Eva Luoma ngelical bea THE MAGAZINE FOR EVANGELICAL FREE M. .. H 29, 1960 Vol. 33 No. 26 editorials LET'S NOT FORGET THE UPPER 'M WHILE PREPARING THE L .R Opinion and Comment THE PRESIDENCY, 1960 As the political drums beat louder and louder to­ ward the "crucial" April 5 presidential primary in Wis­ consin, evangelical Christians face a puzzling. situation. Of any group in the entire world, we should not be bigots. The word has no place in the vocabulary or the thought processes of the true believer in Christ. This truth must be crystal clear. It is a fact of life, however, that a Roman Catholic has all the stops out as he presses his availability as the Chief Executive of our nation. Others of his persuasion are in the wings. Result: a conflict in the mind of the evangelical Christian. Our "we are not prejudiced" per­ sonality runs head on into our "we are dedicated to sep­ aration of church and state" makeup. It is a puzzling predicament and, as one editor write, "disturbing, to say the least." The rub comes when the Protestant mind wonders what will happen if a Roman Catholic becomes president and there arises a situation calling for his decision be­ tween loyalty to his religion and loyalty to his country. 0 With Catholic doctrine as it is (the church being su­ THEV Wf.'NT U?:t�TOAll UPP!:� Ji!OOM,•• TH�EALL CONTINUED W':r''. -,dcrs,.-/�, preme} the Protestant wonders if the ·nation might not ON!: .ACCOflO IN �Yl:R". ff well end up second best. He documents his doubts by examining nations at present dominated by the Roman lar qualms about voting for a Jew for such an office. Catholic religion and wonders, rightly or wrongly, if his Yes, the evangel�cal Christian who will place his "x" beloved country is headed the same way should the on a ballot in Wisconsin, or any other state, has been White House door swing open in January, 1961, to a forced to think seriou�ly on this matter. Should a Roman Roman Catholic. Catholic be elected, . would the Protestant privilege of "Nothing to fear," he is assured. "America is a witnessing to and winning people to Christ be curtailed different type of nation. It would not happen here. It and abridged? Fantastic even to think so? The Protes­ could not." tant calmly reminds you of this country and of that coun­ Yet, Mr. Protestant wonders as he checks his history, try where it has happened. He ask� in addition, "Are our past and present. missionaries working in such countries completely in We would be the first to say that a man's religion error and hopelessly bigoted?" should not make any difference. Religion, we say, not Two things are clear. religion and politics. When the two are united, we won­ We are not bigots. � der. Again, the facts of life tell us that the Vatican is a We do have convictions concerning our country. recognized political state, even as it is a religion. In our cherished thinking on separation of church and state, we often find �t difficult to see how they can be one. How do we determine which is which, or when one starts and THE EVANGELICAL BEACON the other leaves off? Combin•d with Th• Evang•li•t, 1950 . We ponder deeply, and at length, at large news­ Published each TuHday, •xcept bl-weekly durlng July, August and Septemb•r. Official organ of The Evangelical FrH Church of America. paper ads which say boldly, "As A Paulist Father You Editorial and circulation offices: 2950 Niccll•t awnue, Minneapolls I, Minn. Can Help Make America Catholic." We wonder, is that Editor .,- Mel Larson the goal of the Roman Catholic church in America? It Consulting editor - Roy A. Thompson Contributing editors - Arnold T. Olson, L•sftlr P. WHtlund, C. C. Larson, would appear so from this ad. We do not recall ads which Bennett Anderson, Della E. Obon, Werner Jacoboen. read, "Help Make America Protestant," or "Help Win District editors - Eastern, Olai Urang; G,.a, Lok••, Gordon S. Kling; North Central, H. E. Sodergren; Central, 0. W. Johnsoni Midwest, Donald. W. America to Lutheranism," or "Help Make America Bap­ Leff; South Central, E. L. Pearson; Rocky Mountain, Wallace Bloomquist; Wes· tist." We do remember such appeals as "Help Win Amer­ tern, Herbert D. Peterson; Pacific Northwest, Carl E. Sundholm; Canadian o Prairl•, Carl fosmark; Canadian Pacific, David Enerson; Southecutem, WHley ica t Christ," or "Tell Your ::";eighbor About Jesus." Carlson; ·Kentucky, John Haupt. Win people yes, but not to one church, nor to one denom­ Subscription price - $.C;oo per year. Church list eqval to 50 p•r cent of membership - $2.50 per yaar. ination. Win them first for Christ, theri allow the� to Church list· equal. to 7S per ..nt of membership - $2.2S per year. join .the church of their choice. We evangelize toward a Church