The National Christian Mission visited Washington, D.C., during the week of February 2-9. There were about thirty leaders connected with the group, among the most prominent and best known being Dr. Stanley Jones, missionary from India; Miss Muriel Lester, international social worker from England; Dr. Adolf Keller, of Switzerland; Dr. Paul Scherer, of New York City; and Bishop Paul B. Kern, of Nashville, Tennessee.
In one of the closing meetings, Dr. Jesse M. Bader, executive secretary of the Federal Council's department of evangelism and director of the National Christian Mission, expressed great satisfaction at the success of the mission in this city. Attendance at the various meetings was unusually large, and the leaders seemed to discern in the people the kind of response and reaction for which they had hoped. Without doubt the leaders and speakers were much in earnest, although there were times when their earnestness was neutralized by their levity in the pulpit.
The purpose of the Mission seemed to be to revive the "first love" in the hearts of Christians in the churches, and to encourage and inspire them not only to more holy living, but to more active endeavor in seeking to increase the membership of their churches. The work of the Mission proper terminated on February 9, but during the week of February 16-23 an expert in personal work was appointed to come to Washington to train volunteer lay soul winners in this art. The work of that week was looked to as being the culmination of the endeavors of the National Christian Mission in Washington.
Upon request of the Ministry, I attended most of the meetings held especially for the ministers of Washington. The purpose of the leaders was to inspire these clergymen to lead their congregations into holier living and more active witnessing. One was impressed with the fact that not once were these spiritual leaders of the city given opportunity to join in a season of prayer for the help and blessing of God upon their endeavors. The speakers theorized, admonished, and even emphasized that the greatest need of the ministry was for "clean hands and a pure heart," but on no occasion did this capital city's ministry collectively plead to God for that experience.
To a Seventh-day Adventist observer, the whole proceeding seemed void of power and objective. There was no message from God's word to stir and stimulate hearts. Never once was the coming of the Lord referred to. Never once was there any suggestion that shortness of time was a reason for haste and increased activity. On the contrary, it was over and again urged that if the church measured up to her responsibilities and opportunities, out of this conflict would come an era of spiritual prosperity and peace which would be enduring.
Most of the speakers seemed to hold Fundamentalist positions in relation to the Bible. One prominent speaker, however, suggested, "If God shall conquer Fundamentalism and Modernism, out of the two shall emerge a new, cooperative church... Fundamentalism and Modernism must both be changed by God, so that there shall be peace in the church." A peace based on a tragic compromise was thus urged upon the church in this country—a "negotiated peace," it would be called in the political world in these days.
One speaker, in a rather striking address, asked the question, "Why does the Christian church not make a greater impact on this generation ?" In answering his own question, he suggested that the reason is similar to that which made it impossible for Jesus to do "many mighty works" in Nazareth—"because of their unbelief." He suggested that this unbelief—failure to believe in a supernatural, though personal, God—was closing the channel between God and perishing sinners. He dared to suggest to a large gathering of clergymen that the ministry of the Christian churches in many cases were as blocked channels. "Many preachers do not have as much faith as the laymen in the pews," he asserted.
I thanked God for a church whose ministry, under God, takes the lead—a ministry that is being mightily used by the Spirit of God to prepare thousands upon thousands of people to meet their Saviour in peace in a little while from now. We have a message, God's own message of truth, to a dying world. Let us preach the message, in the full assurance that this gospel of the kingdom is still "the power of God unto salvation." Shall we not heed their suggestion that "every other activity is secondary to preaching," and be sure that we also give to our business of preaching the dignity that belongs to it, dignity in appearance, conduct, and speech, dignity in accuracy, earnestness, and simplicity.
I pity these workers of the National Christian Mission. They are confronted with a tremendous task. They are talented men, endowed with much of this world's wisdom and learning, but they lack something. They lack a power-filled message. They are like a man with bare hands trying to tear down the rock of Gibraltar. They dislodge some pebbles here and there, and rejoice greatly. But the rock of apathy, of indifference, of sin, still stands.
Seventh-day Adventist ministers face the same gigantic rock. May God help us always to use effectively and powerfully "the weapons of our warfare" which He has so fully and marvelously placed in our hands. And may He hasten the day when the task shall have been finished and "such as should be saved" shall have been added to His true church here on earth as a result of the fruitful ministry of the Lord's humble but faith-full ministers.
