The election on November 8 of Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy as the next president of the United States, along with certain other recent developments, furnishes material for serious consideration in the light of the prophetic scriptures. As nearly everyone is aware, Mr. Kennedy is the first Roman Catholic ever to be elected to this high office. It had previously been thought that a Catholic could never be elected president; and the only other Catholic to ever run for the presidency, Mr. Alfred E. Smith, was overwhelmingly defeated in 1928. Certainly, some change has taken place during the last 32 years that made Mr. Kennedy's election possible. In fact, it is suggested by some competent analysts that Mr. Kennedy's Catholicism furnished him with the necessary margin for election; so, in this short span of time, Catholicism has become an asset, rather than a liability.
From a purely statistical standpoint, Catholicism played a very small part in the early history of the United States; but each year the Roman Church has increased its share of the constituency. In 1790 there were less than 40,000 Catholics in the United States, or only one per cent of the population; in 1928, when Alfred Smith ran for president, there were 19,000,000 Catholics, or 16 per cent; in 1960 there are more than 40,000,000 Catholics, or 24 per cent of the population. This is now approximately one Catholic in every four persons of the total population. In other words, the Roman Catholic Church is becoming an increasingly important influence on the political life of the nation. And as their numbers and activities increase, the percentage of Catholics to non-Catholics may be expected to increase.
Now there is one question that may arise in the minds of our readers: What accounts for the rate of growth of Catholicism? There may be many reasons and numerous explanations. One reason probably has been the increase in immigration from the nations of Southern and Eastern Europe, where Catholicism is dominant. Another reason probably is the missionary fervor with which the Roman Church has sought to gain converts; this is being done largely at the expense not of the atheists, or of the non-churched, but of the old Protestant denominations. This may seem unrealistic in the face of swelling church rolls of Protestant denominations, but many of these converts to Catholicism are without much doubt still carried on the rolls of the Protestants. That there is a drift toward Rome is surely evident. And this may be accounted for to a large degree by the apathy of much of Protestantism. It is being served an insipid, empty form, with little more than religious tranquilizers; while politics, race problems, and every other common topic is a subject for discourse, while "pure religion" is left out.
Now while all this has been going on, Rome has steadfastly maintained her boasted traditions, her elaborate and imposing ritualism, which does have an appeal to the natural man. Since it is almost devoid of that which the soul really needs, yet there is in it an appeal to those who have found that their contacts with Protestantism have left them empty and unsatisfied. From this standpoint we may expect an increase in the drift toward Rome. There has been a note among numerous Protestant leaders that they feel the public wants more ritualism, and this again increases the trend.
Another change noted in recent years is the so-called broadmindedness of large segments of Protestantism. They have only shallow convictions, and in trying to shun everything that might seem to be what is called "bigotry," they are willing to go along with almost anything. In fact, the strong currents of ecumenicalism are sweeping much before them. Nearly every major denomination has strong ties with the National Council of Churches, which is the ecumenical body that is working day and night to promote what they call Christian unity. This aim for "one Christian church," which goes along with the "one world" movement in politics, can only be accomplished by uniting with Rome. This, be assured, is the coming thing. There is no doubt about it's coming, for the Word of God has foretold it. Any union with Rome will be accomplished on Rome's terms, and the city of Rome will be the world headquarters of this great world-church (Babylon the Great).
On the political scene, the world has been veering toward a union of Western nations. This could come about very quickly by an overt and provocative act by Russia and her satellites. The groundwork has been laid; the means have been explored, and this union of a Western confederacy could come very quickly. This, according to God's Word (see Dan. 2; 7, and 9; Rev. 13), will come about. It will be the revived Roman Empire, for it will rise up out of those countries and from those peoples formerly of the old Roman Empire. The new supra-government will astonish the world and will be the one great balance of power to offset Russia's great and growing might. Scripture speaks of the head of this confederacy as the "beast" in the first part of Rev. 13; the "prince that shall come" in Dan. 9; the "little horn" of Dan. 7 which will control the beast.
Before we go further, may we say, Christian be alert; the coming of the Lord for His own must precede these sure-to-come events, and if on the one hand everything is ready for this great political and military power to arise, and the great religious union on the other hand, then our home call may come at any moment. "The coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (James 4:8). Let us lift our eyes toward the dark sky and watch for the appearing of the bright Morning Star. He will come while the dark, moral night still envelopes this world.
