HERE IS THE STEEPLE OPEN THE DOOR AND …
“With the great youth representation we have, this 1989 assembly of the United Protestant Church in the U.S. could be the most significant and relevant in our history,” said Jimmy Blackwelder, newly elected moderator of the united church. I found Jimmy in a noisy corridor of the assembly hall, making last-minute preparations for the first session.
“You’re sort of symbolic of the youth movement yourself, aren’t you?” I asked.
“How do you mean?”
“Well, I understand you’re still a student.”
“I see what you mean,” he said. “Yes, I’m a student, but comparatively I’m in the older half of the delegates.”
“How did this large youth representation come about?” I asked, raising my voice over the increasing hubbub.
“Well, it really started with the decision of the General Convention that the delegates should accurately reflect the ages and sexes of the general constituency. Since that time the General Convention has gotten a lot more relevant.”
“It has also gotten a lot noisier,” I observed. “I can hardly hear you.”
“What’s that?” he asked, cupping his ear. “I can hardly hear you.”
“What is all that racket?” I shouted.
“That’s coming from the nursery,” he shouted back. “Let’s go down to my study where it’s quieter.”
He steered me down the hall and into a small room provided for his use during the General Convention.
“I guess with more women delegates you have to provide for their children,” I said.
“What women delegates?”
“Surely you have wómen delegates.”
“Well, not many. But then we don’t have many men delegates either.”
“But the nursery …”
“Oh, those are youth delegates. After all, 20 per cent of our church is made up of those in the under-five category. They have to be represented. Don’t forget, the Bible says, ‘Let no man despise your youth.’ ”
I declined debate with that authority.
“Care for a drink of water?” the moderator asked, lifting the silver water pitcher on his desk. “Oh blast.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“There’s a frog in it. This stuff has got to stop!” he said, obviously piqued. “Last night the delegation from Missouri short-sheeted my bed. This morning some delegates from California put salt in all the sugar bowls. Doggone it, that’s no way to run a church convention!”
He looked very solemn as he continued. “We’ve tried to involve these young people and give them a voice but they continue to show their immaturity. They just haven’t seen enough of life. After all, some of them are still in kindergarten. What do they know of the real problems of life? Wait till they get to the seventh grade.”
“There’s another passage in the Bible you may be interested in,” I said as I rose to leave. “It goes: ‘Even youths shall faint and be weary and young men shall fall exhausted.’ ”
THE OTHER SIDE
Your magazine [gives], in my opinion, the best coverage of Christian and religious news and articles. However, I have found that in your articles of “street Christians” or “Jesus people” … your coverage lacks a great deal of the true meanings.…
Your coverage of the Children of God (“ ‘Straights’ Meet ‘Streets,’ ” Jan. 29) has not been quite accurate. They preach fear of God and encourage people to drop out of school, leave home and job, sell all possessions, and give the money to them—then you’re saved. They told a friend of mine—fourteen years old at the time—that she was going to hell because she went to school. They say Paul was backsliding when he was a tentmaker, and that he was “a little misled” while writing that if a man not work, let him not eat (in Second Thessalonians). They have a guard stationed at the door and will not allow children in their commune to be alone with their parents who come to visit, nor to leave the commune with their folks for any reason. Assault was used on the parents of a boy because they wanted to take their son out to lunch.… This group or “cult” is not biblical, and while there are some brothers and sisters in Christ in there, there are also many who aren’t. They’re extremely hate-oriented. I found none of this in your words concerning them.… Know the facts when doing a story.… Present a true picture of all.
I am a “hippie” turned to Jesus. I am not a “Jesus people.” I am a Christian.
West Covina, Calif.
OPEN THE UMBRELLA
The “international umbrella group” that William Willoughby wrote about in his fine report on the Los Angeles NAE convention (“The New Evangelical Surge,” May 21) tells about something that many of us have tried for years to get responsible Christian leaders interested in, the formation of a truly broadscale and representative evangelical organization, something that would bring us together.
