VOL. XI, NUMBER 3

emsInternational Magazine ofTHE CHURCH OF GOD

MARCH, 1962

SHOULD A CHRISTIANDANCE?

The world labels dancing a "pleasure." On the other hand,some claim the Bible condemns dancing! Read God's answer­

from the Bible-in this revealing article.by Albert J. Portune

D OWN through the centuries, manya starry-eyed girl and pink­cheeked young lady has anxious­

ly and with great expectation dressedin her nicest gown in anticipation ofthe inspiring music and gay atmosphereof an evening of dancing! Many ayoung heart has thrilled with joy as hestepped out on the ballroom floor tolead his lady in the colorful, moving,laughing parade of dancing couples.

Yet, in thousands and thousands ofother lives, the mere thought of dancingfeet and dancing hearts has brought tomind other thoughts of SIN, LUST andEVIL. Dancing, for many, has alw(lysseemed a SIN! The very thought ofmen and women moving together tothe intricate steps of the dance has beensynonymous with evil, fornication andillicit relations.

Is dancing a sin?Would God want us to dance?

Dancing in the BibleFirst, let's be willing to seek the truth

from God and to "prove all things" (IThess. 5:21). Let's remove all prejudiceand honestly look into the Bible-theWord of God-and find the answer. Ifdancing is a sin, then surely God willshow us the plain truth in His Word.It it is not a sin, then some will have

to clean up their minds and seek God'smind instead.

The Bible has much to say aboutdancing! But what it has to say maysurprise you. Notice what God inspiredin His word: "There IS a time to dance"(Eccles. 3:4). So there is a time to dance!But what kind of dancing, and where?

Notice the examples in your Bible.After God had delivered the children

of Israel by parting the Red Sea, we findthat the people danced in rejoicing be­fore God. "And Miriam the prophetess,the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel inher hand; and all the women went outafter her with timbrels and with dances"(Ex. 15:20).

David, the King of Israel, danced be­fore the Eternal while bringing the arkto Jerusalem. "And David danced be­fore the Eternal with all his might; andDavid was girded with a linen ephod"(II Sam. 6: 14). On this very jOy01tSoccasion, when the ark of the Eternalwas being brought to Jerusalem, Daviddanced before the Eternal wearing thelinen ephod of the office of priest.

There are many other examples ofthe use of dancing as an expression ofjoy and worship before God. All theseexamples certainly should be sufficientto demonstrate that dancing as such wasapproved by God.

Consider what Hastings' Dictionaryof the Bible says: "The religion of theIsraelites was ... predominantly socialand joyful. It found its <esthetic expres­sion in a merry sacrificial feast, whichwas the public ceremony of a townshipor clan. Then, the crowds streamed intothe sanctuary from all sides, dressed intheir gayest attire, marching joyfully tothe sound of music. Universal hilarityprevailed; men ate and drank and mademerry together, rejoicing before theirGod. To such a religion, dancirlg wouldbe a natural adjunct" (Dictionary of theBible by Hastings, article, "Dance").

We may find this joyful fellowshipwith God expressed in the very wordof the Bible when God ordained theannual Holy Days to be observed byIsrael. During the Feast of Tabernacles,the last Festival of God's sacred year,the people were told to "keep a Feastand rejoice before the Eternal sevendays" (Lev. 23:40,41). God's peopleare actually to express their worship ofGod in singing and in the dance! "LetIsrael rejoice in Him that made him;let the children of Zion be joyful intheir King. Let them praise His namein the DANCE: Let them sing praisesunto Him with timbrel and harp" (Ps.149:2,3). Again in Psalm 150, verse

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2 The GOOD NEWS March, 1962

Letters to the Editor

SENIOR EDITOR

Foods COnJultants

NO.3:.

David Jon Hill

ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS to the Editor.Box Ill. Pasadena. California.

Canadian members should address Post Office Box44. Station A, Vancouver 1. B. c..Canada.

Our members in United Kingdom. Europe. andAfrica should address the Editor, Ambassador Col­lege. Bricker Wood, St. Albans. Herts., England.

Members in Australia. the Philippines. SoutheastAsia should address the Editor, Box 345. NorthSydney, N. S. W., Australia.

nn SURE TO NOTIFY US IMMEDIATELY uf anychange in your address. Please inclose both oldand new address. IMPORTANT!

BUSINESS MANAGER

Vern R. Mattson

James W. RobinsonDonald G. McDonald

Editorial and Production Assistants

Roderick C. Meredith

Velma Van der VeerMary E. Hegvold Isabell F. Hoeh

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Garner Ted Armstrong

MANAGING EDITOR

Herman 1. Hoeh

HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG

EDITOR

Published monthly at Pasadena. California.© 1962, by Radio Church of God.

Albert]' Portune

Associate Editors

International magazine ofTHE CHURCH Of GOD

ministering to its membersscattered abroa4

Contributing Editors

Robert C. Boraker Bryce G. ClarkC. Wayne Cole Raymond C. ColeCharles V. Dorothy Jack R. ElliottSelmer Hegvold Ronald KellyRaymond F. McNair Ernest L. MartinC. Paul Meredith 1. Leroy NeffBenjamin 1. Rea Lynn E. TorranceBasil Wolverton Clint C. Zimmerman

VOL. Xl

"The booklets you have sent me areextremely valuable. One can read themover and over again. Nowhere else, butin these booklets are clear answers to befound. They clearly prove the existenceof God; no other booklets can prove itso clearly and straightforwardly by thefacts. If one looks up the reference in

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"Many thanks for sending the book­lets as well as for your correspondence.

"Even if much is totally new to meand contradicts old church tradition,1 still have to admit that it is so, as youproclaim il."Man from Truchtelfingen, Wlirttemberg

"The amazing proof has astoundedme and also others. Yes. all that we havebelieved. Thanks to God that He is onceagain choosing men to Himself who areexposing these false teachings and lies.1 thank the true and almighty God, that1 have never yet taken part in an Eastersunrise service. 1 am not going to coloreggs anymore."

Woman from Garlitz, East Germany

"Yesterday 1 received the first issueof your magazine 'Die Reine Wabr­heir,' and I don't want to neglect tothank you for it. 1 would also like toexpress my thanks for the differentpapers that you have sent me up to now.1 have found much in them that wasunknown to me and have ceme to knowfamiliar things in a totally differentlight.

"1 have often asked myself what sortthis 'church' or 'association' might be,in order to avoid the word sect, and 1would like very much to learn some­thing about this. Who is this? How andfrom where did you arise?"

Man from Seeweg-SieJlung

"1 must say that your broadcasts arevery simple and that the layman canalso hear, above all, understand them."

Man from Kaiserslautern, Germany

"Once again many thanks for thebooklet. It fits so well into one's dailylife. It is, like all the other booklets,sentence for sentence, easy to under­stand. Your booklet gives us hope forthe morning, right at the time when thepeople of East Germany are living insuch distress."

Man from Jena, East Germany

Bible Now Clear"1 have been a constant and keen lis­

tener to your programme for aboutseven months, in which time 1 have seenthrcugh the screen of deception so clev­erly enshrouded around the truth of theBible (by others). Most of the misinter­pretations of the Bible are now madeclear to me."

Newcastle, N. S. W., Australia

"You Are God's True Ministers""Every day 1 find myself longing for

the next edition to come. After muchmental turmoil, 1 have come to the con­clusion that you are God's true min­isters, and what you preach is not to betaken lightly."

Young man from North Perth,W. Australia

Letters from the GermanBroadcast

Here are several surprising letters re­ceived in our London office and trans­lated by our staff.

• God's Word corrects, reproves andcurs like a two-edged sword, for ourgood. Burying oneself will bring a mul­titude of blessings.

Guatemalans Want GermanPLAIN TRUTH

"We listen as often as possible toyour broadcast from Radio SWAN(now Radio Americas) . We understandboth your Spanish and English broad­cast. However, we are Germans livingin Guatemala since 1938. We under­stand and read German better than anyother language. We are a culture groupof about 17 families all from Germany.We discuss often what you say in yourbroadcast. We teach our children accord­ing to the truths you expound. Wewould like to receive your publication inGerman or Spanish if possible for ourstudy room at the club."

Man from Guatemala City, Guatemala

Changes Deep-Seated Beliefs

"Dear Mr. Armstrong:"Your programs have not been easy

on us, for we have been forced to changemany deep-seated beliefs because ofGod's Word. 1 agree wholeheartedly thatfor a person to admit he is wrong is oneof the hardest things for a human beingto do. 1 have had to do it several timesof late. We thank God daily for youand Garner Ted."

Man from Akron, Ohio

•1n

Why You SHOULD SingChurch

Why do we have Congregational singing in the Churches ofGod? Is there any reason why YOU SHOULD sing in church?Here is an important article by a staff member of the Corre-

spondence Course.by William H. Ellis

MAN Y of the churches of this worldhave form and ceremony. Theaverage Sunday church devotes

at least one third to one half of its serv­ice to congregational singing.

Perhaps, because of this, the questionhas come to mind, "Should we be sing­ing in the services of the Church ofGod? Isn't congregational singing justanother carry-over from paganism?

The real question we need to answeris, "Where does congregational singingcome from? Who determines whetheror not JIOU and I will sing in church?"

Already DecidedDid you know that God has already

decided this question for us? It has beenin our Bibles all this time! But first,let's consider some ideas we may havebeen entertaining.

Some members of local congregationshave assumed that their voices are weakand squeaky. Because some have neverlearned to carry a tune, they think thattheir voices would detract from the serv­ice. Some others may feel that the soundof their small voices is not going tomake much difference whether they singor not, so THEY DON'T!

At first glance, these may seem likegood reasons for not singing, but theyreally are not even good excuses! Somehave their minds centered on them­selves and have not been able to puttheir hearts into singing because of self­embarrassment!

Now let's notice the surprising his­torical record of congregational singing.

Amazingly enough, even secular schol­ars must admit that "for the origin andidea of Christian hymnody we mustlook, not to Gentile, but to Hebrewsources" (Ency. Brit. vol. 12, article,"Hymns).

Some of the Psalms of David werewritten specifically to be sung by groupsof people! Notice the inspired sub­headings to Psalms 45, 46, 47 and 48.These subheads should not be in smalltype as in the King James version. Inthe Jewish translation they are properlyin large type!

David employed many choirs to singthe melodies of the Psalms. He hadchoirs composed of men and others com­posed of women. Notice in the sub­heading to Psalm 46, the Hebrew tellsus this was a song "upon Alamorh."Properly translated, this is, "a song tobe sung by the young women." Thevoices of girls made a beautiful con­trast to the deep, resonant tones of malebass and baritone singers. Notice also,the overwhelming majority of Psalmsare designated, "To the chief musician."He was the choir director and orchestraleader-the leader of the song service!Simple songs were sung by the wholecongregation under his direction. Morecomplex ones were specially sung byr hoir» on the Sabbath and Holy Days.

Jesus Christ left us an example tofollow! When He gave the final instruc­tions to His disciples before His cruci­fixion, He concluded by singing withthem a psalm. The record is found inMatthew 26: 30-Jesus Christ sang withthe disciples who later became theApostles of the New Testament Church!

Do we find that the early New Testa­ment church continued the practice ofunified, congregational singing? Turnto Colossians 3: 16, and see the positiveevidence that THIRTY YEARS afterthe death of Christ, in 8 Gentile area,the customs of the Church of God in­cluded congregational singing.'

The Apostle Paul says, "Let the wordof Christ dwell in you richly in all wis­dom, teaching and admonishing oneanother; in psalms, and hymns and spir­itual songs, singing with grace in yourhearts to the Lord." How were theColossians to let the word of Christdwell in them richly? By singingpsalms and other songs! How were theyto sing? With their WHOLE HEARTS,as though they were singing with JesusChrist Himself!

Apostasy Corrupts Church Music

Soon after the death of the apostles,congregational singing received thedeath blow!

As early as the second century, the

so-called "church fathers" introduced thebeginnings of the modern chants andmeaningless responsive singing that hasbeen adopted by modern churches. Soc­rates, the church historian, attributes toIgnatius, a "church father," the intro­duction of chants and antiphonal sing­ing after he had had a dream in whichhe claimed he saw "angels" singing andchanting praise to the trinity!

In recorded musical history we findlittle evidence of congregational singingfrom this time on. Hillary of Pottiersand Ambrose of Milan carried on con­gregational singing until the time ofPope Gregory the Great. This Popemade the famous-originally heathen­Gregorian Chants popular.

Reformation in Church MusicUntil the time of the Protestant

Reformation, congregational singingwas practiced in remote areas of France,Portugal, Sardinia and Bohemia. A fewpieces of this music has survived inGermany since the 12th century. Thesewere Dark Ages indeed for the beauti­ful church music that had inspired sing­ers in the days of David. No longerwere people familiar with the accountsof spiritual edification that the Apostlesand early church received from singinghymns together.

Nevertheless, in spite of persecution,the true Church of God, with JesusChrist as its living Head, had preservedthe proper forms of congregationalsinging, while hiding on the borders ofthe Roman Empire.

This was dramatically brought tolight when Martin Luther attempted to

revive congregational singing. He foundthat instead of having died out, congre­gational singing had been preservedamong the people of God!

"The persecuted Bah e m ian . . .churches, settled on the borders of Mo­ravia, sent to Luther one Michael Weiss,who not long afterward published anumber of German translations fromOld Bohemian hymns" (Ency. Brit., vol.12, art. "Hymns").

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Used Clothing--a Blessingfor the Needy

Behind the scenes, the Used Clothing Department at Pasadenahas become a blessing in the lives of hundreds of needy peoplein God's work. Read how YOU can do your part in helping

your brethren IN NEED.by Albert J. Portune

LIT ERALLY tons of used clothing havebeen sent out from Headquartersin Pasadena to needy brethren and

Co-Workers around the world. What to

many of us is an old, cast-off garmentor "out-of-date" outfit is a pulse-quick­ening, heartfelt blessing to someone inreal need. Through the love and gener­osity of many of God's people, the livesof many have been made easier andmore comfortable through the receiptof a gift of used clothing from God'sHeadquarters Church at Pasadena.

One gratefUl WOman writes,"Dear Brother Armstrong:"It sure is good to have a friend like

you! My whole family and 1 have beendown sick with fever for two weeks­really bad off. I sure thank God for theclothes, they really helped us out. Beforeyou sent those clothes, I didn't have any­thing to wear."

Another heart-warming letter read,"Your letter came this morning, as trulya gift from heaven. I've been prayingfor clothing for my children, but didn'tknow where the answer would comefrom. My hand shook with joy as I readthe letter saying you'd sent clothing formy family. My husband has been with­out work a long time. Anything you cansend will be greatly appreciated. Anysizes near are all right as I can makethem over. I'd like to repay you sometime when we get on our feet again.Thank God for all of you, even thoughI've never met any of you."

Letters like these make us realize howimportant a few cast-off items of cloth­ing can be in times of trial. The UsedClothing Department of God's Churchhas certainly become a great blessing to

many of the needy in God's work.

Situation in PhilippinesIn my trip to the Philippine Islands

last year, one of the really heart-rendingconditions was the state of the 1ittlechildren. No one likes to see a littlechild shivering-without enough cloth­ing to wear to keep them warm. Yet,this is the state of many of the childrenof those God is calling in the Philip­pines.

Knowing how destitute these peopleare, you can certainly appreciate andshare with me the joy we have had insending several large shipments of usedclothing to our brethren in the Philip­pines. Mr. Ortiguero recently wrote to

tell me how overjoyed and grateful thepeople were when he distributed thetwelve large boxes of clothing amongGod's people in the Philippines.

I hope you all share with me the feel­ing of satisfaction of knowing thatthere are many little children - andadults too - in the Philippines whoselives are being made brighter, happierand W ARMER by our compassion forthem.

Not Enough Clothing

Because of the pressing demands recently, the Used Clothing Departmenthas been practically depleted of its sup­plies of used clothing. There have beenso many genuine demands and needsamong God's people that we have notbeen able to keep up with the requestsfor used clothing.

Up to recently, we have had abun­dant supplies to fill the urgent requestsof God's people. However, recently thedonations of used clothing have fallenoff to almost nothing. Here is whereyou can really help in God's work byhelping us to replenish the stocks ofused clothing that are urgently neededby your needy brethren around theworld.

The Used Clothing Department oper­ates entirely on donated clothing con­tributed willingly by God's people allover the world. So much can be donewith so little effort that I am sure allof you will want to do your utmost tocooperate in sending used clothing toPasadena.

I am sure there are many, many itemsof used clothing in your closets, attics,basements or garages that yOll have notused for a long time or that you maynever use. These items can be utilizedimmediately by many of your brethrenwho would welcome them as a tremen­dous blessing from God.

Every type of clothing is needed! We

need clothing for men, women, teen-ageboys and girls and especially clothingfor children and even infants. Otheritems such as blankets, towels or linensare also much in need.

If each one of us would take just afew minutes to rummage around ourhomes, I am sure we would come upwith several boxes of used clothing thatwould be entirely serviceable and thatcould be sent almost immediately toPasadena. Wherever possible, you shouldsee that clothing is clean and pressedin a wearable condition ready for use.We simply do not have the facilities toclean, repair and press all of this cloth­ing before sending it out. This can be­come a personal and individual serviceeach one of us can render to our needybrothers in the church.

For mailing, it is best to wrap theclothing in newspapers and pack it ina cardboard box which can be tied withheavy cord. Use a parcel post label andaddress your packages to The RadioChurch of God, 318 Camden Street,Pasadena, California. Also, write dearlyon the label, "Attention Used ClothingDepartment."

The parcel post charges are very rea­sonable and it will not cost very muchto ship them to Pasadena. It is not nec­essary to insure these packages.

Some Typical RequestsHere are a few examples of some re­

quests for used clothing received atPasadena recently: "I guess you musthave heard of the recent disaster causedby the recent hurricane which has leftour city in devastation. I can only saywe were saved by the power of God.Due to the hurricane my home has beencompletely wrecked with all my belong­ings. I would appreciate very much ifyou could help me with some clothingwhich is urgently needed and will bevery much appreciated. I have also twokids, ages one and two years respec­tively" (British Honduras).

Here is another! "Dear Pastor Arm­strong: Please, I am 27 years old withfour children, ages ten, four, two years

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The Right Kind ofAUTHORITYin the Home

head of the house may need to showhis wife how to schedule her time so shewill be able to study and pray.

Let us notice what God says a vir­ruous woman, whose "price is far aboverubies," should be trained to do. It is inProverbs 31: 10-31.

A diligent husband will help his wifeto become {he type of woman found inthe 31st chapter of Proverbs.

Notice that this kind of woman istrustworthy (vs. 12). "She speaks wellof her husband." She does not gossipabout him, telling his faults and short­comings. She will not listen to gossipabout him.

The good wife knows how to cookproperly (vs. 15). If she does not know-she can learn. The GOOD NEWS isnow publishing articles which tell thewife how to cook. Many cities giveadult home economics classes. A wife(or daughter) who does not know howto cook should take the opportunity to

attend such classes. The husband shouldbe willing to make this possible.

The husband should encourage hiswife to take the time to train theirdaughters to prepare wholesome meals.This is often not the case!!

She can help clothe her family bylearning to sew, by taking advantage ofsales in materials (Prov. 31: 13, 21). Ifyour wife does not know materials anddoes not know how to sew, many citiesoffer courses in sewing and the choos­ing of materials. Also there are text­books and magazines that can help her.A neighbor may often be the source ofhelp.

It is the husband's duty to encouragehis wife to acquire skill in her fields.

A young wife (and most women)has not had the experience necessaryto do all the things mentioned in the31st chapter of Proverbs-that a virtu­ous woman should be able to do. Shecan learn with the competent and PA­TIENT guidance of her husband.

If you (the husband) are a wise headof the house, you will help her plan herschedule so she can do her housework,get in her Bible study and prayer andalso help her acquire .the skill and

Rule with an Iron Hand?The husband and wife work as a

team. The wife is the husband's assist­ant-but she has to be trained. Mostwomen at least used to lead somewhatsheltered lives.

Wives need the loving help of anunderstanding husband. That is whyGod placed the man over the wife.

But how do you show that thought­ful consideration? By giving yourwife some responsibility, and then PA­TIENTLY - GENTLY teaching herhow to use it. As she learns to acceptand use responsibility, give her stillmore duties and opportunities.

The husband often needs to help hiswife to organize her time so she toowill be able to have time to grow ingrace and knowledge. Wives often saythey don't have time to study and pray.The truth is they usually have muchmore time than their husbands do. The

Some husbands and some wives are failing in their responsi­bility-and don't lenou: why. Here is what you may be doing

wrong!by Lynn E. Torrance

the head of the house. They are zealous.However, some of you husbands go to

the extremes. Some of you rule yourhousehold as a stiff-necked tyrant-un­mercifully overlording the wife andchildren.

