“ Conquerors through him” (Rom. 8:37).
Photo by Adalbert Bartlett
Ever looking upward— to Him who “ washed us from our sins in his own blood”— and marching forward at His command, more than a hundred graduates will leave the Bible Institute of Los Angeles in June, their places to be taken by other hundreds who wish to be Biola-trained.
THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, INCORPORATED
NEALE ß, THOV.AS
T&xhh ,3Ingiittui:eof 'fias J^ttgeles ¿ilrtcorporafei»
558 Jimtilj ^Sprpc Street JCos Angeles, (Ualtforrtta
Beloved Christian Friend: The Bible Institute of Los Angeles has taken a great forward step! At its twenty-sixth annual Commencement on June 11, 103 fine young people will be graduated. And among them will be six young men, the first to qualify for and to receive from the Institute the degree of Bachelor of Theology. We ask you to praise God with us for this educa tional advance. We ask you to consider also that progress at Biola is directly related to the prayer and giving of the Insti tute s loyal friends. We are closing the school year in triumph— because YOU prayed, because YOU helped. May God bless you for this cooperation. Friend, may I implore you, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, to continue to remember Biola at the
Throne of Grace? We cannot go on — EVEN THROUGH THE SUMMER MONTHS— unless God sends us aid. We cannot prepare for the opening of the fall term unless money is provided through God’s stewards to care for operating expenses. WE HAVE LITERALLY GIVEN EVERYTHING WE HAVE IN ORDER THAT THE YOUNG PEO PLE ENTRUSTED TO OUR CARE MIGHT BE THOROUGHLY TRAINED IN THE WORD. We believe God is pleased with the sacrifice of His people, and that He will meet our present urgent needs. Oh, Beloved, pray for us; and if you have an en couraging word, will you send it ? Yours, believing,
President.
” 1 MUST HELP THE JEW S !” T “ Everything I have seems going or gone — yet I Must Help the Jews.” Thus wrote a child of God whose soul had been stirred to its depths because of the tragic con dition of the Jews throughout the world. ”1 Must Help the Jews!” Dear child of God, they are still God's people, beloved for the fathers' sakes; and because you have been born again, you love what He loves; and you know that He still loves Israel with an everlasting love. “I Must Help the Jews!” Driven like cattle through the fields and forests of Europe; tortured, har*? rassed, brutally beaten, Jewish girls mutilated by hordes of savage Arabs, the borderlands of Germany teeming with thousands of Jewish refugees who have stumbled their way through the bloody attacks of Nazi hate, to the emergency shel ters of Switzerland, Poland, Hop land, France— what a Christianity for the Jews to gaze upon I “I Must Help the Jews !” In the face of such a crisis, may God help His true Church to awake I May we who are truly His fill to the full our measure of duty in behalf of a people now facing the spectacle of a world civilization organizing in solid mass for the greatest outburst of Jew-hate the world has ever known! Dear Reader, will you say “ 1, Too, Must Help the Jews” ? Help us to tell them “ These things you have suffered are not things which Chris tians do I** This is an S.O.S. It is Israel's eleventh hour. So swiftly does the world cataclysm move, this may be the last call before the trumpet blows, and you will be face to face with a Christ who may look into your eyes and ask, “What have you done for these, my brethren?” Matt. 25:40. AMERICAN BOARD OF MISSIONS TO THE JEWS, INC. 31 Throop Avenue Brooklyn, N. Y . I do want to help the Jews. Here is $.............. Use it as God directs, to make known the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ to Israel.
She Sible Tamil# Oitaj^ine Motto: “ Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." —R ev . 1 :5.
Volume XXV II
June, 1936
Number 6
TABLE OF CONTENTS Around the King’s Table— Paul W . Rood......................................... 210 The Power That Transforms—Robert G. Lee.................................. 213 How Can the New Atheism Be Met?—Maud Howe........................216 “ Give Us More Bible” .........J................................. ..................................218 Mary’s Dream— Bertha B. Moore.........................................................220 Junior King’s Business— Martha S. Hooker........................................221 International Lesson Commentary.........................................................223 Girls’ Query Corner—Myrtle E. Scott.................................... 232 Evangelistic Notices.................................................................................. 233 Notes on Christian Endeavor—Mary G. Goodner.............................234 Daily Devotional Readings...............................................................:.....239 Bible Institute Family Circle................................................................... 245 Iowa Christian Fundamentals Association..... 1.....................................246
I N F O R M A T I O N
F O R S U B S C R I B E R S
TERMS: Single Coplei................................................... 15c Annual Subscription............................................................11.50 Two-year subscription or two annual subscriptions. 2.50 Five annual subscriptions......................................................5.00 Eleven annual subscriptions...............................................10.00 Subscriptions in countries outside of U. 8. require 25c extra. REMITTANCE: Should be made by Bank Draft, Ex press or P. O. Money. Order, payable to "The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated." Receipts will not be sent for regular subscriptions, but date of expi ration will show plainly each month, on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please send both old and new address at least one month previous to date of de sired change.
A D V ER T ISIN G : For information with reference to advertising in THE KING'S BUSINESS, address the ADVERTISING MANAGES, 558 SOUTH HOPE STREET, LOS ANGELES, CALIF., or our eastern representative. Religious Press Association, 825 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, Pa., or 888 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Entered as Second Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage pro vided for in Section 1103, Act of October 8 , 1917, authorized October 1, 1918. M A N U SCRIPTS: THE KING'S BUSINESS cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts sent to it for consideration.
