[Since the news and activities of the 1954 General Conference session were well publicized and reported in our various denominational journals last year, this important event is not reviewed in this article.]
The Year of Evanston
For Protestants everywhere, 1954 was the year of Evanston, the highest achievement of the ecumenical movement to date. For the first time in a half century the meeting was held in the United States; all previous meetings had been held in Asia and Europe. Those who believe that it is the will of God that churches act and grow together, saw in it the dawning of a great new day. Many in the ecumenical camp believe that denominationalism "is evil at heart," and look to the Evanston meeting to have a wholesome effect on Christian unity in the United States.
From August 14 until September 1 the Evanston campus was drenched in the colorful robes of world churchmen, representing 163 churches, attending the second assembly of the World Council of Churches, which was born in Amsterdam in 1948. From the ecclesiastical pageantry of the opening procession and Bishop Oxnam's "symphonic sermon," through the impressive spectacle of the "Festival of Faith," witnessed by 140,000 at Chicago's Soldier Field, to the concluding assembly, the eyes and ears of the world were focused on Evanston. The meeting was given greater press coverage than either of the national political conventions of 1952, or the coronation of the queen of England.
The meetings will always be remembered for their size and color. They focused world thought on religion and the church. But they did little to bridge theological differences. There was no agreement on "Christ, the Hope of the World."
The Evanston conference was significant otherwise only for its strong statements, and agreements on social action, particularly in the areas of evangelism and race relations. No agreement was reached on the church's relationship to the atom; and though the theological discussions were of a high order, on the main themes a wide gulf still exists. Undoubtedly, the meetings did much to strengthen the personal relations of the leaders of the churches represented; it may have strengthened the bonds with churches behind the iron curtain, some of whose representatives were present. Although the representatives could not bring themselves to adopt a new slogan, "We Intend to Grow Together," there is little doubt that the World Council is here to stay. The Evanston conclave undoubtedly strengthened ecumenical tendencies in the United States.
Church Mergers
Although they can hardly be called signs of the triumph of ecumenical feeling, the growing progress toward mergers among Protestant churches in the United States certainly points in that direction. The movements, in all cases, have been growing for some time; but they received fresh impetus in 1954. Altogether, they affect fifteen churches.
In Anderson, Indiana, on June 21, an executive council of twenty-four members was appointed to coordinate the various activities of the six general boards of the Church of God. Although this is not merger, it does eliminate competition and duplication.
The proposed merger of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, and the United Presbyterial Church of North America, came closer to reality. A 313-page document of a negotiating committee was published, an indication of steady progress. The proposed merger must be approved by three fourths of the presbyteries in the U.S. Church, and two thirds of the other two. During May and June all three church governing bodies voted overwhelmingly in favor of referring the planned merger to the presbyteries, and during the first five months of 1955 all will have opportunity to vote. It appears certain that two—the United Church and the U.S.A. Church—will overwhelmingly approve. Only in the U.S. Church is there a vigorous minority opposition; but on November 7, for the first time, three outstanding Southern Presbyterian leaders went on record publicly in favor of the merger, strengthening the likelihood of its success.
The proposed Lutheran merger affects four churches: the Lutheran Free Church, the American Lutheran, the Evangelical Lutheran, and the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches. It would create a church of 1,800,000 members. These churches adopted a statement of doctrinal agreement in 1952. During June and October, 1954, all four of these organizations voted, at least two of them unanimously, to go ahead as rapidly as possible with the merger.
The plans for the merger of the Congregational Christian Church with the Evangelical and Reformed churches received a major boost when Dr. Albert Buckner, newly-elected moderator of the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches, came out strongly for the union. The timetable calls for completion of the union by 1957.
Other plans for church union are under discussion in a number of churches. The chances for a significant decrease in the number of sects and churches in the United States seems good.
The Graham Year
Evangelically, 1954 was the year of Billy Graham. Not that he hadn't been heard from before. He was already a legend in America a year ago. But he had not demonstrated his calling to world evangelism till 1954. Now, says Time magazine of October 25, 1954, he "is the best known, most talked-about Christian leader in the world today, barring the Pope."
The campaign in London established for all time Billy's place among the great evangelists of history. Beginning with an unfavorable press, considerable hostility and antipathy on the part of Britishers of all classes, and at the best, a cynical indifference on the part of the British public, Billy spoke to London as it had never been addressed before. Not even Spurgeon touched London as Billy Graham did. Six nights a week for twelve weeks, with extra meetings on Saturday, the great arena in Harringay was crowded. At his largest rally, in Wembley Empire Stadium, there were 120,000 people present. Direct wires carried the sermons to all parts of England. By the most conservative estimate, 2,000,000 people attended, and 38,447 pledged themselves as converts. When he had finished, he had won the blessing of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the accolade of the nonreligious Manchester Guardian, while seventy peers and peeresses attended a farewell dinner for him.
He accomplished all this in a way that mystified most British observers. With little emotion, no flamboyant histrionics, no memorable phrases, he nevertheless established himself as a "Man of God," preaching with power.
Following his English triumph, Graham toured Scandinavia, Finland, Holland, Germany, and France, filling huge stadiums with an estimated total of nearly 300,000 people, who came to hear him despite the fact that he had to speak through interpreters. Since returning to America, he has completed a very successful campaign in New Orleans Pelican Stadium, and continues with one-night meetings along the West Coast.
Religious Growth
Religion in America is more popular than ever before. Church attendance is up. Church membership is growing faster than our population. Church finances are flourishing. New-church building is at an unprecedented, all-time high.
A recent Gallup poll showed that in 1950, 39 per cent of the adult population of the United States was in regular church attendance. Now, in 1954, it is 46 per cent, an increase of nine million people in four years. According to the Yearbook of American Churches for 1955, at the end of 1953 there were 94,842,845 members of United States churches, or 59.5 per cent of the population. This is a 10.5 per cent increase over 1940, and a net gain in one year of 2.8 per cent. Protestants gained 3 per cent in a single year; Catholics, 4 per cent.
According to National Council figures, church giving increased $136,000,000 in a single year; and though church membership increase was just under 3 per cent, giving showed an increase of 8.5 per cent. More than $500,000,000 was committed in new church buildings alone in 1954. It is interesting to note that, according to the National Council, the tremendous surge in church building has produced a revolution in church architecture toward the functionalism of Architect Frank Lloyd Wright. On the West Coast, new-church construction is modernist in a ratio of four to one. Nor is this trend creedal; it is general.
In giving, the Seventh-day Adventist Church leads all other Protestant churches, with a per capita average of $173.35, of which $141.94 is allocated to what is defined by the National Council as "benevolences." Since the national average is $45.63, we can rejoice at this evidence of the faithfulness of our members in supporting the spread of the gospel message in such a generous and self-sacrificing way.
The Church Reaches Out
This great surge of interest in religion, this increase in membership, attendance, and giving did not just happen. Partly, it may result from the turbulent times in which we live; but partly, it is the result of an organized campaign on the part of all churches to reach out to the people as never before in American history. Mass communication techniques are being exploited as never before, to bring the Word of God to millions. The preachers are using radio, television, and the movies to bring religion back into the home. Great preachers like Billy Graham, Dean James A. Pike, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Bishop Fulton Sheen, and Dr. Ralph W. Sockman command huge audiences. Dr. Peale's syndicated column runs in 150 newspapers; he is seen over 140 TV stations; and his book, The Power of Positive Thinking, has sold nearly a million copies. Religious columns in newspapers are commonplace from coast to coast.
The churches are making first-class movies and TV productions with professional skill. (See Look, Dec. 14, 1954.) Millions will soon have seen the superb movie on the life of Martin Luther. Audiences of similar size will see John Wesley. One of the most successful TV programs in America is the Lutheran series entitled This Is the Life, seen weekly on 235 stations. Our own Faith for Today has established itself as a favorite with a host of listeners.
How Deep Is It?
Despite this seeming return to religion, which is demonstrated by the foregoing, as well as by the facts that religious books continue to lead the best-seller lists, popular songs emphasize religious themes, radio stations pause regularly for prayer, movie-makers specialize in religious productions, and even the Congress of the United States is installing prayer rooms in the Capitol, there are serious voices raised to question just how deep and meaningful it all is. Despite all this seeming piety, public and private morality is at an all-time low. Juvenile delinquency is a growing problem; the church has not solved the problem of "gangs of blue-jean-clad youth."
Although church growth and attendance may be encouraging, growth of competing organizations round the world is even more startling. Forty years ago there were not enough Communists in the world to fill a good-sized hall. Today, there are eight hundred million people and one third of the earth's surface under Communist domination. And Communism is a religion! During the same period Mohammedanism has doubled, while the number of Christian missionaries has decreased by one third.
It would appear that what we have in America is a "return to religion," but it does not necessarily follow that it is a good thing. There is nothing in the Bible to indicate that religion is "good," but much to suggest that it may be bad. The Jews were condemned for their "religiosity," and any student of world history knows that some of the greatest crimes have been committed, some of the bloodiest wars fought, in the name of religion. We can seriously ask the question, "Are we religious, or are we Christian?" It may be honestly questioned whether the rise of the "personal adjustment" cult or the "peace of mind" cult is true New Testament Christianity. Certainly, Christians will find it hard to accept the rise of "gospel boogie" sessions as Christian manifestations, and find completely incomprehensible Jane Russell's (a celebrated religionist) comment that the Lord is a "livin' Doll."
The Mission Field
The year 1954 was not a good year for Christian missions overseas. In fact, in some areas the developments were positively foreboding. Only in Argentina was there startlingly good news for Protestant missions.
