ARE VALUES LOSING VALUE? This is the title of an article by Lynn R. Buzzard, Director of the Christian Legal Society, in the December issue of Eternity. Mr. Buzzard alerts his readers to the extremes to which opposition to discrimination tends to go in these days. He points out that legislation and court action against racial discrimination is necessary and in many cases long overdue. However, this matter has been extended to areas which concern religious and moral values and standards in such a way as to threaten the very existence of Christian schools and other organizations. He gives several examples such as a Christian radio station that was forced to hire a non-Christian announcer; the San Francisco Orthodox Presbyterian Church that was forced into an expensive lawsuit by a homosexual organist; a Baptist Seminary that lost the right to hire non-staff personnel according to religious standards. The article calls attention to an area of concern for the right to be discriminating which is of the very essence of the freedoms we have come to cherish.
FANATICS IN JERUSALEM. Eternity (Dec. ’83) has an interesting report on some observations about a trip to the Middle East by Dr. Russell T. Hitt. Among other things he reports that constant guard is kept over the so–called Temple area because of attempts to destroy the Muslim mosques now on that land. These attempts have been encouraged by fanatical ultra–Orthodox Jews who believe that the Messiah will return when the Temple is rebuilt. This idea is also supported by a group known as the International Christian Embassy (I.C.E.). At the annual feast of Sukkoth (Tabernacles) some 4,000 Christians from 30 countries staged a demonstration calling for the construction of the third Temple. A Jewish group called the Faithful of the Temple openly claims to have received support from Christians. In this article Dr. Hitt stresses that many Arabs are Evangelical Christians and that also among Jews the Gospel is being preached and churches established.
AN AMBASSADOR TO THE VATICAN? Congress recently repealed the 116 year-old ban on full diplomatic ties with the Vatican, headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. For many years the President has had a personal representative in Rome, but without full diplomatic status. The popularity of Pope John Paul II and his influence in counteracting against Communism in Eastern Europe has been a factor in this decision. Congress passed it without hearings, and various Protestant groups opposed to this as a violation of the separation of church and state have been putting forth efforts to stop the implementation of the decision. The article on this in Christianity Today (12/16/83) concludes that the opposing groups “concede that the Pope’s popularity and the presence of an all-but-official envoy already at the Vatican make it difficult to mobilize a ground swell of concern.”
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES REFUSES HOMOSEXUAL DENOMINATION. By a vote 116-94 the governing board of the NCC decided to postpone action on the request of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Churches, a 27,000 member church with mostly homosexuals as members. Strong oppostion came from the nine Orthodox denominations and the National Baptist Convention USA. The large minority of94 votes indicates that many in the NCC have no serious objection to homosexual church members (CT, 12116/83).
THE SALVATION ARMY AFTER 118 YEARS is the subject of an article in Christianity Today (12/16/83). It traces the history of the Army fro m its founding in London by William Booth, a Methodist minister deeply concerned for the plight of the poor in the slums of England. Despised and mistreated at first, the movement came to be respected even within Booth’s life-time. The Army is organized along military lines and there is strict discipline and a chain of command. Regular services are held, but the sacraments are not used. Much emphasis is placed on music. The following statistics are given: over 25,000 officers and cadets and 35,000 full–time employees operate in 86 countries, using 112 languages. Periodicals run to 123 editions and over 10 million copies annually. 260 ,000 attend Army–run schools; hospitals and clinics treat over 157,000 patients and over 2 mill ion out–patients. Over 243 ,000 persons are accommodated daily and 8,000 missing persons are traced annually. Much work is done with alcoholics and unwed mothers. Vast amounts of food and other relief are given to meet disaster emergencies all over the world. Truly a wonderful ongoing realization of one man’s vision of the calling of Christians to put their faith into practice.
DIVINE HEALING is the subject of two articles in Christianity Today (11/25 and 12/16/83). In the first, “A Surgeon’s View of Divine Healing” by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey, the claims of present day ”faith healers” are questioned and the occurrences of miraculous cures subjected to intensive examination. Dr. Brand does not question that God can perform miracles today as well as in Biblical times, but suggests that the claims of many that He is still doing so on a large scale do not hold water. Stress is placed on the serious problems that arise when people mistakenly refuse to use medical means. The story of the death of 15 month-old Dustin Gilmore in 1978, one of some 50 deaths resulting from following a minister who forbids going to doctors, illustrates the danger of some claims made by extremists. Attention is called to the fact that many illnesses are healed by the body’s resources and that there are many psychosomatic illnesses. Brand also points out that ifJesus died to save us from illness we should also not die. All in all, this is a well written defense of the traditional Reformed views on the relationship of faith to healing and the need to recognize that even when means are used God remains the great Healer.
The second article by Rodney Clapp is entitled “Faith Healing: A Look At What’s Happening.” The author also repudiates the claims and methods of many so-called divine healers, but does defend the present day emphasis on healing in the church. He outlines what he calls Centrist Healing. He also describes some new movements, notably the course offered at Fuller Seminary, “Signs, Wonders and Church Growth,” and Oral Roberts’ City of Faith, where the best of modern medical technology is combined with belief in divine healing. Included are a couple of examples of wonderful healings that defy explanation by the doctors. The case of Barbara Cummiskey who recovered completely from a serious case by multiple sclerosis (MS) is told in detail and is indeed a remarkable story. Clapp advocates a sane approach but wants to allow for the reality of divine healing, especially in the Christian community. The two articles give valuable insights into a very actual subject in the Church today.