If you are a Sunday school teacher see page 27
THE KING'S BUSINESS
February 1956
25c
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Preacher from the North Rim Ranch sec page 34
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Outdoor living is a California tradition
California is the place of year-around outdoor living. It’s a healthful life where air and sun help build sturdy bodies. This outdoor living concept is being purposely built into the Bible Institute of Los Angeles’ new $3 million campus. Biola’s new campus is located on 50 acres just outside the downtown congested area. Christians around the world are needed to help financially in building this
great new school. Every dollar you
invest today will bring trained young people back to your church and send missionaries around the world. How much would you
¡¡Sate. IM p1
give to train another Percy Crawford? He is just one of many outstanding Biola graduates. Biola is made up of a
Bible College (offering a B.A. degree), a two-year Bible Institute, a one-year post-graduate school of Missionary Medicine, a three-year post-graduate theological seminary (Talbot).
Bible Christian Education Education
COLLEGE MAJORS:
English History Music
Philosophy Psychology (with emphasis on guidance and counselling)
Student Union Building
You are invited to write for free booklet telling the story of Biola. THE B IB LE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES , INC. 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 17, California BIOLA GRADUATES INCLUDE SUCH SPIRITUAL LEADERS AS: Percy Crawford, Dick and Don Hillis, Irwin Moon, Charles E. Fuller
HH
A publication of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Inc. Louis T. Talbot, Chancellor
S. H. Sutherland, President
•
Ray A. Myers, Chairman of the Board
■
FEBRUARY In the year o f our Saviour Nineteen Hundred and Fifty-six
Vol. 47/ No. 2
Established 1910
Dedicated to the spiritual development of the Christian home
ARTICLES FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK ....................................................................... 4 PRAYER — Poem — Martha Snell Nicholson .................................... 5 IN CHRIST IS LIFE ............................................................... ................ 9 VIOLET LANQUIST — How Christianity works .................................... TO REVIEW — Epic of Man — S. H. Sutherland ......................................... 12 TEACH US TO PRAY — Andrew Murray ................................................. 14 VICTORY IN THE GUISE OF DEFEAT — A. W. Tozer ........................ 32 PREACHER FROM THE NORTH RIM RANCH — Photo story ......... 34 FEATURES READER REACTION ........................................................................................ 6 UNDER THE PARSONAGE ROOF — Althea S. Miller ........................ 8 SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES: MARK — Chester J. Padgett ...... 16 DR. TALBOT'S QUESTION BOX ....................... 22 TALKING IT OVER — A psychologist answers — Clyde Narramore .. 23 OUT OF THE LAB — Donald S. Robertson ............................................ 24 WORDS FROM THE WORD — Charles L. Feinberg ............................. 25 THEOLOGICALLY THINKING — Gerald B. Stanton .......................... 26 BOOK REVIEWS — Donald G. Davis ........................................................ 38 ADVERTISERS' INDEX .................................................................................... 43 CHR ISTIAN EDUCATION IF YOU ARE A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER — Esther Ellinghusen .. 27 WORKBOOK — Dorothy Davis ..................................................................... 30 OBJECT LESSONS— Elmer L. Wilder ...................................................... 41 COVER For 25 years cowboy-evangelist Leonard Eilers has used his ropes and home-spun philosophy to present the claims of Jesus Christ. Between tours he comes home to his North Rim Ranch in California's San Fer nando Valley — and likely as not he'll spend a good many hours of these days at home out in the corral practicing with a rope. For a photo story on cowboy Eilers see pages 34-37. Photo : Lloyd Hamill.
