‘The Runner-Up to the Bible”
(Pageant Magazine, 1947)
In His Steps, the second most popular book in history, has sold [50,000,000] copies [and just as many downloads] and is still going strong.
Faith
Assemblies of God
(Coronet Magazine, 1958)
The fastest-growing Protestant religion today is the Pentecostal movement… In barely half a century this dynamic young version of old-time fundamentalism has produced spectacularly successful leaders such as Oral Roberts and the late Aimee Semple McPherson, has won the devotion of at least 2,000,000 Americans of every racial and religious origin and through zealous foreign missionary work, has gained thousands of converts on every continent.
Jack Hamm: Cartoon Preacher
(The American Magazine, 1952)
The Moody Bible Institute has not graduated many cartoonists but they did give their sheepskin to Jack Hamm (1916 – 1996), a terrific cartoonist who used his talent to advance the Gospel in Godlier America.
Open All Night
(The American Magazine, 1954)
Ever since America established the car culture, there came a need for all-night retail establishments: hamburgers, hot dogs, beer, pharmaceuticals – you get the picture. During the late Thirties this became apparent to the Reverend John Welles as he drove aimlessly through the West – he saw that it was quite possible to acquire meatloaf at all hours of the night, but if you wanted to speak with a minister of the Gospel, you were just plain out of luck. It was then that Welles swore to himself:
If ever I have another church, it will be open day and night. The soul doesn’t come alive on Sunday mornings only, and some day I’ll build a church where people can pray whenever they wish.
Was Jesus Black?
(The Crises, 1914)
Chances are pretty slim that Jesus of Nazareth was a button-nose blondy – so pink of cheek, with eyes of blue – yet, time and again, this was the manner in which he was rendered by the Christians of the Gilded Age. When the African-American magazine The Crises began to run illustrated advertisements depicting Christ as anything but a white fellow you better believe there were some letters addressed to their editors on the issue. The attached article was their response to these outraged readers.
The Faith of the Deaf
(Coronet Magazine, 1971)
This is an article about St. Matthew Luthern Church for the Deaf and the good work of Reverend Daniel Hodgson.
Not a sound can be heard by most of the congregation, but that doesn’t stop them from worshiping in a full church service – hymns included.
The Religious Opinions of Thomas Jefferson
(Sewanee Review, 1913)
The author argues that Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826) was neither an atheist or an Episcopalian or a Unitarian, as many have claimed. However, his fertile mind was not entirely devoid of any religious conviction but rather his views on theology were totally undigested and lacking in order and consistency. It is an interesting piece about one of America’s most fascinating Presidents concerning a topic that keeps coming up again and again.
Jefferson’s Bible is one of the ‘curiosities of literature’. This book, called by him, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth was published by congress in 1904.
(The article can be printed: which is good because the pages are out of order; sorry for the inconvenience.)
The historian Henry Steele Commager ranked Thomas Jefferson at number 14 insofar as his impact on the American mind was concerned – click here to understand his reasoning…
Anticipating Soviet Imperialism
(Quick Magazine, 1951)
A brief Quick Magazine report on the Christians who made their 1951 pilgrimage to Fatima, Portugal. In 1917, the year of the Russian Revolution, it said that the Virgin Mary appeared before three children and interacted with them. Among other remarks, the Virgin is said to have made this warning:
Russia will spread her errors throughout the world and many nations will be annihilated.
Going Where the People Go
(Pathfinder Magazine, 1937)
Fed-up with empty pews, a British pastor discovered that when he held services in a movie theater – where he discussed whatever Christian content was encapsulated within the story, he attracted a far larger crowd. The numbers were so impressive he continued this practice and even began producing Christian films in the subsequent decades.
‘Hello, Central, Give Me Heaven”
(The American Magazine, 1943)
Recognizing that simply because he had retired from the ministry, it did not mean that he had retired from spreading the Good News; Reverend J.J.D. Hall immediately began to deliver a sermon with each and every wrong number he received. That was in 1940 – three years later his telephone number was recognized as an institution and a reliable source for those thirsting for knowledge of The Almighty.