CHARLES S. LONGACRE, Associate Secretary of the Religious Liberty Department, says—
We are grateful to the Ministry for giving us an opportunity to appeal through its columns to the pastors and local church elders concerning the religious liberty campaign for the month of January, 1941. At the Autumn Council, October 15-23, 1940, this recommendation was passed:
"That our people be -encouraged to redouble their efforts to awaken the public conscience in these perilous times by teaching the principles of civil and religious liberty, and that each conference and church in the United States be urged to increase the circulation of the Liberty magazine during the 1941 religious liberty campaign, attempting to raise the subscription list so that it will be at least equivalent to the church membership."
The responsibility of carrying out this program successfully rests largely upon the shoulders of the conference presidents, the pastors, and the elders of churches. The degree of enthusiasm and the hard work which the conference presidents and the church leaders put into the religious liberty campaign will mean its success or failure. Four conference presidents last year believed that it was possible to put the program over the top by raising the Liberty subscription list to a number equal to the church membership. They not only reached the goal, but exceeded it. Eight other conferences almost reached the goal. What one conference and one church can do, many others can do.
We were made sad when we learned last year that in some conferences in which the Liberty subscription list fell far below the goal, the pastors and church elders in some of the large churches failed to carry out the Religious Liberty Day program either on Religious Liberty Day (the last Sabbath in January) or on any subsequent Sabbath. All that was done by the pastor or the church elder to promote the program and the Religious Liberty Offering was to announce: "This is the day appointed to take up an offering for the religious liberty work in the conference, and the ushers will kindly take up the offering now." Nothing more was said or done about it. The pastor or elder preached a sermon on some other subject. The result, as might be expected, was a meager offering. Nothing was done to promote the circulation of the Liberty magazine, and only a few subscriptions were taken in many of these large churches. No conference can reach its goal when no more enthusiasm is manifested than the making of a mere announcement in a casual way of the Religious Liberty Offering on Religious Liberty Day.
Our Religious Liberty Day program is only suggestive. We do not ask that it be presented just as it is written. Many a pastor or church elder can give a sermon on religious liberty and the stirring issues that confront us and the world at this time, that is far better than what we are able to write. Religious Liberty Day merely presents an opportunity to the pastor or the church elder to preach a good sermon on religious liberty and to arouse our people in behalf of the cause of freedom, which needs many defenders in these perilous times. Mrs. White has said:
"The banner of truth and religious liberty held aloft by the founders of the gospel church and by God's witnesses during the centuries that have passed since then, has in this last conflict, been committed to our hands."—"Acts of the Apostles," pp. 68, 69.
If we permit this precious banner of truth and religious liberty to trail in the dust of the earth and be trampled underfoot by its enemies, without rallying to its defense, we shall be unworthy to be entrusted with such a banner. The heritage of liberty—both civil and religious—was never in greater jeopardy than it is today. Many are willing to surrender it for a mess of pottage.
The Liberty magazine is giving the trumpet a clarion sound. It is doing a wonderful work in molding public sentiment among prominent men and officials. A pastor or church elder who induces his church to furnish him with a club of fifty copies of Liberty each quarter to distribute to prominent officials or businessmen, will find that in most instances these men will more than double their offering to the Harvest Ingathering work. Men who never gave before will frequently give a liberal offering for our work after they have read this journal for a year. The stirring issues discussed in Liberty each quarter will grip their souls and inspire them to rally to the aid of our cause.
We appeal to every conference president, and to each pastor and church elder, to give the cause of religious liberty his hearty support this year. Do not be satisfied until an amount is contributed for the circulation of the Liberty magazine equivalent to your church membership.