POLICY AS D EFIN ED BY TH E BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF TH E B IB L E INSTITU TE OF L08 A N G ELES (a) To stand for the infallible Word of God and its great fundamental truths, (b) To strengthen the faith of all believers, (c) To stir young men and women to fit themselves for and engage in definite Christian work, (d) To make the Bible Institute of Los Angeles known, (e) To magnify God our Father and the person, work and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; and to teach the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our present practical life, (f) To emphasize In strong, constructive messages the great foundations of Christian faith. THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, INCORPORATED 558 South Hope Street Lot Angeles, California
Name.................................... ............................
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BABSON’S REPORTS
SPECIAL LETTER
Babson Park, Mass.
March 23, 1936
IF INFLAT ION COMES
By “ inflation” I mean the printing of currency to pay Government debts, as is being advocated by a large minor ity in Congress. Credit inflation is already with us although the effects o f it are not yet evident. Thank God the Federal Government has not yet begun to distribute counterfeit money! The chances, however, are four to six that coun terfeit money will be printed before we get out o f the pres ent mess. Only a spiritual awakening of the nation can prevent such a catastrophe. Hence we are advising clients to keep at least 60% of their invested funds for common stocks and not more than 40% for bonds, mortgages and callable preferred stocks. On our Supervised Stock List we endeavor to recommend only good stocks —those o f companies without too heavy debt, companies which should be able to weather political persecution either in the form o f heavy taxation or o f legis lation compelling dissolution into smaller units. Yet the purpose of this letter is not to advise you rela tive to stocks or bonds. Rather, my purpose is to emphasize that such are not the only or the best investments. In case o f a real smash—which only a spiritual awakening can pre vent—very few o f the pieces o f paper in your city safe de posit box would probably be any good. Otherwise, the political dictators would probably make you empty your sa fe . deposit boxes and accept counterfeit Government money therefor. What Congress recently did in making us all turn in our gold and accept paper in exchange can easily be repeated and applied to all securities. (Note what happened in Ger many during the war and what is now happening in Italy.) When you realize that most all the stocks and bonds in your city are in only a dozen or so vaults, which now are under Federal supervision, you see how very easy it would be for Congress to take them away from us. When we look at the situation from this viewpoint, it seems as if the chances are greater than four to six that you will see trouble. “ All right,” you say, “ then what can we do about it?” I will tell you. First —we should develop character and health for ourselves and others. With the danger o f infla tion staring us in the face it is utterly foolish to sacrifice one’s character or health to save money. We should stren uously retain the health which we have and try to get back what we have lost. W e should have a complete physical examination by trained diagnosticians once each year and follow their advice as to habits, diet and mental attitudes. Second — we should spend money freely on devout tutors and servants of the highest type. This probably means high-grade church schools and small colleges o f the right character for our children. No amount o f time and money is too great to spend upon properly educating and training children. However much money we ourselves now have, the chances are four to six that (if we live long enough)
we must depend upon our children or grandchildren to sup port us. Hence we should immediately begin to invest in themS-to store up money in children instead of safe deposit vaults. Third — we should get a small subsistence farm upon which our family can spend at least their summers working. If possible we should not live in a large city. I really do not see much hope for city families. I sometimes wonder whether children can truly be educated except by work ing with their parents. This is almost impossible in a city. For those not having such a farm, I especially commend high-grade summer camps. These are performing a very* important service. Here is a simple economic fact to remember: The quart o f milk which we raise and drink always has the same value whether the dollar is worth 100 cents or 2 cents! The safest way to save that value is to turn it into character, health and education. All other investments are very spec ulative, and this includes Government bonds, savings bank accounts and insurance policies. Insurance companies will pay their policies in paper money; but what good will the money be? This is the important question. The best insur ance policy is a small self-sustaining farm and a bunch of good, husky, intelligent kids. There are, o f course, other hedges against inflation, such as real estate, fine furniture, rugs, jewels and works o f art. A good library may be considered an investment; in fact, anything which improves rather than deteriorates, with age. Commodities are a hedge; but most o f these are perishable. Yet commodities under ground— such as oil, copper, iron, coal, etcE-may be valuable provided the own ers have self-control to leave them and go without divi dends until the inflation craze passes and the country again returns to an honest dollar. Uncut timber should be a very good inflation hedge. In short, put your savings into tangible things— or com panies which own such. Avoid large cities as you would smallpox centers. Large cities have caused the downfall o f every nation which has thus far collapsed. Only a spir itual awakening can prevent the large cities of this country from falling into the hands of dictators, who by currency inflation and other means will try to rob the nation. If a revolution comes to the United States it will be between the cities and the rural districts. I suppose you think I have had a bad night— or eaten something which disagreed with m e ! Not at all. Never felt better in my life. I, however, have had a chance to think during the past two months. If you will go out on a 12,000 acre ranch and spend 60 days working and meditating you’ll come to the same conclusions. But whether you agree with me or not, I do ask that you wrap this letter with your last “will and testament” for your heirs to read. Better still, send for an extra copy and keep it to read yourself once in a while. ROGER W . BABSON.
