who finish their course and enter into the rest which is to be found
only in the presence of the King of kings. Griffith Thomas was one of God’s great men. Endowed by God with a remarkable intellect, he recog nized it as a sacred trust and used it for God’s glory, realizing that great gifts are accompanied by grave responsibilities. Mighty in the things of God, he was modest in his claims of any ability. Sterling and strong in his use and defense of the Scriptures, he was yet singularly sweet in his presentation of truth. His stewardship is ended. His books are closed. Some day those books will be opened, his accounts audited, and he will receive his reward from the hands of the King. What is the message to our hearts who yet tarry here? Not many are greatly gifted as was this good man, for his talents were many. But the word of warning comes to all of us: “ The night cometh” ! or “ The Lord cometh” ! The pilgrim journey will be over; the task will be finished; the tale of the talents remains to be told. The Chris tian ’s life work must be tried and tested by the search ing fire of Him who sits upon the throne, and the “ hay, wood, stubble-—gold, silver, precious stones” will be revealed in the unchangeable judgment. What is the constantly recurring death message to us who wait and watch and work ? “ Do Our Best For Him Who Did His Best For Us, and Let Us Do It Now' ’’
THE ALL-CONftl'ERIXG HAND A GRIP o f Thine all-conquering hand O give mie, Lord, I pray; ■ Thy hand of love with mark of nail, On which my sin did lay; A grip of power to conquer sin, A grip o f love Divine, A grip of grace to keep me true, A grip which tells I’m Thine. Chorus I’m gripped by Thine all-conquering hand, Thy hand shall hold me fast: Thy love and grace shall keep me safe And bring me home at last. A grip of Thine all-conquering hand, O Lord, I pray give me; A grip which makes me glow with love, And moulds me like to Thee; A grip which conquers all o f self, And keeps me in Thy w ill; A grip which saves from fret and doubt, And keeps me trustful still. A grip of Thine all-conquering hand, Give me, I pray, O Lord; A grip of skill which doth instil The Spirit o f accord; A holy grip which makes me fit To serve with love and prayer; A grip which leads to higher heights, And keeps me always there. A grip of Thine all-conquering hand, O give me, Lord, I pray; A grip which keeps in tempter’s blast From yielding to his sway; A grip which helps me grip Thy sword, And makes me win the day; A grip which never lets me go, And keeps me in its stay. — F. E. Marsh
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Was tke General Assembly Conservative? By the Rev. A. Gordon MacLennan
We have taken the liberty of culling from Dr. MacLennan’s article in The Sunday School Times of June 14, the following items of interest concerning the action of the Presbyterian General Assembly (Northern) at its meeting in Grand Rapids in May. Dr. MacLennan has given in a most interesting manner the main facts through which we can interpret its spirit and action. We wish we could have given this report to our readers earlier but are sending this to the printer the last of June for the September issue.
|RESBYTERIANS would like to accept as true the following description of the (Northern) Pres byterian General Assembly by Dr. James M. Gray. President of the Moody Bible Institute, ^written several years ago: “The writer is not a Presbyterian, and therefore with better grace can ask his readers to consider the character and the intellect represented in such an Assembly. Here are some of our greatest merchants, our greatest jurists, our greatest educators, our greatest statesmen, as well as our greatest missionaries, evangelists, and theologians. There may be seen as able and august a gathering of representatives of Chris tianity in other places and on other occasions, but few can surpass it. For sobriety o f thought, for depth as w ell as breadth o f learning, for wealth of spiritual experience, for honesty of utterance, and virility of conviction, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Am erica must com mand attention and respect throughout the world.” The General Assembly of 1924, composed of more than nine hundred Commissioners appointed by more than three hundred Presbyteries scattered over the whole of the United States and her possessions, would measure up to the above description as nearly as any held in many years. The issue involved called out the leadership of this Church from all sections of the country. Eleven ex-Moderators were Com missioners. Every Presbytery seemed to feel a respon sibility to send its ablest men to deliberate upon and decide the great matters before the Church. Presbyterians would be vitally interested in all the details of the proceedings of the Assembly, revealing as they would the varied interests and far-reaching program of His Church. But this article is to deal only with those things in the Assembly which have interest as typical of the situa tion in almost all denominations. •A, Never-to-be-Forgotten Prayer There pervaded the Assembly an atmosphere of tense ness which indicated deep conviction upon certain matters, and this spirit broke to thé surface on the first day in the election of the Moderator. Among the Conservatives there was a constant spirit of prayer. In. private rooms and meet ings of committees prayer was first and foremost. Some of the most soul-gripping prayers I have ever heard offered were heard in such gatherings. Never shall I forget going into a private room where a dozen or more men were on their knees, among them Will iam Jennings Bryan, pleading for wisdom and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. A never-to-be-forgotten prayer was offered by John MacNeil, when he seemed to lay hold on God and pleaded that God might hear the petitions ascend ing from all parts of the Church. And after the Moderator had been elected, and the strength of the Conservatives was known, the burden of the prayers in all the meetings of Conservatives seemed to be for humility and a recognition of the Psalmist’s conviction, “Not unto us, not unto us, O Lord, but unto Thy Name be the glory.’