editor S H. SUTHERLAND managing editor LLOYD HAMILL copy editor ROSE HARDIE editorial assistant LUCY BARAJIKIAN advertising manager MILTON R. SUE circulation manager STELLA KINTER I ■ business manager J RUSSELL ALLDER WÊIUÊSÎÊSÊKÊÊÊkà editorial board • Donald G. Davis • James O. Henry • Margaret Jacobsen Donald $. Robertson Gerold B. Stanton
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>Chorle9 t . Feinberg i Mortho S. Hooker
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Do We Understand Our Times? T he year is still brand-new, and the inventories for 1955 barely complet ed; it is appropriate that we should ask ourselves: “What understand ing have w e of our times?” That our day is complex and difficult to analyze and comprehend cannot be denied. While we agree with the poet Browning when he wrote, “God’s in His Heaven,” it is sometimes hard to go along with the next line of his poem which declares, “ All’s right with the world.” When we open our morning papers and glance at headlines which portray a drink-dulled, sex-obsessed, dope-crazed civil ization bent on destroying itself as fast as it can, our reaction is inevitably the reverse and we find ourselves exclaiming, “ All’s wrong with the world!” Certainly in the face of the conditions which exist today, we cannot sing with any conviction that “ God is still on the throne” unless we are acquainted with the Scriptures. Therein lies the secret of understanding our times — knowing the Word of God. We must learn what He has to say about our civilization. We must recognize that as we near the end of the age we are not to expect moral and spiritual improvement to keep pace with the scientific discoveries, mechanical inventions, or even the intellectual advancement of our day. God is not taken by surprise by our times, and neither will we be, if we look into His Book. To understand our times, we also must realize that the Lord is not unaware of or indifferent to what is happening. Because He is God, He has infinite patience, and He is waiting for His time when He will step in and take over and thus bring an end to this headlong plunge of our civilization to destruction. Such long-suffering on His part (as in the days of Noah) is due to His mercy and love which is still extended to sinners. As long as final judgment is withheld, there is hope for the lost. The Holy Spirit is still here to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. God will save those who come to Him through Christ and we Christians must be about our Father’s business, praying for those who know Him not, and witnessing to them, while it is day and we can work for our Lord. Furthermore, to understand our times, we must acknowledge that there never has been such an age. We live in the tensest, fastest, noisiest and yet in some ways the most enlightened period of the world’s history. Everything is stepped up to a frenzied, jet-propelled pace. The days of the quiet, meditative life are gone forever. But such times are a challenge to us and call for our very best. They separate the weak from the strong. To cope with the demands of 1956, we must live closer than ever to the Lord, and take from Him ever-increasing grace, strength and power required for such pressures as spirit, mind and body are called upon to endure. Our times are not beyond our God, and so they are not beyond us. The darkness only shows up the brilliancy of the light. He has asked of us: “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15); “ For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13). The year 1956 can be the greatest in our lives, if we correctly interpret our times, and walk in the light as He is in the light.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
prayer
WHY DOES GOD ALLOW CHILDREN TO SUFFER?
by Martha Snell Nicholson
That is a question which no theo logian can answer. Even the Bible remains silent on the subject. There is one thing, however, that I believe God will not tolerate, and that is for us, His children, to allow little ones to suffer when it is within our power to help them. The land of Greece probably has more orphans in proportion to its'pop ulation than any other country in the world. Almost 400,000 orphans out of a population of seven million! And in Greece the American Mission to Greeks has built and maintains the only Prot estant orphanage for Greek children. “ I have a little boy of ten who never felt a mother’s love,” writes Michael Belos, a blind Protestant believer in Greece. “ Being extremely poor I had to place him in a state institution where he stayed for two years. Then they dis charged him because I would not have him baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church. When I learned of your Prot estant Orphanage, I immediately took him there and was allowed to stay with him for a few days. Words fail me to express how I feel about it. Such an institution never existed in Greece be fore. If ever a new Book of the Acts of the Apostles were written, much could be said about this Orphanage and the work of the American Mission to Greeks. Of course, I know that if my son is to stay in this wonderful Or phanage, it will be necessary for you to find a foster parent for him in America. That is why I am writing this letter. Just think of my plight — a blind, for saken father, unable to offer his son anything. And yet, in spite of my blind ness, I am able to distribute a great many Scriptures and other Gospel literature.” Would you not like to be a foster parent to this ten-year-old boy? His support is only $15 a month. You will receive his picture and have the priv ilege of corresponding with him. There are other children also waiting to be cared for in the Orphanage and to attend the Christian Day School oper ated by the same Mission. It is one of the most worth-while missionary enter prises you could undertake. Or you may be interested in providing the Scrip tures this blind brother is anxious to distribute. Ten dollars will provide him with fifty Modern Greek New Testa ments. The people of Greece are eager to read the Word. They gave it to us and now it is our privilege to give it to them. Please send your contributions to American Mission to Greeks, Inc., Rev. Spiros Zodhiates, General Secre tary, P.O. Box 423, Dept. K, New York 36, N.Y. (In Canada write to 90 Duplex Ave., Toronto 12, Ontario.)
Prayer is a miracle. I, lying here upon my bed, am bound Not only by my pain but by (he laws Of time, and space, and gravity. My hand Can reach no further than the length of my Thin arm. My voice cannot be heard beyond The busy city street. Not only is My body held a prisoner here — my thoughts Are locked within my mind, and they cannot Be shared unless I put them into words. Yet I can start a prayer of faith upon A magic way which leads straight to the heart Of God Himself! What great and strange strong wings Our God has given unto prayer! If we Could see them we should shield our dazzled eyes To watch them, breathless, as they poise there for An instant in the hushed and waiting air. Wings quivering and radiantly vibrant, Trridescent, shimmering with light. Then cleaving Heaven’s deepening blue, they range Unerringly thru space, past all The planets and the host of suns, Along the softly curving Milky Way To those strange empty places in the north. No foul prince of the upper air can snatch At them with dark intent nor swerve the prayer Of simple faith one fraction of an inch From its sure course from soul of man to God. And all this in the twinkling of an eye In one beat .of my wistful heart which fain Would follow after these the prayers my soul Has breathed, and fain would sweep with them through gates Of gold, and there beyond the rent veil find At journey’s end, a tender Father’s heart!
SANDY'S MOTHER WAS DEAD. HIS FATHER WAS A DRUNKARD. His stepmother was too busy with younger children to worry about Sandy. When the American Sunday-School Union missionary first saw him, Sandy was sullen and unhappy. The missionary invited him to Sunday school, but Sandy had no shoes and his clothes were in tatters. He didn’t want to go. ' The missionary prayed about Sandy, and then the inspiration came! Maybe he could get Sandy to go to summer camp! A Christian friend, hearing about Sandy, volunteered to provide clothes and money. At first Sandy was dubious. But when he saw pictures of the camp, tried on the new clothes and got letters from regular campers, he couldn’t wait for camp to start. That week at camp was the happiest Sandy had ever known. He made new friends, played games in the sunshine with other boys and every night he lis tened to stories about Jesus. The climax of the whole week came when, at the last service, Sandy went forward to accept the Lord Jesus as his Saviour. Sandy's is a true story. And there are many other boys and girls in rural America like Sandy — boys and girls waiting for a chance to hear about Jesus and His love. Your prayerful fellowship enables us to maintain Sunday schools and Bible Con ferences, and to send missionaries to these neglected children. Will you help? Write for a copy of our magazine, THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL MISSIONARY. S Our missionaries are available for speaking engagements with thrilling pictures of their work. Write to Dept# K partment of Missions AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION 1816 Chestnut St., Philadelphia 3, Pa. "THE PIONEER SUNDAYSCHOOL ORGANIZATIONOFTHE U.S.A."
Prayer is a miracle. Beloved, let us pray.
F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 5 6
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on
J ew s IN EUROPE and Israel are living on love—Christian love! The fellowship of Christian friends, converted into CARE packages and distributed by our missionaries, means the difference between life and slow starvation to many des titute Jews. OUR ASSOCIATION now has ” missionaries at home and abroad taking the gospel message and i practical relief to needy Jews. da| ! To learn more about this gospel and relief ministry, write to: Dept. K ' Rev. A. B. Machlin, THE AM ER IC A N A S S O C IA T IO N FOR JEWISH EVANGELISM , INC. Winona Lake, Indiana , Subscriptions to King's Business make excellent g i f t s . PLAN NOW for the Spring Quarter and for \f • B* S* M FREE!
For the Waste Basket
Sirs: I thought I would give my copies of T h e K in g ’ s B u sin ess to the Prairie Bible Institute library . . . but there is hardly anything spiritual in it any more. Page after page, I find nothing for the soul . . . and it is poorly writ ten. These October and November is sues will be thrown into the waste paper basket. Hope you will put some prayer into the next issues. Three Hills, Alberta Raymond F. Rogers “ On the Other Side of the Altar,” in your November issue was shocking with its caricature drawings. No won der divorce is so common when a Bible magazine can so cheapen mar riage. Your magazine has been sliding down since you left the Bible quota tions and words “ Jesus Saves” off the cover. Long Beach, Calif. Mrs. W. R. Streeper Sirs: Just a pause in my busy day to write you. Especially good in the November issue is “ On the Other Side of the Altar,” by Mavis Campbell. I like this because it was in “ everyday” talk, frank, and to the point. Many articles in religious magazines are so glum with an everyone-is-lost atti tude. My thanks to the author for this bit of refreshing reading. It left me with a good taste in my mouth. We are a family with four children. A few months back I sent in some prayer requests. They are being an swered. I would like to have you con tinue to pray. Seattle, Wash. Mrs. Chalmers F. Elliott The editorial staff of The King’s Business meets daily to pray for the requests sent in by readers. Each re quest is prayed for individually and out loud. And each request is ac knowledged. — ED. "On the Other .Side of the Altar" Sirs:
throughout the west... the
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Samples and in fo rm a tio n o standard true-to-the-Bible liten tore available on request. Pla"book for »he nev wbit'V' B' s' e!iu,se " °ur liv,n« w « h l. a ,r6ady- Con»ains , wealth of plans and ideas, list ol materials, and previews of the course.
