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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
The Work and The Workers By Wm. W. Orr
THE%
J
BUSINESS
Official Publication of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated
Congress on Prophecy A committee of over 50 well-known Christian leaders has issued a call for an International Congress on Prophecy to be held in New York City November 9 to 16 at Calvary Baptist Church. The committee feels the time ripe for a re examination of the tremendous amount of Scripture dealing with end-time events. Outstanding Bible scholars of international ministry will be among the expositors of God’s Word for this con gress. New Secretary Rev. Clate A. Risley, successful Spo kane pastor, has just been called as General Secretary of the National Sun day School Association with headquar ters in Chicago. Mr. Risley, a graduate of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, has a splendid record of both church and Sunday School building and will seek to promote the revival and well being of the American Sunday School. Christ for Everyone October will mark what some are call ing the greatest co-operative evangelistic campaign within the present generation. More than 15,000 evangelical churches are expected to participate in this cam paign, which will close with an eight- day preaching mission. This movement does not stress huge meetings but urges Christians everywhere to become active in reaching their own communities. Pre-Election Prayer Sponsored by the Great Commission Prayer League, a call is being issued for Wednesday, October 29, for Christians to observe a day of prayer for our nation. Pastors, Christian leaders and broadcasters are asked to suggest that in homes, schools and churches a time be set aside to remember the forthcom ing election and to ask for God’s guid Evangelist Jack Wyrtzen of the Word of Life Hour, along with Carlton Booth, soloist, plan to conduct a ten-months’ preaching mission in New England. A number of county-wide evangelistic cam paigns will be held, followed by a series of monthly rallies. Sixth Annual Plans for another Bible Lands cruise have been announced by Dr. Joseph P. Free, professor of archaeology at Wheaton College. In the middle of Feb ruary, 1953, a group will sail from New York City, making calls at several of (Continued on Page 18) ance for our land. Ten-Months' Tour
Louis T. Talbot, D.D.
Betty Bruechert Managing Editor
William W. Orr, D.D.
Editor in Chief
Associate Editor
No part o f this magazine may he reproduced without permission All Rights Reserved
Vol. 43
OCTOBER 1952
No. 10
The Work and the Workers, William W. O rr ...................................... 3 Editorially Speaking.................................................................................... 4 Was the “ Wine” That Jesus Made Intoxicating? John L indsay. . . . 5 Dr. Talbot’s Question B ox .......................................................................... 6 The Christian Movement in Education, Wallace Emerson ................. 7 What Shall the Harvest B e ? .................. 10 Can We Believe Genesis? Frederick A. Tatford .................................. 12 When the Fig Tree Puts Forth Leaves, Elmer H. Nicholas ............. 14 Ye Serve the Lord Christ, Edward W. Goodrich .................................. 16 Struck Across With Urgency! Edwin Raymond Anderson ................. 18 Watch Out for the Whitewash! John E. Boehmer ........................... 18 Poem, The Perfect Song, Helen Howarth Lemmel ................................ 18 Junior King’s Business: If We Suffer, We Shall Reign, George Oestreich .................................................................................... 19 The Bible in the News, William W. O rr ................................................... 20 Book Reviews, Donald G. Davis .................. 21 Biola Family Circle....................................................................................... 22 Young Peoples Topics, Chester J. Padgett ............................................ 23 Testimony to Israel....................................................................................... 28 Sunday School Lessons, Homer A . Kent, Allison Arrowood ............. 29 Poem, Isaac Watts ......................................................................................... 36 Object Lessons, Elmer L. Wilder ............................................................. 37 Picture Credits: Cover, p. 9, Eva Luoma, Weirton, W. Va. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION—“ The King’s Business” is published monthly; $2.00, one year; $1.00, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REMITTANCES—Payable in advance, should be made by bank draft, express, or post office money order payable to “ The King’s Business.” Date of expiration will show plainly on outside of wrapper or cover of magazine. ADVERTISING—For information, address the Advertising Manager, 568 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 17, California. MANUSCRIPTS— “The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts -mailed to us for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, Cali fornia, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act of February 28, 1925, embodied in paragraph 4, section 538, P. L. and R., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. ADDRESS: The King’s Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, California.
