March, 1940
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THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
ecstasy. What an inspiration to see those great crowds gather as they did morning, afternoim, and night in the beautiful church auditorium! I be lieve that no more powerful testimony iS being given on the American con tinent than that which goes forth from that platform. We enjoyed fel lowship with Dr. Talbot, the faculty, and the students of the school, and we believe that greater days than ever before are ahead of them.” The Lord has indeed been working in the lives of the Institute students. Many have spoken of a renewed ear nestness to live wholly for Him, and the following testimonies are but ex amples of widespread rejoicing. “The messages of the Torrey Memorial Con ference have intensified the desire within my heart to know and make known the Christ revealed in the holy Word of God,” declared a young man who will be graduated in the June class. More than one heart echoed the words of a young woman from Michigan when she said, “The power of the Holy Spirit to make my life more radiant for the Lord Jesus Ohrist if I would but yield to His ministry —this truth brought about new sur render for me.” . A recent graduate of the University of California, now a student at Biola, said: “The very practical approach of the conference messages applied the challenge of the Word just where it is needed; »they were a real encouragement to better Christian living and more zealous serv ice.” Hundreds, both of students and of guests from outside the school, agree that the conference aim is being fulfilled in their own deepened ex perience of knowing Christ and mak ing Him.known! Gospel Fellowship Association In a commendable effort to promote a greater unity among orthodox Chris tians throughout the nation, Evangelist Bob Jones has taken the lead in organ izing the Gospel Fellowship Association, which has its headquarters at Cleveland, Tenn. He has become impressed with the need for more widespread harmony among evangelical Christians every where, not through organic union of all churches, but in a manner which he describes thus: “The Association is making a sin cere effort to unite individual ortho dox Christians in the harmonious task of getting the gospel of the grace of God to as many people as possible in the shortest time pos sible . . . It is my opinion that Christians have now the greatest .opportunity that they ever had to tell as individuals the gospel story to a hungry-hearted world.” . .
Views and Reviews Of Current News By DAN G ILBERT Washington, D. C , and San Diego, California
MILITARIZING AMERICA: More than a year ago, this writer pointed out the danger that “war hysteria” would be engendered in our nation’s Capitol and throughout the country. At that time, we endeavored, to measure the “hys teria” in terms of propaganda; it can now be calculated in dollars and cents— from the standpoint of the ever-increas ing military budget. Here is the record of our swelling armaments expenditures. The army-and- navy appropriations in the federal bud get are as follows: 1933- 34 ..........................$540,356,000 1934- 35 .............. 729,931,000 1935-36 ......................... . 921,684,000 1936- 37 ,... 935,114,000 1937- 38 ...................... 1,027,841,000 1938-39 .......................... % 1,119,810,000 1939- 40 ....................... 1,734,342,253 1940- 41 .......__________ 2,116,169,000 And the end is not yet! Super-navy enthusiasts are suggesting that an addi tional $5,000,000,000 will be needed within the next three years to “round off our armed forces.” Yet, already some nine billions of dollars have been poured into war preparations, including the proposed budget for the coming year.’ In view of such stupendous war prep arations as these, it may be in order to ask, “Whom are we getting ready to fight?” The well-known international affairs expert, John T. Flynn, supplies this answer: • “These war preparations are not for uqe in South America or in Europe or against a ,Russian and German invasion. They are being.. prepared to fight in Asia against Japan. . . . Do the American people want to fight a war in Asia for any reason that is visible now? If we have a war in Asia it will be for one reason. There will be the usual bunk about civilization and democ racy. But the real reason will be trade—trade for a few dozen large corporations. Do the American peo ple want to fight a war in the Orient about trade? Well, that is what they are being prepared to do. And that preparation is carrying us into an era of military economics with all that will mean to our busi-
ness, our social patterns, our ideals, our democracy.” THE REAL SOVIET STRATEGY: In view of the Soviets’ costly reverses, their loss of men and supplies as well, as world prestige, many observers have marked down Stalin’s invasion of Fin land as a colossal blunder. Some even go so far as to suggest it was lacking in sense from the beginning. Even if it had succeeded as a “lightning” con quest, similar to Hitler’s drive in Po land, would the seizure of so small a nation compensate for the loss of piiblic opinion throughout the world? Stalin must have known, in advance, that his invasion of Finland would alienate so-called “liberal” opinion throughout the world. Stalin was will ing to pay this price because conquest of Finland is absolutely indispensable to what seems to oe a secret long-range objective. That objective is to make of Soviet Russia a first-rate naval power. In carrying out this design, Leningrad must be the center for naval construc tion. And a mere glance at the map will reveal the reason that control of the shores of the Gulf of Finland is necessary for the security of such a project. The Estonian, or southern, shore was obtained by coercion. These tactics did not work on Finland; but Stalin is so determined to control also the northern shore that he is willing to make any sacrifice, however costly, to secure it. In building a great navy, Stalin will need the iron ore of Sweden, and the nickel of Northern Finland. Soviet su premacy must be established in Scan dinavia.. Contrary to the opinion of some, there is no reason to suppose that Stalin’s design is in conflict with Hitler’s. Hitler’s ambition is to smash the British Empire; to do this, he will need a strong navy—what is more natural than to let Stalin supply it ? It seems fairly clear now that Stalin and Hitler are working together on a long-range proposition. The Nazi and the Soviet revolutions are merging. What Stalin is trying to do in Finland appears to be but the first step toward a world program to be carried out by Soviet Russia in collaboration with Nazi Germany.
Faith never yet outstripped the bounty o f the Lord,
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