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news about special march issue
Last August, for the first time in our 47- year history, we devoted an entire issue of The King’s Business to present the claims of Jesus Christ to the non-believer. More than 14,000 extra copies of this special number were ordered by our readers who wished this unique issue sent to their friends and loved ones. We immediately started planning an other complete issue devoted to material for the seeker. This will be our next issue and orders should be placed immediately to assure delivery before the supply is exhausted. This special March number will be com pletely different from the August one, but the basic idea will be the same. In the language the unbeliever can understand
our writers will present the need of sal vation and the how of salvation. Then there will be two photo stories showing how Christianity works out in practice. We want to thank you for your prayers and for joining with us in getting this special issue into the hands of your friends and loved ones. For your convenience you may use the order blank above. All copies will be mailed flat in an envelope and post paid. Price is 25c each, 5 for just $1. (Many of you will want to give a year’s gift subscription starting with this special March issue — price is just $2.50, or $2 each for three or more gift orders. If you wish gift cards sent on the year orders state how they are to be signed.) Again, thank you for your interest and prayers.
F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 5 6
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M other’ s H igh Calling H appy Birthday to you; only one will not do. Bom again means salvation! how many birthdays have you?” This is the time of the year when a birthday “ epidemic” hits this family and this song is sung with happy regularity. Mother be comes a little harassed as she works at baking cakes and planning differ ent ways to honor each child. Ardyth was four the 26th; Paul Kent eight the 29th; Sharon 10 the 3rd; Baby Mark “ brings up the rear” by being two on the 11th. Since ice cream and cake are a foregone con clusion for each birthday celebration, the other children in the family are thrilled by the quadruple dose. If anyone is in ignorance of the many birthdays around here within a two-week period, it is not the fault of the celebrants. If we tried to, the others in the family could never for get these important dates. For days prior to the event there are huddles as plans are made to either make or buy a little remembrance. After all, birthdays are important since they are peculiarly one’s own day, and this family makes much of all 11 of them. As Mother whipped up the third cake the other day she suddenly felt very weary, and decided this business of four separate celebrations, each on the heel of another, was becoming monotonous, at least from her view point. Special menus for the honored ones, a cake fancied up a bit, and that all important bit of remembrance keep her hopping. But every time the birthday song is lifted high on child ish voices, and she sees the joy on each little face, Mother’s heart nearly bursts with pride and gratitude. “They’re only children once,” she prays. “ Help me give them a blessed childhood. Not many people have a family this size. May I always ap preciate the high calling and priv ilege. I gave them physical birth, but only Thou canst give them spiritual birth. Use me to bring them into Thy family of redeemed ones.” “ Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Ps. 127:3). END.
A Christian Answer to the Prayers of a Troubled World In this period of economic uncertainty and international conflict, an American Bible Society Annuity Agreement comes as an answer to the prayers of most of us. For it offers guaranteed security of income regardless of financial conditions . . . a gen erous income with returns as high as 7%, plus tax savings. Your purchase of the annuity helps combat the evils and hatreds of the world with the great power of the Holy Bible. No income could be more secure Payments on American Bible Society Annuities have been made in full and on time for more than a century. While enjoying this income security, you help the Bible Society bring the Scriptures to the peoples of the world wherever needed.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
IN C H R I S T I S L I F E
is for resolution S ’ three ways o f life
A fortnight or two after the beginning of each new year a great many of us find, with bitter finality, that the shining resolutions we made already are shattered. And so it is with all of life. We plan and we resolve and we build and we dream. And then life falls apart. And when there are too many pieces that no longer seem to fit we can face the situation in one of three ways: resentment, resignation or rejoicing. You ’ve often noted this in the lives of your friends. An almost identical situation engulfs two people. The one crumbles; the other comes through stronger than ever. It would seem then that the basic problem is not what happens to us but how we handle circumstances. The man who has never been properly related to God through a saving faith in Jesus Christ has absolutely nothing but himself in times of stress. And when self is backed into a corner life can be intolerably bleak. We retreat into resentment. We lash out at life. We blame our friends, our loca tion, our job, our luck. Or we can retreat into resignation. We play the role of the stoic. We pretend everything is all right. We bottle up our slashed feelings; we let no one view our shattered dreams. But the pieces of life are still crumpled and scattered. Then there is the third way of facing life. It is the way of rejoicing. I don’t mean the rejoicing of the sickeningly, honey-sweet suc
cess cults of our day. Things are not all right because we think they are. Our problems will not vanish simply because we repeat positive thoughts with the regularity of the sweeping arms of a windmill. The rejoicing I mean is a rejoicing in the solid, unbreakable promises of God. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I w ill give you rest. T he eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And the peace o f God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Are not two sparrows sold for a far thing? and one o f them shall not fa ll on the ground without your Bather. Fear ye not therefore, ye are o f more value than many sparrows. Yes, you are of more value than many spar rows. This is God’s view of you and your need. His provision is yours for the accepting. The Bible says, But as many as received him [Jesus Christ], to them gave he power to become the sons o f God, even to them that believe on his name. Here is His formula for becoming His child. God being God, we must come to Him on His terms. And when we do, His provision becomes ours. Before us opens a clear-cut path. It is a walk of triumph and rejoicing. And it is a walk most of us want. — L. H.