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forth and feel assured that these silent messengers will do the work that God has planned for them to do? The great field of literature distribu tion is as yet very inadequately cared for by Christians. False cults and dis honest movements have become fully aware of the tremendous potentialities of the printed page. There is no scarcity of misleading literature and, as a mat ter of fact, it would seem that the true is often completely submerged under the flood of the false. Many Christians honestly admit their inability to deal with the unsaved on a personal basis. When it comes to speak ing about Christ, they choke up and cannot find words to say. We believe there is answer to this deficiency in a complete dependence upon the Spirit of God. But for these people there is also another field—that of distributing good gospel literature. One should be exceedingly careful of that which he gives out. Tracts should speak in unmistakable terms of the ne cessity of the blood atonement and the sacrificial work of Christ for sinners, exalt the inspiration of the Scripture and call men and women to godly liv ing. Christian literature should be well- printed and good paper used. Let this then be your field. Take your own funds and purchase suitable litera ture, committing its ministry to God; then undertake, by means of personal distribution, to reach the lost. Heaven alone will reveal the extent of this ministry. God’s Giants Called Home T HE past month has brought to our desk a number of sad announce ments of the home-going of a number of God’s great men. These messages call forth mixed emotions. We are happy for the men themselves who now are able to look into the face of the One whom they have served so faithfully on the earth. We are sad, because of the termination of ministries which have been blessed of God to so many hearts over the. years. Our hearts ache for the near and dear who are left behind to fulfill their courses without the com panionship and comfort of the dear ones who have gone on before. Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, President of the Dallas Theological Seminary since its founding in 1924, went to be with the Christ he loved so well August 22, at Seattle, Washington. Certainly here was a man of tremendous stature before God whose life and ministry has influenced more than a thousand young men who are today preaching the un searchable riches of Christ across the world. Dr. Chafer will be longest re membered, no doubt, for the monumental work of his eight-volume Systematic Theology, the climax of a lifetime of study, which was published in 1947. Always a man who lived very close to God, Dr. Chafer’s impression upon the lives of his “ boys” will live forever. Last month, Dr. Robert C. McQuilkin
The Will of God T HERE seems to be little question but that age is associated with wisdom and the passing of the years brings more complete understanding. While it is certainly true that youth has enthusiasm, there is danger that such zeal may be either misguided or fruit less. What is so important in the life of any Christian as that he be in the cen ter of God’s will? This is the place of protection, of true success and of eternal profit. In the last analysis, what else matters to the child of God if he is in the center of God’s will? God plans all things. He plans the small details of insect life, directing the honeybee in her flight, guiding the bur rowing earthworm back and forth, pro viding for the fishes of the sea. The large things of the universe are His also. It is God who undertakes to water this vast universe, drawing up unbe lievable quantities of moisture into the atmosphere and distributing it over the thirsty land. It is God who endowed the moon with power to affect the tides. No one can have his eyes open and fail to observe the multitudinous ways in which God’s wisdom plans the universe and all that is therein. Now man is the highest of God’s created beings. He alone has thinking intelligence; he alone has an apprecia tion of God. Unbelievable as it may seem, it is our understanding that the universe and all that it contains is built around the future of the sons of men. Now with all this being true it is unthinkable that God would not have a carefully-wrought-out blueprint for the life of His children. This does not apply to those outside of Christ, but only for those who have come into the thrilling relationship of a child to a Heavenly Father on the basis of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus. This plan has to be detailed for ofttimes what we consider as unimportant turns out to be of great est importance and God uses small things to bring to pass great happen ings. Nor is there any lack on God’s part. By His omniscience He is able to
care for the multitudinous details in volved in planning a life, and His love dictates a personal interest in working out the very greatest eventual profit for the object of His affection. How then to enter into the immeasur able profits of such a will: that is the problem. Well, thanks be to God, there is no mystery about this; there is no highly esoteric entrance. It is as plain and easy as the mere surrender of one’s will. If the child of God will come through the door of Romans 12:1, 2, noting carefully Philippians 4:6, 7 and every day putting into practice Psalm 37:5 the will of God will be absolutely and automatically operative in his life. Experimentally, the problem is not in the initial committal; rather, it is the question of staying committed. That is something to which the Christian should pay grave heed every day. The Chris tian’s own heart should be reminded that he does not his own will but the will of his heavenly Father and that his responsibility is crystallized in the one term yield. Success in God’s sight is not neces sarily the measure of man’s success. God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Our vision is but partial and we see through a glass dimly but when we stand in the open place of God’s glory and behold things as they really are, we shall then have cause to rejoice that we have walked in the will, plan and purpose of our Heavenly Father. This is the way of true success; this is the goal of the Christian life. The Ministry of Literature T HE letter read, “ After carefully reading your booklet on how to be come a Christian, I knelt before the Lord and received Christ as my own personal Saviour. From that day I have known real joy and happiness.” Is it not a marvelous thing that we may take a few pieces of paper, cover these pages with quotations from the Word of God and an earnest exhortation to receive Christ as Saviour, send them
