A Taste of Religion

As theology has declined in influence, its scholars have risen in affluence. And the plush appointments of the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles (so named because Twentieth Century Fox once owned the land), site of the largest gathering ever held of scholars in the field of religion, pointed this up. The hundreds of papers presented to groups of widely varying sizes generally dealt with the spiritual dimensions of life, but the sackcloth and ashes of old-fashioned prophecy were nowhere to be found among the some 3,000 delegates to this International Congress of Learned Societies in the Field of Religion, held September 1–5.

Fifteen American and European academic societies met at the invitation of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, a research center of the Claremont Graduate School and the associated School of Theology at Claremont. Also involved in planning and support were the Council on the Study of Religion, which links the eight major American societies, and the American Council of Learned Societies.

As has become customary in such conclaves, vociferous women called for at least equal recognition with men. The congress’s nebulous theme, “Religion and the Humanizing of Man,” might as well have been “Religion and the Dethronement of Males.” Women presented papers with such titles as “A Call For the Castration of Sexist Religion” and “Beyond Male Morality.” (Other more daring—and phallic—topics were considered also.) By contrast, blacks were comparatively unorganized. A few papers had good words for native American religions—once referred to as paganism. Glossolalia was touched lightly, but the revival of occultism attracted only one author. This was enough, however, to outnumber those papers devoted to the Jesus movement.

The two largest societies, the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature (3,700 and 3,000 members respectively; many scholars are in both), have often held joint meetings. A dozen smaller societies joined with them in Los Angeles, many holding their own annual meetings in conjunction with the congress. The new presidents of the AAR and the SBL are both from the University of Chicago Divinity School: Charles Long now heads the AAR and Norman Perrin the SBL.

The fourteen general sessions (generally held two at a time) featured scholars fairly well known to their colleagues, including Ernst Käsemann, Sydney Ahlstrom, Scott Momaday, and Dorothy Sölle. All spoke on how the study of religions enhances man’s humanity. Buddhism, classical paganism, and American civil religion were included among the religions that, in addition to Christianity, had helped make man a little more humane. But no address focused on the humanizing of God the Son through the Incarnation, nor on the eternal salvation Christ made possible (which in the Eastern Orthodox tradition is sometimes spoken of as the divinizing of man).

About 400 technical papers (“The Architecture of the Dura and Sardis Synagogues,” “High Fertility Among the Hutterites,” “The Poetry of Being in Samuel Beckett,” “Soma and the Body of Christ,” “Islamic Revivalist Movements in the Twentieth Century,” “Teaching the New Testament in Swedish State Universities,” “The Rgvedic Concept of Man”) gave scholars the opportunity to display their work in progress and get reaction from fellow scholars. At least as significant for most delegates was the chance to renew old acquaintances.

A number of evangelical scholars attended, with a much higher proportion among the British conferees than among Americans or Continentals. Roman Catholics were numerous, but more often sartorially rather than theologically distinguishable.

Though it may be confusing to the outsider, there is no more reason to expect scholars in religion to be evangelists or prophets than to expect political scientists to be politicians or English teachers to be great poets or novelists. Probably for most religion scholars, the subject that attracts them is analogous to art or cuisine—a matter of taste and cultural expression. Today religion scholars are far removed from the medieval concept of theology as “the queen of the sciences.” Few search for universally true descriptions as do scientists in such disciplines as chemistry or astronomy.

Jesus Joy Revisited

“We didn’t want to be as safe as Explo ’72,” said 31-year-old Jerry Davis, Good News of Jesus editor and one of the coordinators for the second Jesus Joy festival (see April 28 issue, page 40), held on Labor Day in Madison Square Garden’s Felt Forum. They weren’t. Controversy and controversial speakers at this “Solid Rock Gathering” made the nearly six hours of music and teaching seem exceptionally brief.

Christian disc jockey Scott Ross, charismatic preacher Bob Mumford, and black evangelist Tom Skinner fed the eager young people with the milk of the Word. Mumford, who rarely speaks under an hour and a half, said Davis, managed to hold himself down to a mere forty minutes. Skinner got the loudest applause and the most enthusiastic “amens” of the evening, but Moishe Rosen, spokesman for the Jews for Jesus movement, certainly proved to be the most controversial. The contrast between the two men pointed up the inclusive quality of the gathering.

Skinner preached a solid biblical sermon with only one reference to social issues, and that seemed to slight their importance. “While the world’s talking about ‘to bus or not to bus’ Jesus is talking about dying.” “He’s talking about dying,” Skinner reiterated as a hush fell over the boisterous crowd.

Rosen on the other hand emphasized social concerns, particularly those involving Jews. His comment that “even if you’re not a Jew, Jesus Christ has made you kosher,” was received with shouting approval. But when he got into “freedom for Soviet Jewry and the integrity of the borders for the state of Israel” the crowd lost its interest. One group, however, failed to fall into apathy.

A group of students called Jews for Judaism turned out that afternoon to demonstrate against Rosen’s presence (Rosen writes his own publicity material, said Davis). About fifty young Jewish men marched in protest before the concert began. The Jewish Press reported that “all major Jewish organizations in New York City have notified their membership that all Jews are prohibited from attending, even for curiosity, the rally at Madison Square Garden next Monday evening.” Billing Rosen as “keynote speaker” (he spoke less time than any of the six scheduled speakers) the weekly said the meshummad—a deserter who has left Judaism for Christianity—wants to “get young, innocent, and impressionable Jewish youth” filled with the idea that Jesus replaces Judaism.

Although Davis—he’s a United Methodist minister serving as youth pastor in a United Presbyterian church—reported that the organizers had not planned to lean on Jewish evangelism, the first half of the gathering seemed to emphasize it. As Rosen spoke, about ten Jews for Judaism moved to the front of the forum; ushers and guards quickly seated them.

