ESTES IN THE PILPIT—Billie Sol Estes, Churches of Christ lay preacher, appeared before a small Negro congregation in Indianapolis last month. He delivered a 35-minute sermon, then passed the collection basket in behalf of a proposed missionary church in Nigeria. Estes, convicted of fraud by a Texas court, still faces federal action in connection with the collapse of his financial empire. He is free on bond pending an appeal.
PROTESTANT PANORAMA—Southern Baptists are working on a revised confession of faith to be presented to their annual sessions in Kansas City in May. A draft prepared by a special committee is being studied by Southern Baptist seminary faculties.
The Evangelistic Association of New England, supported by some 600 evangelical churches, marked its 75th anniversary with a dinner meeting in Boston.
The Methodist Church in the West Indies, Central America, and British Guiana will become an antonomous conference in 1965 but will maintain close ties with the British Conference and will continue to seek ministers from the United Kingdom.
The General Council of the Ameircan Baptist Convention will hold its winter meeting, February 6–7, where Baptist work in the New World had its beginnings. The First Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island, founded by Roger Williams, and the United Baptist Church of Newport, founded by John Clarke, are the oldest Baptist churches in America. Both list 1638 as their founding date.
An appeal to labor and management leaders involved in the New York newspaper strike was issued by the Protestant Council of the City of New York. The statement urged both parties “to comprehend, in addition to the self-interest of the contending parties, the vast public interest and concern and your responsibility to them.”
MISCELLANY—Boston College will bring together two leading figures of the Roman Catholic reform movement next month, Augustin Cardinal Bea, head of the Vatican Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, and Father Hans Küng, a young theologian from the University of Tübingen, Germany.
The World Vision Korean Orphan Choir is winning recognition as one of the finest children’s musical groups in the world. The choir, directed by Soo Chul Chang, is now on a tour of North America.
Missionary News Service reports establishment of an office in Nairobi, Kenya, to coordinate evangelical efforts in Africa. The office, a joint project of the Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association and the Evangelical Foreign Missions Association, will operate under the Rev. Kenneth Downing, former general field director of the Africa Inland Mission.
A new suburban campus for the Tokyo Bible Seminary of the Oriental Missionary Society will include a classroom building, six homes for national teachers, five missionary homes, and a four-unit guest house. Construction is already under way.
Soviet Zone Communists, after a period of relative restraint, launched a heavy attack against what they called the West German “military” church. Their specific targets were the 11th German Evangelical Church Day (DEKT) Congress, to be held at Dortmund, July 24–28, and Dr. Kurt Scharf, chairman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKID).
Congress is again being asked to consider the problem of Old Order Amish who have religious objections to participation in the Social Security program. Republican Representative Paul B. Dague of Pennsylvania introduced a measure to exempt from the compulsory insurance program those “who are opposed to participation in such program on grounds of conscience or religious belief.”
PERSONALIA—Dr. Langdon B. Gilkey, now professor and chairman of the department of theology at Vanderbilt Divinity School, appointed Professor of Systematic Theology at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago.
Dr. Robert Clyde Johnson, professor of systematic theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, named dean of Yale Divinity School. He succeeds Dr. Liston Pope, who resigned in 1961.
Dr. Colin W. Williams, Australian evangelist, named executive director of the National Council of Churches’ Central Department of Evangelism.
The Rev. J. B. Toews will resign as general secretary of the Board of Missions of the Mennonite Brethren Church to become a professor at the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, Fresno, California. Toews will be succeeded by the Rev. H. R. Wiens.
The Rev. Ross S. Rhoads appointed a field evangelist of the Gospel Broadcasting Association headed by Dr. Charles E. Fuller. Rhoads will hold evangelistic campaigns throughout the country and will periodically share in the preaching ministry of the Old Fashioned Revival Hour radio broadcast.
Dr. Roy C. McClung named president of Wayland Baptist College.
Dr. H. L. Puxley named director of the Canadian School of Missions and Ecumenical Institute.
The Rev. Tommy L. Duncan elected president of the American Protestant Correctional Chaplains Association.
The Rev. Luther K. Hannum, Jr., Protestant chaplain at Sing Sing Prison, presented “Chaplain of the Year Award” by the Salvation Army.
Frank J. Crawford, Jr., Post Office Department illustrator who designed the 1962 Christmas stamp, presented with one of the department’s top career service awards.
Ernest Woodhouse appointed superintendent of McAuley Water Street Mission, New York, oldest rescue mission in America.
Dr. William H. Schechter, president of Tarkio College, elected president of the National Council of United Presbyterian Men.
The Rev. William D. Moyers, Southern Baptist minister, nominated to be deputy director of the Peace Corps. Moyers, former aide to Vice President Johnson, has been associate director of public affairs for the Peace Corps.
The Rev. S. Carson Wasson assumed the presidency of Presbyterian Ministers’ Fund, oldest chartered life insurance company in the world.
Eerdmans publishers announced that F. F. Bruce has succeeded the late Ned B. Stonehouse as editor of its monumental New International Commentary.
WORTH QUOTING—“Religious beliefs have nothing to do with the legal profession.”—Maurice Brooks, president of Abilene (Texas) Bar Association, in expressing disapproval of the Christian Legal Society, newly organized fellowship of evangelical lawyers.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the Pope is the number one public relations man for the church in the world today.”—Bishop Fred P. Corson, president of the World Methodist Council.
Deaths
THE RT. REV. NORMAN BURDETT NASH, 74, retired Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts; in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
DR. ARTHUR JUDSON BROWN, 106, who served for 34 years as secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions; in New York. Brown was the oldest living person listed in Who’s Who in America, and the only surviving member of Andrew Carnegie’s original Church Peace Union.
DR. GEORGE P. MICHAELIDES, 70, director emeritus of the Shauffler Division of Christian Education at the Oberlin College Graduate School of Theology; in Oberlin, Ohio.
DR. C. H. WATSON, 86, former president of the General Conference of the Seventh day Adventist Church; in Sydney, Australia.
PROFESSOR JAMES PITT-WATSON, 69, former moderator of the Church of Scotland; in Glasgow.
DR. ANDREW VANCE MCCRACKEN, 65, editor of the United Church Herald, biweekly magazine of the United Church of Christ; in Bronxville, New York.