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schools, theaters, hospitals, post offices, city hall, court house, parks, airports, police and fire departments.” Amazing, isn’t it? What can be done? It’s a long road back to some semblance of sanity in this whole picture but there are some encouraging signs. Little by little sections of the country are voting dry. Perhaps, under the stimulus of sensible education and certainly with a definite reliance upon God for His wis dom and guidance, this monster evil may be pulled down. At any rate, here is something to add to your prayer list. Was the ''W ine" that Jesus Made Intoxicating? By JOHN LINDSAY I cannot believe that the “wine” made by our Lord Jesus for use at the wedding feast at Cana of Galilee was fermented and intoxicating, as some claim. It is well known that two kinds of wine were used in Palestine and such Eastern countries, one of these being the fresh juice of the grape as drawn from the wine-press. This fresh grape juice is invigorating and stimulating, but is not intoxicating. A noted traveler in such countries tells us that the juice of grapes, used fresh, or after being boiled down, is in common use there, and he found that this sweet, non intoxicating wine was esteemed as being the best wine. The other kind of wine is made from grape juice that has been exposed to the air for a time, and has fermented and become intoxicating. It is unthinkable that our Lord would make intoxicating wine in the face of the interdictions concerning it in the Bible. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1). “ Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright [ferments], at last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder” (Proverbs 23:31,32). Jesus could never be a party to risk turning a wedding feast into a drunken carousal. Little wonder it was said to be the “ good” (or best) wine, for it was the freshest and purest and best ever made, because of Him who made it. Was Jesus at all likely to use pure water to make a fermented and intoxicating drink ? The priests were forbidden to use fermented wines when they entered the Holy Place in the old tabernacle (Leviti cus 10:9), (Ezekiel 44:21), and the use (Continued on Page 27)
churches and their maintenance, and more than 10 times the amount spent for libraries. It is 17 times as much as was spent for federal security, old age, nurse’s training, and vocational agen cies, eight times as much as was spent on veterans’ pensions, 70 times what was spent on the Red Cross, and more than 100 times the amount used for fighting diseases such as polio and can cer. It was 23 times the amount sent for aid to Greece and Turkey. All this for booze in a single year in Christian America! “ Ask the average person, as I did a young lady in my office, ‘Could you count a billion dollars if I gave it to you in one-dollar bills, or carry it home in silver dollars?’ “ ‘Oh, yes,’ she replied, ‘I could get some wheelbarrows, carts and bags and eventually lug it home.’ “Well, she could carry about one car load in one year and would be more than 10.000 years on the job! “ Let us further imagine our huge liquor bill in one-dollar bills. A bank clerk, 20 years old, working eight hours a day, 300 days a year and doing nothing but counting the money at the rate of 120 bills a minute would, at the age of 70, have counted only 864 million dollars. In 555 years he would have the pile of money counted. So, don’t let any body tell you he can count a billion dollars in a lifetime. He can’t. “ Let us pave an imaginary road around the world with dollar bills. Laid end to end they would reach a total of 912.000 miles or 36 times around the earth, in a road 8 feet wide. “ What Liquor Money Would Have Bought “ Now, let us imagine just a few of the useful things which our huge liquor bill would have purchased. Any one of the following items. “With a world-wide housing shortage today, we could have bought or built 1.606.000 small family cottages at $6,000 each; or 192,800 small-town school- houses costing $50,000 each; or 96,400 churches at $100,000 each; or 48,200 small hospitals at $200,000 each; or 6.400.000 automobiles at $1,500 each; or 385,600,000 suits of clothes or dresses at $25 each. We could have placed 4.800.000 missionaries in fields all over the world at a salary of $2,000 each; yes, and we could place a new copy of the Bible, God’s Holy Word, costing $4.50 each in the hands of every man, woman, and child on earth. “ This sum also would have purchased 96 billion loaves of bread for the starving millions all over the world. And amazing as it may seem, we actually could have built 20 modern cities of 100,000 popula tion each fully equipped with huge office buildings, modern homes equipped with water, gas and electric services, sew age, railroad and terminal equipment, bus and streetcar stations, stores,
