CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 14
STUDENT AWAKENINGS
On 13th January 1936, Edwin Orr gave an address on Spiritual Revival in the Coliseum in Chicago to more than 10,000 people. —
Earlier that day, he addressed the chapel assembly of Wheaton College, pouring out his heart to them on the subject of Revival.
Of the two meetings, the smaller one bore more fruit in his life | and the lives of other Christians. He left a group of Wheaton students ardently praying for awakening on the campus.
Several weeks later, Orr received a telegram from the president of Wheaton College, J. Oliver Buswell, announcing that "a remarkable revival independent of human instruments" had stirred the Wheaton College community.2.
Orr returned' to Wheaton to learn everything he could from it. What he heard and saw profoundly impressed him and drove him to renewed prayer.
A godly man, Dr. Robert C. McQuilken, had observed the remarkable workings of the Spirit at Wheaton College, and, returning to Columbia Bible College in South Carolina to share) the news with faculty and students, he invited Edwin Orr to visit the college. The same phenomenon of Revival was reported at Columbia during Orr's meetings there in February. McQuilken stated:
There were prepared hearts when Edwin Orr came on February 24. But scarcely did we expect what happened that very night; the regular weekly prayer meeting adjourned to a larger hall at 8 where over 400 crowded to hear the message.
The message was followed by confessions and prayers that lasted until midnight. Next morning, the 9 o'clock chapel scheduled to close at 9.20 ran through the morning with thanksgiving and intercession. There was no doubt that revival had come.
Mr. Orr's was a Spirit-guided leadership. Wisdom and spiritual maturity rarely belong to youth, but are natural
that followed: There was no false > emotionalism nor r were there any unseemly confessions.
_ The following Monday was the monthly day of prayer, and not in the twelve years of the life of the school has there been a prayer day filled with such power and evident presence of the Lord. ... The work has deepened, with a new spirit pervading the dormitories, classrooms and prayer meetings, and, best of all, new power in Christian service. Constant reports come of a completely changed atmosphere in the classes and meetings led by the students, with many decisions for Christ.*
There were similar student awakenings during 1936 in the United States, accounts being published of movements in colleges" from Los Angeles to Boston. Orr was happily involved in each one of them except the Wheaton movement which seemed to trigger the others.
The special features of the 1936 awakenings in American Christian colleges included unusual prayer, a great expectancy, faithful preaching, a personal challenge, deep conviction, a thorough confession, immediate restitution, certain forgiveness, contagious joy, happy testimony, renewed power and tender concern for others—according to a study of the reports made twenty years later.* What impressed Orr most of all about these movements was their effect upon unbelievers. He saw the results of a dedicated evangelism on the unbelieving majority in universities during organized campaigns. He saw these results far exceeded by the impact of the testimony of truly revived Christian students on their neighbours. He was convinced that revival was the better way. What might not result if revival among Christian students was harnessed to effective evangelism?
Yet one can find no record of a student revival in Orr's ministry for the dozen years following. Only in America is there such a profusion of degree-granting colleges that are communities of believers, more or less.
It was not until Edwin Orr had completed his research at Oxford University that he was to see the next stage of development in his ministry to students. In 1948, Orr conducted a
Heian Nee ues In the meantime, Orr fn alee involved in the Ministers' Peayen Fellowship movement led by Armin Gesswein. Dr. Paul S. Rees and leaders of the Ministers' Spiritual Advance Committee of the fellowship in Minneapolis-St. Paul sponsored a retreat in the below-zero cold of New Year 1949 at Camp Ihduhapi near
Minneapolis.® A Lutheran pastor there asked Orr's opinion:
'"'When the other pastors and I were revived in spirit last October, we returned to our churches expecting to see real
— revival in our respective congregations. So far we have seen an increase in the prayer meetings, greater attendance upon the preaching on Sundays, a small but definite number of con- | versions, and other blessings for which we thank God. But that — is not what we are praying for; we want to see something sweeping our congregations."
; ; He stated the point of his question:
"On the basis of your study of the movements of the past, how long would you say we shall have to wait before we experience the reviving of our congregations?"