Jesus Christ forbids the husband to

rule his house as a harsh overlord, mak­ing all the decisions. Some men telltheir wives every move to make. Theylist all the groceries she should buy.They tell her where and how to cleanhouse that day, and what and how tocook for the meals. Sometimes a hus­band has even told the wife what shecould cook for her own lunch while hewas at work. It is known that some ofyou do just ·this!

Do you realize that when you (thehusband) make every decision for yourwife she is nor learning how to applythe principles of right living to her ownlife?

If you make all the decisions, willyour wife ever learn how to assume hernatural, God-given responsibility.

Jesus Christ trusts you men with alittle power now-without lincling thatyou always misuse it. So let your wiveslearn to make those decisions which aretheir responsibility.

Your Biggest Problem?

Do We Rule Christ's Way?Many men in the Church of God try

diligently to obey this command to be

Many men do not realize rhar withthis totally self-centered kind of Biblestudy and prayer, the husband is onlyfeeding himself. He neglects to feedhis family.

Of course one must study and prayprivately, bur it is also the man's re­sponsibility as head of the house to leadhis family spiritually.

You can be the head of your familyas God commands, and still find timeto study and pray. If you say that youcan't, you are simply saying you don'twant to be the head of the family. Youare, in fact, having another God beforeyou-your own SELF-centeredness. Goddoes not COMMAND you to do theimpossible, but only that which is goodfor you.

The Apostle Paul tells us that "Christis the head of the Church." Notice alsothat "Christ ... loved the church, andgave Himself for it" (Eph. 5:23-25).

Since Christ is our example, men arc:to love their wives and children as muchas Christ loved the Church. That is a lorof love, for He gave His Life for HisChurch.

Bur how does Jesus Christ show Hislove for us today? By patiently admon­ishing, encouraging, guiding, and teach­ing us the right way of life through HisWord and His ministers.

As the head of the house it is yourduty to give your life in service to yourfamily by encouraging. guiding, admen­ishing, and teaching them the way oflife, as Christ does the Church.

M AN Y men want to be the head ofthe family, bur don't know how.For example, the zealous hus­

band realizes that unless he IS growing"spiritually" he is not going to be in theKingdom of God. So after a day's workhe comes home, says "hello" to his wifeand children and then retires to hisroom to study and pray-leaving hiswife and children to shift for them­selves.

6

knowledge necessary to become a com­petent woman.

Did you ever notice that in Proverbs31: 16 we are even told that a COM­pETENT woman can even be trustedco buy property?

We need to remember that our wivesare our assistants whose function is tohelp us make a better success of ourtime and our duties.

The Other ExtremeAnother extreme is found in a hus­

band who is "weak-kneed" and lethargicand who makes no effort at all to bethe head of his family.

He sits back and relaxes and lets themore "aggressive" wife rule the familyand wear the "pants."

Remember, Christ commands: "Thehusband is the head of the wife, even asChrist is the head of the Church" (Eph.5:23) .

Adam had to learn that, when he lethis wife rule him. The result was sin!God cast him out of the Garden ofEden for letting his wife influence himto eat the forbidden fruit, when hereally knew better (Gen. 3: 17, 23, 24).

God set man m authority over thewoman. He made woman to be man'sassistant.

It is contrary to God's plan that thewife be in authority over the man.Both must work at taking their right­ful place in the family.

If you are the kind of husband whois letting his wife rule the family, askGod for courage, for wisdom, and forunderstanding. Diplomatically exercisethe rulership of your family with tactas God commands you to. Avoid mak­ing an issue of it. Read I Cor. 13: 4-6,and learn how not to be a tyrant, howto have the mind of Christ to lead you.Be the one who makes the major deci­sions for the family, the one who setsthe EXAMPLE in right living, the onewho leads the family Bible study andguides the wife in her study if sheneeds it.

The converted wife must work at let­ting the man take his rightful positionin the home and she also will need to

ask God for wisdom and understandingin how to do this.

Role of the WifeMany wives say, "I wish my husband

would be the head of our house. Hejust won't be, so I have to be." In mostsuch cases this isn't the truth! Manyhusbands would rule the home if thewives would just submit to that rule.

Wives, do you really submit yuur­selves to your husbands as to the Lord?-as if they were Christ Himself-as

The GOOD NEWS

you should? (Eph. 5:22-23.)It is understood that your husband is

not on a pedestal, but he is the head ofthe family, made responsible by Godto exercise certain authority beyond thewife's,

The husband did not place himselfthere. The Almighty placed man there,in authority over his wife.

You wives need to remember t.iaryou are your husbands' assistants, thatas you help your husbands, you reallyalso help yourselves. You need to learnhow to assist your husbands. You needto recognize how your husbands needto develop and how to help them inthe RIGHT way.

You need to learn to keep your chil­dren and your home neat so your hus­band is inspired by an envircnmentwhen he comes home from work. Youneed to be inspired by letting God talkto you from His word-through Biblestudy-and then you need to learn toinspire your husband by your gooddeeds and pleasant personality. Yes, youneed to learn how to keep your ro­mance alive!

The wife can plan her schedule so asto make it easy for her husband to par­ticipate in Bible study and prayer withhis family. You wives can have a greatdeal to do with developing your hus­bands' desire to be the leader of thefamily.

By Whose Authority?

Let us remember that first, there isGod the Father who gives the order to

Christ. Christ ALWAYS obeys. ThenChrist sets His chief minister under himto direct on earth the duties of theChurch. Then the chain of aurhorirvgoes right on down through the otherministers, the deacons and other ad­ministrative officials. Under this author­ity, and yet also directly under Christ,are the husbands. From the husband to

the wife, from the wife to the childrenthe chain of responsibility is passed.

If Christ is our Ruler we are goingto learn to obey this chain of authority.We husbands and wives are going towork at learning to take our rightfulplaces in the home, in the Church, andin the Government of God.

The time is soon coming when Godis going to stop organized rebellionagainst His ways. There won't be anygriping, grumbling, complaining, nag­ging wives in the Kingdom of God.Neither will there be any stern. hars'r,overlording husbands who would abusetheir power in the Kingdom of God.Nor will there be any husbands whorefuse to obey God's COMMAND to bethe head of the house-who placidly

March, 1962

sit back and take the commands of theirwives, as Adam did from Eve (Gen.3: 17).

Jesus learned obedience from Hisrather and was made perfect by thethings He suffered (Heb. 5: 8 ) .

He is our example. Are we any bet­ter than He?

By taking your rightful place in thehome-the husband as the head of thewife (Eph. 5:23), and the wife in sub­jection to her husband (l Pet. 3: I )­you are preparing yourself for an un­believably great and eternal position inthe World Tomorrow.

Let us thank God for these trials andtests, for these opportunities to learnhow to rule and to be ruled.

Used Clothing(Continued [rom page 4)

and a baby six months. It is so hard onme that I can't tell you. If you couldhelp me with some little things for thechildren so that I can get to send themto school, I would be glad for anything"(Jamaica).

Here is another example. "I am writ­ing to you for some help in clothing.Weare very much in need. Anythingwould be of help to us. My daddy is oldand unable to work and my mother issick too. If you have any clothing onhand we would be glad to receive them.We listen to your program every nighton WLAC Nashville" (New Hope,Alabama).

Many, many requests such as thesehave been filled in the past. We wantto continue to help God's needy peoplewhenever they are in genuine need.God tells us to open our hands WIDEto the poor and needy among us (Dent.15: 8). Surely the true Christian lovebetween brethren in God's Church willmake us all want to help Out in thisopportunity to serve. I know you willnot let your needy brethren down whoare looking to you for help.

Many of you who will be coming infrom cudying areas for the Passovercan bring in your used clothing to yourrespective area. Then, some of the Dea­cons can be responsible for shippingthem to Pasadena.

\'qe will be making preparations to

receive a real cloudburst of boxes ofused clothing from all of you brethrenin the United States-and other areaswhere convenient. With your help, thepackages of used clothing will, again,soon be going out to brighten the livesof God's people around the world. Let'sall share in this opportunity to serveone another.

IS JUDAISM the Law of Moses?This fourteenth and final installment reveals why the Jewsknew tbe Old 'Testament was not to be all of Scripture-andwhy the Jews rejected Jesus as the Christ when they knew

better!by Ernest L. Martin

Synopsis:

I N THE last installment we discoveredthat Christ recognized the authorityof the Scribes and Pharisees when

they sat in "Moses' Seat" - and that"Moses' Seat" represented the authoritythat God vested in Moses. After Moses,God exercised His authority in the OldTestament Church through judges, thenhigh priests and finally the Sopherirn,under Ezra and Nehemiah.

By the rime of Christ, the authorityin the Old Testament Church had bee~usurped by the Pharisees and scribes­who were mostly laymen, nor priests.The priests, of course, performed thetemple rituals, but the authority in theChurch was exercised by others. Eventhough God did not choose the laymento exercise the authority at His govern­ment over the people, He neverthelessallowed them to remain in office. Andas long as rhey wr-re al lowed to remain"in Moses' Seat," they were to be obeyedwhen they spoke with authority.

The KEY to this enigma is madeplain in Scripture. The scribes and Phar­isees usually spoke in their own name-not in the name of Moses. That iswhy the New Testament constantlystares that Jesus taught with authority,"not as the scribes" (Matthew 7: 28­29). They did not reach with authorityunless they came togeher as the GreatBeth Din-rhe Great House of Judg­ment-to make binding decisions inMoses' name on the whole community.In other words, the authority vested inthe scribes and Pharisees had nothingto do with the daily speculations of thescribes-which they knew they had noauthority to teach. When the GreatBeth Din had to make decisions for theentire community, Jesus told his disci­ples in the Old Testament Church: "Alltherefore whatsoever they bid you ob­serve, that observe and do ... " (Mat­thew 23:2,3).

But what if the scribes and Phariseesshould err in a decision? Were the peo­ple to obey them then? Of course! "Alltherefore whatsoever they bid you ob­serve, that observe and do!" orderedJesus! It was God's responsibility tojudge those in the Great Beth Din, notthe people's. The point is this: as longas God allowed them to exercise that

authority, they were to be obeyed. IfGod removed them-as He later did,then the people were to follow that newauthority which God installed in theirplace-to carry out His Government.

Now rake an actual example of whatdid happen just before New Testamenttimes-and notice what God requiredof His people!

