A Dean in one of our great Western state universities recently pointed out that students need a cause, something in which they can believe and to which they can commit themselves. Disillusioned with social panaceas and scientific messianism, and faced with the realities of an incipiently self-destructive world, the modern student finds himself in a vacuum. “The next few years,” said the educator, “will determine what will fill that vacuum.”
The student world today is much like the Roman world of the first century when the gods of the Pantheon were dead, and hearts were ready for the living Christ.
Students are impatient with anything which they feel is not relevant to their individual lives and to the world they face; this makes them seem cynical. They build their defenses against being “taken” by anything that promises much but produces little; this makes them seem sophisticated. In reality, they are seekers—for security in an insecure world and for personal meaning in a vast universe.
What an ideal climate for the confrontation of the seeking student with the searching Savior!
University Confrontation
The experience of Billy Graham in universities has indicated that where the confrontation takes place, the results are miraculous.
Two years ago Dr. Graham was aboard the S. S. United States crossing the Atlantic, his destination the area of the greatest concentration of intellectual pride in the British Empire: Cambridge University. In daily prayer meetings Dr. Graham and the assistant missioned faced the problem: How to reach a student mind and heart characterized by the cynical phrase, “I couldn’t care less?” To attempt to make an intellectual appeal would put the message on the ground of the unbeliever, and one slip would rule out the whole presentation. Still, the appeal could not be anti-intellectual or merely emotional. Dr. Graham decided to benefit from what the Apostle Paul had learned the hard way at Athens: he too would go to his Corinth determined to know nothing among them save Jesus Christ.
Consequently, for the eight nights in the liturgical Anglican setting of historic Great St. Mary’s Church of Cambridge, Dr. Graham made the simple confrontation: the fact of sin and of judgment; the need for repentance and faith; the reality of the new life of Christ.
The crowds at Harringay and Glasgow and Wembley had responded. What would be the reaction of the student world? Each night Dr. Graham, at the close of his regular message, invited those who wished to respond to the claims of Jesus Christ to remain in the center section. Shortly he would return and explain the steps of salvation. Hundreds stayed for the after-meetings, and over 400 recorded in writing their clear cut decisions and were carefully counseled by the assistant missioners. One student expressed his evaluation of the mission in these words, ‘Whatever critics may say of Billy Graham’s visit to Cambridge, all agree that when he left, Cambridge was a different place. The challenge of the living Christ through Billy’s life and ministry deepened the faith of Christians and disarmed the scepticism of unbelievers.”
Underneath the seeming cynicism of Cambridge there was a sincere seeking—and a genuine finding of the living Lord.
The Mission At Yale
This year, February 10 through 15, Dr. Graham was invited by gracious University Chaplain Sidney Lovett to Yale University, probably one of the greatest centers of collegiate sophistication in America. As Thomas F. Ruhm described the situation (in Ivy Magazine, written and published by undergraduates of the Ivy League): “In spite of the week of preparation it is doubtful that Mr. Graham realized the full magnitude of the problems that confronted him on the Yale campus. His experience with the more vibrant intellectual curiosity of Oxford and Cambridge students and the consequently large crowds that he drew at the English universities did not prepare him for Yale’s cultivated, general indifference towards religion.”
“Official indifference was reflected by the scheduling of an important oratorical contest in competition with Graham’s third meeting. Reasonably typical was the action of the fraternity heads, who while graciously inviting Mr. Graham to visit some of the houses, also set up a compulsory meeting for all spring rushees at the time of one of his talks. Undoubtedly these were unwitting mistakes, but they revealed a lack of thought that could only have been caused by a basic unconcern with religion.”
The tension was heightened by an uncertainty on the part of assistant missioners, graduates of Yale and now pastors of churches, who frankly questioned the success of anything but an objective discussion approach to the Yale mind.
A Week Of Decision
Let another Yale student describe the week.