"TI believe," said Orr, "that the Revival for which we pray has begun, but that it is developing by stages. To my mind, the next step will be the reviving of Christian students, in the theological seminaries and Christian colleges and secular universities.
Christian students are among the leaders of the coming generation."
Edwin Orr felt so convinced by the Spirit that this was a prophetic insight that he decided to go to Minneapolis and spend a couple of months in student work exclusively, with the assured support of 100 pastors.
In California, he took counsel of the group of student leaders, | and as a result of these contacts, two young men, William
Dunlap and Jack Franck of Los Angeles decided to drive the 2,300 miles from Los Angeles to Minneapolis with the express purpose of sharing in a long-prayed-for college awakening. Their ptayers and Orr's prophecy were fulfilled. iain in 1950, newspapers throughout the United States spread
ie ih highly peneeltiontal stories on r a _ ordinary religious fervour at Wheaton Colleg: pe College in Kentucky, and at the other whose The n yaN = magazines, such as Time, care and We carried friendly editorials as well as the news.® None of these journals were aware that this movement had been going on for ten months, but one or two discerning Christian newspapers had reported the beginnings of the movement in 1949. An editorial in The Sunday School Times dated November
1950 traced the movement back to the Bethel College Revival -in Minnesota, as did both Hoffman's and Gingrich's books on Revival."
In April of 1949, Dunlap and Franck and Billy Graham and Edwin Orr pledged their prayers in a little midnight meeting in _ Graham's office in Minneapolis just before a first student cam_paign.
Orr's first invitation came from Bethel College, a liberal arts college at St. Paul, Minnesota, fully accredited. Dr. Henry C.
Wingblade, its president, was a man of God; members of the Faculty were consecrated Christians; and the student body,
600 strong, already had earned a good reputation for Christian _ zeal and fervour.
The meetings began in unemotional apologetics, dealing with atheism, agnosticism and Christian faith. Within a few. days, a movement of the Holy Spirit began, so extraordinary that the Standard, organ of the Baptist General: Conference, reported under Dr. Wingblade's signature (6th May 1949): "The Holy
Spirit has wrought a marvellous work indeed on our campus!"
_ The preaching in Bethel Chapel became very strong. There was much prayer in the dormitories, followed by intense conviction of sin among the students in chapel and in classroom.
Conviction was relieved only by outright confession, restitution, restoration or conversion to God.
_ One student asked for a three-days' leave of absence to return: to his home state in order to make right a serious wrong, the _ pilfering of up to $900 in a period before his conversion. Other students were constrained to confess cheating to the professor and class they had wronged. Some came for advice on personal matters of private or secret import. There were no hurtful public
e e ee
Bp So pepies was srthe! setirbingt in 1 Bethel tes the heastinst setae ou himself willing to cancel all classes as long as the movement » warranted it.§ But it was felt that the sooner the school returned to normal schedules and channelled the revival into the everyday activities of the students, the better. Thus there were no long meetings after midnight, each meeting closing in good time.
There was no reaction against the movement at Bethel. At the height of the conviction, when hundreds of students wanted to confess failure or ask for prayer or testify of deliverance, the full chapel service was broken up into a dozen smaller meetings where everyone had a chance of participating without waiting long wearisome hours to speak, as in some other schools during the general movement throughout the United States. Two years later, Bethel's president stated that the movement had been
"utterly wholesome and lastingly effective"'.® Thus began the awakening in Bethel College which provided a pattern for two score or more movements in colleges in the 1950s to follow, a revival among students which was reported in the — national press from one side of America to the other. Revivals of this type took place in schools from Atlantic to Pacific, from Canada to Texas, until they were considered no longer newsworthy. Edwin Orr kept busy in the movement for three years
| in all.