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King’sTabkj W. R ood
c _Around the B y P a u l
herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows o f heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Mai. 3 :10). May God awaken, revive, stir, and empower every reader! “ O Lord, revive thy work in the midst o f the years” (Hab. 3 :2 ). “ Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” (Psa. 85 :6 ). Give us a genuine, apostolic, Holy Ghost revival that will melt, move, and unify Thy people and put them on the firing line for G od ! Lord, begin now and begin in me. God give us America or we d ie ! Five outstanding centers o f Fundamental- ism in North America are Los Angeles, Convention Minneapolis, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Toronto. The World’s Christian Fundamen tals Association has held two annual meetings in each of these cities, and all o f the gatherings have been successful. The Association’s nineteenth annual convention which has just closed was held in Toronto, where we who attend ed the sessions received a gracious reception. The city placed Massey Hall at our disposal for the two Sunday evenings. Day sessions were held in the People’s Church, and evening sessions on the week nights were conducted in St. John’s Evangelical Church and High Park Baptist Church as well as in the People’s Church. This arrange ment gave us an opportunity to make an impact upon the east and west ends of the city as well as in the downtown area. The newspapers sent reporters to the convention every day, and they interviewed the speakers ahd gave a great deal o f space to these interviews and to the lectures that were given. In some cases, the reports were printed on the front page. The Toronto Globe is a prominent daily paper. Every Wednesday, one o f the leading editorials is a distinctly Christian message. This weekly editorial is written by an outstanding Christian leader. During the Convention week, the editorial dealt with mothers, as the following Sunday was Mother’s Day. It was a Scriptural treatment of the subject—an exposition of what the Bible has to say about mothers. On the Saturday before the Convention opened, the following editorial on “ Contenders” appeared on the church page o f the Globe. It is so significant that we take pleasure in printing it in full. OUTLOOK OF THE CHURCH “ It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. . . . I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out o f the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed n o f’ du d e 3, S). “ Contenders” The opening of the nineteenth annual convention of the World’s Christian Fundamentals Association in To ronto on Monday, will bring to this city a large group of men and women from far and near, who are known for their militant contention for “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Representing many denomina tions, the Fundamentalist delegates will seek to find God’s Toronto The
If This is the title of a remarkable letter pre inflation pared and sent out by a man of the world and a Comes! renowned statistician, Roger W . Babson. His message is one o f warning. He forsees a finan cial debacle and definitely states that ‘‘only a spiritual awakening o f the nation can prevent such a catastrophe.” On another page, we print the letter in full and urge every reader not only to read it but also to bring it to the attention of relatives, neighbors, and friends. Read it in church and over the radio. The only remedy, according to Babson, is a revival. What a challenge to the people of G od ! If we want to save our nation, let us give ourselves to prayer. In the private prayer closet, at the family altar, in the church prayer meeting, let us pray for revival. Let the warning message be sounded from the pulpit with the preaching of repent ance and judgment. “ Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls” (Jer. 6 :16 ). W e must have an old-fashioned re vival or our nation is doomed. It is revival or revolution. W e can take our choice. If there ever was a period in the history of our country when we needed days and nights of prayer, it is now. Will the believing remnant pay the price and pray through for revival ? Are we by our lethargy, coldness, carnality, and unspirituality going to allow the na tion to go down as other nations have been destroyed in days gone by? Let us pray with Isaiah: “ Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, as when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence” (Isa. 6 4 :1 ,2 ). God answered prayer in 1857 when our country was in the midst o f a financial depression, and He sent one of the greatest revivals in the history of the world. God has an swered prayer during this century and has sent■'revivals to Wales, Korea, and Norway. If God can find a people that will go deep enough in humility, confession, self-sacri fice, and consecration, the revival will come. “ If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2'Chron . 7:13, 14). Not only is our national well-being involved, but the eternal destiny o f relatives and friends, o f children and young people is at stake as well. Unless a revival comes that makes people God-conscious and brings conviction o f sin so that they will turn to the Christ of Calvary and o f the empty tomb, many of them will be eternally lost. For the sake o f never-dying souls, we plead for prayer for a revival. Let us meet the conditions of revival in our hearts, homes, churches, and communities. Get a prayer group together in your home. Let neighborhood prayer meetings be held everywhere. “ Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now
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Riding from Buffalo to New York City with Carleton E. Null in his car gave the editor an occasion to meditate upon the
answer for present-day problems, and also to discuss plans for the evangelization of the world in a decade. One of the glaring errors in church life today, is the tendency to try everything before G od; to preach every thing before Christ; to believe everything but the Bible. The World’s Christian Fundamentals Association is an organized effort on the part o f earnest Christians to mo bilize the scattered forces into one great body, for the purpose o f not only defending the faith once delivered, but to propagate the gospel with haste. The time is ripe for the out-and-out witness o f Chris tian men and women; too long we have been drifting with the crowds who are satisfied to take the best of any religion, or no religion, and serve it as some sort of religious chop suey to lost men. Fundamentalists contend, and rightly so, that there is one Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and He alone has power to save the world. Fundamentalists contend, and rightly so, that there is one rule o f faith and prac tice—the Bible, which is the Word of God. The time is surely ripe when an organized effort by men o f like faith ought to be made. It must be made if we hope to reach the millions of unsaved with the good news within the next decade. It must be made if the church hopes to avert judgment the like of which befell the men o f Israel, who, after having been rescued from the hands o f the Egyptians, were destroyed because of unbelief. If it was “needful” for Jude to write urging the early Christians to contend earnestly for the faith, it is much more need ful in this day and generation. On the Friday evening o f the Convention, over a hun dred young people dedicated their lives to full-time service, and on the last Sunday night in Massey Hall, more than a score accepted Christ as their personal Saviour. Two ser vices were held in Massey Hall that night, the last one be ginning at nine when all the Convention speakers who re mained gave two-minute talks. The playing of the orches tra, the singing o f the choir of the People’s Church—aug mented by singers who come down from the other coop erating churches for this concluding service— and the testi monies of the speakers helped to lift us all to greater heights, and every one departed at a late hour thanking God for a blessed and powerful Convention. The Lord willing, the Twentieth Annual Convention will be held next year in the Church o f the Open Door and the Bible Insti tute of Los Angeles.