“On Monday evening a suspicious yet sensitive crowd of undergraduates poured into Woolsey Hall for the first of four addresses to be given by Billy, this one entitled, ‘The Christian Answer to the World Dilemma.’ Many of the students, from what I could gather from their remarks beforehand, expected to hear some hysterical ‘hell-fire and damnation’, and it was obvious that many came to the meeting in order to be amused and entertained, yet Billy calmly and eloquently spelled-out in uncompromising but simple terms the Christian answer and hope for our sick world in a manner which clearly affected every person in the hall. Many of the more sceptical students left the meeting with a genuinely changed view of Billy Graham and the Gospel he represents and were noticeably impressed with the man’s humility, personal charm and courage. The Yale Daily News carried the following lead headline on Tuesday: ‘Graham Calls Individual Sin Root of World’s Political, Social Crises’ and also made the following editorial comment: ‘One was almost struck by the intensity of his statement, the almost embarrassing honesty and energy he seemed to be putting into his message.’ Following the meeting, sixty to seventy-five students remained in the front of the hall to hear Billy speak about what is involved in a Christian decision. Many requested further counselling, and within the next twenty-four hours about forty students made decisions or re-committed themselves to our Lord.”
“On each evening following the address, an informal gathering was held in one of the nine fraternities on the campus. At my own fraternity on Wednesday night, our large living room was jammed with students and their friends who wanted to meet Billy and to question him further about The Faith. He eloquently spoke to a barrage of questions which covered everything from eternal damnation to Kierkegaard, and never once did Billy avoid the intellectual prying which would have shaken many of Yale’s most learned professors. When Billy spoke of God’s love and the cross, I saw a close friend of mine, a self-styled agnostic, come to tears and to a new understanding of the love of Jesus Christ. There were many at the meetings and ‘bull-sessions’ who wept, and I would have to take issue with some of my sophisticated friends who see all of this as ‘dangerous’ or ‘unnecessary’. I think that these tears were prompted by the love of God and not by Billy Graham and consequently represented a wholesome and natural kind of release. No one ever objects when people cry at the movies or at a family reunion. Why do people look sceptically upon a young man who is reunited with God through Jesus Christ!”
“All over the campus during the week there was a steady hum of conversation about the mission and about the Christian faith. Everyone faced up to basic questions, for the content of the previous night’s message was practically all anyone talked about. Billy, the assistant missioners, the college pastors and the denominational chaplains were swamped with requests for interviews from Tuesday through Friday. I saw Sam Shoemaker’s appointment schedule for Wednesday, and it was enough to scare a man half his age right out of the ministry. In addition to leading discussion groups after the evening meetings and handling the pastoral interviews, Sam and the others spent more hours ‘talking things over’ with the undergraduates at meals and over endless cups of coffee and tea. The discussion group meetings were wonderfully ‘open’ and relaxed, with plenty of sharing, witnessing and honest searching.”
“Generally these meetings were attended by students seriously considering the claims of Christ and looking for a personal faith and dedication. One had the feeling throughout the mission that these men were hungry for faith, hungry for something to believe in rather than for something to observe and study intellectually. Billy had emphasized time and time again in his addresses that faith cannot be secured intellectually but can only be given by God after repentance—and then partially understood by the mind. Many observers of the mission had been critical of Billy for his alleged ‘anti-intellectualism’, but were impressed with his statement that being a good Christian also means being a good student. Naturally, many of the points made in the main addresses had to be re-interpreted and clarified by the discussion leaders, but a very healthy balance was maintained between the mind and the will—both essential ingredients of faith.”
“The most significant feature of the mission, though, I believe were the meetings held in Woolsey Hall after the address. Each evening Billy asked those seriously considering giving their lives to Christ to come forward to the front of the hall after the others had left the meeting for further instruction and prayer. The first night about eighty remained behind, the second night perhaps two hundred, on Wednesday evening about six hundred stayed for further instruction, and on the last night when the building was bursting at the seams, about fifteen hundred remained. Following a short, instructive talk, those who wanted to make decisions were asked to stand for a moment and then be seated again. On Tuesday night roughly one hundred stood for prayer; on Wednesday two hundred and twenty-five rose; and on the final night, over four hundred stood to declare their faith in Jesus Christ. The students who left early on Thursday evening were struck dumb when they were told about what had happened, along with many of the faculty members, who never question a student’s right to search for truth but wiggle in uneasiness when he dedicates his life to it. Most of those who stood made an initial commitment; some stood in order to re-dedicate their lives to their Lord; a few found this an appropriate time to amuse their friends. However, on the following Sunday at a Service of Dedication held in Battell Chapel, most of those who stood joined their fellow Christians in offering praise and thanksgiving to God for his gift of Jesus Christ. I have seen many of these new Christians reading their Bibles, joining in worship with their respective churches and putting into good order their relationships with their girls, families and fellow students.”
