A FAITHFUL Christian lady writes, "The tracts you sent some time ago were so good". "Your literature is just what I have been looking for", writes a minister in the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. And these remarks are typical of the many reactions which have reached the Committee on Christian Education of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The first year of the committee's policy of aggressive-tract evangelism has come to a close, and there are indications that the policy has been a wise one. Thousands of tracts have been distributed throughout the country.
What is this program of aggressive tract evangelism? It may be briefly stated as follows. By means of widespread distribution of Christian literature, the committee hopes to reach those who would otherwise not hear its message. To cite but one instance of what was done this past year, a copy of "Why The Orthodox Presbyterian Church?", by the Rev. John Patton Galbraith, was mailed to every student in every theological seminary under the jurisdiction of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
This effort must be increased during the coming year. Not only will tracts be sent to students and members of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., but also many college and high school students will receive our literature. As opportunities arise and as circumstances permit, tracts will be mailed in ever-increasing numbers. Already great quantities of our tracts have been used in army camps, home-to-home distribution, colleges, and in many other ways.
Short Tracts
What is the literature which the committee distributes? It may be classified under the heading of "short and long tracts". By short tracts are meant those which carry a brief message, which may be slipped into an envelope or under the front door. These short tracts cover a wide variety of subjects. In the near future, the following will be ready for distribution: "Death in the Market Place", "Awake, Thou That Sleepest", "Lest We Forget", "Life's Greatest Question", "The Auburn Heresy", "Arminianism in the Pilgrimage of a Soul", "What About the Bible? — twenty questions about the Bible for high school students—“, "From Dr. John Owen", "The Grace of God", and others.
In addition to these, other short tracts covering a wide variety of subjects are in the course of preparation. It is the aim of the committee to publish, as soon as possible, tracts on every doctrinal and practical subject. An invitation is herewith extended to every member of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church to submit tracts which he believes will help in the propagation of our message. Pastors who feel the need of a tract or tracts to meet some problem with which they are faced are urged to prepare manuscripts and to submit them to the committee.
Long Tracts
The long tracts are little booklets, of uniform size and appearance, which may be bound and kept as a library of reference. Their sale has been phenomenal. During the past year, two new editions of "Why the Orthodox Presbyterian Church?" were printed, and the supply is now practically exhausted. This splendid tract has probably been the most widely distributed of any literature published by the committee. Plans are in preparation to have a fourth edition ready as soon as possible.
The first edition of "The Covenant of Grace", by the Rev. Calvin Knox Cummings, is exhausted and a second edition is now ready for distribution. Dr. Machen's splendid pamphlet, "Is the Bible Right About Jesus?", has also proven to be very popular.
In the immediate future, two new long tracts will be available. One of these, "The Auburn Betrayal", by Murray Forst Thompson, is announced in this issue. It is provided with the text of the Affirmation and with a list of signers prepared by the Rev. Robert S. Marsden. The other tract is a devotional study, "The Sovereignty of God", by the Rev. Professor John Murray.
Distinctive Tracts
The committee's tracts are distinctive. They are not tainted with that semi-Arminianism which characterizes so many tracts today. The committee desires to meet the needs of all classes of persons and to provide literature for all purposes.
The opportunities which God in His grace has placed before us are boundless. The world today is deluged with the propaganda of Communism, Nazism, Socialism, Modernism, Arminianism. Let us duplicate, even exceed, these efforts by the widespread distribution of literature which presents consistent Biblical Christianity. Your contribution may be sent to Mr. Charles A. Freytag, Treasurer, 4 Fairmount Terrace, West Orange, N.J.
The outside world is beginning to hear from The Orthodox Presbyterian Church. It is beginning to learn that, despite all wishful thinking, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church is not dead but very much alive. Will you, who read this message, pray to God that, as there goes forth this winter and spring an avalanche of dignified, courteous, militantly Presbyterian literature, His rich blessing may attend this effort? May there be some who, amid the conflicting voices to be heard on all sides, will thus be drawn to the conviction that "there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus".