October 1943
363
Around the King's Table LOU IS T. TALBOT, Editor-in-Chief
closed doors, .without either the help or the interference of the outside world. In the interests of understand ing our ally, LIFE magazine* *■ fea tured the U.S.S.R. in a recent issue, with the following statement in in troduction: “ Of all the great countries of the world, the U.S.S.R. is the ^ least known to Americans. For twenty-five years, the Soviet Un ion has lived and grovyn behind a wall of secrecy and suspicion. Within the Soviet State free jour nalism did not exist. Foreign re porters w e r e rigidly restricted and foreign photographers were generally stopped at the borders. Hence the world’s picture of the •U.S.S.R. today has been formed through a h a z e of propaganda, pro- and con.” However, there ^re . Christians in Russia. Persecution'has failed to ex terminate that whjch is a living force. God has preserved His rem nant here, as always. “With God all things are possible.” Pray for the Christians in Russia, and continue to pray that mere Survival may yet be come revival, and that the Lord will again open Russia to the Word of God which is her greatest need. their imaginations: “ changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man . . . and changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Rom. 1:23-25). Man-centered civilization, religion, and philosophy is often referred to as the “rule of humanism.” God is elimi nated, and man is made the measure of all values. But the “wages of sin is death.” And civilization—mankind —commits suicide: when its goal is mhde the service of humanity rather than the glorifying of God. • Salvation is free. But, as some one has said, while salvation is as free as air or water, there is an expense in “ piping it to the ultimate con sumer.” There is an expense in car rying the gospel to those who live in the darkness of heathendom. Yet, how small is that cost in comparison with the cosj of war! How many people THE LOW COST OF EVANGELIZATION:
The program of the Communist Party since the ‘Revolution of 1917 has been actively antagonistic against' religion. This anti-religious policy has operated along two lines: the negative aspect is expressed in de priving the Church of property and support, in denying religious groups the privilege of spreading their doc trines, and in the arrest, imprison ment, exile, and even execution of religious leaders. The positive aspect takes the form of anti-religious pro paganda and definitely anti-religious t e a c h i n g in the State-controlled schools, and through the activities of the Young Communist League and other atheistic organizations, in or der to educate the people, especially the young and plastic, concerning the “dangers of religious supersti tion.” There is much of the story that we do not know. Soviet Russia has seen' fit to develop her new State behind THE HIGH COST OF KILLING: • When Julius Caesar went forth to war, the average expense involved in killing an enemy, soldier was 18 cents. In the first World War, the average expense involved" in killing a com batant was $18,000; in the present World War, it is estimated to be $52,000. No set of figures shows more graph ically what is happening in this “ad vanced stage of civilization.” The stored-up wealth of the world, the fruits of thousands of years 'of man kind’s savings and sacrifices, the mass products of modern science and invention—all are being poured into the enterprise of killing on the most colossal scale ever known to history. This is what had to happen v^hen mankind turned its back upon its Creator, rejected the Word of God, and spurned the love of Christ. There are two forms of civilization, of philos ophy, and of religion; there are two ways of life. One, is Creator-centered; the other is creature-centered. In the first chapter of Romans, Paul tells of how men became vain in
PRAY This month, pray especially for Russia and Russian Chris tians. “To Meet Russia’s Greatest Heed” “I was born in White Russia. My heart* is greatly burdened for the Russian, Ukrainian, and Polish peo ples. It is my desire to go there, to work among my country men.” —A Young Polish Christian. The two young people pictured on the cover are representative of that larger number of Russian Christian youth being trained, at such institu tions as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and similar schools*, to take the gospel of the grace of G,od into Russia as soon as opportunity is af forded. That need, as every Chris tian will recognize, is Russia’s fore most requirement. Sadly, such leaders as Francis C. Stifler, of the American Bible So ciety, have to report: •i “There has been no Bible print- ting,' distribution or importing in to Russia for many years, and ’ we have no positive -indications that this situation will change in the immediate future. It is Rus sia’s g r e a t e s t need, without doubt.” Since Russia and the United States of America have become allies .in war, America has supplied her with many things to meet her needs. Our lend-lease aid embraces three cate gories: war machinery, food-stuffs, and raw materials. These contribute to her physical energy in defending her land against an enemy. But, in common with all mankind, Russia has a spiritual enemy, and the con cessions she has made to that enemy during the years of her godless pro gram have constituted a spiritual re trenchment which has made her need vastly greater. *The two young people In the picture are stu dents at the Hussian Bible Institute, 14 Park Rd., Toronto , Ont., Canada. The photography was arranged through the kindn^s of Peter Deyneka, one of the Directors o' hP Russian Institute, and General Director <-/ he Russian
Significance of the News By DAN GILBERT San Diego, California
Gospel Association. *'*March 29, 19*43.
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