Japan's Future Advance <** In an effort to meet the challenge of the continued open doors in Japan, the Evangelical Alliance Mission is calling for another 100 missionaries within the next two years. The plan calls for doubling the missionary per sonnel and a program of progressive evangelism in strategic locations throughout Japan. Advances are also being planned in the medical, educa tional and literary fields of service. Dissatisfied Souls Word from missionary Don Hillis in India stresses the need of literally millions in that great land. Writing at the beginning of the year, he points out that the possibility of reaching the masses of India in the time which remains, by any other means than the printed page, is remote. He reports that the work under his hands is the largest evangelical correspondence school in India with enrollment ap proaching the 5,000 mark. The course is just off the press and the goal is to have at least 10,000 enrollments for this course during this year. Tomb of Peter Without being a surprise to any one, the announcement came at the end of the Holy Year that the tomb of St. Peter and possibly the bones of the great Apostle lay beneath the great basilica which bears his name in the city of Rome. The build-up for this announcement has been coming on for the past decade and the issue has been argued in theological circles since the beginning of the Christian Era. The language of the discovery was far more restrained than it could have been, indicating the grave doubts that surround fhe actual verification of the so-called find. More to the point would be the announcement that the great Apostle had in his lifetime endorsed the strange and unsc.riptural teach ings of the Roman Catholic church. The important thing is not where the bones of Peter repose, but what the words of Peter mean for today. China Crisis J* A special bulletin from the China Inland Mission tells that the super critical situation in China has brought about plans for the withdrawal of a large number of missionaries. Word also comes that a Director’s Confer ence is to convene in Melbourne, Aus tralia, early in February to make fur ther plans for the crisis. A special call to prayer is also given, particularly Page Twelve
by the Supreme Court that this rul ing was in violation of the First Amendment. The occasion of the de- | cision was the appeal of Rev. Carl Jacob Kunz, a Baptist minister, who had been fined $10 for violating the New York City law. Rotary Ban There was both real surprise, and in some cases, utter amazement at a recent edict from the Vatican con demning the attendance of Roman Catholics at Rotary meetings. While the Rotarians protested complete in nocence, most other business men and service clubs were shocked at an order which seemed to them to be almost unbelievable. The Rotary club, as most everyone knows, is a service club for business men, holding meet ings once a week with the idea of helping one another. The truth of the matter is that there was no mistake, and this is just another outcropping of the true nature of the Roman Catholic Church. While perhaps it was somewhat ill- timed and a possible overstepping of good diplomacy, there is no doubt that the order is genuine and the reason behind it is a basic and funda mental one in the Roman Catholic code. Far too many Protestants are totally unaware of the narrow bigotry and utter ruthlessness of the Roman Church in connection with any sort of toleration of outside organizations. Church Merger Talk A new plan for the merging of seven Protestant church groups with a total membership of over 14,000,000 has been drafted by a conference on church union. These include the Con gregational Christian Church, Pres byterians of the U.S.A., Presbyterians of the U.S., Methodists, Evangelical and Reformed, Disciples of Christ and the International Association of Community Churches. The plan of union declares that the forces of evil can be better resisted by a group witness, but that each local church would determine its own mode of worship, baptism and ad ministering of the Lord’s Supper, and local churches would retain title to their own property. It is to be expected that these merger movements will grow more and more, and actual merger accom plishments will take place so that during the coming time of the Great Tribulation it will be an easy thing for the world ruler to bring under one banner all churches. T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
By W ILLIAM W . ORR, D.D. regarding the safety of the children and for the movement of these mis sionaries. It is further added that this is a prayer call and not a financial appeal. Flu Epidemic <£ A new influenza epidemic which has already taken many hundreds of lives is sweeping through Western Europe this winter. Physicians along the north German coast say the epi demic is the worst in 15 years and Swedish authorities report it as the most devastating of the last decade in that country. Old timers will re member the terrible death toll of the 1918 flu scourge which almost en circled* the earth. Medical authorities believe the world much better able, at the present time, to care for such outbreaks of disease, yet this attitude often engenders a false optimism, for as soon as one kind of disease is con trolled, two other new types spring into prominence. Fifty to One «** There is comfort, after a sort, in the news that Lloyds of London is now quoting 50-to-l odds against the outbreak of another world war at the present time. The basis is a result of a policy written for the Canadian Philatelic International Exhibition to open in September. There was some fear that the exhibitors might not be too willing to risk their precious stamps if an atomic war were in prospect so the sponsors asked Lloyds for insurance. The premium quoted was 2% on the insured value of the stamps. Religious Rule Illegal •s* The Supreme Court of the United States, in a recent decision, outlawed a New York City ordinance which required permits for holding street corner religious services. It was held
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker