It is readily granted that Roman Catholicism in the Unit ed States appears under a far different guise from that in so-called Roman Catholic countries. This has been true in the past. It is the same now. But no one should be so naive as to suppose that this condition is in the least satisfac tory to Rome. On the contrary, this condition exists only because the Roman hierarchy recognizes the fact that re ligious freedom is so firmly entrenched in the minds and hearts of Americans that Rome does not dare assert its auto cratic and dictatorial powers. To elect a Roman Catholic President would be tantamount to allowing the camel's nose in the Arab’s tent. In view of Rome's own claims that "Rome never changes", it would be expected that it would be only a matter of time until reli gious liberty as we would know it would be a thing of the past and we would find ourselves under the same domination under which peoples are living in Catholic countries today, and have been living during past generations. If an out-and-out Communist and a Roman Catholic were to be nominated for President of the United States, there might be no alternative but to elect a Catholic. But such an al ternative does not now exist, nor is it likely ever to exist. The Republican candidate has demonstrated his ability to render this country most valuable service, and is unalter ably opposed to the church over state ideology, so certainly the only logical thing for us as Americans to do is to de clare once more by our vote unqualified opposition to having any man in the White House who would ever be faced with the choice of violating his own religious convictions or ful filling his constitutional responsibilities to the United States. The electorate faces issues which transcend polit ical affiliation. The United States is predominantly a Protestant country. This is a time when Protestants should unite and declare once again that this land must continue to enjoy religious liberty, and must not in any way be domi nated by a foreign power, whether religious or political in nature. If the Roman Catholic candidate is elected in November, it will be only because Protestant Christians are putting political affiliations before the great religious convic tions of men of former generations like Martin Luther, John Calvin and the other great reformers who repudiated the po litico-religious system which attempted to suppress their consciences and to dictate every phase of their private lives. The election this coming November will disclose in large measure just how strong are the convictions of the Protestants in the United States. It will be a sorry situa tion indeed if we as a country allow our religious convic tions to become subservient to political affiliations. As Christians, we must be much in prayer that the Lord will rule and over-rule in the affairs of this nation, that His will may be done, and this beloved land of ours may continue to be a place where one may worship God according to the dictates of his heart and conscience. Paul said, "With a great sum obtained I this freedom." With a great price we too obtained our freedom. Let us keep it that way.
D R . W I L L IA M CU LB ER T SO N President, M o od y Bible Institute speaks on the fundamentals of the faith. CHR IST ’S COM ING AGAIN “The Holy Spirit through Peter said, ‘In the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming?’ (II Peter 3:3, 4). And so the denier of Christ’s return is fulfilling another prophecy given in the same Bible that announces His return. “This blessed hope, this promise of the glorious coming of our great God and Saviour— both His coming for and His coming with His saints— is necessary to the rounding out of the program, the climaxing of God’s working in history. The perfection of God’s people, the re ward of the good, the punishment of the evil, the setting right of earthly relation ships, the blessed restoration of God’s ancient people, the answer to the believ ing prayer of centuries — ‘Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,’ the entering of our Lord into His crown rights as King of kings and Lord of lords— all these await the day of His coming. “While recognizing his place and his responsibility in the present society of which he is a member, the believer in the Word of God sets his course according to the teaching of that Word. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away’; so he may not live only for material things. ‘Each one of us shall give account of himself to God’ ; so he must live now with that accounting in view. ‘He (Christ) must reign’ ; so he, the believer, is willing to be in the minor ity, willing to bear the reproach of sin ners, for his eye is on another day. ‘My reward is with me’ ; so he waits his revela tion, his recognition and his reward.” Every Christian should have a copy of Dr. Culbertson’s book God’s Provision for H oly Living, a happy blending of Bible study and practical exhortation. 112 pages, paper bound. For your free copy, write Moody Bible Institute, Dept K-0-869, 820 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago 10, Illinois.
OCTOBER, 1960
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