Israel-Arab Situation
At the United Nations General Assembly, the Russian Prime Minister called for the condemnation of Israel as the aggressor in the recent brief war and demanded the immediate withdrawal of her troops from Arab territories. We do not find it difficult to conclude that Russia is behind the Arab and Egyptian opposition to Israel from different items of authentic news. And yet the United States and Great Britain are condemned, and that falsely, for helping Israel in the recent conflict. If Egypt and her friends had overwhelmed Israel, would Russia then have demanded justice for Israel? We doubt it, although Communism calls for freedom for nations and peace in the world. Many still remember what Russian soldiers and guns did in Hungary not so long ago. The Hungarians were not allowed freedom of thought or action in their own land. There could be a call to Russia to withdraw from the Baltic States and other parts of Europe. But we hear nothing of this. Even the British Foreign Secretary hinted at the possible need for Israel to let go her hold on the old part of Jerusalem which she captured in order to ease the way for negotiations with the Arabs. We and others disagree with this expression of policy. People will need to read the Bible and find there the history of God’s government with regard to the Jews as providing the background to their present occupation of the Holy Land. A renewed interest in the Jews has been raised in the minds of many Christians by the outstanding recent events involving Palestine, Jerusalem, the Sinai wilderness, and the Egyptians. May God work by His Spirit mightily, in the hearts of Jews and Gentiles
The Pope and Celibacy
The Pope has issued a declaration upholding the Roman Catholic Church’s rule of celibacy for all her clergy. This has been done following upon many expressed views by priests of Rome and others that the clergy should be free to enter the married state. Some priests have married and have renounced their priesthood although not their Church. The Pope makes much of the Apostle Peter whose successor he claims to be, yet Peter was married; but Rome in its clergy affects to be more holy than Peter. The opposite has been true in the case of many of the Popes and priests. Marriage is honourable in all, but “forbidding to marry” is said in the New Testament to be the action of enemies to the truth.
No Freedom of Speech in South Africa
An Anglican Bishop, Edward Crowther, of Kimberley, has been served with a deportation order by the South African authorities. He said he was being expelled because of the South African Government’s refusal to allow dissent and right of freedom of speech and their intolerance of his efforts to serve the victims of apartheid. We know that this oppressive spirit obtains in South Africa, yet it always makes sad reading in the light of the mind of the divine Redeemer in the gospel. Philip, the evangelist, and the Ethiopian eunuch had precious fellowship in the Ethiopian’s chariot. There can be no systematic apartheid where the true spirit of the gospel of Christ prevails among men.
Teachers and Religion
A candidate for the rectorship of Douglas Academy, Milngavie, was at his interview, before Dunbarton Education Committee, asked about his church or religious affiliations. This was asked by Rev. John H. Dutch, Church of Scotland Minister, and a member of the Committee. Following upon this, there appeared in “The Educational Journal,” an article in which Rev. J. H. Dutch’s action was severely criticised. The article argued that such a question should not be asked of teachers applying for a post: We discover here another evidence of the movement to eliminate all Christian and religious influences from Education and the schools. Mr Dutch has ably replied in the press to his critics. He has stated well, that whatever a teacher candidate professes or does not profess, he is not entitled to a Christian minister’s support if, for instance, he, the teacher, was a Communist. Mr Dutch rightly stated that a Rector of a school, who is a professing Christian, sets a better example to the students than one who scarcely darkens the door of a Church. The Christian community, we maintain, must not defer to the pressures of Humanists and Atheists to give our children education without any instruction in the principles of the Christian faith; and for this basic reason, we hope Mr Dutch and others interested in the education of our children and are appointed to education committees, will take a firm stand as to their right to question candidates to teaching posts.