FAST DEVELOPMENT

The fast development of all things toward the end of time, thus keeping pace with the prediction of our Lord: “Behold I come QUICKLY”, is to be seen on all sides in our fast living and fast developing age. We have freshly before us the fast development of the science of warfare. Think of the fast developing science of government, where the very so-called democratic governments of yesteryear are already employing the governing methods of the so-called Dictatorships of a conquered enemy. Think also of the fast development in the line of industry and traveling facilities, such as the automobile and airplane. But we were very much impressed by the fast development of communication and thus of communion, in the field of radio, when we read some interesting data about that invention.

Many of our youth will look up surprised to learn that the radio is celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary this month. It was just 25 years ago that the first radio broadcast was made, and still it has developed in this period from the crystal set and earphone type, to the great 100 million dollar industry it is today, with receiving sets in over 90 percent of the homes of America.

It seems but yesterday that we as school children, were bitten by the radio “bug”, which we assembled in our attics, and breathlessly twisting a couple of dials in the attempt to hear some distant station call, and in great excitement erecting antennas on the housetop.

It was at Detroit, Michigan that the first broadcast was made 25 years ago over station WWJ. Shortly after that station KDKA at Pittsburgh made the first broadcast of the election returns of the Harding-Cox election. And at the end of the year 1922 there were over 600 stations throughout the United States broadcasting this and that, and radio sets were selling in great quantities.

It was not long but that nearly everyone possessed the old fashioned simple crystal set, which was able to pick up broadcasts of 25 miles away and nearer. Finally the two and three-tube “loud speaker” set became the latest and the head phones and house-top antenna became a thing of the past. When radio stations joined by telephone in nationwide network in 1926, the radio industry boomed.

This radio industry is still young therefore, and we are just beginning to see some of the future developments along this line, such as the development of television and facsimile. But look at the tremendous development wrought within 25 short years. The whole world and all people In the world have become neighbors, able to communicate with each other through the ether waves which God has created for us in the air, A remarkably fast development. And how we become accustomed to these wonders of God’s creation. Only a few short years ago many good men condemned having a radio set in the home, for it was an instrument of the devil. Today it is being used by those very men and it is being used to good advantage to propagate the truth and bring the gospel to those shut in.

But it is also used by the Devil and the world on such a scale that the world and its most ungodly practices are being brought right within the home also of God’s elect. With its next step of television it will bring into your home the words not only but the very pictures and plays of Hollywood with all their obscenity and immorality and ungodliness. It brings within your homes the things that formerly could only be seen and heard in the theater and picture shows of the world and from which you have taught your children to stay. And because the world can be brought right within your home, a word of warning is certainly in place that we use also this marvelous invention, only in the fear of the Lord and with spiritual discretion. The sinful world is developing very fast, keeping tempo with the fast (development of science and invention. This fast development tells us: “Behold I (Christ) come quickly and my reward is with me”. Let us be sober and watch unto prayer.

CORRUPT UNION LABOR

More than at any time before in the history of the United States, the labor unions are restless and authorizing strikes which put men out of work by the hundred thousands. The corruption of the labor unions was revealed a few years back at the time of the so-called sit-down strikes, when unionized labor would not vacate the plant they were working in, but would stay in the stop though refusing to work. They would literally “take over” the plants from the owners and would not allow anyone else to run them either. That was plain stealing of course. And all those being members of such unions were robbers plain and simple.

Today the corruption of labor unions is revealed again, though in a different garb than in the days of the sit-down strike. However the principle is the same. Again the union is appropriating to itself rights which it does not possess. I am not discussing their 30 percent wage increase demands now. But the union wants management to open its books so that the union can and shall determine how much profit the management may make and how much in wages can and must be paid out to labor. We believe this to be all wrong. Perhaps the books of the company would show huge profits and then again perhaps they would not. But the right to open and examine the books of another certainly is no business of the employee.

But there is greater evil in the union labor demands. In respect to the coming steel strike, the union breaks its pledged contract which runs until October, 1946, merely upon the fact that conditions today do not warrant holding itself to its contract. We would ask the union: “Knowing that conditions change, why did you sign a contract then until October?” Certainly this violates the principle given us in Psalm 15 where we read of those who are blessed and who will dwell in the tabernacle of the Lord: “He that sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not”. It has been said that one must judge of any organization on the basis of its officially adopted constitution. True. But also on the basis of its joint actions. And the actions of the unions are corrupt to the core and membership in such unions cannot be tolerated by the members of the union of Christ and the believers, n.l. the church.

