402
July 1928
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
tion, is open to the Jew and the Gospel. By an official edict of Turkey, her women are no longer veiled. Most astound ing of all—if recent newspaper reports are true—on April 11th the Turkish Parliament abolished, Mohammedanism as a state religion. Surely there is great significance in this undreamed of passing of Mohammedan control over Turkey without a battle. Did God order it—and for what purpose ? - D. M. Panton recently pointed out that the heathen and Mohammedan population of the world counts more' by 200.000. 000 than it did a hundred years ago, while the converts and their farnilies number less-than 3,000,000, a 70-fold increase ;of darkness over light. The annual in crease of Mohammedans exceeds the harvest of Christian converts* It has been stated that the conversion of Chris tians to Islam in recent years exceeded the conversions of Islam to ;Chr|||i|: By sheer increase of population, there are millions more heathen than when the first Protestant missions were, undertaken. But let us not lose: sight of our'commission. We have not set out to convert the world or catch up with the procession. A witness is to be borne to all nations—and then the end. It may be said that all nations have in past times had a witness—but the end has not come, showing that the final simultaneous witness has not been borne. God’s Church is a representative body. For whom is He waiting ? One-eighth of the human race confesses Mohamme dan, a colossal host of 200,000,000. This has long been considered an impossible problem to the Christian Church. This most baffling of non-Christian religions has been left to the last. The age-long disappointments in the attempt to evangelize these peoples, the dimensions of the task and the tremendous difficulties, have kept the church from undertaking this evangelization. Will Christ come until the witness is borne to them ? Mohammedanism is a political religion like Bolshevism. Christianity and Buddhism are primarily personal reli gions with doctrines of salvation. Mohammedanism is a social, unspiritual religion of might, concerned to win the empifie of the world at any cost. It has, therefore, stood as a Gibraltar against the progress of Christianity. What is happening ? “The things that are impossible with men are possible 'with God.” God has been taking authority from the hands of Mohammedanism in the Near East countries andjflumping it in the lap of Christendom. England has been made responsible for the economic de velopment and .social and moral uplift of 100,000,000 Mohammedans; France for 20,000,000 more; Russia for 16.000. 000 more- and now Turkey abolishes its state re ligion. Great Britain has been opening the highways for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christian missions in Meso potamia have liberties never enjoyed before and new sta tions are being opened in the interior. May God lay it as a great passion upon the Christian- churches to carry the witness to these peoples at once. The Bible is now printed in the Mohammedan lan guage and there is a growing Christian literature for Moslems, published in all the leading languages. What is needed now is a great>circle of prayer through the churches, organized to pray and toil and.weep until this great unbroken line of Islam breaks and the witness is duly borne. Who will pray for them in their utter need? They are a broken, restless, desperate, hungry people, sud denly robbed of power. There is no rest for them until Christ is found. God has opened the doors! Perhaps Christ Himself tarries until this witness is adequately given.
Caring for the Boy What can a boy do, or where can he stay, If he is always told to get out of the way? You must not stand here, you must not stand there, The cushions that cover that fine rocking chair Were made not to sit on, at least not by a hoy. And he has no business to ever be tired. The beautiful flowers? that bloom on the floor Of the darkened and delicate room Were made not to walk on, at least not by boys, The house is. no place anyway for their noise. There is a place for the boy, dear parent, I pray, As time settles down on Life’s earthly way. • If the getting of gain a whole lifetime em ploys 1 And we fail in providing a home for the boy. Don’t let us forget by our kind loving deeds, To show that we remember him in his pleasures and needs, Though our souls may be vexed with the problems of life Arid worn with troubles, sorrow and strife. Our hearts will keep warmer, your heart and mine, If we keep him in its innermost shrine, And to life’s latest hour, it will be one of great joy If we keep a small corner, a place for the boy.
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