Power to Bind and LooseThose in Moses' Seat had authority to

make binding decisions regarding theobservance of Scripture commands. Forexample, in the Scripture is the com­mand that every seventh year all debtsare to be cancelled (Deut, 15: 1-8) .God specifically commanded that no oneshould refuse to lend to a poor brotherwhen the year of release draws near(verses 9-10). But, about fifty years be­fore the birth of Christ there were somany Jews disobeying this commandthat when the sixth year would comearound, the poor people who needed toborrow money to bring in their crops(or buy good~) for that working yearwere forced to go without the necessarymoney. Virtually no one would loan ourtheir money in the sixth year.

Because the majority of people whohad money would not obey the spiritof the Law and love his neighborproperly (Deut. 15: 9), the Great BethDin temporarily suspended the necessityfor all debts to be released in the sev­enth year.

This enactment was not for the bene­fit of the rich. It was for the benefit ofthe poor who needed to have, and couldnow borrow, the money in order to earna living. As long as the Great Beth Dincommanded such a decision it was as ifMoses himself had made it. Even thedisciples were obliged to obey this deci­sion of the Great Beth Din, for Christtold them to obey all things whatsoeverthey bid you observe,

Such a decision, however, would nothave had to be given by Moses. The rea­son should be obvious. Moses had hmhcivil and religious power to commandindividuals to loan money to the lessfortunate in the sixth year, if hethouglu it llece~~ary. However, in thedays of Christ, and just before, the civiljurisdiction was not in the hands of the

Great Beth Din-the Romans were inCOntrol. Unlike Moses, the Great BethDin had only religious authority overthe people, not civil authority. And theRomans, who had no sympathy with theLaw of God, favored the position of thecreditor who refused to loan money inthe sixth year. This prompted most ofthe Jews who had money lO disregardthe Law of God. Because the Great BethDin had no authority to force the peo­ple to obey it, the Great Beth Din, forthe sake of the poor who needed themoney in the sixth year, temporarilysuspended the release of credit in theseventh year until such a time in thefuture when they could regain theirproper civil authority. However, thepeople who were desirous of servingGod were encouraged to maintain thisLaw and voluntarily release their cred­itors.

This particular resolution of theGreat Beth Din was not an independentteaching of the Pharisees or a com­mandment of men. Schurer tells usthar this authoritative decision, amongothers, was "a registered declaration" ofthe type which "were deposited amongthe archives at Jerusalem" (The ] eur­

ish People in the Time of Jesus Christ,sec. II, vol. 1, p. 363).

The decisions from the Great BethDin which affected national policy, suchas the above decision, were officially en­tered in the authoritative archives inJerusalem. These decisions were not theordinary trivial commandments of thedisagreeing schools of the Phariseeswhich voiced independent opinions, butwere far more important-these werefrom Moses' Seat!

Take another example.About four years before the destruc­

tion of Jerusalem, in about 66 AD.,there were eighteen decrees issued bythe Jewish Great Beth Din which be­came mandatory for all Jews to observe.These decrees-issued after great strifein the Court-were entirely anti-Gen­tile in every way. They demanded com­plete separation of the Jews from theGentiles. See Edersheim. The Life andTimes of lesus the Messiah. vol. I,p.239.

One of these decrees made it a sin tooffer a sacrifice to God on behalf of the

8

Roman Emperor. This repudiation ofthe Emperor was tantamount to a dec­laration of war with Rome. And, fouryears later the Romans completely de­stroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.

To enact the eighteen decrees againstconracr with the Gentiles, it becamenecessary for the leaders of both theSchool of Hillel and the School ofShammai to assemble together in orderto make these decisions appear to havethe authority of Moses. Either Schoolalone did not have power to make suchauthoritative decisions for all Jews, theyonly had authority among members oftheir own groups. But, when the emi­nent scribes and Pharisees assembled inthe capacity of the Great Beth Din, thedecisions were reckoned as being fromMoses' Seat and were mandatory for allJews.

This situation is very similar to whatGod's Church faces wday. There aresome areas in the southern UnitedStates, and also in South Africa, wherehuman governments ptnhihit whitesfrom assembling together each Sabbathwith Negro brethren. Today is little dif­ferent from apostolic days just beforethe destruction of Jerusalem!

Government in the New Testa­ment Church

Christ told the disciples even beforeHis death and resurrection that amongthemselves they were to exercise God'sgovernment in His New Tesrarnen:Church. Notice Matthew 18: 15-20.

"Moreover if thy brother shall tres­pass against thee, go and tell him hisfault between thee and him alone: ifhe shall hear thee, thou hast gained thybrother. Bor if he will not hear thee,then rake with thee one or two more,that in the mouth of two or three wit­nesses every word may be established.And if he shall neglect to hear them,tell it unto the church [the authoritiesin the Church}: bur if he neglects tohear the cburcb. let him be unto theeas an heathen man and a publican.Verily I say unto you, u.hatsaerer ycsbnl! billel on earth shall be bound inbearen: and ubatsoerer ye shall IO()Jc

on eartb shall be loosed in heaven."This was exactly the same procedure

used by those Jews who were sitting inMoses' Seat-in the Great Beth Din.Remember how Christ said that thescribes and Pharisees who were sittingin Moses' Scar were binding upon thepeople heal'y bnrdcns which were griev­ous to be borne? (Matt. 23 :4.) Jesus'disciples did not scat themselves in thisauthority. Christ pur them there because:they had been tried and tested. Theyqualified to sit in positions of authority

The GOOD NEWS

in the New Testament Church. Just likethose in Moses' Seat, in the Old Testa­ment Church, they were to have powerto bind or to loosel

Notice another of Jesus' commands:"Again I say unto you, that if TWO ofyou shall agree on earth as touching anything that ye shall ask, it shall be donefor them of my Father which is in heaven.FOR WHERE TWO OR THREEARE GATHERED TOGETHER INMY NAME, there I am in the midstof them."

When the apostles heard Christ givethat remarkable statement, they knewexactly what He meant! He was clearlytelling His ministers that they were tocarry out Christ's Government over theChurch,

The wording of Matthew 18: 18-20is in itself proof of this. The Jews leaveus historical evidence which shows thatit took TWO or THREE members ofthe Great Beth Din to form a quorumbefore any binding decision could bemade. See Baba Barhra, 160a. The bareminimum to form a quorum was TWO,but the Great Beth Din always endeav­ored to have at least THREE presentbefore bmding decisions were enacted.Christ gave His disciples this same re­quirement.

The Church Exercises ItsAuthority

In the New Testament we have anexample where the leaders m theChurch utilized their high authoritythat Christ had given them. Christ madea decision through them binding uponall Gentile Christians.

We read in Acts 15 that a misunder­standing came up between certain mem­bers in the Church in regard to circum­cision. The matter concerned whetherthe Gentile Christians were required tohp circllIncised or not. Some of the Jewswho had been converted thought thatanyone in the faith should be circum­cised, whether Jew or Gentile. (Seeverse 5.) Others thought it not neces­sary to burden them with this physicalrite. Peter mentioned that God hadcalled the Gentiles into the Churchwithout their being circumcised (verses7-9). The testimony of Barnabas andPaul was that God had given the Gen­tiles His Spirit even in their physicaluncircumcision (verse 12).

A decision had to be made in thisr rse. And, since the Church had beengiven authority to bind or loose, a deci­sion uras made! Peter spoke the deci­sion. The Headquarters Church issuedthe decision. Its chief minister wasJames, the physical half-brother ofChrist (James was Joseph's first son,

March, 1962

while Christ was the firstborn of Godthe Father). In explaining the deci­sion, James appealed to the Scriptures,"Wherefore MY SENTENCE IS, thatwe trouble not them, which fromamong the Gentiles are turning to God"(Acts 15: 17-19 ) .

And verse 28: "For it seemed goodto the Holy Spirit, and to us, to layupon you no greater burden than theseneceJJary things,"

The Holy Spirit was guiding theminto all truth as Christ had prophesied(John 16: 13). So, by the authoritygiven them by Christ, they bound onlytbe NECESSARY things on the Gentiles.This was unlike the decisions of thescribes and Pharisees when they weresitting in Moses' Seat, for Christ saidthat they IIbind heavy burdens andgrievous to be borne, and lay them onmen's sboulders" (Matt. 23:4). Theapostles "lay upon [them] no greaterburden than these neceJJary tbings'(Acts 15:28),

God's Church today has divine au­thority to reveal the will of God in mat­ters of Scripture too hard for the lay­men to decide.

"Verily I say unto you, u.batsoeuer yeshall bind on earth shall be bound inheaven: and tobatsoeuer ye shall looseon earth shall bc loosed in heaven"(Matt. 18:18).

Christ gave this authority to His trueChurch "for the perfecting of the saints,for the work of the ministry, for theedifying of the body of Christ" (Eph.4:12-15). Let us always be in obedienceto God by keeping His commandmentsand acknowledging and heeding thedecisions of God's Church.

Old Testament Not Allof Scripture!

The Jews were authorized to guardthe three sections of Holy Scripture thatcompose our Old Testament-the Law,the Prophets and the Writings. But theHoly Scripture was not completed withthose three sections alone. Four moresections had to be added which wouldmake seven complete sections in all.These four sections comprise the NewTestament Scriptures. It was prophesiedin the Old Testament that more Scrip­tures were to come when the Messiahmade His appearance. Let us under­stand this clearly!

Moses Was Lawgiver and Typeof Christ

Moses was a most extraordinaryprophet of God. The task that God hadgiven him to accomplish was so great,so important, that Moses received a

(PleaJe continue on page 12)

Recipes for the FESTIVALSWith the spring festivals just ahead, here are helpful hints tomake each feast more enjoyable, yet time-saving. There is noleaven included in any of the recipes of this sixth installmentso they may be used during the Festival of Unleavened Bread

as well as the other Feasts.

T ABLES laden with a bounty of food arc one of the manyblessings of the Feast Days. For a change many like to eatthe food other people prepare. That is why each of you

should bring the quality you would want someone else to bringand share with you.

You should do the best job you can with any food you pre·pare for the feasts, regardless of who happens to cat yourdishes. Be sure food you take has real eye and appetite appeal,as well as food value.

Your PartAll-day meetings provide a great opportunity to share prod­

ucts made from your favorite recipes with others. You shouldtry to prepare foods that will add variety to the meals. Al­though it may be easy always to take the same foods-it getsmonotonous. It is just as easy (once you form the habit) to

prepare different foods that will add more appeal to the meals.Foods for these group meals should be properly seasoned

when they are prepared as there will probably be little oppr'r­runity for adding seasoning at meal time. flat, tasteless foodsquickly dull one's interest in them.

