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infancy narratives in Luke may be properly called ‘myth ic,’ if ‘mythic’ be understood as the other extreme from ‘scientific’ ” (p; 293). These philosophy teachers and advanced students were not at all aware that to present as a myth what the Gospel presents as a fact is base treachery. mHUS I WAS surrounded by three different schools of -*■ thought as to what the presentation of the Gospel should be. The Aristotelian static absolute, the mystic, and the mythic members of the group all wanted to know what I could possibly mean by saying that I would not teach a child anything which was not based upon reasonable scientific evidence. A S A NEWCOMER, I tried to be brief and to avoid dom- inating the discussion. I answered to the effect that the entire matter of Christian evidences could be exem plified by what Dr, Machen used to say;' There was once a dead body, the blood drained from its veins and the heart pierced with a spear. This body was embalmed in chemicals and wrapped in ancient grave bandages, and laid away in a rock-hewn sepulcher. A great stone had been rolled to the door of the sepulcher, the seal of the most powerful government on earth had been placed upon the stone, and a detachment of soldiers stood guard lest anyone disturb that dead body. All of this was in a critical environment among a people interested in what this dead body represented, the majority of whom were intensely hostile. This was in an age of literacy (the evidence of this is abundant) equal to the modern age. The prevailing political party who had caused the death of this body did not believe in the resurrection or even in personal -immortality (Matt. 22:23-33; Acts 3:8; Jose phus, Antiquities XVIII, 1, 4, War IP8, 14). They denied the existence of angels and spirits (Acts 23:8). This political party had determined to crush the movement centering about the Man who now lay in the grave. T HAT DEAD BODY came forth alive and glorious on the third day ;vthe grave was empty and all the facts and circumstances put together made the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ the best attested single event in ancient history! O F COURSE, many of the historical references in my brief statement were not understood by members of the group.. They were philosophers, not at .all acquainted with New Testament Introduction or first century evi dences. For over an hour, they kept me explaining the evidences for the resurrection of Christ. I was asked to lead the discussion two months later, and the entire eve ning was devoted to Christian evidences centering about the New Testament times. T HE ONE PHRASE which I have heard more frequently than almost any other in this group of philosophy students and teachers in the past few months is, “I never heard of scientific evidences for the Christian Gos pel!” There is genuine interest. Would it not be won derful if God would send a revival in these great uni versities in the New York area? He did send such a re vival in the universities in -Europe at the time of the Protestant Reformation. He did send such a revival in Yale at the time of Timothy Dwight. Some of these bril liant, atheistic philosophy teachers and graduate stu dents are definitely open to conviction. This is one of the greatest mission fields in the world. Pray for me and for them. N OT LONG AGO a professor related a conversation he had with another professor, a thorough modernist, Federal Council man, and a teacher in the department of religion in a modernist school. Said my friend: “I told him the evidences for the resurrection of Christ. He
THE HEAVIEST CROSS Annie Johnson Flint
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it is not Hit cross that is heavy; it it those that our hands have made That hinder us on our journey. On our aching shoulders laid; There is strength for the load He gives us, And balm for the thorn He sends, But none for the needless burdens And none for our selfish ends. We bear a burden of sorrow; We carry a weight of gold; We cling to some treasured idol, And will not loose our hold; We bend beneath troubles and worries; We drag the load of a wrong; And we cry that the cross is heavy, And sigh that the way is long. Let us drop the sin that besets us; Let us cast aside our fears; L e t .us give our grief to Jesus, And break our pitcher of tears; Let us learn of the meek and lowly Who giveth the weary rest; Let us take His yoke upon us, And walk with Him abreast; For His yoke is easy to carry, And His burden is light in weight; He will do His share of the labor, For He is a true yoke-mate. Are we weary and heavy-laden? Are we anxious and full of care? That is not the cross of His giving. But the one that we make and bear.
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replied by saying, ‘I know what the evidence is. I am convinced that something quite remarkable took place in Jerusalem shortly after the death of Jesus, but I do not know what it was that took place. I have no ex planation.’ Then he said, ‘But you cannot accept the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus, for then you would have to be a fundamentalist!” ’ T REPLIED, “He is-right!’’ -You dare not accept the evi- dence unless you are ready to go all the way. You may accept or reject many scientific conclusions without their materially altering your life. But you cannot ac cept the resurrection of Christ without a revolution in your thinking and a total commitment of yourself to Him.
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