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F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 5 6
HOW CHRISTIANITY WORKS
Violet Lanquist
My prayers bounced back as if the Lord had turned a deaf ear to me
perhaps many of you have had the experience of pray ing for something and then re ceiving for your answer some thing entirely different. But then as time went on, you realized that this detour was the only way you could possi bly have gotten what you asked for in the first place. Many times we would not ask for things if we knew what we would have to go through to get the answer. It is a good thing that we don’t know because many a blessing would be lost. Such was my case. When I was in my teens, I enjoyed missionary speakers and evangelists tremendously and listened with envy. I wanted so much to have their love and concern for others, the radiant glow of rich Chris tian experiences. I had re ceived the Lord as my per sonal Saviour and knew my sins were forgiven, but I felt I was missing out on my share of the blessings intended for every child of God. So I began to pray more earnestly that He would in some way make 10
me usable in His service. I knew it would take humility, patience, love and a faith that worked. That was a pretty big order. I didn’t realize that faith could not be had by pressing a button, n6r that the trial of my faith and long- suffering would make me patient; I only knew what I wanted. What’s more, I want ed it right away. After a year of college, when I was 19, I had a severe attack of pneumonia which lasted several months. Unable to go back to school, I enrolled in a correspondence school of commercial art. The course was extremely difficult for me as I knew nothing of the fun damentals of art nor had I de veloped my talent. I had to pray more and more as each assignment came along. The Lo rd was m y t e a c h e r ; I couldn’t have completed the course without His help. Then came the blow. I had just received my diploma from art school. One morning I woke up with a severe throbbing and fever in my right wrist. I had no idea
what it was. I went to see a doctor and found out that it was arthritis. I expected it to be over within a few weeks but I was sadly mistaken. For six months I couldn’t pick up a pencil or fork, I couldn’t tie my shoe or comb my hair. My world had to come to an end. My violin playing had to be stopped. I complained to the Lord, asked Him why and never got an answer. Hadn’t I given Him my life, my tal ents, my all? It just wasn’t fair. I wasn’t able to work at all so my pride was deeply hurt as I had to live off the fami ly. My father wasn’t working regularly, yet he al ways managed to pay the mounting bills. For two years I kept doctor ing and waiting, all the time continually telling the Lord that I was of no use to Him in my condition. Gradually the pain subsided some and I was able to twist my hand about in a certain position so I could draw. I was filled with self-pity, yet would let no one sympathize with me. Then the Lord began to bless me
THE KING'S BUSINESS
and I continually used them so they were weakened more and more. I didn’t let that stop me at all. I began t e a c h i n g Child Evangelism again and was made director of the area. I also conducted a radio pro gram. I felt led to go back to college for more schooling, so I added 17 credit hours to my busy schedule. Later I re ceived a catalog from the In ternational Child Evangelism Fellowship Institute in Cali fornia, and definitely felt the Lord leading me to go there. I was never so sure of any thing before. I began telling everyone at school I was go ing, although I had no money. In four weeks the Lord sup plied plane fare and much more. M i r a c u l o u s things have been happening ever since. In my teacher-training program I make good use of the psy chology, speech, music and ear training I had at school. After completing the Institute, I be came employed by Child Evangelism Fellowship. The Lord has privileged me to help hundreds of housewives make their own flannel backgrounds for their Good News Clubs, teach art at the Institute, and do all the art work for our area office. The Lord has a purpose for each step of our training; the pieces of my life fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. I could never accomplish what I have in the field of art if my wrists were not stiff. It is just a gen tle reminder that I am de pendent upon Him, “my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Only through pain have I really accomplished anything. I think He helps those who have suffered enough to see they cannot help themse l ve s . I have learned in the hard, real school of life that our Sav iour’s cleansing forgiveness and grace and love are suffi cient at all times. END.