There are certain main dishes that most often appear atFeast Day meals-s-rnear loaf and fried chicken, for example.Both of these items are popular, but there are many others thatare possible to make. With the multitude of main-dish recipesavailable there should be a wide variety of foods served.Even these two commonly used meat dishes-meat loaf andfried chicken-could be prepared in a different way to makethem more interesting and desirable. Recipes for preparingeach of these in a different way will be included in this article

Points to ObserveWhen taking chicken as a meat dish use only the choice

pieces. A bnnv neck is a disappointment, especially to child.ren,as the main protein portion of a meal. Keep the neck, wmgsand the back at home. There arc many ways the meat fromthese parts could be better used-as in soups or casseroles, orfried for some member of the family who likes to cat them athome. Buy a whole chicken, not just the parts. Chicken soldby the piece may represent the "good" parts of an undesirablefowl.

Foods which arc ea,ry to eat are more satisfactory for themain dishes than those needing a regular silver-type fork andknife for eating. This factor and the other suggestions justmentioned need to be kept in mind when planning for yourcontributions to the protein-rich portion of the meal.

The recipes for the main dishes which follow offer an 0PPDf­runity to make some changes ill the foods you prepare for theFeast Day meals.

For a change in the preparation of meat balls, "dress themup" with sour cream and mushroom soup. In the followingrecipe brown rice is precooked and mixed with the meat beforeit is shaped into balls.

Beef-Rice Balls with Sour CreamVI cup uncooked, plain brown rice (Hot pre­

cooked! )

~ cup water1\;2 lbs. lean ground beef

1;2 teaspoon paprika1 teaspoon salt~ teaspoon crushed basil (this may be done by

rubbing the dried leaves between the fingers)2 tablespoons finely chopped onion1 egg2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1;2 cup water1;2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

I can (10 ounce) cream of mushroom soup1;2 cup sour cream

Place rice and :VJ cup water in a small saucepan. Leave coveroff. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low. Cover pan with lid andlet simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Take pan from heat.Let the rice set in the covered pan for 10 minutes.

Combine ground beef, paprika, salt, basil, onion and egg.RIFnd welL Add rice which has been cooked and mix till riceis evenly distributed throughout the meat mixture. Shape themeat-and-rice mixture into balls the size of a large walnut.Makes about 30 balls.

Heat the oil in a skillet, Add meat balls and brown on topand bottom portions of the balls. Remove meat from skilletand place in a heat-proof baking dish. Take the skillet from theheat and drain the fat from it. Put Y:2 cup water, Worcestcrshiresauce and mushroom soup into the skillet and stir till wellblended. Add sour cream and stir well. Pour the sour creammixture over the meat balls in the baking dish. Bake uncov­ered in moderate oven (350 0

) for 45 minutes.If this dish is to be prepared the day before it is served,

quickly chill the meat balls and the sour mixture separately.Then after each is cool comhine them in the baking dish. Re­frigerate until the next day when ready to bake for serving.Place [he cold dish in a cold oven and start counting the bak­ing time when the oven has reached the temperature givenabove.

Fried chicken is, as previously stated, a "favorite." For atasty, tender product try oven-frying it.

Oven-Fried Chickenlarge fryer (21;2 to 3 lbs.) cur in pieces(less wings, back and neck)

11, cup whole wheat flour1 teaspoon saltI teaspoon paprika3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Wash chicken and drain (Hot dry).Turn oven to moderate temperature (3500

) .

Place oil in flat baking dish or pan (about 7 x II x 2 inches).Mix flour, salt and paprika. Place in paper bag. Shake

chicken, 2 or 3 pieces at a time, in the flour in the bag. Placechicken bony side or side without the skin in the oil first.Then turn the chicken over and leave the meaty or skin sidedown in the oil for cooking (there is then oil on both sidesof the chicken).

10 The GOOD NEWS March, 1962

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn and continue to bakeuncovered about 30 minutes longer or until the chicken istender and lightly browned.

In the recipe that follows, ground beef and vegetables arecombined with cornmeal to make an easily prepared tamalecasserole.

Tamale Casserole

lb. lean ground beaftablespoon vegetable oil

~2 cup finely chopped onion.) V2 cups (28 oz. can) canned or cooked tomatoes

2 cups (303 can) whole kernel yellow corn,canned or cooked

Y2 cup chopped ripe olives1~q teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons chili powder:;,'3 cup cornmeal

Place oil in skillet, heat over moderate heat. Add groundbeef and spread evenly over the skillet. Brown beef on theunder side only. Stir, after it is browned, to break meat intosmall pieces. Add chopped onion and cover the skillet. Turnheat to tow and let steam till onion is barely tender-about10 minutes.

Add tomatoes, corn, olives, salt, chili powder and cornmealand blend well. Continue stirring and cook uncovered overmoderate heat until the mixture begins to thicken. Place inheat-proof casserole dish of about 2-quart capacity. Bake inmoderate oven (350°) for 35 minutes.

If this dish is to be prepared the day before it is to beserved, it should be cooked on the top of the stove till itbegins to thicken, then quickly cooled. Pour cool mixture intochilled casserole dish and refrigerate till the next day when itis to be heated for serving. Place the cold dish in a cold ovenand start counting the baking time when the oven has reachedthe desired temperature.

This dish is not as desirable if it is frozen instead of re­frigerated before baking. It tends to give a watery product iffrozen before baking.

Round steak is a well-liked meat. To vary the way you pre­pare it, try cooking the meat in red dry wine and tomatopaste. The meat is cut into easy-to-eat pieces before it iscooked.

Round Steak in Wine

2 Ibs. round steak1 teaspoon salt

~Is teaspoon pepperVi cup whole wheat flour3 tablespoons vegetable oil

lh cup water3 tablespoons tomato paste or tomato puree

% cup red dry wine

Trim fat from meat. Cut steak into pieces about 1 inchsquare.

Blend salt, pepper and flour in a small dish or on wax paper.Dip meat pieces in flour mixture to coat on all sides.

Place oil in skillet and heat over moderate heat. Put meatin heated skillet. Brown the pieces of meat on one side. Re­move meat from the skillet to a dish or plate. Turn heat underskillet to low. Add water and tomato paste or tomato puree to

skillet. Bring to simmer over low heat, stirring as the mixtureis heating. Add wine and stir. Add meat to the wine mixture.Cover. Bring to simmer over tow heat. Let cook slowly over

low heat. Use an asbesros pan between the ski.le; and heat iFneeded to keep the temperature in the skillet low enough. Stiroccasionally to prevent sticking. Cook till meat is tender-l to2 hours depending upon the tenderness of the meat.

Fur a variation from the usual all-meat type meat loaf, hereis a vegetable-beef loaf. Ground beef is combined with carrots,celery, green peppers, onions and herbs to provide a taste­appealing meat dish.

V egetable-Beef Loaf

I cup coarsely grated carrotsY2 cup finely chopped onionY2 cup finely chopped celery1;2 cup finely chopped green peppetY4 cup water2 Ibs, lean ground beef

Y4 - 1;2 teaspoon thyme~/4 - ;/,2 teaspoon crushed basil

1;2 - 1 teaspoon sage1 teaspoon prepared mustard

11;2 teaspoons salt2 eggs2 tablespoons lemon juice

1;2 cup tomato juice;I:! cup rolled oats

(The amounts of thyme, basil and sage that will best suitthe individual taste can be varied-for a milder tasting loafuse the smaller amounts of seasoning.)

Place the water and grated and chopped vegetables in asaucepan. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil. Turnheat to low and let simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Addtomato juice and oats and mix with vegetables. Cover withlid. Let this stand while you prepare the remainder of the loaf.(This allows the rolled oats to become softened before add­ing them to the meat.)

Combine the ground beef, thyme, basil, sage, prepared mus­tard, salt, eggs and lemon juice. Mix well. Add the vegetable­and-oats mixture to the meat and seasonings. Blend well.

Put in 8-inch square pan or an oblong pan about lOx 6 x 2inches. Bake in moderate oven (350°) 1 hour and 15 minutes.Remove from oven.

For best slicing results allow loaf to stand 30 minutes beforeit is sliced.

If this is made the day before it is to be served, it should beallowed to cool to where the hand can be kept on it. Then itshould be refrigerated until the next day. It is not necessary toreheat it. Meat loaf is one of those foods which can be enjoyedhot or cool.

There has been found a need for more vegetables on someof the Feast Days. Cooked green and yellow vegetables andvegetable salads are easy to prepare and take. Raw vegetablerelishes offer a type of food that is easy both [Q serve and eat.

Fruits can contribute variety to the meal as salads and asdesserts. When bananas are sliced and used in combinationwith other fruits and vegetables they need to be dipped in orcoated with lemon or orange juice. This keeps the bananaslices from turning dark. When whole fruits such as applesand pears are taken they should be thoroughly washed at homeso they will be ready to serve.

A molded fruit salad offers a practical way to incorporatefruits into the feast meals. Other fruits, both canned andfresh, may be used in this recipe. Be sure pineapple has beencooked before adding it to any gelatin recipe. Also be sureany canned fruits have been well drained.

March, 1962 The GOOD NEWS 11

2 cups cottage cheese, sieved (or if you freezethe cottage cheese and allow it to thaw itwill be fine enough without sieving)

1 3-ounce package cream cheese1 cup honey

Y.4 cup flour2 tablespoons lemon JUICe

Y.4 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon vanilla5 eggs, beaten

1Y2 cups sour cream

Combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, honey and flour. andmix. Add lemon juice, salt, vanilla, eggs and cream and blendwell.

Molded Fruit Salad1 envelope (1 tablespoon) plain beef gelatin

Y4 cup cold waterY2 cup very hot or boiling water3 to 4 tablespoons mild honey1 cup cold orange juice or cranberry juice1 large banana, sliced1 medium apple, diced

Put the cold water into a one-quart bowl. Sprinkle thegelatin on top and let set until the gelatin is soaked. Pour inthe hot or boiling water and stir to dissolve gelatin. Add thehoney and cool. Add the orange juice and set in refrigeratoror other cold place.

When the mixture has reached a syrupy consistency, mix inthe prepared fruits. Set away to chill until serving time.

If other fruits are used, use a total of 1Y2 cups of fruit.Shredded or grated carrot may be substituted for the banana.Use % to one cupful.

For a different type of taste-tempting nutritious dessert takecheese cake.

The cheese cake which follows is a baked one which hascottage cheese and cream cheese in the filling. The crust ismade from a cooky-type dough.

Baked Cheese Cake

Cooky-Type Crust:1Y2 cups sifted whole wheat flour or

unbleached white flourY.4 cup raw or brown sugarY.4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel or Y2 teaspoonlemon flavoring

Y2 cup oil3 to 4 tablespoons cold milk1 egg yolk, beaten

Whole wheat bread flour was used in this recipe. If pastryflour is used it may require less milk and oil (Y3 cup oil).