went to be with the Lord after a life of forty years of tireless spiritual serv ice. Another outstanding man of prayer, Dr. McQuilkin will be best remembered through his association with Columbia Bible College, Columbia, S. C. Rev. Archie McNeill, very well known for his conference work on the Pacific Coast, went to be with the Lord follow ing an automobile accident near Port land, Oregon. Word has just reached us concerning the home-going of Dr. Frank Norris, energetic, militant pastor of the First Baptist Church of Fort Worth, Texas, and until very recently also the pastor of Temple Baptist Church of Detroit, Michigan. And so it is that the roll of God’s servants is called. They are told to come up higher and our prayer should always be that God will raise up additional men who will become giants in the study and in the presentation of the Word of God in order that the will and work of God may go forward without interrup tion until our Lord returns. How Big is $9,000,000,000 A N article appearing recently in the factual People’s Magazine sets forth some figures we believe ought to be studied by every thinking American. The figures used in this article show the extent of America’s bill for intoxi cating liquor in a recent year. These are dreadful enough but it is far worse to know that they are still climbing. We have become so accustomed to using the terms “millions” and “billions” that we have little or no conception of what they really mean. “ Let us imagine having this enormous sum of money in silver dollars. The dollar weighs one ounce, is one and a half inches in diameter and one-eighth of an inch thick. An ordinary railroad box car holds 30 tons or 60,000 pounds. This means that in order to transport our huge pile of liquor money, it would require 10,041 box cars, or 201 locomo tives each pulling 50 cars. The line would be 76 miles long and would re quire more than two and a half hours traveling 30 miles an hour, to pass a given point. Now let us lay these silver dollars flat on the ground edge to edge. They would form a line 228,000 miles long, encircling the earth nine times! “ It has been little more than a billion minutes since the birth of Christ, over 1900 years ago. Think of it. The people of this so-called Christian nation spent at the rate of $9 a minute since the birth of our Saviour—for this accursed poison —in a single year! “ All This for Booze “ This is also about three times the amount spent for all kinds of public and private education, more than nine times the sum spent by all religious bodies for
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question: “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” “ And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism” (Acts 19:2, 3). Let us pause here to note that their very answer to Paul’s question shows that they were on Old Testament ground, as Paul himself goes on to state in verses 4-6. When Paul explained to them that they had to believe in the Christ whom John preached, then “ they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And . . . the Holy Ghost came on them” (Acts 19:5,6). Up until this time, they were not believers in the New Testa ment sense at all. They had been look ing forward to a work which they ex pected God to do for them, being ig norant of the fact that He had already finished that work on Calvary. They admitted that they knew nothing of the meaning of Calvary—till Paul explained it to them. A teacher in our Sunday school says we should not teach children the Ten Commandments, . because we are not under the law, but under grace. What is your opinion? It is a serious mistake to make such a statement, for “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correc tion, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). I think, however, that I know what this teacher meant. Let us approach the question from her point of view. Very often children, and older peo ple too, are taught that they must keep the Ten Commandments, in order to be saved. That is legalism, and no man was ever saved by keeping the law. It is God’s holy standard, “our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ” ; for “ by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law reveals to us the holiness of God and the utter inability of man to keep it in his own strength—or to keep it at all, for that matter. Now we know that Christ was “ born under the law,” and that He kept it absolutely, perfectly, because in Him was no sin at all. We know also that He kept it for us; and that by His finished work on the cross, we are saved. God sees us identified with Christ. We are justified; God’s holy law is vindicated and magnified. We are no longer under
the law, but under grace. The law is exacting. The law is stern. And the pen alty for breaking it is death. We should emphasize the grace of God, making children and older people see first of all the great love of God in Christ unto salvation. But, on the other hand, we should teach them the Ten Command ments to show them God’s holy stand ard, to show what our Lord did for us in keeping the law, and in delivering us from the curse of the law. Moreover, the Ten Commandments have a restrain ing influence on anyone who will read them. And, finally, “ the great command ment,” which sums up the law, is “ the law of love” ; “ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart . . . and thy neighbour as thyself.” I believe unequivocally in the state ment in Second P e ter 1:21, “ The p roph ecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” There are many other unmis takable evidences that our Bible is di vinely inspired. Our Lord Jesus Christ testified to the divine origin of the Old Testament in quoting it on a number of occasions, and by using it to refute the temptation of the devil. His word is final! The apostles also quoted from it freely, believed it and preached it. They testified to the inspiration of the New Testament. (Read 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19-21.) Let us think now of the ful filled prophecies—and they are legion— and they prove beyond all doubt that the Old Testament foretold the message of the New, and the New quotes and fulfills the Old. Add to these evidences the power of the living Word to regenerate and change the heart and the life which is unmistakable proof of its divine in spiration. Then let us think of the mar velous unity of the Book, written over a period of thousands of years, by dif ferent human instruments of varying degrees of education, in different lan guages, and in different styles of writing. Such circumstances as these would ordinarily make for anything but unity, and yet we have this one wonder ful Book, with one message, telling the story of the one and only Saviour of men. Do you believe in the divine inspira tion of the Bible? It puzzles me to un derstand how it was compiled.