At the time, I didn’t realize the goodness of the Lord to me. He kept me cheerful to the public, but when I was alone, I thought about poor me and my attitude toward the Lord was quite different. On many nights, the pain was so bad I couldn’t pray. At times when I could pray, it seemed as though my prayers bounced right back at me. It seemed the Lord had turned a deaf ear to me and I was not ready for Him to heal me. Finally, in desperation and cowardliness, I asked the Lord to take me home. No answer, n o b o d y seemed home Up stairs. So I had to wait and let Him speak to me. I read my Bible through, claiming prom ises. The Lord intended me to live, so I had to think it through. Others Were on beds of affliction all the time, may be that’s where the Lord wanted me. It took a long time to resign myself to the fact that I would be willing to stay there always if it were His will. Again I prayed. The Lord knew I was sincerely willing to give up all that was outside my room. I was willing, but He would have to give me something to do, and right now. From that time on, I be gan to recover. It was a very slow process, the pained joints had to take much torture in learning to move again. The Lo r d had hea rd and a n swered! I was assured in my heart that I was over this stage of my trial even if others doubted. All trace of pain left me. I was so over joyed, I used my hands more than ever before. I spent much of the winter outside in the brisk M i nn e s o t a wea t he r snow- s cu l p tur i ng , making some 20 snow figures. I was determined to keep up with my music, so I started piano. I went at it too hard, and my fingers and wrists became stiff from overexercise. My hands had been afflicted the most
with more determination than ever. I decided I would go to Bib l e s cho o l and perhaps change my career to Christian teaching. I worked my way through school with difficulty. Slowly, other joints began to ache, my feet most of all. Upon gradu ating, I took a job as parish worker for two months. By the time I was through, I could hardly step on my feet at all. I had become interested in Child Evangelism work so when I went home I began teaching a class in our home. After some time, my physi cal c o n d i t i o n hindered me from teaching. I started doc toring again. I tried every kind of medication and pill. Most of each morning was spent in getting up and getting dressed. Through those long trying months, the Lord was very precious to me. If I had not been a child of His, I don’t know how I could have lived through it. This verse in Isaiah speaks for me, “ In re turning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in con fidence shall be your strength.” I was set aside from all the activity of Christian service I loved so much. A bed was car ried down from the third floor and in that bed I learned many lessons. I often ques tioned why the Lord had al lowed those 15 years of prac ticing violin, five years of symphony; now never to be used again. It hurt me deeply to give up everything, to let the family wait on me. It was at this point that I l ea rned a little bit about praye r . I wept , I prayed , others prayed. I had no doubt in my mind that the Lord could heal me instantly, but His purpose would not have been completed. The trial of my faith was to work pa tience. How I thank God for a praying church! Each day two of the ladies would come over to visit me. We shared many blessed times together.
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By Dr. S. H. Sutherland
review A Christian critique:
The Epic of Man in L ife magazine
I n the October 31, 1955 issue of Life magazine there appeared a publisher’s preview of a series of articles entitled, “ The Epic of Man.” In this preview the editor stated that this series would recre ate “ the high points of man’s prog ress; how he discovered fire and invented tools; how he learned to hunt beasts, clothe himself and cook; how he painted the first pic tures and developed religion and language; how he learned to farm; and how, at last, he came to lay the foundations of the great cultures of our Western heritage.” With this build-up it was only reasonable to expect that here at last would he presented some fac tual evidence in connection with the earliest phases of man’s exist ence upon the earth. Comparing Science with the Bible Of course there is an appreciable amount of material dealing with the origin and early history of man which is found in the Word of God. And it is always of interest to see how the discoveries of science fit into the truths that are already written in the Word of God. It is to be expected that the facts of nature and the facts of the Word of God will prove to be the same because the God of creation and the God of revelation is one God. For practical purposes the gen eral subject of science may be defined as “ a body of facts system at i cal ly arranged and showing the operation of general laws.” A fact, of course, is that which has been proven to be true and about
a scientific point of view, separated the entire article from true science. Keeping in mind the fact that sci ence is “ a body of facts systemati cally arranged, and showing the operation of general laws,” the reader was amazed at the number of times doubts and questions and probabilities occurred in the article. Indeed over 50 times the words “ s omeh ow , ” “ a b o u t , ” “ it is thought,” “may. have been,” “ prob ably,” “perhaps,” “mig;ht have,” “ it appears now,” and their equivalent were used in the article. There was hardly a paragraph in it in which these surmises were not expressed in one way or another. It is indeed a rather tragic situation when an article of such reputed importance, supposedly based on scientifically verified statements, is so completely filled with probabilities and possi bilities and admitted figments of the human imagination. It becomes even more tragic when the reader discovers at the end of the article that the editors of the magazine are preparing “A discussion outline on each article of ‘The Epic of Man’ for educators and adult discussion groups.” One wonders what can possibly be studied in the article that is of any value whatever, in view of the utterly unscientific ap proach which runs throughout. If the claim had been made that the article was scientific fiction such as the writings of Jules Verne or H. G. Wells, it would make very inter esting reading. At the end of the article there was a rather imposing list of scien-