Highway Evangelism
words o f Jesus in Luke 14:23: “ Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” Mr. Null, who has had a great deal of ex perience as a highway evangelist, prison evangelist, and Pocket Testament League evangelist, had hundreds o f Gospels o f John and thousands o f tracts in his car. The car’s cigarette case is always filled with tracts, with the re sult that they are always within reach, and consequently this car has a converted and sanctified “ cigarette case” which now is a “ tract case.” We definitely dealt with three service station men, ex plaining the way o f salvation and leaving each one a Gospel of John. A t least one accepted Christ as his personal Sav iour. Several Gospels were given to those with whom we had opportunity to talk, and hundreds o f tracts were given out— or probably we should say, tossed out. When one of us was driving, the other would throw a tract in front of pedestrians, and the driver would sound the horn to attract attention to the tract. About ninety per cent o f the tracts were picked up. Probably curiosity played a part in this response. Here was a car from California with two men throwing out literature. What was it all about? Children hardly ever failed to respond. In one instance, a large group o f children were together and each received a tract. We called that mass evangelism! During the day we had engaged in tract evangelism, Gospel o f John evangelism, personal evangelism, chil dren’s evangelism, lay evangelism,'-pastoral evangelism, highway evangelism, and automobile evangelism. W e fre quently prayed for the receivers o f the tracts, sometimes audibly and Sometimes quietly. W e encouraged one an other with the word o f the Lord recorded in Isaiah 55 :11: “ So shall my word be that goeth forth out o f my mouth: it 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.” “ The word o f God is quick, and powerful.” - Undoubtedly many readers
will travel this summer and will have opportunities to witness to some who will never otherwise hear the gospel. Let us buy up the opportunities as the days are passing by. Carleton E. Null has accept ed a call to become Director of Practical Work and teacher of Personal Evangelism at Biola. A “ Torrey and Horton” em phasis is to be placed on evan gelism, and our objective is that every student shall be an effi cient, tactful, and zealous soul- winner. W e train pastors, but we want them to be soul-win ning pastors. W e train mis sionaries, but we want them to be soul-winning missionaries. We train Bible teachers, but we want them to be soul-winning teachers. W e train evangelists, but we want them to be soul winning evangelists. We hope by precept, example, and at mosphere to make soul-win ning the supreme passion of every student.
Some of the participants in the World's Christian Fundamentals Convention are shown in this picture taken in Toronto. Bible in hand, W. B. Riley, Executive Secretary, is shown in the center of the group. On either side of him are (left) Paul W . Rood, President, and (right) Donald ©rey Barnhouse. W . H. Rogers stands in the foreground between Dr. Rood and Dr. Riley. A t the extreme right is Carleton E. Null.
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The POWER That TRANSFORMS B y ROBERT G. LEE* Memphis, TenfiT
hundred dyes in five thousand shades have been made from black carbon tar. Fruit flavors that we eat in cake and ice cream come from tar. Take hydrogen— a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas, fourteen and one-half times lighter than an equal volume of air and 11,160 times lighter than water. Man combines this hydrogen with tasteless black carbon and with color less, tasteless oxygen and gets—what do you suppose?— white sugar. Wonderful the transformation wrought by the chemist and scientist in the realm of nature! But time will not per mit us to go more into detail just here. We pass on, there fore, asking you to observe another type of change. II. N ote the T ransformation in M odes of T ransportation and C ommunication W rought by the I nventor Once it was the horse, the scythe, the sailing ship. Now it is the locomotive, the reaper, the ocean greyhound. Once it was the beacon signal fire, the tallow candle, the bellows. Now it is wireless telegraphy, the incandescent light, the blast furnace. Once it was the kite. Now it is the airplane. Once the goose-quill pen; now the fountain pen, the type writer, the linotype. Once the hand brake; now the air brake. Once the stairway, the treadmill, the spade. Now the escalator, the elevator, the steam shovel. In this country, in 1800, there were no macadam roads. News of Madison’s election was three weeks in reaching Kentucky. Jefferson voyaged to represent our nation at the court o f Paris with hardly more advantage of travel than Columbus enjoyed. Colonial trade was carried over sea by sail and over land by caravan as when Venice was queen o f commerce. Mails and messages were speeded on their way as when David watched from the city walls for news o f his wayward boy. But today ships cross oceans, trains traverse continents in four days! Garfield was the first President to use a telephone. Now twenty million telephone stations exchange daily approximately one hun dred and seventy-five million messages for the welfare of the American people. The world is at our very doors. We view its acts of yesterday at the breakfast table. Today mills are linked to mills, cities to cities, nations to nations in a vast mutualism o f intercommunication—all the re sultant of the inventor’s accomplishments. III. N ote the T ransformations T h at H ave B een W rought in H um an L ives These are the greatest transformations o f all— the transformations seen in the personalities that become a torch for God to kindle His fires— transformations o f hu man lives that were saved out o f a life o f which self was the center into a life of which love is the center. There are names once besmirched with dishonor, now resplendent with honor; names once black with the soot of sin, now white with the snow o f righteousness; names once scarlet with shame, now fragrant with the perfume of love; names once a hiss and a byword in the mouths of
“ Be ye transformed ” (Rom . 12:2). W HAT IS TRANSFORMATION ? W h a t d oes transformation mean? In alchemy it means to change into a different substance, or the change of one metal into another. In mathematics it means to change one mathematical expression or oper ation into another equivalent to it, or having similar properties, by substi tuting new variables or elements for