One of the most effective of student revivals took pines! at Forest Home Conference Centre in the San Bernadino Mountains of California. Many hundreds of college students attended the College Briefing Conference in August 1949. It was here that there was such an outpouring of the Spirit that an evening service lasting two hours was followed by a score of aftermeetings continuing till midnight. From this movement came, directly or indirectly, such varied enterprises as Campus Crusade for Christ evangelizing students, and the Hollywood Christian
Group evangelizing the world of entertainment, and the sudden — expansion of the ministry of Billy Graham who (by his own account) experienced the crisis of his ministry and began his remarkable Crusade ministry thereafter.
Edwin Orr remembered longest a series of meetings at Seattle
Ye facie College in 1950, held each night at 10 o'clock. id tinuing i in power till midnight, the shook Ss deepest stirring."
One of the awakenings which Edwin Orr did not witness was i Ae E i 4 - the student revival at Baylor University which affected the life of Howard Butt, Junior, the Texan businessman-evangelist, and many others.
The general awakening in Christian colleges in America did not escape criticism. Strange to relate, the secular press was most commendatory; most of the criticism came from insiders. There was an anonymous letter in a leading journal that admitted that much good was accomplished in one unspecified college but deplored the general superficiality of the work.
Alastair C. Walker, then president of student body at Northern Seminary and later an outstanding pastor in the Southern Baptist ministry, wrote to the president of each of the colleges experiencing revival. Some of the replies are worth quoting:
"The spiritual level of our college was uplifted definitely, and since the meeting, through the witnessing of the students and faculty who have gone out, we have records of more than
20,000 people who have made definite commitments to Jesus hirtst<.°7 . the messages brought by Edwin Orr were strongly doctrinal, soundly biblical and centred in the person and the work of Christ."
. the college revivals did much for higher education in America. Since those meetings, it has been easier to talk spiritual language and emphasize spiritual truth in higher educational circles."
In 1952, Edwin Orr's ministry to students was confined to opportunities in theological colleges and Bible schools. The Brazilian journalist, Sr. Lauro Bretones, devoted a chapter of his book*® entitled Whirlwinds of the South to Orr's visits to Brazil's Escolas de Profetas.
The President of the Faculty of Theology in Sao Paulo, the late Professor Walter Ermel, has published an intimate account of the awakening there in 1952:14
The year 1951 was very difficult for me. Our Seminary had moved to a new and spacious building, and that meant more work. Fifteen days after the move, my sister in Rio (Dona Else
: ae &
cite lee at "was arriving we : i fagal 'Tima. wro 2 me to ay at Dr.
Ty 'Sao Paulo 'for a quick visit, so I left everything and tried © to arrange meetings, and in consequence I received marvellous — blessings. At the last meeting, I had an experience of victory over sins which until then I had been unable to conquer. The : students of the Seminary were also revived spiritually and began morning prayer meetings for Revival in Brazil.
The Lord heard our prayers and sent Dr. Orr for a longer : : visit to Brazil. The Sao Paulo Campaign was begun in the Presbyterian Seminary in March 1952, the climax coming on Friday March 22. I rose that morning with a strange sensation, weeping without knowing why. Then I opened my Bible at the words: "'Harden not your hearts, as the Holy Spirit says''.
I had a deep conviction that the Lord was going to bless His people in a special way, and that is what happened.
That night, the whole company was moved by the Holy Spirit, and many came to the place of penitence and prayer, among them Prof. Ermel. It was such a striking manifestation of revival that the good professor prophesied in the Spirit to announce that Revival had begun in Brazil. i vie shit hate Url a) The movement which followed, Reavivamento Brasileiro, was so vast that it warrants fuller description in another chapter.
Local awakenings continued to be felt in Baptist, Congregationalist, Methodist and Presbyterian theological colleges.
Arno Otto Kiehl, a German-Brazilian at the Methodist Seminary in SAo Bernardo in Sado Paulo, published his impressions of the movement:!5
We have just had a marvellous Revival in the Methodist Seminary, so marvellous that it has become the main topic of conversation in all our meetings. Dr. Orr came to speak to us about certain themes of the spiritual life, particularly Revival, discussing sin, repentance, confession, cleansing and the victorious Christian life in his conferences and discussions with the students.
On the Friday, we came together to hear him for the last time. After ending his address on Full Surrender, he invited us to confess our sins to God and our faults to one another.