ll•t equal to 100par cent af membership - $2.00 par y•ar. truly Christian America, riot a truly Prote$tant America. Printed by Frae Church. P.. u. And, as we ponder, we. wonder why we have no simi- Seoond-closs paotage paid at Minneapolis, Minn. 2 The Evangelical Beacon news dig •• - Catholic. Most Americans do not want religion to be an issue m the ne:z:t national elections, but the use of a man's Kt you Informed of religious religious affiliation will certainly bring the religious issue into the 1960 election." and secular happenings of interest to Christians. PEOPLE Dr.Paul S. Rees, Minneapolis, vice president at large .of Serviced by Evangelical Press World Vision, will speak at the Rose Bowl Easter Sunrise service. .Rev. Thomas 0. Chisholm, one of the world's most prolific hymn writers, died recently at the age of 93. He authorized some 12DO hymns; two of the best known are "Living for Jesus" and "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." He THE PULPIT died at Ocean Grove, N. J.... Nazarenes have ordained The Church of Sweden will have women ministers in its their first woman minister in Hiroshima, Japan. She is Rev. parishes forthe first time by this spring. Announcement came Rika Nagase, widow of the Nazarene pastor in Hiroshima in spite of widespread opposition. The "confessional front" who died of wounds from the atom bomb there.. Dr. Har­ organization led by Bishop Bo Giertz of Gothenburg issued tin Niemoller, Germany, spoke at a commissioning rally for a 17-point manifesto declaring that ordination of women 3000 Chicago area laymen in a visitation evangelism thrust. "conflicts with the will of God and the directions of Christ - John Morse, 33, chairman of the Christian Business Men's as they are given to us in the Scripture." Coinmittee of Ventura, Calif., was named the man of the In Manila, Philippine Islands, Miss Amelia de Leon, 22, year by the Ventura chamber of commerce .... Dr. Irwin became the first ordained Philippine Methodist woman min­ A Moon and Dr. George E. Speake of Moody Institute of ister. She receives a bachelor of theology. degree in March Science are on the first phase of a two-year, round the world from Union Theological Seminary. photographic tour in a twin engine private plane. OVERSEAS POTPOURRI The Third Baptist church in Madrid, Spain, has been granted official permission to re-open. It has been closed Dr.Jerald C. Brauer, dean of the University of Chicago's since September, 1951f..•• Observers are hopeful that the Federated Theological Faculty, has suggested that Russia five-month breach among Presbyterians in Korea has been and the United States cooperate in launching the first manned healed after the 550,000 member group voted to withdraw space ship with passengers for several nations abroad, adding, from the World Council of Churches .... A record 15715 "It is possible to gain the whole cosmos and lose our own 1 Japanese pastors and church workers met at Hakone, near Sf'"· s." ... The world's population explosion, said Dr. James Tokyo , for the World Vision's first 1960 pastors conference. rest Murch, managing editor of Ch.ristianity Today, is They came from 60 of .Japan's 72 denominations. � .ag churches together into a concern for spiritual unity, • declaring, "Christian leaders are beginning to reali7.e in this atomic space age that time is running out for the human :race CORRECTION and that Christendom no longer can afford the luxury of Three important words were omitted from an item division.".. The Minneapolis Presbytery declared "In our free society, a man's religious affiliation should not auto­ in the March 22 issue. In quoting the minutes of the matically commend or condemn him to the intelligent voter. 1959 general conference, concerning Trinity Seminary His personal integrity and views on real concrete issuesshould and Bible College, the resolution passed included in it be the voter's guide for decision."... Dr. William F. Albright, the three italicized words in the following: "Resolved, prominent Protestant Biblical archeologist and Old Testa­ that the Board of Trustees be authorized to purchase or ment scholar, was awarded an honorary doctor of letters d� sell land and property adjacent or not adjacent to the gree by Loyola university, Chicago, a Roman Catholic school. present location, and in addition be authorized to borrow It was the school's first such degree to a Protestant in the funds needed temporarily to complete or assure the ac­ field of religion. Albright, a Methodist, usually attends Pres­ quisition of suitable property until the 1960 conference." byterian services.His wife and seven children are Catholics. Repeating, the words or not adjacent" were included in the resolution.