For years responsible leadership has shied from the idea. It’s O.K. for Christians to organize in a local community, but for Christians to organize nationally and internationally—that’s somehow “non-spiritual,” at least that’s what the reasoning has sounded like. Now—if evangelical Protestantism’s leading magazine, CHRISTIANITY TODAY, will seriously go to bat for this idea, and if Billy Graham will put his considerable prestige on the line and give part of his time for this concept over the next few years, we may yet see a bright new organization that will properly harness the vast reservoir of power that reposes in world-wide evangelicalism.…
The ripe moment for plumping for this “umbrella” thing is now, so CHRISTIANITY TODAY and Dr. Graham, lead the way!
Emmanuel Baptist Church
Santa Clara, Calif.
WHO IS HE?
Your shorts in CHRISTIANITY TODAY [“Religion in Transit,” “World Scene,” “Personalia”] to keep abreast of all aspects of church-related news are greatly appreciated. [And] the extensive coverage of books is certainly one of your most valuable features.
In order that your readers not be led astray, would you please further identify the author of the book, The Urgency of Marxist Christian Dialogue (“Books in Review,” May 21)? The reviewer does not tell us if this Herbert Aptheker is the chief theoretician of the Communist Party U.S.A.… It makes all the difference to the validity of the work.
Johnson City, N.Y.
•Yes, he is the leading Communist theoretician.—ED.
TOYING WITH EVOLUTION
Garret Vanderkooi struck a damaging blow against Darwin’s theory of biological evolution (“Evolution as a Scientific Theory,” May 7). His insights into molecular biology are beneficial to us who have not followed his field of specialization.
Nonetheless, his remarks on the day-age problem of Genesis are overly simplistic and overly accommodating to uniformitarianism, the real foundation of Darwinism whether pure or revised for or by theologians. More acute to our understanding of Genesis are the opening words of Scriptures, not as in the King James Version, but as follows: “When God began to fashion (shape) the heavens and the earth.…” The inorganic, material earth obviously was already in existence, and indeed all the organic entities including man were brought forth from these materials. There is no room here for the present-day dogma that God created, at this time, the earth, etc., out of nothing (creatio ex nihilo). This concept is alien to the Hebrew Scriptures and indeed essentially Alexandrian thought, which reached the church via Moslem seats of learning.
Vanderkooi … toys with the idea that the Scriptures and the geological table are two forms of God’s revelation. The canon of the former is complete. I had not heard that the latter is. Fortunately, Vanderkooi concluded his article with a big “if” as to whether or not there are two forms of God’s revelation. He left the door open as to whether or not valid scientific observations are backed by verbal, plenary inspiration.
Department Head
History, Geography, Political Science
Cuyahoga Community College
Parma, Ohio
Vanderkooi’s article seemed to me to be too narrow, because it critiqued the theory only from the standpoint of the question of the origin of life, from the evidences of molecular biology.
I would like to see a discussion of the theory of natural selection and what scientific evidence there may be for accepting evolution as a possible explanation for the diversity of life. Is there validity in accepting evolution as another tool in attempting to explain some aspects of variation in form, or is the whole idea to be rejected completely for lack of evidence?
Orange, Calif.
ONLY ONE SIDE
I have been a subscriber to CHRISTIANITY TODAY since the very first issue was published. I have enjoyed it thoroughly over the years, though I have not always been in agreement with several stances taken from time to time. I think CHRISTIANITY TODAY fills a very important gap in religious publishing today.
However, I was very disappointed in the news report entitled “Ferment at Central Baptist,” by James Tinney (May 21). It deals only with one side of the question, and thus is hardly fair reporting. These three professors were trying to force the school to change its statement of faith. They felt they commanded a position of strength sufficient to enforce their demands. They did not. Many pastors and alumni of the school have been unhappy for years by positions held by several of these men.
If you are interested in a fair presentation of an unfortunate incident at a fine school, please do a future feature presenting fairly both sides of the issue.
First Baptist Church
Bellflower, Calif.
