Friday, October 25, 2024

*** This is a rough transcript of today’s show ***

 

It is the 25th of October 2024. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

Whether it was last week’s 1517 HWSS conference on the church or the documentary we just finished filming, I can’t seem to escape questions about the current state of the dwindling church in America today (at least by some metrics). A natural question for the historically inclined is: has this happened before? And the answer is: of course. Most recently, in the 1930s.

The Great Depression led to closed churches, slashed budgets, and declining attendance. In the lead-up to World War II, political and social divisions racked the country and churches; by 1940, the war had broken out in Europe, FDR was elected to his 3rd term, and Charles Lindbergh was stumping for appeasement with Hitler. How would the church respond in this divisive moment leading to dwindling numbers?

We could call it the dawn of the third great awakening in America, and it was going to start with the youth. The 1920s saw the rise of Madison Avenue and the birth of a new consumer culture that would soon learn that with disposable income, the indisputable truth: youth was king.

And there were some who thought that Christianity might learn a thing or two from Burma Shave, Wrigley, and Coca-Cola. Christians began to back evangelists using the new mediums and methods. Business folk like Herbert and Gloria Taylor supported the likes of Lloyd Brant’s New York youth ministry from the 1920’s. Similar ministries began to spot the landscape, ministries such as that of Jack Wyrtzen. Wyrtzen was profiled in Time magazine in the 1940s, which described him as “a handsome young ex-insurance salesman whose zest for life had previously found its outlet in playing the trombone for a cavalry band.”

Wyrtzen had started a group called Young Men for Christ, except he had a problem… in his own words, “the girls.” He said, “When the girls came along, it was clear that we had to get a better name, so we called it Youth for Christ.”

Youth For Christ held its inaugural rally on October 25, 1940. It is fair to say that this might be the single most significant ministry in America in the 20th century with regard to the evangelical church today. They took the gospel out of the church and into bigger venues with popular music and messages geared towards both the youth and modern culture.

This first meeting held on this day occurred at the Old Alliance Gospel Tabernacle on W. 44th in Manhattan- the church of A.B. Simpson and the Christian and Missionary Alliance (more on them next Wednesday- also, today the church is John’s Pizzeria).

From Wyrtzen’s meeting at Simpson’s Tabernacle, word got out, largely over the radio, of this event, and others began to hold similar rallies with a network of pastors and business people supporting these meetings, leading to a rally in 1944 at Chicago’s Soldier Field that saw 70,000 people in attendance.

Youth For Christ would hire its first full-time evangelist, “Wearing loud ties and bright suits, backed by girl trios and swing-band instrumentals.” He was Billy Graham. The 3rd Great Awakening was on.

Not only would Billy Graham's ministry grow out of Youth For Christ, but so too did World Vision, as Bob Pierce had his vision while working for Youth For Christ. The group also worked with Kenneth Taylor as he produced his New Living Translation- the wildly popular and novel paraphrase of Scripture. Youth For Christ would develop the “Life Application Study Bible,” truly a pioneer in a field that is so saturated today, it might seem strange to think of a time without a bevy of available study bibles. Youth For Christ would go international almost immediately with groups in Allied countries and then into Germany post-war.

The explosion of modern evangelistic rallies, youth ministries, international missions, study bibles… these are just some of the fruits of this movement that would shape the next century of the church and began in a time of division and church decline- what became Youth For Christ which then lead to so much more began on this night in Manhattan in 1940.

 

The last word for today is from the daily lectionary- back in Hebrews 7, and the last time I’ll mention this mysterious guy for awhile:

15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared:

“You are a priest forever,
    in the order of Melchizedek.”

18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:

“The Lord has sworn
    and will not change his mind:
    ‘You are a priest forever.’”

22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 25th of October 2024, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a handsome young ex-insurance salesman whose zest for life had previously found its outlet in playing the trombone for a cavalry band- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who just misspoke and re-recorded but wonders what, in fact, a “calvary” trombone band would sound like… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.