which there can he no question of a doubt. During the past years Life has produced a very distinguished line of articles dealing with various phases of contemporary history and events in our modern life. But this new series was far from following in the factual footsteps of these earlier articles. The reader could not read far before some questions began to emerge. For instance the article stated that philosophers and theo logians alike “ accept the fact of man’s relationship to animals and his physical evolution from them,” and they find “ no point of conflict with the religious concepts of di vinity and immortality” in the theory of evolution. Indeed, one rather famous Baptist minister, Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick, was quoted as saying, “ today the general idea of evolution is taken for granted as gravitation is.” Such sweeping statements are not scientific in the least. If only the article had said that some theolo gians, or even if it had gone so far as to say, most theologians accept in general the theory of evolution, there might have been some basis for making such a statement. But to put all theologians in the same class as those who believe in the theory of evolution is overstepping the bounds of scientific statements to a marked degree. Certainly Dr. Fosdick does not speak for the en tire theological world. But as one read further there began to take shape a far more damaging fact which indeed, from
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sense of the word. It leads, in the final analysis, to a rank form of humanism; which is merely the glorification of man himself, and the complete elimination of God from man’s thinking. So-called “ theistic evolution” is simply a weak attempt on the part of some Bible-disbelieving theolo gians to compromise and to try to harmonize their particular views of the Bible with the theories of the scientist. It is neither scientific, nor is it scriptural. Thank God, there is a great body of believers who may be found both within the denomi nations and without who take their stand upon the Word of God and who repudiate all of the theories of men’s imagination and who firmly believe the statements as they are found in the Word of God, “ In the beginning, God created.” Further more this great body of believers triumphantly reads from the reve lation of God Himself to man, the majestic statement that all of life was created “ after its kind.” The logical conclusion of an orderly creation is that there must be a Creator. The Word of God never proves that there was a Creator, it simply states the fact, “ In the be ginning, God created.” Indeed the Word of God does not seek to prove anything. One of the great unique features of the Holy Bible is that a statement found therein is sufficient to make it a fact so that it does not need further proof for its authority. It is the Word of God which has been believed by men and women of past generations, which has fed and bred spiritual giants and which has created a holy nobility of men and women who lived victoriously by its principles and who died tri umphantly in the glorious assur ances which were found on its pages. The theory of evolution can never satisfy the longings of the human heart. It leaves a great void in the thinking of men when they seek to discover the whence, the whither and the why of their exist ence. Men reach a far higher nobil ity of thought when they revel in the great truths of the Word of God than when they wallow around in the slime and muck of primordial matter out of which they attempt to pull themselves over the unchar tered millions of years of bygone history. END.
and the findings of other so-called experts. Of course it would be ne cessary, in order to justify a cred ible theory, to obtain a series of facts sufficiently numerous to estab lish a norm. These facts must also be significant, that is, of such a na ture that proper conclusions may he drawn from them. The uncertainty which the Life article admits takes it. altogether out of the rank of a demonstration of fact; indeed it takes it out of the realm of theory or hypothesis and leaves it com pletely in the realm of man’s idle dreams concerning the origin of modern man which it' assays to explain. Development Within the Species The article itself is very disap pointing as far as its contribution to the geheral knowledge of man is concerned. Nothing new whatever is presented and the old theory that has been the hallmark of the hu manistic scientist for many years is simply dressed up with pictures and data most of which has been unverified and is unverifiable. The theory of evolution would not be seriously considered were it not for the fact that it has so completely colored the philosophy and, indeed, the theology of so many leaders in these respective fields of human thought. It must be understood, of course, that there is a vast distinction to be kept in mind between what scien tists call “ evolution,” and “ develop ment w i t h i n spec i es . ” No one denies the latter. The former is admittedly unproven and after all of the years spent in the vain and futile effort to prove it, it is per fectly safe to say that the theory of evolution is evidently unprov- able. Anyone can see development within the species at work, even in one’s own lifetime. And certainly fossil remains that can be identi fied and which do not have to be “ restored” reveal the fact that there is a great deal of development within the species. We find new breeds of dogs emerging from pre vious greeds and the same is true in all members of the animal and vegetable kingdoms. But this is not to he confused in any way whatever with the theory of evolution. Evolution in its es sence is definitely anti-God, anti- scriptural, anti-Christian in every