Dr. Louis T. Talbot
When will Philippians 2: 10, 11 he fulfilled—“ That at the name of Jesus every knee should how, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” ? When Christ comes to rule in His glory, during the millennium, this con dition will prevail, but in the case of many unsaved nations, bowing the knee and confessing the Lordship of Christ will be enforced by Him who will rule the nations with a rod of iron. However, after the millennial reign is over, and the great white throne judgment has taken place, and the eternal ages begin, there will be no enemies of Christ left, for they will have found their place in the lake of fire, and so all who remain will bow the knee and confess the name of Jesus forever and forever in love for Him who redeemed them by His own precious blood. If believers receive the Holy Spirit at conversion, as many teach, why did Paul ask certain disciples at Ephesus, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” (Acts 19:2.) The Scriptures clearly teach that a believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit when he believes. Galatians plainly speaks, “And because ye are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” One becomes a son of God when he be lieves on the Lord Jesus Christ as John 1:12 definitely states: “ As many as re ceived him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” “ Because ye are sons”—not because of anything else —“ God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts.” Now for your question, let us examine Acts 19:1-7 carefully. Here we read of a company of men to whom Paul puts the
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T H E K I N G * S B U S I N E S S
THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT IN EDUCATION
By Wallace Emerson, Ph.D.*
A | > HERE is a growing movement among evangelicals toward the establishment of Christian day schools on both elementary and second ary levels. Such a movement must be due to a deep-seated feeling of need as we can see from the additional finan cial burden. In this day of high prices, high taxes and high building costs, ad ditional burdens are not willingly ac cepted except for the most urgent rea sons. For each new school organized is an additional burden since our taxes for public schools must be met and indeed should be. Evangelical Christians traditionally have been vigorous and loyal supporters of the public school system. Under no circumstance can they be accused of any antagonism to it in theory or practice. Heretofore, certain religious groups, notably Catholics, Lutherans, Seventh Day Adventists, and others have been committed in part at least to the paro chial school idea, but not evangelicals. How then is this changing attitude motivated? There are several reasons which can be enumerated. First let us say that, traditionally, private and parochial schools existed side by side with the public schools; or perhaps it would be more correct to say that a few public schools existed side by side with private and parochial schools, since the latter greatly out numbered the former during colonial times and the early years of our na tional life. When the public school movement be gan, since there was no established church and America, rightly we think, became committed to a policy of the separation of church and state, there was a tacit compromise relating to the public schools. Since we could not agree upon what denominational or religious viewpoints should be taught in the pub lic school, it was agreed that no view- *Chairman of the Department of Christian Education and Education, The Bible Institute of Los AngeVes.
points of any kind should be taught; that there should be a complete separa tion of the schools from sectarian in fluence; but equally implicit in this understanding was also the firm con viction that irreligion should not be taught directly or by implication. A secularization of the schools seemed to be necessary, but a bias against religion was neither advocated nor thought ol and indeed was repugnant to the whole national way of thinking. This spirit of neutrality has not al ways obtained in our public schools, and the tendency of American life to become more and more secularized, to ignore religious values more and more, has left educators with the feeling that they themselves are possessed of a sort of divine right, by reason of their profes sorial status, to decide what education in general should or should not teach. This has left Christians with the feeling that the public schools, because they are a function of the state, have had the same tendency toward assembly-line methods and that there is an increasing statism evident in educational even as in governmental matters. Through domi nation of the John Dewey philosophy, which is the philosophy of secularism, we are committed to a type of cur riculum which in no way can emphasize spiritual truths even though it does sometimes try to emphasize moral living. This kind of program results in a way of thinking which is neither conducive to godliness, moral living, nor even to civic stability. In fairness to the public school sys tem, the following must be said. First, the public schools have done a most commendable job from a secular stand point in their Americanization program. The children of foreign-born have been received without antagonism, usually with sympathy and understanding, have been educated in the American way of thinking in so far as that is possible in one generation, and except for the tendency of certain groups to settle in racial blocks and in large cities, the