Many were sceptical about this, not knowing whether such a thing were possible. But God was present and the Holy Spirit
< sincerity and namie s our sins and our prayers of our companions. It was a wonderful:
Many wept, feeling the real power of God in the forgiveness of sins. We all opened our hearts and felt anew the presence of God.
Dr. Orr left us immediately afterwards. During the evening, the theme of our discussion was '"'the Revival". At night we had two very inspiring meetings of prayer and praise. Next day we had no classes. We celebrated the Lord's supper, then many students fasted remaining in their rooms in secret communion with God. Hearts and spirits were changed and life in our Seminary is now completely new. experience.
The Baptist Youth magazine carried a report of Edwin Orr's visit to the Rio Seminary, very favourably recording the impact.
The Moderator of the Presbytery of Recife, the Reverend Victor Pester, described the meetings in the Seminary of the North thus :1°"
Never in my life have I so felt the presence of the Lord in power as in the meetings we had during the week of Dr. Orr's visit. Each morning, at the Presbyterian Seminary, when the Spirit of God came on us with power, veteran servants of the Lord who had never done such a thing in their lives before stood up, often in tears and always with deep emotion, to confess sins and get right with their brethren. In all this there was invariably an atmosphere of decency and order.
Far different from the warm atmosphere of a Brazil on the _ verge of Revival was the pessimism that Edwin Orr found in Great Britain during his visit in 1961. He had crossed the Atlantic by air to preach in a united churches' campaign in the Thames
Valley communities around Richmond. There was a goodly attendance and response but Orr was appalled by the largely empty churches abounding in England.
Mr. A. Lindsay Glegg, a "grand old man" of British evangelism as well as an industrialist, wrote me personally :17
In 1961, Edwin Orr spent a fruitful time in Great Britain.
I organized a tent campaign in Richmond for a week and he crowded it with people. He then went over the British Isles speaking to groups of students and ministers. j é
a Oe a
cpidens of Britain — 'about Sau Revival. "poets poate ; suddenly, and he was able to lecture upon the Progress of es
Evangelical Awakenings in Modern Times in the University | centres at Oxford and Cambridge, Edinburgh and Glasgow,
Cardiff and London and other cities, extending his visits to Scandinavia and the Continent. Invitations came from Anglican,
Baptist, Brethren, Congregational, Lutheran, Methodist, Pente_ Os costal one Presbyterian Jose ine and Faculties. Mr. Glegs added:
He made entry into ihany theological colleges and universities. Though a strong Evangelical, standing without compromise for all the great truths of the gospel, he knows how to approach liberal theologians. He has charm and humour _ aa which is very captivating and people of modern views will a flock to hear him. He finds his way into all kinds of company and therefore is held suspect by some, but the' intelligent
Christians realize the great work he is doing.
_ CHAPTER 15,
CHRISTIAN, LEADERSHIP
To Edwin Orr's pre-War biographer, Newman Watts, Abraham Vereide reported his earliest association with the Irish-born evangelist in 1935 in the city of Seattle:
I reflect with much gratitude to God upon Orr's ministry and the way in which he presented the message to various groups—first, the business executives at the Athletic Club, after which he led a young millionaire to Christ: second, the metropolitan area business executives at the breakfast in the Olympic Hotel. The Holy Spirit spoke through His servant.
Thus became fruitful Edwin Orr's friendship with Dr. Abraham Vereide, an association which continued over more than a quarter of a century. From Vereide, Edwin Orr received a vision of reaching the leadership of government, industry and the professions with the message of Christ.? International Christian
Leadership began during that time of revival in the Pacific Northwest.
- Abraham Vereide was born in the little Norse village of Vereide in Nordfjord, in the same part of Norway from which Carol Orr's Norwegian forebears sprang, beautiful beyond words, a land of snow-capped mountains and deep fjords with a sturdy and God-fearing peasantry.