Robert G. Lee
the original ones. In the electrical realm it means to change the potential of, or the type of, as a current from higher to lower voltage, or from alternating to continuous. In mechanics it means to change the energy of, as mechanical into electrical. In physiology it means the change that takes place in the blood during its passage through the capillaries of the vascular system. In physics it means the change from a solid to a liquid, or from a liquid to a gaseous form, or the reverse— all in all, it means the change of one form of energy into another. In pathology it means a morbid change o f tissue into a form not proper for the organ. l o j i f e and matters of the soul it means to change the charactef”"or nature o f— as Paul going to Damascus as a red-handed murderer and returning as a preaching saint and apostle. And it is the transformation in life that we are con- cernedrabouTin this message and— in your lives! The greatest thing in the world is life. And the greatest thing in life is love. And the greatest thing in love is joy. And the greatest joy is the joy o f the Lord as it comes in the transformed life consecrated to His service! I. N ote the T ransformations W rought in N ature ’ s R ealm — by C hem ists and S cientists A gay pair o f hydrogen atoms seize an oxygen atom and begin to fox-trot among the molecules, the three of them together—and the transformation is water, a differ ent-looking thing entirely from the gas each o f them was before the chemical fox trot. Mercury drowns itself— commits mercurial suicide— in naphthalene; and the transformation is phthalic acid— quite a transformation. The chemist marries oxygen and carbon; and the re sult of this chemical matrimony is flame, fire! The chemist, with a genius that almost awakes in us a primeval faith in magic, takes turpentine, potatoes, saw dust, pitch, petroleum, coal, and lime. He mixes them. The transformation wrought is rubber— identical in every respect with natural rubber. Coal tar, taken from our coke ovens, is transformed into dyes with all the colors o f the rainbow. And nine * Pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church.
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multitudes, now mentioned with praise and gratitude by multitudes. Men once ditch diggers for Satan are now road builders for God. Men once the devil’s debauchees are now God’s dynamos. What transformations! What a change in nature and character! Consider John Bunyan, once a swearing drunken tinker, mending old pots and pans and kettles. Transformed into a preacher he was-—a preacher who got in jail for preach ing and who, in jail, wrote a book that crawled out from the bars o f the jail and traveled more highways and walked more bypaths and knocked at more doors and spoke to more people in their mother tongue than has any other book the world has ever known, save the Bible. Think o f John B. Gough, considered a hopeless drunk ard. Bankrupt in character and in purse he was. But he was changed—-and, in turn, he led tens o f thousands to Christ and to the Christian life. And there was Matthew— despised, vulgar, greedy. But his life was transformed; and he wrote the first Gospel. And there was Peter—blundering, cursing fisherman. He lied; he skulked; he swore; he denied. But the blas phemer became the preacher, the coward became the hero, the quicksand became the rock. And there was the woman at the well-Spoor, bruised, soiled, brutalized, dirty toy o f dirtier men. A woman with five husbands, living illicitly with another. But her life was transformed— and many believed on Jesus “ because o f the word o f the woman.” And there was Saul of Tarsus. Bitter as a persecutor, thirsting for the blood o f those'wKoTielieved in JesusJcon- senting to the death o f Stephen, persecuting Christians into strange cities and rejoicing in their tortures. But his life was transformed. He became as gentle as a woman, yet as brave as a lion. He compassed the earth with the
truths of redemption, storming the capitals o f proud em- . pires, smashing the temples o f Greece, taking the hinges off the doors of nations, glorying in bearing in his body the marks and scars o f the Lord Jesus. And there was Moody—a- shoe clerk, rude, crude, un lettered. But he was transformed. Through the regenera tive transformation that took place in his heart and life, he took one continent in one hand and another continent in the other and rocked them both toward God. IV . N ote th e P ower T h at W orks T hese T ransfor mations S een in H um an L ives That Power is oft mentioned in the Bible, where names are not merely incidental, where names o f persons and places have definite and significant meanings. That Power is a Person. And, in the Bible, He is called names which are not accidental or unnecessary. He is called “ the Spirit of glory,” “ the Spirit o f life,” “ the Spirit o f grace,” “ the Spirit o f truth,” “ the Spirit o f Christ,” “ the Spirit of God,” “ the Holy Spirit.” This power that transforms is this Person o f power— the Holy Ghost. And this Holy Spirit who transforms is not a mere attribute o f deity. Not a divine influence pro ceeding from God, corresponding to the influence which proceeds from a human being. Not the will or energy of God under certain forms o f activity. Not an emanation pro ceeding from God, as heat comes from fire, as perfume comes from flowers. No. But a Person o f power—working and bringing to pass transformations in human hearts and lives and purposes and achievements beyond all words to describe. It was the Holy Spirit who inspired Isaiah to speak for national righteousness and international peace. It was the Holy Spirit who directed John the Baptist to denounce hypocrisy and sin in high places, calling for repentance as he did so. It was the Holy Spirit who uncovered the deceit of Ananias and Sapphira. And on— and on. Because the Holy Spirit comes as a Guest into every converted soul, that soul has the power to grow in the Christian graces. The Christian is the temple, the taber nacle, the sanctuary for the Spirit. And to the degree that the Spirit is given opportunity, He develops that fruit — love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith fulness, meekness, and self-control. And it is not without significance that Paul writes the Galatians o f liberty in the same paragraph in which he urges them to walk by the Spirit. What liberty we enjoy