public school could have undoubtedly been even more successful along this line. Secondly, the American school has been a training ground for native-born in patriotism and the democratic way of life. Third, it has attempted to do what no other nation in history had either attempted or cared to attempt, namely, to offer an educational program from kindergarten to graduate school at state expense for all who had the capability and desire to receive it. As William Rainey Harper once stated, it had come to pass that the price of an education was a desire to have it. Fourth, while it is true that the American public school has in no wise reached perfection in teaching the com mon branches, to say nothing of pro ducing a nation of scholars, it must be said in extenuation, that it has had to fight certain demoralizing national ten dencies (strangely enough, our prosper ity has been one of them); and has probably shown no more failure in this respect than other institutions. Certainly we would have to say that it has been as successful as the American home and even as successful as the average Amer ican church, upon which it has also had to depend to some degree for its own success. Fifth, there has been a steady in crease in educational qualifications de manded of teachers and administrators, although perhaps we may qualify ap proval in this by saying there has also been a decrease in public feeling that we hire a teacher for what she is as much as for what she teaches. Over against this excellent record there are some things that are not quite so good. There is, first of all, the infil tration by radicals, fellow travelers, so-called liberals, into educational lead ership. Along with some good things, it will be remembered that John Dewey, so far as his educational philosophy was concerned, was entirely acceptable to
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communism and for a time Russian schools were run on a John Dewey basis until the whole system broke down through its inherent weaknesses. No one would deny that John Dewey has social vision, but that social vision did not include God. Any social morality (not operating on a police state basis) that has been known to exist in this world has had to depend ultimately upon spir itual and religious sanctions, as man is not usually interested in being good for society’s sake. This leads to the third point, namely, that educators have long envisioned American public schools as the one agency that could build for the future by anticipating the needs of the future, and since one of the greatest needs in any country is public morality based on private character, we are now discovering that something is wrong. Spending, as we do, five times as much for crime and its suppression as we do for education, and enormous sums they are, we come to the interest ing discovery that the more we spend for education, the more we have to spend for crime. Does education then produce crime? The answer is no, it does not; neither does it prevent it ex cept as it is an education in which spiritual values are integrated with all the various phases of education. Other wise there are no ultimate sanctions for moral control that seem to operate effec tively under conditions of stress. Edu cation merely implements man’s moral, spiritual and social attitudes. There are a number of angles from which this topic must be considered and perhaps we shall do well to consider first that of the state. A democracy, at least the kind of democracy envisioned by Washington and Jefferson, was re garded as impossible except as public enlightenment was a part of the pro gram. For this reason, the freedom of the press and freedom of speech as well as freedom to educate the young were heavily emphasized. But our founding fathers talked of enlightenment and education as being a competitive thing and not a monopoly. Whoever had light of any kind was entitled to spread it, and if as a result of this freedom, dark ness was also spread, it was expected that in the long run light would drive out darkness. It was not in any way intended that education should be the monopoly of the state, or that it should impose controls that would substantially make it so. In some respects our fore fathers seemed to have a much clearer appreciation of the kind of people that we are and must be, in America, than do some of our present thinkers. They appreciated, for example, that we all belong to minorities, that a majority is an entirely temporary thing and that it is infrequent indeed that an individual is likely to belong to as many majority groups as he does minority groups. Let us consider this a moment: An individ ual is born into a family. If he is the only child, he is still a minority. If there are other children, he is even more in the minority. His family is a minor- Page Eight
ity group in a community. His family is undoubtedly a minority in his church, just as his church is a minority with reference to the total religious popula tion of the country. If he is an agnostic, he is still in a minority religiously. If he votes the Democratic ticket and thereby helps make the world tempora rily safe for the Democrats, he may at the next election become a member of the minority group as Republicanism again undertakes to save the nation. What we are saying is that in mat ters of education or in fact any im portant matter, minorities are our chief concern, and there is no such thing as a mass educational program which would be acceptable to everyone, any more than there is a religious program which would be acceptable to everyone, or, in fact, a one-party system of gov ernment which would be acceptable to everyone. We would go even further to say that the genius and the strength of any people is the degree to which minor ity groups are to be encouraged to work out their own concepts and peculiar genius of thinking and that it would be the business of the state to take no sides in this matter, but merely to guar antee a fair field to all. If then, a mi nority group’s contribution cannot meet competition by its own merit, it will not need to be suppressed under ordinary circumstances, but will die of its own inherent insufficiencies. Of course we are talking about things that are not evil and inherently vicious by their very nature. Here we come to a point of emphasis. Is it not generally con sidered that our greatest menace not only to progress but to the stability and internal security of our country is a general moral breakdown? We have it in high places and we have it in low. We especially have it among the young. Any group, therefore, which would find itself in a position to emphasize or even over-emphasize moral and spiritual liv ing among our young, thereby adding a preserving salt and leadership to our demoralized and bewildered youth, should not this type of minority con tribution be highly beneficial to democ racy as a whole? The Christian day school as it is being organized throughout the entire country is exactly this sort of institu tion. In many places it is in addition to its spiritual and moral emphasis, doing work at least equal to the public schools of the community. In some places it is not efficient as yet. But if it could be shown that such schools were academ ically inferior to the public schools and would continue to be so, and this cer tainly can by no means be shown, their moral and spiritual emphasis might still make them the most valuable contribu tion that could be made to American life. There is another angle, however, which must be considered, namely that of the parent. Parents are becoming in creasingly disturbed, not only at the apparently uncontrollable moral de- standardizations that take place in the lives of their young people, but because
