Articles

Up to 1924 the outlook with regard to treating leprosy was nearly hopeless. Our understanding was limited, and treatment seemed only temporarily to halt the progress of the disease and its relentless course toward mutilation, deformity, blindness, and death.

Three quarters of a century separate us from the first, brash student volunteers who planned “the evangelization of the world in this generation.” Mott, Donald Fraser, Temple Gairdner and many more—there are still some in the Scottish Church who can remember the great names and the spirit of their times.

Give a secular newsman the choice of interviewing a pastor, evangelist, theologian, Gospel musician, Christian teacher, church historian, or missionary, and chances are he will pick the missionary.

Missionary bodies working overseas have enjoyed a greater measure of cooperation than exists among church groups at home. The nature and extent of this cooperation, however, is not always fully realized.

What a heart-breaking tragedy to have fine young men wiped out at an advanced post by enemy fire simply through lack of artillery support or ammunition.

Back in 1929 Owen D. Young, chairman of the board of the General Electric Company, said what he thought of his responsibilities: “My conception is this: There are three groups of people who are interested in this institution.

In my early childhood my father once told me the story of a man and boy who were traveling through the countryside leading a donkey. As they passed through the first town, they overheard protests: “What a stupid man! At least he ought to put the boy on the burro.” The father heeded their complaints and set the child on the beast.

How can we close the gap between the first sowing of the seed in a new town and the establishment of a church? That was the question that plagued us during our first two terms of service.

Some years ago a missionary from Africa confronted me with this problem: “As a missionary returning to a field that may quite conceivably be taken over by Communists, how should I approach my task of teaching the church?”

Mission agencies and the church face a major question with respect to the national churches that are emerging as a result of missionary evangelism. The question is no longer one of establishing indigenous churches at some future date.