we have by coming to the truth. “ Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Every live young person knows that verse. Does he know also the companion verse: “ He [the Holy Spirit] will guide you into all truth” ? To the extent that we receive the truth given by the Holy Spirit we develop into true freedom—-freedom that is the finest use o f God’s property. What we need to do is to give the Holy Spirit an op portunity. We need to allow Him to develop in us the fruit. W e need to show that those who claim belief in Him are different from those who do not. Life, liberty, spon taneity, sincerity, aggressive evangelism, heroic self-sacri fice, growth into the likeness o f God Himself— these are the words used to express the objectives o f the Holy Spirit. V . N ote th e W ork the H oly S pirit D oes The Holy Spirit reproves, rebukes, convicts. When we see what this activity means in connection with the un belief o f the world, with our own personal righteousness, and with the devil, we understand how we: need this power to work in.our lives: “ And when he is come, he will re prove the world o f sin, and o f righteousness, and of. judg-
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ment: O f sin, because they believe not on m e; o f righteous ness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; O f judgment, because the prince of this world is judged” (John 16 :8 -ll) . The Holy Spirit gives the new birth. “ Except a man be born of water and o f the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom o f God. That which is born o f the flesh is flesh; and that which is born o f the Spirit is spirit” (John 3 :5 ,6 ). Those who are born o f the Spirit have the new heart— are new creatures in Christ Jesus. And there is no trans formation without this new birth. Thievery is in the heart before the hand steals. Lust is in the heart before the body is yielded to lustful indulgence. Lying is in the heart before it is on the lips. Deception is in the heart before it finds expression in the life, for “ out of it [the heart] are the issues o f life.” The Holy Spirit gives assurance. “ The Spirit himself' beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God” (Rom . 8:16, R .V .). “ And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Gal. 4 :6 ). Scarcely anything is more potent in Christian service than assurance. D. L. Moody said he had never seen a successful soul-winner who had not reached the point of assurance in Christian experience. The Holy Spirit produces Christlike graces. “ But the fruit o f the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentle ness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Gal. 5:22, 23). Growth in grace must be growth in experience with the Holy Spirit. Victory over the flesh life is delegated to Him. This victory may be as instantaneous as the surrender is complete. And time would fail me to tell of His work in the be liever: How He assures the believer o f sonship—-o f how He seals, as a manifestation o f God’s keeping power and the pledge o f future glory (2 Cor. 1:2 2 ; 5 :5 ; Eph. 1 :13 ,14; 4 :30 ). How He fills for a victorious life (Acts 2 :4 ; Eph. 5 :18)— how He sanctifies, or separates to God for His use (2 Thess. 2 :13 ; 1 Pet. 1 :2 )— how He abides forever (John 14:16). This is the Person who is working such wonders in the .believer, and working with such immeasurable power, whom we need to direct our lives— to prompt us in all perplexities, to help us in all hazards, to direct us in all doubts, to enable us to be channels through which God Him self is articulate. In Joseph’s day, that Spirit of God gave Joseph strength to resist a lustful woman’s dirty proposal and to become fruitful in the land o f his affliction and a ruler in the land o f his imprisonment. So will He work within us today, helping us to wear the white flower o f a blameless life. In Samson’s day, that Spirit o f God came mightily upon Samson so that the ropes upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and making his hand with only the jawbone o f an ass in it mightier and more terrible than an army with banners. So will He strengthen us today, seeing to it that no weapon formed against us shall prosper, giving us victories over evil majorities. In King Saul’s time, the Spirit o f God came upon Saul, and he opened his mouth with amazing prophecies. And that Spirit will be with our mouths today, filling them with the praises o f God and giving us messages the world needs to hear. In Ezekiel’s day, the Spirit o f God set Ezekiel down “ in the midst o f the valley which was full o f bones”—bones that were very dry. That valley was a graveyard turned upside down, the ghastly, disjointed bones scattered over all parts. Scavengers had done their work—sinews gone, flesh gone, skin gone. But as Ezekiel, by the command o f
God, prophesied, “ there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone” (Ezek. 37 :7 ). And then, as Ezekiel looked upon that scene, “ the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above.’’ * . But “ there was no breath in them.” The organized bones were as impotent as a gun in a dead man’s hand—as im potent as when they lay scattered over the desolate fields. Just an organized corpse! “ Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, proph esy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live” (Ezek. 3 7 S'). Then “ the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army” ! When the breath comes! Jowett said the breath of God converts an organization into an organism. It transforms a combination into a fellowship, a congregation into a church, a body of believers into an army o f soldiers o f Jesus. And when that breath of God comes into our hearts and upon our lives, we shall be giants wherever we have been pigmies, be clear speakers with tongues on fire where we have been stammerers, be God’s men where we have been only a fraction o f what we might have been, be spiritual athletes where we have been chilly and unre sponsive corpses. I know, I know. For that breath came upon a little disciple band— a band that was envious, a band that was jealous, a band that was weakened by timidity and fear, and that breath changed that band into a spiritual army that carried the gospel to the uttermost frontiers o f hea thendom, quenched the altar fires o f Diana, lit a lamp in Caesar’s palace— a spiritual army before which “ the world, the flesh, and the devil” became impotent— a spiritual army o f the living God.