they feel that in many public schools there is a deliberate attempt to prepare the minds of their children in a way of thinking that is completely antagonistic to Christian doctrine and life. Perhaps we should explain a little more clearly. It does not seem to occur to the indi vidual who has accepted evolutionary philosophy as the basis for his thinking that he has been obliged in doing so to give to this hypothesis a superior validity to that of Christian doctrine and teaching. We are assuming that the intelligent person will concede that whatever becomes the final criterion of truth in its largest possible sense as sumes in his thinking the significance of a faith or a religion. If Scripture must be explained in such a way as to make it consistent with the evolutionary hypothesis, then evolution has a su perior validity, and at least from our viewpoint is a basic component o f that person’s religion. When children and young people therefore find it difficult to avoid in doctrination in our public schools along these lines, the evolutionary teacher, to us, is assuming the prerogative of en forcing upon our children his religious viewpoint. I am very sure that many such teachers do not think of it in this way. In fact, many take the so-called liberal viewpoint and assume that a compromise may be reached between Christianity as it was believed by the early church, and the evolutionary hypothesis as it is believed by perhaps the bulk of educated and semi-educated people today. But we are a little inclined to take the attitude of Walter Lippman who years ago, in his Preface to Morals, pointed out that Humanism is a logical system if you accept its premises. Fun damentalism is also logical if you ac cept a different set of premises, but that Liberalism is neither fish, nor flesh, nor good red herring, and has no con clusions that necessarily follow from its announced premises. In any sort of compromise, as we have discovered in dealing with Joseph Stalin, we determine final authority and valid ity by discovering who does not make the concessions. And in any brand of liberalism that I have known about it was not evolution but Christianity that made the concessions. There are one or two objections to the Christian day school that ought to be noted in this brief discussion: It is quite frequently expressed by Christian teachers in public schools that we do a disservice to the child himself and to other children by this segregation of children from evangelical homes into such schools—to other children, because the presence of these children who are usually of a superior type morally and spiritually in that we have lowered the total moral level by that much. It is conceded that this is true. But adolescent and pre-adolescent children do not exist primarily as missionaries under condi tions where the odds are overwhelming against them; where they find them selves at a disadvantage in promulgat- T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
ing the very viewpoint for which they are assumed to be valuable in the school group. There is a greater validity to the argument that the psychological effects upon the child himself are unfortu nately making him a part of a minority group. Either we are in danger of building up a snobbishness because he has the feeling that he is a part of a superior group, or we are in danger of giving him an inferiority attitude either because he knows his school exists for a minority, or perhaps he may be given the idea that he cannot compete except under the more favorable conditions of segregation. Another criticism which possesses un doubted validity is that the Christian day school attracts the type of teacher most needed in the public school. There is no answer to this except to say that in many communities the truly Chris tian teacher finds it difficult to make her greatest contribution in the public school. A more serious argument has some times been advanced, namely that ac creditation usually being a part of state school machinery is difficult to secure for the private school, thus placing the pupil in such a school at a disadvantage in later life. This has been on occasion a real difficulty, but it is only fair to say that many schools are not accredited because they do not deserve to be. Some not now accredited will in due time become so, and if some few public offi cials used position and authority given them, in a manner not lawful or con sistent with the spirit of American democracy, in the long run such indi viduals discredit themselves. These arguments against the Chris tian day school are not arguments against it as such but against wrong attitudes that might possibly occasion ally exist in it. It would seem entirely normal and proper that every child should have the right to grow up in a normal and spiritual atmosphere for which he can have respect and in which he can feel at home. There is far more danger of a feeling of inferiority by being compelled to be an odd duckling in an uncongenial group, than there is by being a member of a group where “belonging” is taken for granted. We sum up briefly, then, what we have tried to say: First, traditionally Christian day schools by custom and law have been a part of our tradition from the beginning of our national ex istence at all levels, elementary, second ary and collegiate. In fact, our higher education is predominantly non-secular in origin. Second, that we all of us belong to minorities and that minorities make their greatest contribution to the country by being themselves in a com petitive moral atmosphere. Third, that aside from this fact, namely, that evan gelical Christians can make the greatest contribution by being evangelical Chris tians even in their educational proce dures, there is the further reason that there is an increasing amount of “ sec ular religion” being forced upon imma- O C T O B E R , 1 9 5 2