One thing that the prophetic scriptures make quite clear is that there is to be a woman, clothed in gaudy attire, which will at first ride this beast. She will be the false church-Babylon the Great. It will be what is left of empty Christendom after the Lord takes all the true believers out of every segment of it, the Roman Church included. Then when all the Christians are gone, ritualism and traditions will have their day to the full. It will be the most imposing sight the world has ever seen in a religious way. The Roman Church and the confederated Western world will have a wedding of convenience, and it will dazzle the world. The ecumenical movements are the advance guards of this great development. Rev. 17 gives the details of the system as a corrupt woman in contrast to the true Church. (Compare the introduction to this corrupt woman of the 17th chapter to the introduction to the heavenly Church in Rev. 21:9, 10.) Rev. 18 describes the same false church in its world-wide organization as a city.
Now while we consider the trend in the United States, both toward Rome ecclesiastically, and to the Roman power to arise and dominate the world politically and militarily, let us not be unmindful of the trends among the European nations which will help to compose this great politico-religious combination. Consider that Italy, Spain, France, Western Germany, Belgium, and others are at present ruled by Catholics, and are all interested in the military consolidations. Is not the world being readied for the events which will take place after we are gone from the scene? And when true Christians are all gone, the Western world will have no obstacle to agreement on any sort of compromise to form the religious mammoth.
Nor will we stop here. One may wonder where England will be in all this. Is she not to be a part of the revived Roman Empire? Yes, undoubtedly, for she was a part of the Roman Empire in days gone by. Well, then, how about England's part religiously in the great ecumenical church? Are we left without any clues as to this? No, indeed! The Archbishop of Canterbury, the primate of the Church of England, has announced that he will visit the Pope at Rome on December 1. This is a startling development. Not since the 14th century has a leader of the Church in England been to visit the Pope. The Church of England has been a militant foe of Rome through centuries, and England has been the greenhouse of Protestant growth. There a selubrious climate aided the Christians of England to export Christianity throughout the world. Their Bible societies have circulated the Word of God in many languages and countries of the world, and God has blessed Protestant England. But, sad to say, the English populace have been drifting away from God and His Word for years. The decline has been great. The Church of England with its cold formalism has drifted toward Rome by degrees; and, now at length, it is deemed propitious for the great Archbishop of Canterbury to go to Rome to visit a man who would have been considered their foe only a few years ago.
And what will these two great religious leaders talk about? Dr. Fisher said they may talk about trivialities; but he added: "Talking trivialities is in itself a portent of great significance.
The pleasantries may be pleasantries about profundities."
Here is what one of the news media had to say about it:
"Actually, the proposed visit is more than a mere courtesy call and less than a first step in rapprochement. Last August, the ecumenical-minded Pope permitted a Catholic observer to attend the meeting of the Central Committee of the World Council [of which the National Council is the United States part] of Churches in St. Andrews, Scotland, and it is said to have been through him, Dutch, round-faced Msgr. J. G. M. Willebrands, that the meeting between the Pope and the Archbishop was arranged. Last month Roman Catholic Archbishop John C. Heenan of Liverpool, a member of the forthcoming Ecumenical Council's Secretariat for Christian Unity, reported that Pope John had recently expressed 'great affection for the Anglicans.' And Dr. Fisher, in the Canterbury diocesan leaflet, praised the new secretariat as 'full of godly promise.' "
-Time, Nov. 14, 1960.
Pope John has called for his own ecumenical council, and intermediaries are evidently at work paving the way for rapprochement between a leading Protestant group and Roman Catholicism. If anyone cannot see how the wind is blowing, he must ignore all the straws and chaff that are being carried in its wake.
We have just received some pages from "America"—a Roman Catholic weekly of September 24th, 1960. In this we get the Protestant ecumenical movement looked at from the other side of the religious fence. Bernard Leeming, S.J., gives a firsthand report of the World Council of Churches meeting in St. Andrews, Scotland. This meeting was held from August 3 to August 25.
He first gives his Catholic readers a little information about the World Council of Churches. He says: It "is a large and complex organization. Its aim is to overcome the divisions among Christians and unite all into one Church of Christ. The members are 173 'churches,' that is, autonomous ecclesiastical bodies, from all parts of the world, representing the main denominations of Protestantism, and a number of Eastern Orthodox churches. All told, perhaps, it represents about one-third of the Christians in the world, the main bodies outside it being the Catholic Church and a variety of churches of Evangelistic and fundamentalist character."