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Youth of high school and university age who are at tending public institutions where they are being steep ed in materialistic philosophy can be easily led on to extreme measures. The great majority have aban doned all belief in divine authority, and are being sat urated with teachings exalting man's power. The group pictured at the left, at the entrance of a state univer sity, is typical of many similar college gatherings that assume the proportions and tactics of a mob. With zeal at white heat, these young people have set out to find a solution of human problems— but the only answer they know is one that leaves God out. These young en thusiasts are not ready to stop with even the "liberal ism" of some of their instructors. Atheists are right when they claim that all rejectors of Calvary-bought salvation can be welcomed into the ranks of infidelity.
International News Photo How Can THE NEW ATHEISM BeMet? B y M A U D H O W E * Toronto, Cäfiada
I have lost my own faith, but I really want to help save the faith of others,” was the message recently sent to our office. Such pleas as this one are far from rare: “ I am one o f the many troubled mothers you have the God-given privilege o f helping. My boy came home from college no longer accepting the Bible. He hoped to work his way through and then take up medicine and prepare himself to follow his late father as a medical missionary. If you can help . . .” Another mother writes: “ I want to ask earnest prayer for my two sons who lost their faith through the evolution ary teaching in universities . . . they live an exemplary life but with no belief in the Bible or a future life . . . They were Christian boys, sons o f a saintly minister . . . I have prayed . . . and surely God will answer soon.” In one year the International Christian Crusade re ceived over 5,000 letters from those losing out in faith or concerned about the lack of faith in dear ones, and in one month twenty-two people, professional and other wise, came into the office making personal contacts with us. A fine young student brought me a copy o f H. G. Wells’ Outline o f History. This book, I understand, has reached a circulation o f two million copies, and is to be found in practically every school library. An illuminating quotation from this volume follows: Jesus was some fine sort of man perhaps, but our Saviour o f the Trinity is a dressed-up inconsistent effigy of amiability, a monstrous hybrid of men, an infinity making significant promises of helpful miracles for the cheating of simple souls, an ever ABSENT help in times of trouble . . .” (Caps ours). In his chapter, “ School Boy,” Mr. Wells writes: “ He *General Secretary, International Christian Crusade.
thought Abraham, Isaac, Moses and David loathsome creatures and fit associates for Our Father.” ' ;* C haracteristics of the N ew A theism Although a frank and open unbelief such as that ex pressed by Mr. Wells is harmful to many young people, there are other and perhaps more dangerous forms o f denial o f the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian parents, Chris tian young people, and leaders in evangelical churches too' often regard as “ alarmists” those who warn o f the deadly peril o f an aggressive “ under-cover” atheism. W e o f the International Christian Crusade (formerly the Canadian Christian Crusade) would call attention to the fact that in this day there is a “ New Atheism,” a world apostasy that embraces far more followers than do merely the com munistic groups or the visible organizations such as the “ 4 A ’s” (American Association for the Advancement o f Atheism). This new atheism already claims a membership of over seventeen million members, placed in sixty-four countries of the world, working, as many atheists have told me personally, “ night and day” to bring about world revolution. The “ new atheism” ,is not the classical free thought o f the seventeenth century in any sense o f the world; it is a far more subtle and dangerous thing. The new atheism invites into its membership every cult and ism under the sun, except the teaching o f salvation through the cross o f Calvary. Its elasticity reaches out to Evolution, Human ism, Pantheism, Iscariotism, Spiritism, and the like. A universal religion is more than welcome, as it opens the way to ultimate acceptance o f the tenets o f the new atheism, which is based on human effort to attain human ideals. The new atheists boast that those who deny the Calvary atonement will soon, under the tuition o f versed atheists and radicals, lose any faith they still possess.