Sift flour, sugar and salt. Mix lemon pecl or lemon flavor­ing, oil, milk and egg yolk. Add all at once to the flour mix­ture. Pat dough out on bottom and sides of pan. Use one9-inch square by 2 inches-deep pyrex baking dish or 9-inchspring form pan or two 9-inch pie plates. If the one large dishis used, some dough will be left over after covering the dish.This extra dough may be baked at 400 0 F. till lightly brown(about 10 minutes), cooled, crumbled and sprinkled over thebaked cheese cake.

After lining the baking dish (es) with dough, bake at400 0 F. for six minutes. Remove from stove. Let set whilemaking the filling.

Filling:

Pour into partially baked crust. For large cake, bake at300 0 F. for 1Y4 to I Y2 hours or until set in the center. For the2 smaller cakes, bake at 325 0 F. for 45 minutes to one houror until set in the center. Remove from stove and allow tocool. Place ill refrigerator until ready to serve.

Salad DressingsSince potato salad seems to be a standard dish, why not try

a new dressing? Make your favorite mixture of cubed, cookedpotaroes, hard-cooked eggs and seasonings (chopped celery,green pepper, onion and so forth) and dress it with this sauce.I'his recipe makes enough dressing for 4 or 5 cups of cubed,cooked potatoes.

Sour Cream Sauce1 egg

3Y2 tablespoons wine vinegar1 teaspoon dry or prepared mustard1 tablespoon sugar

Y2 teaspoon saltI tablespoon flour

Y2 cup water:y§ cup thick sour cream

Break the egg into the top part of a double boiler and beatwell. Then gradually add the wine vinegar, beating as youadd it.

Mix the mustard, sugar, salt and flour; then gradually pourin the water, stirring as you do. Mix this with the egg-vine­gar mixture.

Place the pan containing the mixture over the bottom partof the double boiler in which water is boiling. Cook the mix­ture about 15 minutes while stirring it. When it becomesthick, remove the pan from over the boiling water and set incold water to cool. Cover it with a paper so that the saucedoes not dry on top while cooling. If any lumps formed, beatit smooth with a rotary beater.

When the sauce is cool, stir in the sour cream and pour itover the prepared potatoes. Chill the salad until serving time.

This sauce is also good served as a dressing for baked pota­toes instead of plain sour cream. When used this way, addanother Y3 cup of sour cream.

Green salads can easily be made for feast days.By washing, drying and refrigerating lettuce, spinach, water­

cress, or whatever you prefer, the day before, salads can bequickly prepared. The container in which the salad is takenshould be covered with a lid, or aluminum foil, and chilledbefore taking. The salad dressing should be put into a smalljar and tucked into a corner of the salad container so that itcan be poured over the green salad when it is placed on theserving table.

In season a fresh tomato or two diced into green salad addswelcome color and flavor.

Salad dressing should be made at least two or three daysbefore being used so that the flavors have time to blend andmellow. Purchased dressings often taste better just because ofthis single factor.

French dressing is a favorite type of dressing. Here is arecipe for a tasty homemade one.

French DressingY.4 medium onion, gratedY.4 teaspoon each of salt, pepper and

Worcestershire sauceY3 cup raw sugar

Juice of Y2 lemon (1 Y2 tablespoons)

12 The GOOD NEWS March, 1962

;/z cup catsup;/z Clip vinegarY:2 Clip salad 0 il

Puc the ingredients together in a pint jar in the order given.Seal with a lid and shake well. Keeps well in a cool place.Shake before using. Makes about 1 pint. The grated onion maybe left alit if desired.

The French dressing just given is a sweet-sour type of saladdressing. The dressing that follows contains no sweetening,bur rather achieves flavor by the addition of cheese.

Caesar-Style Dressing2 tablespoons minced green onionI small clove garlic, minced1 scant teaspoon salt

% teaspoon dry mustardVB teaspoon black pepper;/z teaspoon W orcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons lime or lemon juiceY3 cup grated Parmesan cheesej3 cup salad oil

Put the minced green onion, garlic and salt into a smallmixing bowl and rub with the back of a wooden spoon untilthe mixture becomes like paste. Add all of the remaining in­gredients except the salad oil and blend. Stir in the salad oiland pour into a jar. Cover and refrigerate. Shake before using.You may have to spoon out the dressing in order to get thefull amount of cheese with each serving. Makes 1Y:2 cupsdressing.

Celery is a widely available vegetable and one that keepswell in the fresh state. It may be made more attractive andtasty by filling it with various other foods. Processed cheesespreads. are often used for this, but we do not recommendthese. Such spreads are made of inferior cheese which has beenheated and mixed with other ingredients to make it accept­able. Some of these ingredients are preservatives and coloringswhich we would do well to avoid.

Following are recipes for stuffings made with wholesomecream cheese.

Cream Cheese Stuffings for CeleryTake an R-ollnce cake of cream cheese and cut it into thirds.Put one of the thirds into a flat dish, add 2 or 3 teaspoons

of water or milk and mash until it becomes creamy and easyto spread.

Add 1 tablespoon of anyone of the ingredients listed below.Fill washed and dried stalks of celery. Spread the filling toabout the same thickness as the celery stalk itself. More creamcheese than this spread on each sralk will make it roo rich.

When you have finished preparing and using one of thethirds, take another one and follow the same procedure, thistime using a different one of the ingredients from the list.Thus you will get three different fillings from one large cakcof cream cheese.

Ingredients to mix with the cream cheese:I. Minced canned pimiento2. Minced green onion or chives3. Minced ripe olives4. Finely chopped nuts (any kind) 01" instead of using

any of the seasonings listed above, add 1 teaspoon ofcaraway seeds or parsley.

A good stuffing for celery can also be made from peanutbutter. Mix together

Y3 cup peanut butterY3 cup finely grated carrot2 or 3 teaspoons honey

Instead of the honey, chopped raisins or dates may be used.

Baked dried beans are a favorite of many. Here is a versionseasened with flavors not commonly used in dried beans.

Mediterranean Baked Beans

2 cups dried small white beansWater

I small onion, finely minced1Y2 cups chopped celery

2 tablespoons olive oil;/z cup pimiento-stuffed olives

1 large can (3 Y2 cups) tomatoes (chop or cut upthe tomatoes)

2 additional tablespoons olive oil

Wash the beans and cover them with water so that thewater is I inch above the top of the beans. Let them soak over­night.

In the morning cover the pot (do not drain the beans),place over heat, bring the beans to a simmer and cook untiljust render (not soft). This will take about 1 hour.

Meanwhile cut the olives into small pieces.Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, place over

low heat and add the minced onion and chopped celery. Cover,and let cook about 5 minutes until well heated. Add thetomatoes, raise heat and bring to simmering.

Put the cooked beans, the chopped olives and the tomatomixture into a large oven-proof dish. Pour the last 2 table­spoons of olive oil on top and cover the dish.

Place in a slow oven (300 0 F.) and bake until the beansand celery arc tender. If too much liquid remains, remove thecover and bake until of the preferred thickness.

(To be continued next issue)

Is JUDAISM the Law of Moses?(Continued from page 8)

designation from God that no other office? The reason is plain! God usedperson-except One-has ever received. him to accomplish something that hadEven Aaron, being a type of High never been done before. Moses wasPriest, was of lower rank. Aaron was, commissioned to give the people thein a sense, the prophet of Moses, and written and codified Law of God. TheMoses was like God to the people (Exo. Law was known before (Gen. 26: 5),7: 1 ). but it was not completely written in a

Why was Moses given such a high book and codified.

God spoke the Ten Commandmentswith His own mouth (Ex. 20: 1 ) .Never had God come to a people withsuch physical demonstrations of powerand glory as when He revealed His Law.

The rest of the law God commandedMoses to write. God used only one manto reveal His civil Laws to the Israel­ites. That man was Moses. All subse­quent Scripture is based on the lawsrevealed by God through Moses.

God told Moses to warn the Israel-

(C011ti1111ed from page 1)

SHOULD A CHRISTIANDANCE?

March, 1962

ires that there was to come another person like Moses. Notice Deuteronomy18: 15,18,19.

Another Like Moses

Moses said, "The Lord thy God willraise up unto thee a Prophet from themidst of thee, of thy brerhren, UKRUNTO ME; unto him ye shall heark­en." Then God says, "1 will raise themup a prophet from among their breth­ren like U1Z!O thee, and will put mywords in his mouth; and he shall speakunto them all that 1 shall command him.And it shall come to pass, that whoso­ever will not hearken unto my wordswhich he shall speak in my name, I willrequire it of him."

Notice! There was to be anotherprophet like Moses. In other words, an­other lau.giuer was to arise. Why wasthis necessary? Because the people hadnot been given by Moses the completespiritual revelation of God! Isaiah 42: 21prophesied there was One coming whowould "MAGNIFY the Law and makeit honourable."

By the time of Ezra and Nehemiah,that Prophet still had not come!

In New Testament times, the Jewswere still looking for that prophet whowas to be like a God to Israel and havethe power of being lawgiver, as Moseshad been! When John the Baptist ap­peared in Judea, he was questioned asto who he was. "And this is the recordof John, when the Jews sent priests andLevires from Jerusalem to ask him, Whoart thou? And he confessed, and deniednor; bur confessed, I am not the Christ.And when they asked him, What then?Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not.Art thou THAT PROPHET? And heanswered, No" (John 1: 19-21).

4, Israel is to "praise Him with the tim­brel and DANCE."

What Form of Dancing?The Bible nowhere gives the exact

type of dancing that was performedupon these joyous, festive occasions.But, the important key to remember isthat these examples clearly show thatGod does not condemn DANCING­which is the rhythmic moving of thebody to music.

The GOOD NEWS

Who Was That Prophet?There has been only One individual

since the time of Moses to fulfill therole of Lawgiver ancl Gorl. This One isJesus Christ! He fulfilled the role ofTHAT PROPHET to the letter. Evenmany of the Jews themselves, after ob­serving the mighty works done byChrist, recognized that He was the Onelike unto Moses. Notice. "Then thosemen, when they had seen the miraclethat Jesus did, said, This is of a truthTHAT PROPHET that should comeinto the world" (John 6:14).