-’ The committees were composed of men on both sides of the issue. No committee was solidly on either one side or the other. The election of Dr. C. E. Macartney as Mod erator was a blessed testimony to the faith, and warm tribute should be paid to the eminently fair manner in which Dr. Macartney presided over all the meetings. Only once was his ruling appealed from, and that time he was
sustained by a majority of over one hundred. His election, especially under the circumstances, was a demonstration of the attitude of the Church at large toward the present issue. Modernism bn the Foreign Field The writer was appointed Chairman of the Standing Com mittee on Foreign Missions. The task of this committee is an exceedingly large one, involving a review of the entire work of the Foreign Missionary Board. This work was divided, as is customary, among seven sub-committees each one reporting to the committee of the whole. The chairmen of the sub-committees together with the General Chairman formed a Committee on Recommendations and Nominations to membership on the Board. Naturally, the time at our disposal made it utterly impos sible to enter into any investigation of particular criticisms of the work in this department. When a question was asked on the floor of the Assembly concerning one such matter, I replied, as Chairman of the Committee, that we, as the Church at large, had to depend upon the word of the officers and secretaries of the Foreign Board as to the teaching in union institutions on the foreign field. But, lest any should misunderstand the meaning of my statement, let it be clearly recognized that there is grave concern in many quarters, and properly so, as to the teaching in the foreign field. The whole matter can be satisfactorily handled in only one way: a committee should be appointed, either by the Board of Foreign Missions or by the General Assembly, to investigate the matter and bring all the evidence to the knowledge of the Church. By such a proceeding the Board could answer all criticism. Two outstanding Conservative leaders were elected to the Board, Dr. William L. McEwan in addition to Dr. John F. Carson. To them will fall the task of safeguarding the policies of foreign missionary work. The Philadelphia Overture The “ Philadelphia Overture” asked the General Assembly to direct that members of all the Church Boards and semin ary faculties affirm or reaffirm their acceptance of the Stan dards of the Church together with the doctrinal deliver ances of the General Assembly,— this last including the “ Five Essential Points” made famous by last year’s Assembly. Both the Overture and the complaint were put in the hands of the Permanent Judicial Commission. The finding of the Commission regarding tyhe complaint was as follows: “A lter careful examination of the grounds of complaint, we find that the complaint is not directed against any action or delinquency which occurred in the adoption of the Overture by the Presbytery, but rather a protest against the effect o f its adoption by the General Assembly. It is therefore not a com plaint within the meaning o f the section above quoted, cannot be entertained as such, must be dismissed, and it is so ordered.” And the Commission thus recommended that no action be taken on the Overture, not on the basis of doctrine, but of constitutionality. Their recommendation is brief yet conclusive: “It is, therefore, the judgment of the Judicial Commission that the Overture in question proposes action by the General Assembly which would impose doctrinal tests upon ministers
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The General Assembly . . . expresses its profound sorrow that doctrines- contrary to the. Standards of the Presbyterian Church proclaimed in said pulpit have been the cause of con troversy and division in our Church. Therefore the question before the Commission was not one of doctrine but rather one of policy. While the finding of the Commission left much to be desired, yet on the whole it sums up the situation quite fully on all the points at issue. Dr. Fosdick is informed, in no uncertain terms, that if he' is unwilling to become a loyal Presbyterian he must vacate this pulpit at once. In other words, the outcome of the matter is made to rest not on a summary verdict of the General Assembly, but upon the moral character of Dr. Fosdick. As the proceedings of the General Assembly are reviewed one finds great cause for thanksgiving. The movement of the past year has been toward Conservatism, and as the great body of this Church is stirred to a realization of the danger confronting her she will arise in all her strength for the defense of her great Presbyterian heritage.