There religious programs returned to the air after a five-year silence. Our own Seventh-day Adventist Voice of Prophecy program began on the first Sunday in March. Elsewhere in South America there was no notable turn for the better, while in Colombia there were increasingly tighter restrictions.
In February a new ban was placed on Protestant activity in Colombia, with the following order: "Non-Catholic natives and foreigners residing in Colombia, whether they be ministers, pastors, or mere believers, may not undertake any public proselytizing nor use means of propaganda outside places where services are held." This order speaks for itself. Later in the year a Colombian constitutional committee recommended that all religious activity outside churches be barred, and that all Catholics attending Protestant schools be instructed in their own religion. The trend in Colombia is toward ever increasingly more burdensome restrictions upon religious liberty.
In South Africa the racial controversy has resulted in new regulations, which may hamper Christian missions. Henceforth, the Department of Native Affairs must approve the sites of all churches and missions for Africans. These permissions must be reviewed annually, and no missionaries may live at the sites without approval. If ever the site is used to "encourage or tend to encourage deterioration in the relationship between natives and the government, or governmental persons or bodies," the permission for the site may be canceled with three months' notice and no compensation will be paid for the buildings. This places the church missions in a precarious political position.
The real trouble spot, however, is India. There, Christian missions are under strident attack. Indian Home Minister Katja has several times indicated publicly his desire to curtail or stop Christian proselytizing. Maniben Patel, daughter of the longtime Congress Party leader, has in parliament called Christian missions "a menace." Missionaries are charged with spying and stirring up revolt. Dr. Prasad, president of the Union of India, has demanded the end of evangelistic activity. He is president of one of the more than fifty Indian groups actively opposing Christian missions. The most reactionary of these, an organization known as the Hindu Mahasabha, is demanding the domination of India by Hinduism. Thousands of Indians are being reconverted to Hinduism.
Very recently, Christian missionaries have found themselves under police surveillance. Their incoming and outgoing mail has been opened. They have been attacked in public press and platform. New missionaries wait months for visas, or never receive them, and old missionaries on furlough are never sure that they can return. Presently, at least, the future of Christian missions in India is not bright.
Marian Year
The Catholic Church, this year, has celebrated a Marian Year. When I was in Rome the city was thronged with thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. In Chicago, shortly after 140,000 Protestants filled Soldier Field at the World Council, 260,000 Catholics filled the stadium for a Marian celebration.
The worship of Mary has progressed rapidly in the past one hundred years. The impetus was given by Pius IX, who in 1854 proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, that Mary, like Christ, was conceived without sin. On the fiftieth anniversary of that dogma, Pius X issued an encyclical Ord Diurn Ilium, on the exaltation of Mary. It was on the fiftieth anniversary of this encyclical, 1954, that Pius XII, the present Pope, declared a Marian Year, canonized Pius X, and proclaimed the dogma of the assumption, which states that "she was supernaturally conceived, lived as a perpetual virgin without original or other sin, and at death ascended to heaven bodily," where she now is as "Co-Redeemer, Co-Mediator, and Queen, sharing the ruler-ship of the world with her Son." Pius XII has since issued another encyclical, Ad Coeli Reginan, which establishes a new feast day to be celebrated yearly on May 31, to be called The Feast of the Virgin as Queen of Heaven.
This Mariolotry goes far beyond anything of this kind ever before done by the Roman Church. To any student of the Bible, particularly New Testament Christians, this development of dogma definitely sounds like blasphemy. Certainly it is one more evidence of the truth of Revelation.
Having taken a hasty glance at the major developments in the religious world of 1954, I feel impressed to append a hazardous guess. It appears to me that it is possible that the most significant religious development of 1954 did not occur in the field of religion at all, but in the field of the liberal arts. Specifically, I refer to the publication of volumes VI-X of A Study of History, by Arnold J. Toynbee, the celebrated English historian, who has spent a lifetime in its production.
The first six volumes of this study appeared in 1939, and by 1947 an abridgment had become a best-seller. Toynbee is already a household word, but the new volumes have produced more intellectual discussion about religion and Christianity than anything since Darwin's Origin of the Species.
Specifically, Toynbee has put God back into history. The end of history, he asserts, is the kingdom of God, and history is "God revealing Himself." Religion is not merely a guide or inspiration to civilization, but its very reason for being. Communism, for Toynbee, is a Christian heresy, and the Western world can be saved from it only by a religious revival. But this revival is not to be a return to orthodox Christianity; rather it is to be a blend of all the higher religions—a spontaneous religious regeneration.
Space is too brief to encompass even a synopsis of the ideas put forth in these volumes, but if their influence grows with time, in proportion to their immediate impact, there is almost no limit to the ways in which they may affect the future of religion in the Western world.
