A monthly column of names in the news
Hollywood has invaded Formosa, reports Orient Crusade’s “ Far East News Service.” Twentieth-Century Fox is building sets in Taipei to shoot “ Inn of Eight Happinesses,” which is the life story of Gladys Ayl- ward, missionary to inland China in the early ’30s (featured in The Reader’s Digest condensed book section titled “ The Small Woman,” Aug., ’57). Ingrid Bergman, an actress much publicized for her unstable love-life, will play the lead. President Chiang Kai Shek has loaned the film company 5,000 Nationalist soldiers to help make the film. Although Miss Bergman’s choice to portray Miss Aylward has been widely pro tested, the missionary has dedicated the entire project to the Lord. She has personally visited every loca tion where the shooting of the film will take place and has “ claimed the ground for God and the testi mony of Jesus Christ. W e’re setting people to praying all over,” says The Small Woman, “ that Miss Bergman may be converted as a result of being in the film.” Across the East China Sea, Men- nonite Missionary Carl Beck recently loaded his car with tapes and scripts and set off on a one-week tour of his rural Japanese parish. Result:
24 “ farmer stations” are now car rying weekly gospel programs to 15,000 farm families (an audience of perhaps 100,000 listeners) for about 8% c per week per station for a 15-minute broadcast. The stations operate on a direct-wire hookup with loudspeakers in each farm home. “ These families depend on it for news, entertainment, culture, disaster warnings, telephone and telegraph messages,” says Beck. “ At suppertime we’re assured of an al most 100% listening audience.” The possibility of space travel has at least one theologian doing some airy thinking. “What,” asks Dr. James M. Malloch in the Anglican Theological Review, “ has God done to redeem those beings inhabiting other planets or do they need re demption like the human race? D o e s t he Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 extend beyond our planet earth? Or if we found another faith on Mars, would we have to accept it as the gift of God to another planet with which we had no business whatever to inter fere?” Mused Malloch: “ Theolo gians have handled successfully [other] problems raised by Coper nicus, Galileo and Darwin. Let them now tackle the serious theo
logical problem raised by Mars.” Billy Graham having recently fin ished his 28-day Carribean tour, turned up the following statistics: he and his team traveled 6,000 miles, spoke in 21 cities and 17 countries. Graham addressed 398,- 950 persons himself, his team an other 499,630 people. Recorded de cisions: 6,494. On April 27 Graham opens his San Francisco Crusade with 1,077 churches co-operating. With the announcement by Har old Street, executive director of Evan gelical Literature Overseas, that October 12 will be “ World Mission ary Literature Sunday,” comes other news of missionary literature gains. Trevor Shaw's French publica tion Envoi will soon have an edi tion in Lingala, the language of the north-central Belgian Congo. John Robinson, director of Overseas Mis sionary Fellowship Publishers in Manila has issued a four-language catalog called “ Literature for Life.” Betty Elliot's Through Gates of Splen dor is being translated into the lan guage of Finland, Germany, Hol land, Japan, Norway and Sweden. Jack McAlister's World Literature Crusade swings into its 11th year and works in 50 countries and is supported by 110 denominations.
The King's Business/ApriI 1958
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