And, by simply reviewing the "Ser­mon on the Mount" we can easily per­ceive that Jesus was the lawgiver thatwas to come. Notice the successive state­ments of Jesus: "Ye have heard that ithath been said ... but I say 1tntO you"(Matt. 5:21, 22, 27, 28, 31, 32, erc.).Jesus gave the true spiritual meaningof the Law. He, in effect, was givingnew commandments (e.g., John 13: 34 )-and commandments which magnifiedthe ones given of old (Isa. 42: 21 ) .

The teaching of Jesus was also tocomplete the final written revelation ofGod-the Bible!

Isaiah 8: 16 shows what Christ was todo. He was to "bind up the testimony,"that is, He was to complete the witnessof God-the Scriptures; and to "seal thelaw," or put His stamp of approval onthe spiritual law of God-Hebrews 9: 10.This binding and sealing was to bedone "among His disciples" or by andthrough His disciples. This is exactlywhat Christ did! He gave us the com­plete Scriptures by the hand of His dis­ciples. To the three sections already rec­ognized by the Jews, He added, by Hisdisciples, the remaining four sections:1) the Gospels, 2) the Acts of the

Certainly, for a people who knewtheir God and rejoiced before Him­even worshipping Him in the dance-s­there could be not the slightest feelingof condemnation of dancing as a whole­some recreation as well.

Therefore it ought not be surprisingto find dancing in the Bible not associ­ated solely with the religious service,but also as a function of a godly societyand a free act of recreation and properenjoyment.

13

Apostles, 3) the Epistles, and 4) thebook of Revelation. This makes sevencomplete sections in all. With theseseven sections the Holy Scriptures werebound up--completed, from Genesis 1to Revelation 22. No more were ever tobe added for there was to be only oneother prophet like Moses to arise, andthat prophet-Jesus Christ-completedthe Word of God through His disciples.

Conclusion

Is Judaism the religion of Moses?A simple comparison with the Scrip­tures and with the Judaism of Christ'sday will show, without controversy, thatit was not!

Judaism had its heginnings withinthe period of religious anarchy (301B.C.-165 B.C.). It represents a combi­nation of certain Scripture truths withmany ideas and customs of the heathenand the varied opinions of men (Mark7:7). Judaism represents an abandon­ment of the original Law of Moses, theLaw they called "out-of-date," so theycould do as they pleased. But Christ cameto magnify it and make it honorable!

Let us all, Jew or Greek, Israelite orGentile, get back to the Bible - theWord of God. Let us reject our humanopinions and the pagan r'usroms oursociety has inherited, and return toGod and to His Word. Let us humblybow before the God of the universe­the God of the Bible-and acknowledgeour faults and ask Him for His mercyto bring us back to His precious truths.

"And if it seem evil unto you to servethe Lord, choose ye this day whom yewill serve ... but as for me and my house,we will serve the Lord" ( Joshua 24: 15 ) .

THE END

The Prophet Jeremiah, speaking ofthe world tomorrow, shows how allwill rejoice in the dance. "Thereforethey shall come and sing in the heightof Zion, and shall flow together to thegoodness of the Lord, for wheat, and forwine, and for oil ... and they shall notsorrow any more at all. Then shall thevirgin rejoice in the dance, both youngmen and old TOGETHER: for I willturn their mourning into joy, and willcomfort them, and make them rejoicefrom their sorrow" (Jer.31:12-13).God knows that happy, rejoicing peo­ple will want to dance together-in theright way-as one of the truly joyousexpressions of human fellowship.

Christ's ExampleMany of us have read Jesus' parable

14

of the prodigal son. Here is an inspiredaccount-told by Jesus Christ Himself-of the right use of social dancing. Weare familiar with this parable of thefather whose son had been wayward andspent all his substance in sinful prac­tices in a faraway city. The son hadcome to himself, at last, and had re­turned in a repentant attitude to hisfather's house. The great rejoicing oc­casioned by his return was highlightedby music and DANCING. "Now hiselder son was in the field: and as hecame and drew nigh to the house, heheard music and dancing" (Luke 15-25).

This was not a RELIGIOUS OCCA­SlON! This was a social occasion, offestivity and spontaneous rejoicing.Dancing was a central part of the cele­bration.

Notice further, when the elder sonbecame angry, how he describes the ac­tivities that were going on: "... and yetthou never gavest me a kid, that Imight make merry with MY FRIENDS"(verse 29).

Here again, we do not have a recordof the exact type of dancing that wasbeing performed, but we certainly cansee that God does not condemn theright kind of dancing as a free form ofrecreation and joy in a godly society.

Dancing also has long been associated with the marriage festivals in Is­rael. There are many historic accountsamong the annals of the Jews of dancingin connection with wedding feasts. It isstill a common practice among the Jewstoday.

It was, no doubt, to just such an occa­sion that Jesus came in Cana when Heperformed His first miracle of changingwater into wine so that the marriagefeast would be a successful and joyfuloccasion of rejoicing (John 2:1-10).

Why Has Dancing Been LabeledSinful?

There are examples, however, in theBible, where dancing was put to a sin­ful use. One of the classic examples ofthis is in the wilderness of Sinai wherethe children of Israel provoked God bydancing and rejoicing in a lustful fash­ion before a false God. Let's notice thisaccount in Exodus, the 32nd chapter.We read in the seventh verse, "And theEternal said unto Moses, Go, get theedown; for thy people, which thoubroughtest out of the land of Egypt,have CORRUPTED themselves."

While Moses had been up on Mt.Sinai receiving the holy law of God, thechildren of Israel had turned from serv­ing God to the worship of idols and tothe evil practices they had learned inEgypt. God says, in verse 10, "Now

The GOOD NEWS

therefore let me alone, that my wrathmay wax hot against them, and that Imay consume them: and I will make ofthee a great nation."

God was angry at what He saw!As Moses came down the mountain

and approached the camp, he saw thegolden calf that the children of Israelhad made and he observed the DAN­CING: "And Moses' anger waxed hot,and he cast the tables out of his handsand broke them beneath the mount"(verse 19).

Here is a classic example of thewrong kind of dancing. What was itabout this dancing that was evil andwrong? This is explained as we con­tinue in this chapter. "And Moses saidunto Aaron, What did this people untoyou, that thou hast brought so great asin upon them? And Aaron said, Letnot the anger of my lord wax hot: thouknowest the people, that they are set onMISCHIEF!" (verses 21 and 22.) Nownotice carefully verse 25, "And whenMoses saw that the people were naked... Then Moses stood in the gate of thecamp, and said, Who is on the Lord'sside? Let him come unto me" (verses25 and 26).

Can you see why this dancing waswrong? Can you see what was the in­tention and desire of these people?They had set their minds on evil! Theyhad set their minds to lust one for theother and commit all sorts of acts oflewdness and fornication and adultery.Notice verse 6 of this same chapter:"... and the people sat down to eat andto drink, and rose up to play." Thesepeople had turned the art of dancinginto evil.

This type of dancing is sinful!Another example of the wrong kind

of dancing is given in Matthew's gospelwhen Herodias came in and danced be­fore Herod and pleased him. Historytells us that Herod was a sensualand lewd ruler. Herodias deliberatelyaroused the sensual and sexual desiresof Herod through intricate dances andmovements of her body. It was uponthis very sorry and shameful occasionthat John the Baptist lost his life-be­cause of the lustful behavior of a youngwoman.

Now we can begin to see why dan­cing has become labeled as sin by manypeople in this world and by many reli­gious groups and denominations. Sinfulmen from the very beginning of time-who have not wanted to obey God'slaws, but on the contrary have wantedto obey their own lusts and devices­have always sought means of gratifyingthe lusts of the flesh and stimulatingtheir bodies to wrong uses.

March, 1962

In the same way men have t:'lkenalcohol, food and many other things andused them in the wrong way and havesinned in the sight of God and beencondemned by Him. It is the same withdancing! God has revealed the properuse of dancing from the very begin­ning! However, some men perverteddancing and used it as a means to stim­ulate the lusts of their bodies and thedesire to be near the opposite sex andto lust after them.

THIS GOD CONDEMNS!Because men have taken the right use

of dancing-that God has given as ameans of spontaneous rejoicing an::!clean recreation-and have turned itinto something evil and a means of evilexpression, this does NOT mean thatthe proper use of dancing is wrong!Absolutely not! In fact, many a person.too self-righteous to dance, has been anadulterer! When we understand theproper use that God intended of dan­cing, we will see that it is a wonderfuland uplifting recreational activity.

The Right UnderstandingCertainly it is true that in the dance

halls and on the dance floors of thisnation there are many who sin throughthe wrong use of dancing! However,this does not make dancing, as such,wrong. The intents and lustful desiresof the people participating in thedances is the sin-even when they arenot dancing!

Jesus Christ gives us the key to rightunderstanding. Jesus said, "You haveheard that it was said by them of oldtime, thou shalt not commit adultery:but I say unto you, that whosoeverLOOKETH on a woman to lust afterher hath committed adultery with heralready in his heart" (Matt. 5:27, 28).Jesus Christ did not condemn looking ata woman! What he condemned was lust­ing after her in the heart. Dancing wasoriginally given by God as a free ex­pression of joy and rejoicing. The factthat men have turned the use of dan­cing into a means of gratifying the fleshis no condemnation of the right formof dancing.

Another example we might use toillustrate this point would be the use ofcard playing. Many people condemncard playing as an absolute sin. How­ever, you will not find such a condem­nation in the Bible. The reason thatmen have condemned card playing isthat for centuries men have put cardplaying to a wrong use. Cards have beenused as a means of gambling and covet­ing others' personal possessions andmoney. Just because men have usedcard playing as a means of sinning does

March, 1962

not mean that card playing itself is asin. There are many wholesome, enter­taining card games that can be used asrecreational activities for a godly soci­ely. DUl soiue have pm cards to a wronguse by wasting their time hour afterhour at cards.

Certainly such wonderful sports asbasketball, baseball, tennis and bowlingare really splendid sports and wonderfuactivities for all to participate in. Yet,we may also find that men have takensuch games and used them as a meansof gambling, cheating and illegally mak­ing money. Does this mean that weshould stop proper participating in suchsports? Certainly not!

What Is Sin?We need to ask ourselves-WHAT

IS SIN? Many of the churches of thisworld have attempted to label certainthings as sin. They have said dancingis sin, card playing is sin, moving pic­tures are sin, alcohol is sin, togetherwith other things. Some churches haveeven gone so far as to say that it is sinif a woman shows as much as an inchof her arm above the wrist or as muchas two inches of the leg above theankle.

The idea is that if man is placed ina situation where there is no tempta­tion-where there is absolutely no op·portunity for sin-then man will notsin. This is absolutely ridiculous! Removing the rernpratron does not removethe sinful nature that is in man. Whatwe must understand is that we sin inattitude and in the -mind as well as indeeds. It is not the thing itself that issin, it is the use of the thing that maybe sin.

