November 1928
658
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
interest or even to interest them in things that are good would hardly justify the existence of this great institu tion. We must interest them in fundamental and eternal things—in the things of Jesus Christ and the Christian life —and interest them in such a way that the mind is in structed, the heart is swayed by the right emotions and the will is brought into subjection to Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. To help us in accomplishing this, the use of the Biblical material is imperative. • Unless the Sunday school can accomplish this, there is little use in trying to save it as an institution. Rader on Winrod The Christian Courier, edited by Rev. Paul Rader, has the following to say of Rev. Gerald B. Winrod, leader of the Defender movement, who has just conducted a Gospel campaign in the Rader tabernacle in Chicago: “Gerald B. Winrod, this mighty messenger, previously was unknown to us at the Tabernacle; but because of Oswald J. Smith’s recommendation we were sure that he was the messenger for our listeners. We know him now for himself. We love him now. We thank God- for him, and will hold him up in prayer as he goes elsewhere to bring streams of living water from God’s Word. “Brother Winrod has given time, thought and prayer to. his message before he comes to the platform. Then the Holy Spirit is with him in power and sweet unction as he delivers it. He is a young man, but old in thought and wisdom. He never lacks grace, art nor poise. He has humor and strong personality, besides a heart filled with tenderness and love. He knows very much for his years, but, thank God, he is as teachable as a child. We love and honor the man, and thank God for the many wonder ful messages, day after day, coming to us in increasing understanding, establishing power and inspiration. He has promised to come for another campaign. How gladly we will welcome him, and how very thankful we are to him for all he has brought to us of the wonders of Christ!” Due to the discontinuance of certain Bible courses by some students, during the past few years there has accum ulated in the storeroom of the Correspondence School a number of broken sets. Realizing the value of such studies, and feeling that there might be missionaries of the cross in foreign lands who might be able to use these studies to good advan tage, the Secretary of the Correspondence School offers FREE to such workers, studies in one or more of the fol lowing subjects : Doctrine, Gospels, Old and New Testa ment Chapter Summary. As we have but a limited number of lessons on hand, this offer can only be made to missionaries in home or foreign work. Drop a card requesting lessons, stating which subjects you prefer, to Secretary Correspondence School, Bible Institute of Los Angeles, 536 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, California. Free Bible Lessons to Home or Foreign Missionaries
sake worth saving? If the implication that runs all through the article is true ; namely, that the Sunday school is an institution which isn’t doing much good or fulfilling any real purpose—why try to save it? Surely there must he more in the influence and history of the Sunday school, imperfect as it has j been, than Mr. Ullman’s experience would seem to suggest. Here we are faced with the danger of judging from personal or even individual group experiences. In con trast to Mr. Ullman there are thousands and thousands of people, young and old, who will testify to all that Sunday schools and Sunday-school teachers have meant in their lives. It is not and has not been our experience after many years of varied Sunday-school work, that in general the condition is that of a “holy war” between teacher and pupil. This condition is more the exception than the rule and is quite rapidly being changed. It should, furthermore, be noted that this charge, though usually an unfair one, is not peculiar to Sunday schools. Poorly informed people still often speak of the secular teacher as “the pupil’s natural enemy,” though in general it is an absolutely false characterization of both the secular and Sunday- school situation today; Hard as it may be for some to believe, there are today thousands of boys and girls who go to Sunday school, not with lagging step, or like “dumb, driven cattle,” but because they are interested and want to go, and feel that there they are getting something vital and worth while. It isn’t that the Sunday school needs sav ing—it needs improving that it may fulfil its destiny in helping to save boys and girls. Another thing that needs to be said is that the idea of improving the Sunday school is not at all new and much is being done along that line today. Mr. Ullman’s success was largely due to correct pedagogical, psychological and common-sense methods. He was earnest, faithful, pre pared, interested and interesting, got into the boys’ world, used self-activity, appreciation and other correct prin ciples. Every course on Sunday-school-teacher training emphasizes these things, and all the great denominations, through their educational boards, are trying to bring this work to their teachers. On account of many evident con ditions which we have not room to discuss, the work moves slowly, but it is coming, and much improvement is being made. Hundreds of classes of junior and inter mediate boys and girls are organized in a parliamentary way and carry out their activities much as this class did. As To S ub jec t M atter One vital matter on which we have to take issue with Mr. Ullman is regarding the subject matter used in teach ing. He says that “boys of 10 or 11 are too young to get much benefit from direct study of the Bible,” so he takes •other lessons in which they will be more interested. We feel that here Mr. Ullman makes two mistakes. First, j that boys can’t be interested in the Bible. This is not true. The writer has repeatedly seen boys of this age so intelligently and vitally interested, either in their memory work or regular lessons, that there could be no thought of substituting other material for the sake of interest. Any teacher who is an earnest Christian, the right kind of a Bible student, who thoroughly understands boys and girls .and has aptness for teaching, has no trouble in making the Bible interesting. The same kind of interesting methods that Mr. Ullman used in his teaching should be brought to bear on Bible material. Another mistake, we believe, is the assumption that the great object of the Sunday school is to interest the pupils. Surely we must interest them, but in what? Merely to
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