Another great result was in the spirit of unity and rededication that came about among the assistant missioners, some of whom said their ministry would never be the same after the mission at Yale. “Uncle Sid”, genial chaplain at the University, summed up the results, “As an aftermath, we have contacts with some three hundred youngsters who stayed for the after meeting following each public address and in some cases stood up and actually committed or recommitted themselves to a life of Christian inquiry and service. Many of them are now holding weekly meetings in their respective colleges, devoted to Bible study and prayer. Those of us on the permanent staff here feel that we have got quite a bit of useful work cut out for us in the weeks ahead. In short, I would say that the Mission exceeded my expectations, and any apprehensions I may have had beforehand were completely allayed.”
Underneath the seeming sophistication of Yale was a sincere seeking—and a genuine finding of the living Lord.
All of this has caused Billy Graham to feel that the two weeks at Cambridge and Yale were the greatest of his ministry in the significant reaching of the leadership of tomorrow for Jesus Christ. He feels the challenge of giving more of his time to that ministry, in order that the vacuum in the lives of our future statesmen, educators and business and professional leaders may be filled with Jesus Christ.
Dr. L. David Cowie is minister of University Presbyterian Church, Seattle, which carries on a vigorous church-centered student program at the edge of the Univeristy of Washington campus. He is a member of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., and has completed two preaching missions around the world during the past five years. He was one of the pastors invited by Dr. Graham to share in the mission to Cambridge, Oxford and Yale, where he gave long hours of the day and night to effective spiritual counseling of students.
Preacher In The Red
AROMA
At a farewell reception in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a city noted for its fish processing, when the time came for me to make my remarks I spoke of our ministry in that city and church, how much we had enjoyed our work with the people, etc. In my enthusiasm I said I did not even mind the characteristic fish smells. Then, since my wife’s sense of smell had been somewhat impaired, I said, “Of course these don’t bother Mrs. Mazzeo at all. She doesn’t smell so good!”
After a split-second silence the audience snickered a little and then burst into hilarious laughter. That was my stopping place. I was done!—REV. FRANCIS J. MAZZEO, Robinson Memorial Methodist Church, Malden, Mass.
WORLD NEWS
Christianity in the World Today
Billy Graham, taking time out from the biggest and busiest undertaking of his life in the New York Crusade, was addressing a private luncheon of business and spiritual leaders of the city. The meeting was sponsored by World Vision, Inc., a social organization with a heart that reaches around the world to touch the lives of orphans, lepers and others in need of help.
Dr. Graham serves as chairman of the board of World Vision, and the work is close to his heart, but he had some other things to say before describing some of the needs.
He said:
“Gentlemen, there have been three major crises in America since our forefathers came here to find freedom of religion—not freedom from religion as some today would have us think. World Wars I and II were not among the major crises. America was never seriously threatened in those great conflicts.
“The first crisis in the future of America came in the Revolutionary War. Our nation could have died before it was born. General Washington had 22,000 cold and starving men at Valley Forge. Three thousand of these died and 11,000 deserted.
“I walked around Valley Forge one day with President Eisenhower, and he remarked, ‘This is where they got it for us.’ We saw the spot where Washington knelt in the snow as he prayed to Almighty God. His strength was in God, not men and resources. The Continental Congress passed an appropriation of $300,000 for the purchase of Bibles. Can you imagine that? The Constitutional Convention was being torn apart by dissenting factions when Benjamin Franklin went on his knees in prayer. Our nation was born from a prayer meeting and faith in the Word of God.
“The second great crisis was the Civil War. Again the nation was torn, with brother fighting brother. Things could have happened from which America would never have recovered.
“Someone asked the great southern general, Robert E. Lee, if he didn’t pray to God for victory. And Lee replied, “No, I don’t pray for victory. I pray that God’s will be done.” Lincoln said he was not so concerned as to whether God was on his side as he was with the hope that he was on God’s side.
“On both sides the leaders prayed. God heard the prayers and healed the wounds of America.
“The third great crisis is the one in which we are now living. We are threatened with destruction as a nation. Communists have more fervor than Christians. And they have nuclear weapons capable of destroying civilization as we know it today.
“No American will be able to live with the assurance of peace in our lifetime.
“Certainly, we must be able to defend ourselves, but the answer to our problem isn’t the power of armaments. The answer is whether we will turn to God, as our leaders did in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
“I wouldn’t give the snap of my finger for any of your businesses unless a genuine spiritual awakening takes place in the next few years. Some people have the mistaken idea that Americans are God’s pets. Don’t you be fooled. God will punish America unless we truly repent and seek to do his will, no matter what the cost.”
Television is expected to play an increasing part in all of Billy Graham’s Crusades.
The incredible response to the series of nationwide sermons from Madison Square Garden in New York City has been far greater than expected. A growing audience of some 7,000,000 to 10,000,000 persons has been watching each Saturday night. Madison Square Garden would have had to be packed each night for a year to equal the total for one week reached by television.
An avalanche of letters and testimonies indicate that the message loses little of its impact as it is carried into homes throughout the nation.
Wrote a college graduate:
“During this past week I was graduated from college. The culmination of my education, plus the prospects of a successful future in my chosen profession, should have been a high-water mark in my life. Instead, however, I was depressed because of the pointless clamor of society and the immorality which is to be found at every turn. Tonight I saw and heard your message on TV. I have come to realize that joy is to be found only in God. I have received Christ and will earnestly strive in my small way to forward his cause.”
Wrote another:
“Thank you for helping me to renew my faith in Christ through your television broadcast on Saturday evening. I was a believer but not a receiver. Thank you, and thank God, for helping me to realize that this was my moment for truly receiving Christ.”
More television plans are being made for the San Francisco Crusade next spring and for the meetings beginning at Charlotte later that year. If nationwide telecasts aren’t possible, the meetings will cover a radius of at least 100 miles from the cities once a week. Viewers will be asked to call designated counsellors in cities over the area for spiritual help. The counsellors will be assembled at central locations, where batteries of telephones will be available.
Those who respond will be encouraged to become affiliated with churches. Helpful literature will be mailed.
Much valuable experience in the television-telephone ministry has been developed in New York. Five nights a week a 15-minute telecast entitled “Impact” is beamed over a powerful station. It features the singing of George Beverly Shea, a short newscast about the meeting and a personal testimony by someone who found Christ. At the close of the program, the announcer invites viewers to call a certain telephone number if they have problems and wish to talk with a counsellor.
Within seconds, the phones start ringing and continue past 2 a.m. Many callers have made decisions for Christ.
Billy Graham is taking advantage of every opportunity to tell people what the Bible has to say claiming God’s promise that his Word will not return void.
Testimony from ministers:
Clearwater, Fla.—“When our pastor, Dr. O. E. Burton, made his report of the New York Crusade to our congregation, it seemed that the same spirit which is operative in the crusade there was present in our midst and when he gave the invitation at the close of the service 14 came forward to receive Christ.”—John Welch.
Portland, Indiana—“I announced in the local paper that on Sunday night I would give my report of the New York Crusade which I recently visited. Our sanctuary was crowded to capacity, which is unusual in itself. While I told the story of God’s workings in New York, a spirit of conviction fell upon the audience and nearly a score responded to the invitation to accept Christ. I was amazed at the response and can only credit it to the direct work of the Holy Spirit. Could it be that the crusade there is creating an atmosphere conducive to a general awakening in our land?”—Rev. C. A. Fisher.
Renewed Devotion
Rep. Brooks Hays (D-Ark.), new president of the Southern Baptist Convention, has pledged himself to renewed devotion of time-honored Baptist principles—emphasis on the Bible, religious liberty and evangelism.
Before the Convention’s Executive Committee at Nashville, Tenn., Rep. Hays said:
“I’m going to study my Bible more than I ever have before because the Bible is our chart.” The time has come, he said, to measure Southern Baptists’ progress not only in numbers and church extension but also “in the depth of life of the people.”
He asserted that this “depth of life” must include Bible reading, prayer life and daily Christian living.
A member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, Rep. Hays said he would strive to aid the cause of religious liberty in countries abroad. In an interview after the talk, he mentioned Spain and Colombia.
On another matter of interest, Rep. Hays said he “hopes Congress (this session) will pass a law to ban serving of beverage alcohol on flights.”
Memorial For Trotman
A memorial service was held for Dawson E. Trotman on June 18 during the Navigators East Coast Conference at Schroon Lake, New York.
The Word of Life Camp, host to the conference, has dedicated its new auditorium to the memory of the founder of the Navigators who drowned there on June 18 last year while saving the life of a girl who could not swin. Participating in the service were Lorne C. Sanny, Navigators’ president, Jack Wyrtzen, director of Word of Life Camp and Mrs. Dawson Trotman.
Mrs. Trotman, who has joined the Billy Graham team at the New York Crusade as women’s speaker and special counsellor, traveled to Schroon Lake for the memorial service. It was at this same conference last year on the night of her husband’s death that she spoke to the conferees, telling them that “although God has taken my dearest possession, He makes no mistakes.”
Lorne Sanny, along with Robert D. Foster, vice-president of The Navigators, spoke during the week-long conference.
A special memorial service with the Navigators staff will be held at Glen Eyrie, the international headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on the opening night of their Staff Conference, July 23.
People: Words And Events
Teen-Age Beliefs—Purdue University’s opinion panel, in a nationwide poll, has found out that more than 50 per cent of American high school students are “suspicious of democratic processes, contemptuous of politics, distrustful of the people’s ability to govern themselves and hostile toward the civil liberties for which our forefathers fought.” Fifty-six per cent of teen-agers agree that large estates should be whacked up as farm lands and handed over to the poor.
Little Brown Church—One hundred years ago, Dr. William S. Pitts sat down and dashed off the song for which the little country church near Nashua, Iowa, is celebrated, “The Little Brown Church in the Vale.” The centennial observance was held Sunday, June 16, with the Rev. Douglas Fox of Sydney, Australia, delivering the sermon.
Word From Science—Atomic scientist Arthur H. Compton told the 100th anniversary graduating class of Lake Forest College that “to win real peace the hearts of men must themselves be changed.” He called for a “great venture of faith” to break the deadlock of selfishness and lack of cooperation in the world.
Public Brainwashing—The Methodist Board of Temperance charged in Washington, D. C., that liquor advertisers are spending more than $400,000,000 a year to “brainwash the American public” into believing that liquor is beneficial and acceptable. “Think what it would mean in rehabilitation of the nation’s 4,500,000 alcoholics, what untold slaughter could be avoided by a multi-million dollar campaign against drinking-and-driving.” said Dr. Caradine R. Hooton, general secretary of the board.
Religion and Education—No one who ignores religion and the possibility of coming under its “life-giving influence” can claim to be educated, Dr. Nathan M. Pusey, president of Harvard University, said in a baccalaureate address. “The fruits of intellect unsupported by faith are not necessarily richer life but more often superciliousness, fastidiousness, or even lacklustre and despair,” Dr. Pusey said.
Wonderful Thing—Dr. E. Stanley Jones, 73-year-old American missionary and evangelist, on speaking tour of the Far East, said, “It’s the most wonderful thing in the world to be an evangelist, but if evangelism stops with the evangelist, that’s all wrong.… Evangelism must be the work of every Christian.”
Whopper Loans—A plan under which the Presbyterian Church in Canada would form eight corporations to borrow $60,000,000 over the next 10 years to finance new churches has been approved by its 83rd General Assembly. Each of the church’s eight synods was authorized to establish a corporation to float large loans from banks, trust companies and insurance firms.
Ten Commandments—New York Assemblyman William C. Brennan Jr. says he will introduce a bill in the next session of the legislature requiring every school in the state to post the Ten Commandments in its classrooms. Brennan announced he was “furious” at State Education Commissioner James E. Allen Jr. for his ruling which barred a Long Island school district from posting an “interdenominational” version of the Commandments in classrooms. “It may stir up dissension and bitterness among atheists and agnostics,” the legislator said, “but certainly it doesn’t stir up dissension or bitterness among any religious group.”
Clergy Refund—Many clergymen may be able to claim refunds for taxes paid on housing allowances in the years 1954–56 as the result of new regulations issued by the Internal Revenue Service. The regulations give a liberal interpretation to legislation passed by Congress in 1954 permitting ministers to deduct for income tax purposes an allowance given them in lieu of a parsonage or other housing as part of their compensation.
Obscenity Bill—Sen. Everett Dirksen (R.-Ill.) introduced a bill in the Senate which will make it a crime to “knowingly” take from, or deposit in, the U. S. mails any obscene material. It provides for a fine of $5,000 and a prison term of up to five years. Present law makes it an offense only to deposit such material in the mails.
Union Approval
The following special report was written by Dr. Cary N. Weisiger III, pastor of Mt. Lebanon United Presbyterian Church and a contributing editor ofCHRISTIANITY TODAY.
The 99th General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church of North America, held recently on the campus of Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio, took actions affecting its work across half the world.
Climaxing a year of debate, the Assembly voted to unite in 1958 with the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. The vote was 162 to 124 in favor of union. This confirmed the voting that had gone on in the presbyteries during the preceding 12 months. Percentage-wise, the Assembly ballot was almost identical with the 57 per cent majority which prevailed over the 43 per cent minority in the presbyteries.
There was no debate over another far-reaching action of the United Presbyterian commissioners. Without arousing opposition, the standing committee on Foreign Missions carried its recommendation to establish the Synod of the Nile as an independent church in Egypt. The new body will be called The Coptic Evangelical Church of Egypt. After a century of missionary effort, it has a membership of 26,600 and is the largest Protestant church in the land of the pyramids.
The Assembly opened with a spirited contest for the moderatorship. On the first ballot, however, Dr. Robert N. Montgomery, president of Muskingum for 25 years and dean of college presidents in Ohio, carried the day. Rival nominees were Dr. C. T. R. Yeates, pastor of the 3,500-member Westminster Church in Des Moines, Iowa and Dr. John E. Simpson, stewardship leader and pastor in Skokil, Ill. Dr. Yeates was elected vice-moderator.
Some observers at the United Presbyterian conclave saw the merger vote as a victory for two currents of feeling in the denomination—one current being the pull for Presbyterian unity which has flowed for decades in the church but which was blocked in a test in the mid-1930’s and again in 1955 in a three-way test which failed because the Presbyterians in the South defeated it. The other current of feeling is the urge for ecumenical expression of the oneness of all Christians.
Opponents of union have claimed that while the Plan of Union, incorporating the same scriptural and confessional standards that the two denominations have always had, presupposes a oneness of conviction, yet in practice and policy the United Presbyterian Church has been and is more consistently orthodox.
Debate at the Assembly lasted only about one hour and was unmarred by heated outbursts. Dr. R. W. Gibson, retiring moderator and president of Monmouth College, Illinois, leader in union negotiations, spoke in favor of the merger. He was supported by Dr. Samuel C. Weir of the Littlefield Boulevard U. P. Church, Detroit and Dr. Richard W. Graves of the New Wilmington, Pa., U. P. Church.
Speaking against the merger were Dr. Henry O. Lietman of the Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, U. P. Church, Dr. John H. Eastwood of the First U. P. Church, Hammond, Ind., Elder George Royal of the Tabernacle U. P. Church, Youngstown, Ohio and the Rev. F. D. Henderson, retired missionary of Wooster, Ohio.
After the vote was announced by the stated clerk, Dr. Samuel W. Shane, opponents of the union made a conciliatory move by offering a resolution that all enter the new church “with faith, hope and love, and the prayerful purpose of making the union a happy and effective means of advancing the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.” It passed unanimously, and Moderator Montgomery called upon the Assembly to sing the Twenty-third Psalm. He then introduced Dr. Harold R. Martin, moderator of the 169th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., who said, “I rejoice more than I can express.”
The Plan of Union calls for consummation of the merger next May in Pittsburgh. Both denominations will meet separately in the General Assemblies the first day and after that will convene as one body. Membership of the new body, to be called the United Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., will be about 3,000,000.
On the final day of the Assembly, several leaders of the pro-union party made speeches praising the spirit of the losers in the merger battle and calling upon the whole church not to violate the spirit shown at the Assembly. A motion prevailed requesting Moderator Montgomery to write a letter to all pastors in the denomination urging unity and good will.
The action to make the U. P. Synod in Egypt independent came as the result of anti-western pressures in the Near East. It was felt that the Evangelical Church in Egypt would be relieved of embarrassing ties and that by taking the ancient designation “Coptic” would become identified as truly indigenous to Egypt.
Religious Affiliations
Thirteen of the nation’s 48 governors are Methodists, according to a survey of their religious affiliations.
Baptists are next, with eight governors, followed by seven Episcopalians, six Presbyterians, five Roman Catholics, four Lutherans and two Congregationalists. One governor is Jewish, one a Mormon and one lists no affiliation.
A similar check of members of Congress earlier this year showed that Methodists lead with 105 (18 Senators and 87 Representatives), followed by 94 Roman Catholics, 68 Baptists, 68 Presbyterians and 60 Episcopalians among the top five groups.
Spreading The Word
There are about 80 languages in which short passages or collections of passages have been published, but they are not customarily counted in the total.
Three complete Bibles were published for the first time last year in Bemba (spoken in North Rhodesia); Nimbi Ijo (Nigeria) and Marovo (Solomon Islands).
An estimated 1,000 languages and dialects have no written form.