there shall be the unfettered right to choose, and to implement that choice within the limits of decency and public order. But we firmly believe that the only possible chance that even these people and their children have for living in America where there is public order, public morality, and public decency is that the Christian day school or some thing like it shall be permitted to pour its contribution into the life of Amer ica. The safest place for a secular per son to live will certainly not be in a completely secularized society as ought to be evident to those who can see slightly ahead of their own noses, or even who are capable of looking back over the past few years of American history. Russia is an example of such complete secularization, and Russia has made state-controlled education all the educa tion there is. As a corollary, Russia is a place where human rights (the dignity and inherent sacredness of the indi vidual as a divinely-bought being) are non-existent. God forbid that America should follow in her train. Page Nine
ture children as a part of our mass education. This being contrary to the spirit and tradition of American public education and a violation of the tacit agreement that m i n o r i t y religious' groups need not fear that the state should enter the religious field. Fourth, that the greatest need in America today is a moral and spiritual need and that this cannot be met by allowing the special viewpoint represented in evan gelical Christianity to be lost or per verted. That fifth, there is no need that the Christian day school should have anything but beneficial effects upon the children attending them if they are wisely guided. As Evangelicals, we freely concede the right of the secular mind to the same privileges of tolerance and free dom which we desire for ourselves. Secular people have a moral right to a secular education even though those of us who are not secular carry a heavy share of the financial burden to give them the kind of education of which we do not approve for our children. The very essence of a moral order is that
and mine uprising; He knoweth the se crets of the heart.” He comprehends us altogether, and is aware of our pride of heart. Our sins are not hidden from His countenance. We are but the crea tures of His hand. It would be strange indeed if by an outward piety we could fool the God whom the Heaven of Heav ens cannot contain. How incongruous it would be if we could hoodwink Him into believing that we were genuine — the “ real thing” — when we were not! It may be that our friends can be deceived—perhaps even our families, al though that is more difficult, but we can never keep from God our true spiritual condition. Our righteousnesses are in His sight “ as filthy rags.” “ Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work in iquity” (Matt. 7:23 R. V.) Hypocrisy in religion is not only wicked, but it is utterly foolish, since God can see through us so readily, no matter what our disguises in the way of a sanctimonious appearance, devotion to a church, and apparent interest in “ every good word and work.” God will deal with us according to what we are in reality, not according to our pretensions or our professions. In Pilgrim’s Progress, Formality and Hypocrisy, from the land of Vain-glory, came tumbling over the wall into the road on which Christian was traveling. They were going for praise to Mt. Zion, and were endeavoring to take a short cut. When they came to the foot of the hill Difficulty, they saw that the hill was steep and high, and that there were two other roads. Now the name of one was Danger, and the other Destruction. So the one—Formality—took the way which was called Danger, and Hypocrisy took the way called Destruction. Formality
the things we wish to believe. We are most susceptible when our own self-will and pride of life are involved. Our imaginations go far afield, and are not in captivity to Christ. “ God is not Mocked” The Greek verb translated, “mock” literally means, “ to turn up the nose,” or, “ to sneer with the nostrils drawn up In contempt.” It is a gesture of disgust. Thus we are warned against deriding God for we are only duping ourselves if we think that He can be imposed upon by mere pretension. There is the bitterest irony in this word, mock, conveying the exact oppo site of what is meant. One calls to mind the habit of certain bad schoolboys among which any of us might have been num bered in our youth, of “mocking” the teacher. He walks by our group, and we all, with sweet smiles, greet him politely, but the moment he is out of hearing we laugh rudely, make faces at him, and call him uncomplimentary names sotto voce. But the Apostle insists that they only delude themselves who laugh behind God’s back. He is perfectly acquainted with the hearts as well as the deeds of men. “He needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man; He understandeth our thought afar off; He knoweth my downsitting
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man someth, that shall he also reap. For he that someth unto his oum flesh shall of the flesh reap cor ruption; but he that someth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:7,8 A.R.V.). T HIS passage has been translated thus by Lightfoot: “What? You hold back? Nay, do not deceive yourselves. You cannot mock God. Ac cording as you sow then will you reap. If you plant the seed of your selfish de sires, if you sow the field of the flesh, then when you gather in your harvest, you will find the ears blighted and rot ten. But if you sow the good ground of the Spirit, you will of that good ground gather the golden grains of life eternal.” The expression, Be not deceived, occurs in two other passages of Scripture, First Corinthians 15:33, “ Be not deceived; Evil communications corrupt good mor als,” and James 1:15: “ Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.” This phrase may also be rendered, “ Do not err.” In our modern English we would put it: “ Do not fool yourselves.” It is not difficult for us to delude ourselyes, particularly with regard to spiritual things. Our hearts are “ deceitful above all things.” So it is easy to mislead ourselves by false expectations, by trusting to ap pearances. We make ourselves believe
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