I write this while looking out a castle window in Mittersill, Austria. Off in the distance are beautiful snow-capped mountains, and down below the castle the small town in the valley. The rushing mountain streams with their cold slate-colored waters are not far away. In this peaceful atmosphere, the various national and international crises seem somewhat unreal. But in a few short days we will return to face them, renewed in strength and eager to re-enter the fray.
Shortly we’ll be on our way to Tübingen, Germany, to meet with some of the professors who helped put together the Frankfurt Declaration (see June 19 issue). From there we go to see the Passion Play, then on to Paris and Orly Airport.
The vacation period has given time to review the Plan of Union produced by COCU. I have been working on several essays analyzing this document and attempting to explore the implications for evangelicals everywhere. Certainly every local church should hold briefing sessions, outlining for its people just what the Plan of Union is all about. I have also studied the report in which a task force of the National Council of Churches presented alternatives to the NCC and have written an appraisal of the report and reactions to it. All this material will appear in the magazine in the weeks ahead. It is an exciting time in which to live. Today may be the greatest opportunity for evangelical witness and advance—if we seize the initiative and move forward boldly and unitedly.