and elders which are unconstitutional, and for this reason no action should be taken thereon by this General Assembly and it is so recommended.” As I happened to be the author of the Philadelphia Over ture, I can say, with entire heartiness, that I believe its rejection upon constitutional grounds was entirely legiti mate, and that if the purpose of the Overture is to be secured, it must be done by some other form of procedure. Tlie Fosdick Case There seems to be considerable disagreement regarding the decision of the Judicial Commission in the matter of the First Presbyterian Church of New York and their spe cial preacher, or, as they like to say, their “ guest,” Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick. While one is inclined to feel that the Commission may have thought too much of courtesy and not enough of plain speaking and finality in judgment, yet their report contains some very definite and drastic points of judgment. It is well to remember that the doc trinal question was settled by last year’s General Assembly in this statement:
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M r. B r ian ’s Nominating Speeck At the Presbyterian General Assembly at Grand Rapids, Michigan In his letter to the editor enclosing copy of the speech which resulted in the election of Dr. Clarence Edward Macartney to the-Moderatorship of the Assembly, Mr. Bryan says: “Its value consists in the fact that we made the fight on a clear cut issue and won out.”
pastor of one of the most prominent churches in one of the chief Presbyterian cities of the country, and he has increas ingly endeared himself to his co-laborers in pulpit and in pew. But complete as is his mental and spiritual equipment and persuasive as are his personal claims, there are larger reasons which make him the logical candidate at this time. Man is but an atom; he is born, plays his part, and passes on to his reward, while the imperishable causes with which he identifies himself continue their majestic march through out the centuries. Service is the measure. of greatness. Man is important in proportion as he rightly employs the powers with which God has endowed him and improves the opportunities that come to him. It has fallen to the lot of Dr. Macartney to render notable service to the cause of Christ. I present him as a conspicuous defender of the Faith. ' Any one or many of the ten thou sand ministers of the Presbyterian Church would gladly undertake and might have done as well the work that he did in the last General Assembly, but it was his vigilance that detected the insidious attack made upon the historic doctrines of the Presbyterian Church; it was his courage that raised the standard of protest about which the Church rallied; it was his leadership that won a decisive victory for evangelical Christianity and historic Presbyterianism. He was the man of the hour and linked himself with the funda mental tenets of the creed of our Church. His name is a synonym for loyalty to the Bible as the Word of God, and Christ as the only begotten Son of the heavenly Father. His election to the office of Chief Executive of our militant Church will be accepted as an announcement of the Church’s unshaken adherence to the impregnable Rock of the Holy Scriptures. It will be proof that the conservatives, who constitute an overwhelming majority of its ministers, its elders and its members, have exercised the undeniable right of naming the official head of the organization, and it will cheer our allies in other churches who, like ourselves, refuse to substitute so-called modern thought for the revealed will of God.
R. MODERATOR, Fathers and Brethren: I appre ciate the gravity of this occasion, and pray for guidance that “ the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart may be acceptable” in the sight of Him whose servants we are and in whose name we have assembled. It is impossible to overestimate the solemn responsibility that rests upon the commissioners who begin their work today.' The world is suffering from a disease for which governmental agencies offer no remedy. Party platforms propose no cure for sin— they only deal with outward mani festations of an inward cause. Parties have no medicine that will cleanse the heart. The Church offers religion as a panacea, the only panacea, for all the ills of the day. “ Back to God” is its slogan; “ Back to the Bible,” the only infallible guide; and “ Back to Christ,” the Great Physician, the Saviour of the individual and the hope of society. Our church is one of the great fighting units of the Army of our Lord, and we are here to plan its campaign for the coming year. Our first duty is to choose a Moderator who, for the duration of his term, will be the master mind of our organization and its directing hand. Speaking not for our selves but as the voice of the Church, we must call to official leadership the one who, in our judgment, can most strengthen our organization and advance the coming of God’s kingdom. Personal friendships and individual pre ferences have no place at such a time; power to serve is the only test of fitness. I rise to present the name of one who measures up to the most exacting requirements of this exalted position and who, in the present crisis, embodies in an outstanding way all the vital principles and policies of our Church. He comes from a Presbyterian family; was the son of a Pres byterian clergyman and has three brothers in the Presby terian ministry. Like Samuel he was dedicated to the service of God in his youth. He is a scholar, an orator, a writer of books, an experienced parliamentarian, a Director of Princeton Theological Seminary, as well as a dauntless soldier of the Cross. For ten years he has been the beloved
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whose philosophy fits into: every human need and whose teachings alone can bring peace to each weary heart and to a war-worn world. Historic Presbyterianism stands for Bible Christianity and the name of Dr. Macartney is insep arably entwined with historic Presbyterianism. I have the honor to present the name of Dr. Clarence Edward Macartney as a candidate for Moderator, and earn estly appeal to you, my fellow commissioners, ministers and elders, to give him your united support.