The next speaker also concentrated on the Jews and called for Gentile Christians to reexamine their attitudes toward Jews. The Jews for Judaism apparently took that as an invitation to teach the predominantly Gentile crowd a little Yiddish song, but the 4,000-strong Jesus people easily drowned out the Jews with their rendition of “Amazing Grace” (the second time that evening they sang it).

The small group of demonstrators were paraded out of the hall, but the trouble had just begun. Rosen and his small band of fellow Jesus Jews were “attacked,” as one witness termed it, on the way to their hotel. According to one of Rosen’s associates, twenty of the Jewish demonstrators pushed Rosen and kicked one or two of the people with him. They also “grabbed our yarmulkes [skull caps],” the youth said.

Detectives warned Rosen about the group, who are apparently known to the police as “capable of splitting open your heads.” Rosen said he wouldn’t press charges if the yarmulkes were returned. However, one of his followers said Rosen threatened to charge the kids with “petty larceny.”

Back at the Felt Forum the Jesus festival was praising God for protecting Rosen’s life. Scott Ross testified that earlier in the afternoon God had led him to pray for Rosen’s safety.

The program alternated between preaching and music, with such groups as California’s Love Song, Danny Lee and the Children of Truth, and the Maranatha Band; Katie Henley sang “Day By Day.” Miss Henley, currently starring in Godspell, became a Christian when her sister shared the Four Spiritual Laws with her. The most popular group at last spring’s festival and a big hit at Explo ’72, Andrae Crouch and the Disciples, was conspicuously absent. “They went an hour and a half overtime and cost us $2,000 extra at Carnegie Hall,” explained Davis.

The festival had its share of Amens, praise Gods, and One Way signs. Unlike last spring’s gathering, there was no dancing in the aisles and little hugging and kissing. Davis said that the leaders of this meeting intended it to have a “heavy emphasis on teaching and oneness in the Spirit.”

The Jesus Joy organizers expected 15,000 young people to attend, but fell far short of the goal (the gathering originally was scheduled to be held in the Garden itself, not in the Forum, which seats 5,500). Davis attributes the comparatively low attendance to the date (“Labor Day is a bad day to hold anything”) and to the ticket price (“We didn’t realize that $7.50 per ticket was too high.” The concert at Carnegie Hall cost only $5).

Nevertheless, the Jesus Joy people plan to hold a New Year’s Eve intercommunion service, and have promised to get Dave Wilkerson and Hal Lindsey as speakers. Dan Malachuck of Logos International vowed to get Kathryn Kuhlman if possible.

Davis, who was in charge of promotion for this festival, says he won’t be “so much involved” in the next one. The poor attendance “may prove something else that I’ve been saying. Large Christian gatherings are not the thing any more,” he concluded.

CHERYL A. FORBES

Jesus Jews In Jerusalem

Six zealous young people—Jewish Christians from the United States—have taken up residence at 806 Mount of Olives Road in Jerusalem to evangelize their Israeli brothers. But some Orthodox Jewish Yeshivah students (seminarians) are trying to drive them away.

Last month fifteen seminarians invaded a worship service held by the Jewish Christians in a tiny Church of God building. The students accused the Jesus Jews of proselytizing other Jews in Jerusalem. The preacher replied, “We don’t proselytize anyone. We just give them Jesus. Then they become true Jews!”

Another Yeshivah student challenged Mark (the Americans used first names only) to prove his sincerity by obeying Jesus’ command to give up his coat. Since Mark wasn’t wearing a coat he handed the man his shirt, but he refused to relinquish his glasses.

The six Jesus Jews, in Jerusalem for six months, are supported by Jewish evangelist Lewis Caplin of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Caplin is encouraging “completed Jews,” as the kids style themselves, to come to Israel. Mark reported that many are coming to Israel on their own, first as tourists with plans to return later as immigrants.

The group distribute leaflets and tracts on the streets when they aren’t attending a Hebrew ulpan (intensive language course). Through services and witnessing in their apartment, the young people report a number of conversions, baptisms of the Holy Spirit, and miracle healings. Mark explains that they are a full Gospel charismatic band, “not an organized missionary group but believers in the Messiah Jesus who is coming again.”

DWIGHT L. BAKER

Religion In Transit

Billboard magazine accorded the “Scott Ross Show” a first-place tie as the best nationally syndicated radio music show. The independent Ross broadcast is a two-hour package of Jesus music and testimonies now on 109 secular stations.

Planners of new towns such as Columbia, Maryland, were wrong in expecting organic church union and planning the town’s church life on that assumption says a clergyman-sociologist. Dr. Lyle Schaller calls organic union a dead issue for the 1970s.

Bob Jones University is constructing a $3 million, 7,000-seat auditorium believed to be the largest structure in the United States used for non-arena purposes.

A Roman Catholic priest, the Reverend Harry Schlitt, has become a “hit” as the replacement host for a daily talk show on a San Francisco TV station.

United Methodist Church members will receive a new national weekly newspaper, the United Methodist Reporter, this fall. The new publication is prepared by the Texas Methodist Reporter, a regional paper.

Publication of the Dead Sea Scrolls, interrupted in 1967 by the six-day Arab-Israeli war, will be resumed in Jerusalem by an international committee.

A study of church-going habits in Finland shows only 2.4 per cent of the 4.4 million Finns attend church.

Eleven religious groups with more than 100,000 members in Zaire want to join the Seventh-day Adventist Church because their doctrines are basically similar.

Following increased religious interest, the Czechoslovakian government has increased its anti-Christian attacks, and communications media have been told to propagate anti-church enlightenment.

Two-thirds of all Catholic children in Great Britain attend Catholic schools. More than 890,000 now attend parochial schools, up from 340,000 in 1950.

Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.