tists and institutions to which ac knowledgement was made for in formation provided in connection with the entire article. It certainly does not enhance the scientific stature of any of those who are thus named to be identified with an arti cle so completely filled with mere imagination and unverified state ments. The Pseudo-Scientific Method The utterly hypothetical nature of the whole evolutionary theory is well expressed in the quotation “ piecing together the evolutionary sequence through which Homo Sapiens Sapiens came into his great inheritance, anthropologists postu late that both man and apes are descended from a common primate ancestor which lived about 30 mil lion years ago toward the end of the Oligocene epoch. Al though the remains of this creature have not been discovered, it is thought that he must have resembled the mon key-like animal , Limnopithecus, whose remains were found in East Africa.” The article then proceeded to enumerate an extended listing of ape-men whose skeletal fragments had been discovered in quite re mote regions of the world and who are supposed to be in the line of descent from “ this creature” which has not as yet been discovered. This is an example of the pseudo-scien tific method which is used through out the article, and which takes it out of the realm of true science. The skulls and skeletons which have been used as a starting point for the advancement of the theory of evolution are rarely discovered in complete form. Not only is their relative age a matter of pure spec ulation, but they themselves are often fabricated from very doubtful fragments. This work of forming a pre-historic apelike man or man like ape, as the case may be, is known as “ restoration” and many experts admit its lack of scientific certainty. But to the evolutionist these “ restorations” comprise a lengthy chain. Each link in the chain, however, has its own oppor tunities for error, and many other wise trustworthy invest igators whose facts have been generally accepted have been slightly less than convincing when they began to generalize on their own findings
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Here’s a simple yet powerful lesson in the school o f prayer
Teach Us to Pray
B y A ndrew M urray
T he disciples had been with Christ, and seen Him pray. They had learned to under stand something of the connection between His wondrous life in pub lic, and His secret life of prayer. They had learned to believe in Him as a Master in the art of prayer — none could pray like Him. And so they came to Him with the request, “ Lord, teach us to pray.” And in after years they would have told us that there were few things more wonderful or blessed that He taught them than His lessons on prayer. And now still it comes to pass, as He is praying in a certain place, that disciples who see Him thus engaged feel the need of repeating the same request, “ Lord, teach us to pray.” As we grow in the Chris tian life, the thought and the faith of the beloved Master in His never- failing intercession becomes ever more precious, and the hope of be ing like Christ in His intercession gains an attractiveness before un known. And as we see Him pray, and remember that there is none who can pray like Him, and none who can teach like Him, we feel the petition of the disciples, “ Lord, teach us to pray,” is just what we need. And as we think how all He is and has, how He Himself is our very own, how He is Himself our life, we feel assured that we have but to ask, and He will be delighted to take us up into closer fellowship with Himself, and teach us to pray even as He prays. Come, my friends! Shall we not go to the blessed Master and ask
Him to enroll our names too anew in that school which He always keeps open for those who want to continue their studies in the Divine art of prayer and intercession? Yes, let us this very day say to the Master, as they did of old, “Lord, teach us to pray.” As we meditate we shall find each word of the peti tion to he full of meaning. “ Lord, teach us to pray.” Yes, to pray. This is what we need to be taught. Though in its beginnings prayer is so simple that the feeble child can pray, yet it is at the same time the highest and holiest work to which man can rise. It is fellowship with the Unseen and Most Holy One. The powers of the eternal world have been placed at its disposal. It is the very essence of true religion, the channel of all blessings, the secret of power and life. Not only for ourselves, but for others, for the Church, for the world, it is to prayer that God has given the right to take hold of Him and His strength. It is on prayer that the promises wait for their fulfillment, the kingdom for its com ing, the glory of God for its full revelation. And for this blessed work, how slothful and unfit we are. It is only the Spirit of God can enable us to do it aright. How speedily we are deceived into a resting in the form, while the pow er is wanting. Our early training, the teaching of the Church, the influence of habit, the stirring of the emotions — how easily these lead to prayer which has no spir itual power, and avails but little. True prayer, that takes hold of
God’s strength, that availeth much, to which the gates of heaven are really opened wide — who would not cry, Oh for someone to teach me thus to pray? Jesus has opened a school, in which He trains His redeemed ones, who specially desire it, to have power in prayer. Shall we not enter in with the petition, Lord! it is just this we need to he taught! O teach us to pray. “Lord, teach us to pray.” Yes, us, Lord. We have read in Thy Word with what power Thy believ ing people of old used to pray, and what mighty wonders were done in answer to their prayers. And if this took place under the Old Cove nant, in the time of preparation, how much more wilt Thou not now, in these days of fulfillment, give Thy people this sure sign of Thy presence in their midst. We have heard the promises given to Thine apostles of the power of prayer in Thy name, and have seen how gloriously they experienced their truth: we know for certain, they can become true to us too. We hear continually even in these days what glorious tokens of Thy power Thou dost still give to those who trust Thee fully. Lord! These all are men of like passions with our selves; teach us to pray so too. The promises are for us, the powers and gifts of the heavenly world are for us. O teach us to pray so that we may receive abundantly. To us too Thou hast entrusted Thy work, on our prayer too the coming of Thy kingdom depends, in our prayer too Thou canst glorify Thy name:
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