News Worth Noting: July 19, 1963

WHERE IS EVE?—Producer Dino De Laurentiis has launched a search for an unknown girl to play the part of Eve in the forthcoming cinematic extravaganza, The Bible. “The role,” he notes, “calls for a new face and personality. It would be fatal to the part … to cast someone already known to the public or identifiable with other roles.” The Bible, from a script by playwright Christopher Fry, will be released in several sections, the first of which will be the Book of Genesis.

PROTESTANT PANORAMA—The Association of Free Lutheran Congregations voted at its first annual conference in Fargo, North Dakota, to oppose what its president called a “back-to-Rome” movement among world Protestants. In his report, association President John Strand warned that “the fundamental difference between evangelical Protestantism and Catholicism is being forgotten, or, worse still, being ignored.”

Joint sessions are set for the American Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention U. S. A., National Baptist Convention of America, Seventh Day Baptist General Conference, Northern American Baptist General Conference, and the Baptist Federation of Canada in Atlantic City, May 22–24, 1964.

The 14,000 member Evangelical Lutheran Synod, meeting at Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, Minnesota, voted to withdraw from the Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America. The action resulted from a dispute with the 2.5 million-member Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the largest body in the conference.

Membership in Baptist church bodies of 115 countries now totals 25,198,025 (a gain of 888,487 over a year ago), according to a report by the Baptist World, official publication of the Baptist World Alliance. Most of the increases were registered in the United States.

The Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations of the United Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. has allocated $150,000 toward a million-dollar program to strengthen the only women’s college in the Middle East—Beirut College for Women.

MISCELLANY—Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Jewish religious leaders are sponsoring formation of a Boston Conference on Religion and Race to “mobilize … moral and spiritual forces” against discrimination. Named as chairman is Protestant Episcopal Bishop John M. Burgess.

The Anti-Defamation League charges that many elementary-school social studies textbooks are sectarian in tone and gloss over minority-group contributions to America’s development. The charges occur in a 65-page report based upon a three-year study of 120 textbooks used in the United States public school system.

The Northern Evangelical Church of Laos met in its first General Assembly since 1958, appointing seventeen pastors and Christian workers to responsibilities in six districts. Abnormal conditions have made it impossible to arrange such a meeting in recent years.

Moody Institute of Science announces the development of multi-lingual sound-tracks to accompany the showing of its “Sermons from Science” film series in its pavilion at the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair. Each seat will have an earphone and selector switch, allowing the visitor to listen to the message in his own language.

Two Baptist churches have been reopened in Madrid—further indication of the easing of Spanish government restrictions on the nation’s small Protestant minority. The action brings to thirteen the number of Protestant churches reopened this year.

Twelve noted clergymen have published a full-page newspaper advertisement, carried in The New York Times and The Washington Post, to protest what they described as denial of religious freedom in South Vietnam and to oppose U. S. aid to that nation’s current regime. Signatories included Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr, Bishop James A. Pike, Dr. Ralph W. Sockman, Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick, one Buddhist and several Jewish leaders.

The National Assembly of the Somali Republic ratified an amendment to the nation’s constitution stating that “it shall not be permissible to spread or propagandize any religions other than the True Religion of Islam.” Mission leaders are cautiously hopeful that the action will not interfere with school and hospital work in the country.

PERSONALIA—Rabbi Leon I. Feuer elected president of the Central Conference of American (Reform) Rabbis.

Dr. Paul Goodwin, professor of evangelism at Missionary Baptist Seminary, elected president of the American Baptist Association.

The Rev. Roy C. Cook named to succeed Arthur B. Francis as president of the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec.

The Rev. Harry Lennox elected moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

Dr. M. Verne Oggel elected president of the 157th General Synod of the Reformed Church in America.

John E. Bevan resigned as registrar of Drew University to assume the position of minister of education at Church of the Good Shepherd, Areadia, California.

Dr. Harold W. Boyer elected to a ninth term as chairman of the policy-making General Ministerial Assembly of the Church of God.

Dr. W. Harry Jellema retired as professor of philosophy at Calvin College, where he has served for thirty-one years.

The Rev. Allan R. Brockway appointed new managing editor of Concern, semimonthly publication of the General Board of Christian Social Concerns of The Methodist Church.

Dr. Robert W. Spike appointed permanent executive director of the National Council of Churches’ new Commission on Religion and Race.

Dr. Donald F. Thomas named associate professor of pastoral theology and assistant to the president at California Baptist Theological Seminary.

Floyd Anderson, president of the Catholic Press Association, named director of the National Catholic Welfare Conference’s Press Department and of the NCWC News Service.

Rear Admiral J. Floyd Dreith of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod appointed new chief of Navy chaplains.

D. Harley Fite, president of Carson-Newman College, named new president of the Southern Association of Baptist Colleges and Schools.

WORTH QUOTING—“The trouble with Christians today is that nobody wants to kill them anymore.”—Dr. J. Wallace Hamilton, minister of Pasadena Community Church (Methodist), St. Petersburg, Florida.

“If I can’t come through this case the same offensive, unlovable, bull-headed, defiant, aggressive slob that I was when I started it, then I’ll give up now. My own identity is more important to me. They can keep their gawd-damn prayers in the public schools, in public outhouses, in public H-bomb shelters and in public whore-houses.”—Mrs. Madalyn Murray of Baltimore, the atheist whose case against public school devotions was sustained by the Supreme Court, in an interview to The Realist shortly before the court decision.

Deaths

THE REV. CHARLES HODGE CORBETT, 81, retired Presbyterian missionary to China and former editor of The Presbyterian Tribune; in Stow, Ohio.

DR. WILLIAM TOTH, 58, newly elected executive director of the Foundation for Reformation Research; in Columbus, Ohio.

MISS MABEL HEAD, 90, ecumenical leader who helped unite the Council for Women’s Home Missions, the Women’s Committee of the Foreign Mission Conference, and the National Council of Church Women into the United Council of Church Women; in Lakeland, Florida.

DAVID WYNBEEK, 49, religious historian, author, and advertising manager for Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.; in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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