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neighborhoods. The young man asked help to win back two boys of twelve years who had been bribed to leave his Sunday Bible class to attend the atheist school near at hand, a group meeting in a private home. The Junior Atheist League has an active program for boys and girls. Their local branches are formed in all places where leaders can be secured. Special stress is laid on the formation of these branches in high schools. Students will thus be enlisted in organizing what they call “ Damned Souls Societies” during college years. Thus they will be trained for effective work in combating the influence o f the church. Good times, picnics, outdoor trips, and similar inducements, are the baits held out to the boys and girls. A little lad of six years came into our office the other day to sell shoe laces. W e thought we would have a chat with him and cheer him up a little, he looked so poorly clad. Did he want any such thing? Not he! W e offered him a Gospel to take home. Manly, engaging, with a wealth of possibility in his vivid little face, he told us with oaths, until we gently asked him not to use the words, that he had no use for Gospels. Further, he added that he hated the One we called God. His mother had told him that when he grew up, he was to fight against Him, and he added the words, unaware o f the terrible blasphemy, “ I’m going to knock his block off when I ’m a man.” Then he cut short our appeal by showing us money he had earned, and gloriously walked off with his head in the air— a young rebel against authority, against “ religion,” a sample o f our coming citi zen! Who is to blame? We who know Christ are guilty if we are indifferent. F ighting w ith S piritual W eapons Oh, that all true Christians may be alert to the real issues today! It is the enemy of Christ, Satan, who is behind all these attacks upon the atoning work o f Calvary. Let us seek that our boys and girls and young people may be equipped for this warfare. W e must surround _our Christian young people with prayer as they meet the forces o f atheism,. And w e must give them practical and adequate help in the Biblical prob lems that arise to trouble them. W e must be as active in helping young people to accept the Word of God as atheists are active in destroying faith in this Book. God has raised up a host o f scientific men, Christians o f true scholastic standing, who willingly help in the effort to aid college students and other perplexed individuals. D eadly O pposition — How C an I t B e F aced ? Much as we rejoice in every precious soul that has been led into faith in the Son of God, we must warn the Lord’s people that the new atheism is today more powerful and more insidious than ever before. We praise God that in the Lord Jesus Christ and His return as King, we hold the key to world problems today. Nothing can defeat Calvary’s message, but the appalling thing is that thou sands o f our young men and women are being drawn into a vortex o f infidelity by what can only be termed the “ unawake” attitude o f many Christians. The text comes to me, and I include myself in the sorrowful admission, that “ while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept,” for until eight years ago I had no idea of what was going on in the ranks of the enemy of Christ. We need to recognize the sad fact that many present leaders in atheistic circles have had at least some contact with the Christian church. How is it that we have failed we as Christians, to introduce so many who are now atheists and say they were once church members, to oui Lord Jesus Christ?
The American Association for the Advancement of Atheism received a charter in 1925. Five times a similar charter has been sought in Canada—we pray God it may never be granted, and are watching out to cut across the application every time. We praise God for authorities in many cases sympathetic to our Christian faith. But never theless, the activities of the atheists have increased under various disguises. Q uiet and P ersistent P ropaganda What are the methods employed? Members o f the new atheist cult visit hospitals, even in some cases help peddlers to propagate atheism as they go from door to door. In almost every well-known school and college in the world there is an atheist member; they have atheist workers in Christian organizations; they have atheist mem bers attending churches to offset any appeal from a Christian pulpit. Every one o f these statements can be proved up to the hilt. The Second Annual Report of the A .A .A .A . states: “ We have representatives in the principal nations o f the world . . . the 4-A seeks to establish branches in every com munity . . . the holding o f large meetings is not necessary. The silent individual propaganda with the use o f 4-A lit erature is the hardest to counteract.” Many are the influences working to tear down the faith o f youth. A fter one of the big confer ences attended by three thousand young people under Christian auspices, a writer in one of the atheist organs described the program of that con ference as valuable because it helped multiply the doubts o f the young people. Many months ago, Charles Smith, President o f the 4 -A ’s, declared, “ W e are going to undermine the churches—we are just getting started.” As long ago as 1926, Wha f s What quoted Professor Shorey, for thirty years the head of the Depart ment of Classics in the University o f Chicago, as saying: “ The commonplaces of modern liberalism are inculcated weekly in all the literary reviews without exception, and in at least ninety-nine out o f one hundred o f all university lectures and addresses. W e never hear anything else.” A Secretary of the A . A. A . A . wrote: “ W e don’t care what they call themselves as long as they knock the fear o f God out of people and tell the truth about the cess pool of Asiatic superstition, the so-called Holy Bible.” The shelves o f school libraries are packed with adverse teaching (the works o f brilliant but atheist writers), and the emphasis on all hands — with a few exceptions — is against a Calvary-bought salvation, though in many cases “ religion” may be upheld. The following is a survey sent me o f one university’s shelves : Books— favorable to evolution, 83; opposed to ‘evolu tion, 0; supporting atheistic evolution, 29; upholding theistic evolution, 3; noncommittal, 51; discrediting the divine inspiration of the Bible, 42; sustaining its inspira tion, 0; condemning Christianity and the church, 17; contending for them, 1; denying the deity of Christ, 12; representing Him as the Son o f God, 0. A th e ism ’ s P rogram for C hildren But the attack is not merely upon young people of college age. Let us remember that years ago there were 1,700 known atheist Sunday-schools in Canada and many more in the United States. Statistics now give as a very conservative number 4,000 atheist Sunday-schools in Canada. They are o f course “under-cover” societies, run ning in many cases as “ social clubs,” “ camps,” and the like. A woman and a young Christian man called in the same week from different districts in Toronto, to report a new atheist Sunday-school begun in each o f their separate
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