The noted Catholic observer at the conference remarked that "The first impression one got was a sense of urgency. References to rapid social change were frequent and manifested the feeling that the work of uniting Christians is a present necessity, that the swift march of events in the world makes delay disastrous, since events are forcing decisions, and even to make no decision means to be left hopelessly behind."
Reader, is it not apparent that some greater Hand is directing and providentially ordering the current world events in all categories to the ultimate fulfillment of the prophetic scriptures? Surely the end of this period is at hand, and man is powerless to stay the onward march. Man, in either the political, social, or religious field is being pushed along by circumstances which are beyond his control. But the Christian understanding God's dealings and end (dispensational truth) remains calm and undisturbed, for he knows Him who is directing all things according to His own will and purposes.
Other remarks by this Jesuit priest observer should perhaps be noted in brief: "What was not said was perhaps as impressive as what was said... Denominational points of view or convictions were never advanced, save only on two occasions [which he explains].... Nothing was said, far less proposed, which could be offensive to any communion of Christians. Indeed, one speaker, a Presbyterian, in discussing the place of the formula 'according to the Scriptures,' urged that it ought not even appear to reflect upon our Roman Catholic friends.' " It must be evident from these statements that the eventual aim of the W.C.C. ecumenicalism is union with the Roman Church.
The Catholic observer's opinion of the ecumenical leaders who were in conference in St. Andrews is: "The leaders appear to me to be men of shining integrity; they are wholeheartedly devoted to the cause of unity, and they are men of considerable wisdom and foresight." This is no doubt true on the basis of worldly wisdom, but is it "the wisdom that is from above"? Is it not rather; the wisdom of this world that comes to naught?
Another enlightening statement is, "The effort is to find from Scripture and the early Church unassailable principles by which present divisions may be resolved. Above all, the conviction has grown even stronger, in spite of increased recognition of the difficulties, that division is wrong, and that unity in one sole Church is the will of God and an essential-if not the exclusive-ecumenical aim." Of course, this can only come about by a return to Rome, although Rome may offer a few concessions to that end.
The Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the W.C.C. gave out this statement: "The Ecumenical Council called by Pope John XXIII is meant to have considerable indirect influence on the ecumenical situation. Thus, the Pope announced a new secretariat for the unity of Christians, under the presidency of Augustin Cardinal Bea and Monsignor Willebrands as its secretary. Cardinal Bea has announced that the secretariat will have a double function: a) to enable non-Roman Catholics to follow the work of the Second Vatican Council; and b) to help the churches not in communion with Rome to arrive at unity within the Roman Catholic Church." This is the considered judgment of the top leaders of the Protestant ecumenical organization. They further said that "The fact that dialog with the Roman Catholic Church becomes possible is to be welcomed." And, "The opportunity for dialog is to be grasped." The men chosen by Pope John XXIII are doubtless well chosen. "Cardinal Bea has had long and varied experience in international contacts," and an acquaintance with non-Catholic scholars "verging toward personal friendship." And Monsignor Willebrands has been "secretary of a group of Catholic scholars interested in ecumenism, and he has won wide esteem and trust because of his knowledge, discretion and tact."
Another effort to force ecumenism is coming from the "newly independent churches in Asia and Africa" which are impatient with denominationalism. "They can scarcely control their indignation when condemning it."
The whole world is marching on to the end of this age. We have no part to take in the dispute over the ecumenical drive. We are neither proposing nor opposing the movements, but we are interested spectators of the march of events that signal the imminence of our Lord's return. Nothing of the strife of words about the religious or the political world course affects us, except to encourage us to look up and watch for our Lord from heaven.
The trends herein stated, together with the atheistic advances as shown in last month's editorial comments (which we interrupted to bring this report, but expect, D.V., to continue next month) are opposing forces which are marshaling their resources-Godless atheism and ecumenicalism-for the final struggle when a godless society will overthrow Babylon the Great, and then itself go down swiftly to the judgment of "the great and dreadful day of the LORD." We recommend a pamphlet entitled, "Toward the Man and Toward the Woman," written by C. H. Brown, and obtainable from our publishers, as enlightening on this subject.