Sin is the transgression of God's law(l John 3: 4). We transgress God's lawwhen we lust and commit sinful actssuch as forn icarinn and adultery. If anindividual has a sinful and lustful na­ture, prohibiting dancing for this manis not going to keep him from sinning!On the other hand, if a man is a Spirit­filled Christian and seeking to obey theEternal God in everything, then he willbe able to dance properly, eat temper­ately and do all ltl1uftt! things beforeGod properly. If a man wants to lustsinfully after a woman, he doesn't haveto go to a dance. Jesus Christ said thatit is he who looks upon a woman to

LUST after her who has committed adul­tery in his heart. According to the reason­ing that men have used in the worldconcerning dancing, society ought notto allow women to walk down thestreet lest men look at them. The Mo­hammedans have practiced this verything-and hidden their women under

The GOOD NEWS

black veils and white sheers! Rut theirmen still sin!

Can we all get the point?

Mudern DancingThe Bible leaves the form of dan­

cing to each people. The mode of dan­cing utilized in the various nations ofthe world depends a great deal on ourculture. The type of dances utilized inGermany, France, England or the Scan­dinavian countries - that are nativedances - may differ very greatly fromthe dances we may use in the UnitedStates or dances that may be practicedin the other regions of the world.

The American dance culture began inearly years with certain folk dances suchas square dancing, the Virginia reel andother so-called "round dances" like theEuropean polka and waltz. These dancesare the natural cultural dances of Amer­ica. Through the years these danceshave progressed to our modern ball­room-type dancing which involves suchsleps as the fox trot, the tWO step, thewaltz and certain other modern dances.

Just as dancing in ancient Israel pro­gressed along certain cultural develop­ments, dancing has developed in Amer­ica and is the means of dance expres­sion used by the American people. Thedevelopment of dancing has followedsimilar patterns in England, France andmany other countries. However, in othercountries the dance has taken somewhatdifferent patterns. Folk-type dancing inother parts of the world uses mechanicsthat differ somewhat from American­type dancing.

No matter what country we are in,however, we can find good and baduses of the dance-regardless of whatkind it may be. In every country thereare those who improperly use dancingas a means of exciting their lust andperhaps to get acquainted with some­one of a doubtful character to carryonillicit sex relations. However, amongthose who understand and practice theright use of dancing, dancing can beused properly and correctly in the sightof God.

There is absolutely nothing dirty orfilthy or sinful in pure and right dan­cing. It is only the degenerate mind,which is thinking on evil things, thatwill assume that men and women dan­cing together are lusting after eachother. Proper dancing is an art, nota sin.

Wrong Forms of DancingPerhaps one of the thoughts that has

most provoked the condemnation ofdancing is the position utilized in somedances. The proper position for dancing

15

IS not an embrace. In modern dancesteps a man's right arm is placed at thewoman's back and his left hand holdsher right hand in order to guide anddirect her in the movements of thedance. The woman's left hand rests onthe man's right shoulder to steady her.In proper and correct ballroom dancingthere is no bodily contact between thetwo individuals. This is the right andproper position for dancing and is actu­ally the only means in which the dancingsteps may be executed properly.

Certainly it is true that there aremany who degenerate this dancing posi­tion into nothing more than a lustfulembrace. Many can be observed ondance floors in embraces which areeverything but the proper position fordancing. This is NOT dancing! Simplybecause some take the occasion of dan­cing to practice love-making in a pub­lic place is no condemnation of theright use of the dancing among the peo­ple of God. The proper dancing posi­lion is not and never has been anembrace.

Dancing among the people of God isone of the most refreshing and llplifr­ing of activities. This kind of dancingcreates an atmosphere of friendlinessand wholesomeness mixed with spon­taneous joy and Christian fellowshipthat is indeed one of the blessings ofGod. There is no place for any couplesoff in a dark corner dancing in a lust­ful and passionate way. Rather, you willfind everyone sharing together as aChristian family the joys of group rec­reation and joyful, physical activitythrough the right use of social dancing.

Neither the Church of God nor JesusChrist Himself will ever condone twopeople embracing each other in a sinfuland passionate way during a dance. Thekind of dancing Christ approves cannotexcite sex and lust in any way.

Social Dancing Not CommandedGod does not require you to dance

socially! Dancing is not a requirementfor the Kingdom of God and certainlythere will be some who will not take todancing just as some do not take to

other sports or recreations. God does notforce you to dance if dancing simplydoes not appeal to you. However, whatis very important is your ATTITUDEtoward dancing! If we continue to con­demn as sinful and evil a practice thatGod approves, and even gives us as ablessing of rejoicing, then certainly wewill be in a wrong attitude.

We should thank God that He hasgiven us this right understanding andperspective so that we are able to enjoydancing, and many other things that are

16

enjoyable and wholesome before Godwhen done in the right way. It is onlythrough the understanding and illumi­nation of God's Holy Spirit that we areable to do these things properly and notallow them to become lustful or in anyway to take away from our service tothe Eternal God.

Let us all thoroughly understand thisprinciple and teach our young peoplethe truth about dancing-keeping themunspotted by the world. Let it never besaid that God's servants haven't the char­acter to make right decisions and resistthe pull of the world with its dances.Let's have the character to use properlythe blessings and opportunities Godgives us in this physical life.

Sing in Church!(Continued from page 3)

These Bohemians were the last sur­viving remnant, the small persecutedvestige, of God's people who had fledbeyond the borders of the Roman Em­pire, These people had preserved andpracticed congregational singing throughthe centuries!

Soon after the visit of Michael Weiss,Luther began work on the first Protes­tant hymnal. This was the beginning ofProtestant congregational singing as weknow it coday. Had God not preservedthe light of His true Church we stillmight be hearing only the chants of theMiddle Ages in the world.

The JOY of SingingSinging aloud as part of the congre­

gation helps you share with others thejoy you feel. But God knew some peo­ple would not voluntarily sing - andwould miss a tremendous blessing he­cause of their timidity. So He had tocommand congregational singing as apart of worship services!

Throughout the Psalms there aremany clear-cut, straight-from-the-shoul­der COMMANDS to sing and praiseGod in song!

Notice Psalm 92: 1. David remindsus, "It is a good thing to give thanksunto the Lord, and to SING praises untothy name, 0 most High" Psalm 96 re­peats the command, "0 SING unto theLord a new song: SING unto the Lord,all the earth." Psalm 98 enumerates thereasons why we should praise God, andtells us HOW: "Sing unto the Lord withthe harp; with the harp, and the voiceof a psalm" (verse 5).

Notice Psalm 100. This is anotherclear command to praise God, as the

The GOOD NEWS

sub-title of the psalm indicates. The firstverse has been poorly translated as"noise" in our King James version. Readit in the Moffatt translation: "Shoutpraise, all the earth to the Eternal." Thisis not a command to make a discordantnoise, as the King James translators im­ply, but to make a stirring cheer inpraise of the Eternal God.

No one denies that God was praisedin congregational song in the Old Testa­ment Church. The New Testament re­minds us that God does not change(Heb. 13:8, Mal. 3:6 ). He thereforestill commands this type of musicalpraise in our worship of Him.

God expects us to follow the exampleof David in the Old Testament, andChrist and the Apostles in the NewTestament Church.

Ephesians 5: 19-20 shows the effectGod's Holy Spirit has in a really con­verted Christian. "Speaking to your­selves in psalms and hymns and spirit­ual songs, SINGING and making mel­ody in your heart to the Lord; Givingthanks always for all things unto Godand the Father in the name of our LordJesus Christ.... "

Sing in Church!In the swelling hymns, in the inspir­

ing Psalms of the Bible, there are deepspiritual messages. These are not merelynotes to be sung, but words to be sung,understood, and emotions to be expe­rienced! As the voices of all the congre­gation rise in song, we all experiencethe unity and fellowship with one an­other and with God as He originally in­tended. Hymns are a means wherebywe as a congregation can take part inpraising God when we come beforeHim on His Holy Days. Through hymnswe have a part in the worship service,we can give thanks to God our Fatherand to Jesus Christ the living Head ofHis Church. And remember, the bestway to learn to sing is by singing­every Sabbath!

Wherever you are, God in HeavenENJOYS hearing YOU sing in church!

Letters to Editor(Contineed. from page 2)

the Bible, then this proof is broughtforth."

Man from Limbach-Oberfrohna,East Germany

"With my family I hear your broad­casts very clearly every Sunday morningand now also on the weekdays. Yourwritings are then read and studied inthe evenings among many listeners. As

Match, 1962

I went to my barber last week, I wassupposed to prove to him that there isa devil. Thus I was glad to be able togive him the right answer with yourpaper 'Did God Create a Devil?'

Man from Schifferstadt

"I look forward to every Sundaymorning when your broadcasts come. Inthe church it is too dull to me, and Ialways go home empty. If I hear theword that you speak, however, I per­ceive a power that comforts me andencourages me to believe."

Woman from Zurich, Switzerland

"Weare surprised over your clearand straightforward presentation of thedoctrine of Christ, in a way that it isnot to be found in the Christianity ofdogmatism."

Man from Schifferstadt

"I have never read or seen a betterpaper than 'Die Reine Wahrheit.' I amso thankful to God that you, Mr. Klam­mer, send it to me. I am certain thatyour work is of God, otherwise it wouldhave already come to an end."

Man from Halle, East Germany

"If the events of recent times con­tinue, we will soon have the UnitedStates of Europe ... According to the in­terpretations of the evangelist HubmerFritz, the United States of Europe is thelast empire before the Kingdom of Goddawns, that is, the old Roman Empire."

Man from Hohenheidc

• Several popular European preach­ers are beginning to recognize whatEurornart means!

"1 am in total agreement with bothof the booklets on Easter and ' Was theResurrection on a Sunday,' because Ihave also thought about this and cameto the conclusion that there are no threedays and three nights between Fridaynoon and Sunday morning. I will passthe booklets on. To you 1 give my heart­felt thanks, and may God bless you inyour work."

Woman from Lausanne, Switzerland

"Up until now I have read your pres­entation of the Bible with great interest.But as I heard one Sunday morning onthe radio that you were implying Jesuswas not resurrected on a Sunday, I wasstaggered. How can you, dear brother,claim such a thing?-and if the worldpasses away, 1 will still believe that ourLord Jesus was resurrected on Sunday.Please don't imply such a thing on theradio again. You are not an Antichrist,are you?"

Woman from Dusseldorf