CONSISTENCY! THOU ART A JEWEL

The United States government has in the past years upheld and supported the rights of organized labor to bargain collectively with management. It even protests by law, labor’s rights in this. At the same time the United States government has repeatedly stated its strongest opposition to the oppression by foreign governments of minority groups such as the Jews, and others. It speaks in horror of “racial discrimination”. It shouts from the housetops that it believes in the equal rights of all men, regardless of color, race or creed. Just yesterday I read an article by Mrs. Roosevelt in which she tries to prove that the Jews in the past have always been the most loyal type Americans and should never be discriminated against. But note the following. Today we see the American government upholding the labor unions in their un-American practices of forbidding good American citizens to work. When the labor union says: “Strike”! then everyone in the factory must lay down their job, regardless whether they want to work or not. The “minority group” called Christians, are not allowed, even for conscience sake, to work. They are forbidden to enter the factory premises by the pickets. Yes, they are not even allowed to work, when union goes back to work, unless they join the union first. That is the closed shop which is upheld by our own government.

Where then are the equal rights of all men so highly extoled by our government? In the light of the foregoing, how can this country still talk about the “terrible oppression of the minorities” such as was practiced against the Jews? Our own government upholds this terrible oppression of the minority group of Christians who for conscience sake cannot and will not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. There is but one court of appeal for that minority group of Christians, and that is as James tells us in his epistle, chapter 5 verse 4, the Lord Sabaoth.

Even “civic righteousness” which is so carefully upheld by the Christian Reformed brethren, is trodden underfoot. For the minority group of Christians cannot take their case civilly to court, for even the Supreme Court of the United States has upheld this oppression of the righteous. It upholds “collective bargaining” and the “closed shop”. Where then is the second table of the law, which teaches: “Love your neighbor as yourself?” Labor does not even allow its fellow-laborer to have and hold a job. Is that “civic righteousness” and love to the neighbor? Not at all. Labor hates labor also, when it comes to the issue of righteousness. But Uncle Sam upholds this all. 0 consistency, thou art a jewel. May our Christian laborers shun the modern labor movement in the name of truth and righteousness. And be spiritually isolated from all the world.

“TOO BAD”, SAYS UNION

The following clipping from the Grand Rapids Press may be of interest to all our people. It is a news item from Holland, Michigan. “A union official Wednesday described the proposed liquidation of Holland Motor Express, Inc., as “too bad” but added, “There’s nothing we can do about it”.

The comment was made by Jacob Dertien, business agent of local 406 of the AFL Teamsters union, which, he said, had had frequent trouble with the local trucking firm. Dertien said the union had not been notified of the contemplated shutdown as announced Tuesday by John Cooper, the president of the firm.

Cooper said his decision to go out of business followed a strike by his drivers in protest to non-union drivers of Standard Grocers Co. Inc. of Holland, Muskegon and Grand Rapids, hauling their own supplies from the motor express terminal here.”

Comment is superfluous. Labor union can see plainly that it is forcing itself out of jobs, and the longer it strikes the poorer it gets.

THINKING ABOUT MISSIONS

Yes, we are thinking about mission activity. Our mission committee is busy thinking about mission activities for our Protestant Reformed Churches. The mission activities of our Churches is at present about nil. Our radio work of course is mostly in the hands of societies, except that recently in the East it has been taken over by the consistory of the Fuller Ave. Church. But outside of that, we have no mission work going on at all, as far as we know. This is not a healthy situation. So our mission committee is studying the advisability of recommending foreign mission work. There are various possibilities in this line. We can support the efforts of the Christian Reformed Churches in their China field or elsewhere. Or we could help support the efforts of the Orthodox Presbyterian Churches in their foreign mission endeavors. Or we can begin the establishment of our own Foreign Mission field. This all is commendable.

We would like to present to our readers, however, also the cause of our home mission work. We are a bit afraid that this phase of mission activity has been neglected. In the history of our churches we have had but one missionary in the field. And his labors were blessed. Attempts have been made to get another man. Thus far unsuccessfully. Yet there has not been much zeal in our midst for this cause. For many, many months now no attempt has been made to call a missionary. Nor did our Synod deem it necessary to send out a man to the camps during the war years to witness to the truth. It is perhaps time that we look away from the field we have been looking at, namely, the Christian Reformed Church people, and look beyond. And is there not a large home field right in our own country? There is a vast unchurched group in our country, not to speak of the field of churches that are apostating from the truth. Lest that field be neglected we would urge that not only our mission committee be thinking about foreign mission endeavor, but that all our people and our societies also join in thinking and speaking about and discm %mg our whole mission setup. And let us hear about the fruits of these discussions. Send them in to us. Tell us what you think about along these lines. And in the meantime: “Pray the Lord of the harvest, for laborers”. For the harvest is great but the laborers are few.