December 1927
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It is a pity that the Federal Council every now and then has to get credit for such bad breaks as evidently some of its officials are given to making. It is apparent that the committee on house-to-house evangelism isn’t very well acquainted with our “sawdust evangelists” whom they seek to expose, or they would have known that Dr. G. Campbell Morgan is not and never has been an evan gelist. For many years he held important pastorates in England, his last one being at Westminster Chapel, Lon don, from 1904 to 1917. He was also president of a col lege at Cambridge. Since 1919 he has been a lecturer at
their glorious message can know the deeper meanings of a happy Christmas and the final significance of the world movements of 1927. These are found, not in the records of great empires nor church courts, but are registered in the souls of those who walk with God. To be unmoved by them is not a sign of culture but the sad record of degeneration. Something Must Have Happened S OMETHING must have happened in a little town of Judea nearly 2000 years ago. The very fact that all
Bible Conferences, and is now a member of the faculty of the Bible Institute of«Los. Angeles. As a very conservative pastor for many years, it is doubtful if any man could be found who has been more outspoken against claptrap me t h o d s in evangelism. Those who know the refine- P jP ment of Dr; Morgan and his modest and earnest method of presenting the Gospel, are having a good laugh over i p r this bit of news, which, strange W to say, has been eagerly copied by r ' a number of religious periodicals. It is remarkable how many there are JT in these days who consider themselves perfectly competent to discuss in the pub
the world stops to celebrate Christmas is nothing short of a miracle.
; Here is an event that has carried so far in space and time that it stands as the divine event of the ages. The birth of the Babe in Beth lehem has had an influence transcending anything t h a t has happened on old Mother Earth. The strange thing is that the nationality of this Christ- ^ child and the geography of His birth, mean nothing to men. He seems to belong to humanity. His message is still “Peace on earth and good
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will to men.” Whether skeptical “wise-men” from, the East or believing shepherds of the hills, all men at the Christmas season somehow have a glowing sense that something of infinite importance hap pened at Bethlehem, Judea. Says one w riter: “The wonder of His being, the glory of 'His influence, beggars all human speech. It is not to be wondered that we burst into song, that we pass along, from friend to friend, 10,000,000 gifts, that we deck our homes in brightest colors, that we gather about our family firesides and before the altars to our God and cry: ‘Joy to the world, the Lord is come!’ ” There is nothing in all history to compare with His coming into this world, unless it be His cry from Calvary’s cross “I t is finished.” What loss would it have meant to this old world had He never been born as man or had the Babe been murdered among those infants destroyed at Herod’s command! Jesus was God’s only way out to man as He is also man’s only way up to God. No more can rationalism dim the luster of His glory and overcome His saving power than could Herod’s mighty men put Him out of existence as a Babe. The Bethlehem event must ever shine upon the darkness of the world until that day when He comes again in the clouds of glory and the earth is wrapped in radiant light. WMM '4§> Our Sawdust Evangelists T HE Federal Council of Churches has just gained another fine piece of publicity by sending out a state ment to the American press to the effect that the day of such cheap, tawdry, clownish and mercenary evangelism as sponsored by Billy Sunday, Aimee McPherson, Gypsy Smith and G. Campbell Morgan, is at an end. The high- pressure, round-up plan of Dr. Kernahan is to take its place.
lic press, the motives and methods of people of whom they have not the slightest knowledge. We cannot^help won dering if these critics have ever heard “Billy,” “Aimee” or “Gypsy.” After all, isn’t it rather doubtful if the church will be able to eliminate successfully, the work of the itinerant preacher of the salvation message, when our New Testa ment places the divine calling of the.evangelist alongside of the pastor and mentions the evangelist first? (Eph. 4: 11). And why should churches bring in as a substitute, periodical campaigns of house-to-house evangelism, when the New Testament makes personal work the order for every believer for every day in the year ? When it comes to high-pressure visitation campaigns, how many of those who go out are qualified^ either by their spiritual condition or by a definite knowledge of the plan of salvation, to lead a soul to Christ? The churches will save m on eyp | we readily grant that—but what will they;gain? Names? God knows we need sane and spiritual evangelists whose motives are beyond question. The Bible Institute of Los Angeles seeks daily to impress that fact upon its students, SB Millions Now Living Are Already Dead N EARLY everyone today is familiar with the Russel- lite slogan “Millions now living will nevèr die.” “Judge” Rutherford, the originator, has too good judg ment, however, to limit this statement to any particular period of time. It is not : “Millions living between 1914 and 1928 will never die,” so that any real test could be made of it, but simply the indefinite statement which might be kept up until such a time as the Lord should come, and still have some truth in it. Neither does thé eloquent “judge” have in: mind, a Spiritual application of thé words. It is trùè that many
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