Mighty issues are to be decided today by our prayers and our ballots. The world needs the restraint that can only be furnished by a sense of responsibility to God for every thought and word and deed. The world needs an indis putable standard of morals to establish justice between man and man, and only the inspired Bible can furnish such a standard. The world needs the supernatural Christ of whom the Bible tells— Jesus, whose blood has colored the stream of time, whose code of morals will endure forever,
afe afe afe Reflections on the 1924 General Conference Dr. G. W . Ridout, in “Eastern Methodist.”
religious teachings. In a resolution passed at the General Conference in connection with the affirmation of the His toric Faith a call was made upon all who teach to be loyal to the historic faith of Methodism. In failing to call a halt to the faith-wrecking tendencies in our schools, and in re-electing Dr. H. H. Meyer to the editorship of our Sunday School literature we feel that the General Conference has undone already a good deal that it previously did to assure us that the next Quadrennium would be a safe one for real Methodism. It is a compara tively easy matter to pass resolutions but it is the elections which count, and when men are elected to high office who are known to be destructive critics and allied with Modern ism, we have grave reasons for doubting as to what good may come from high-sounding resolutions. It remains now to be seen what Dr. Forsyth will do to bring the Board of Home Mission activities in line with essential Methodism. It remains to be seen what Dr. Bovard, the newly-elected Secretary of the Board of Education, having under his con trol Sunday Schools and Epworth Leagues will do to rectify some serious matters within his jurisdiction. The time is ripe for men in high positions to take a stand for sound doctrine and real Methodism and cleanse their departments of people who are doing little else than turning Methodism away from its great mission as an evangelistic force in publishing the gospel of the grace of God and in spreading Scriptural holiness throughout the world.
ITHOUT having the least thought of being unap preciative or ungrateful for things achieved I shall in this writing set down a few matters con cerning which the General Conference failed to render the church a great service. While we grant that a notable confirmation was made to Methodist doctrines and standards yet we must confess that the Conference failed to give any strong rebuke to Modernism as it prevails in our educational institutions and theological seminaries. Pine action was taken in rebuking liberalism in our Sunday School literature. We have already adverted to the statement in the Episco pal address concerning theological schools in which they say those schools have “ done a work worthy of all praise.” This statement we believe to be unfortunate in view of the distressingly liheralistic teachings of those schools, many of them approaching skepticism of the wildest kind almost amounting to infidelity. No great note of rebuke was uttered against this growing Liberalism in our educational institutions. They have been honored and praised but not called to halt in their evolu tionary, un-Methodistic and rationalistic teachings. It becomes all who stand for straight teaching to still cry aloud against the evils in our schools. Our schools must be brought to see that they cannot expect Methodist support if they persist in their present course of spreading the most radical liberalism in their
^.»4. afe afe afe The Northern Baptist Convention at Milwaukee Dr. Frederic W . Farr, Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Los Angeles, California,
In his characteristic, scholarly manner Dr. Farr gives us a brief review of the results of the Milwaukee Conference. He touches the match to the high lights and illumines the whole matter without any waste of words. His call to follow the God that answers by fire is a unique appeal well worthy of response from the faithful friends of the risen Christ. B SfjT would puzzle a spectator on the side lines to ||j properly characterize a gathering whose proceed- ings seemed equally acceptable to Conservatives Sal and Liberals. Possibly the approval of the one Alternate Reading Course (1)
A resolution authorizing an alternate reading course that would present the orthodox view of the Chris tian faith. A few years ago in an effort to standardize the ministry a course of reading was prepared and prescribed that was distinctively Modernistic in character. Candi dates for the ministry not having a college training were required to wade through a morass of materialistic nega tions as a preparation for Gospel preaching. It seemed fair enough to allow the candidate the privilege of choosing an alternate course presenting -the orthodox view and the resolution passed without a dissenting vote.
arises from the fact that although they did not get what they wanted, they got at least something, and the applause of the other arises from the fact that although they won no sweeping victories they were not defeated as badly as they expected. Out of the many resolutions presented and passed at the Milkaukee Convention, three may be mentioned as bring ing encouragement and satisfaction to the fundamentalists who sponsored two of them.
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