Young Vereide emigrated to the United States? in 1905, and made his way to Butte, Montana, where he sought employment at ten dollars a week. After surviving the vicissitudes of an immigrant's early months in a rough-neck town, Vereide met a kindly Norse-American Christian who introduced him to Christian company. Soon he was a part-time preacher, parttime worker in a saw-mill. Increasing opportunities led the Norwegian boy to Evanston, where he carried a programme of study in Garrett Biblical Institute and Northwestern University while acting as a student pastor. After two years of happiest service in the little church, where increasing dedication to God
O ic
dt he ra ical theological sabotage of = i to return to the wide open spaces of Montana. Here he married —
Scie Vereide's Ss health became affected and he was forced the daughter of the preacher who had first befriended him.
Thus it was that Abraham Vereide became an American Methodist minister, one who had succeeded in maintaining the é radiant spirituality of his boyhood Christian experience. Not~ only had he enjoyed the usual pastoral experience, but also the opportunity of social service in the Good Will Industries during the depression, a work which brought him into contact with — such national figures as Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt of New York. In 1935, the Vereides moved from New England to Washington State. yt It was then in Seattle that Vereide became so concerned about the corruption in the government of the city. He invited the leaders to meet with him to discuss their responsibilities in the light of God's Word. An abiding fruit of that stirring was the International Christian Leadership work.
Businessmen and legislators came together once a week at breakfast for Christian fellowship, Bible study and prayer.
Seven years later, Orr visited the Vereides in Seattle again and they toured the State of Washington by automobile, visiting groups in Seattle and the smaller cities.t Among the products of the Seattle group were two up-and-coming men, Arthur Langlie and William Devin, who had decided at a retreat for prayer on Mount Rainier to enter civic life on behalf of good government. Arthur Langlie became Mayor of Seattle, then Governor
— of Washington. William Devin succeeded him as Mayor of Seattle. Both were a credit to their Christian profession. Governor
Langlie served three terms before his retirement from politics.
Langlie and others in Washington suggested raising a salary to enable Orr to become Vereide's associate, but Orr had already © decided to enter the military service.
* In 1942, the Vereides decided to move to the nation's capital, — Washington. With the help of friends, especially Mrs. Marian
Johnson, a huge house on Massachusetts Avenue at the Sheridan Circle was secured, and soon it became a sort of Christian
Embassy right on Embassy Row amid the residences of the - ambassadors. From here Vereide reached out into the life of the
- ea ss CGondtest, "Bot Schats and i the White House.
At Easter in 1945, Orr flew from Gita Vereide' Ss inieson s and rejoiced to see what God had done, visiting the various
Washington Breakfast Groups, including those meeting in the Senate and House of Representatives. At a regular weekly
' meeting for Senators, he found about a dozen gathered for breakfast in the Vandenberg Room in the Capitol. They opened their Bibles to read around, and then expounded for themselves the story of the workers in the vineyard who had been paid the penny promised irrespective of the length of time they had worked for the Master. It was like a well-equipped Bible class.
The meeting closed with several sincere prayers, then the Senators _ hurried off to urgent business. The House meeting gave time for an exposition by a visiting speaker. More than a score of Representatives gathered. One would judge that the meetings were more for fellowship than for evangelism, but qualified observers described as profound the influence of the Christian fellowship on the personal and political lives of members.
In 1950 Edwin Orr spoke at the Annual Meetings of International Christian Leadership, and there renewed acquaintance with many. He wrote:
I still remember kneeling in prayer with Vereide in Washington. He was concerned about the outcome of the elections, but his main burden was "Lord, whatever happens, send us more converted men to Congress"'.5
That prayer was answered. When Missouri Representative O. K. Armstrong was elected to Congress in November 1950, he reacted warmly to Washington's evangelical life: "I am delighted to find so many of my colleagues here in Congress who are devout and active churchmen." This was at a time when
Russell Hitt, an editor, estimated the hopeful minority of evangelical legislators in excess of 100 Baptists, Congregationalists, Disciples, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and many others. A hundred were participating in local church activities.
Abraham Vereide's vision was not only for the national capital, but for the leadership in government, industry, management, labour and the like. In Chicago, there was a Breakfast
; ch e good seed scattered by 'Abfahand Vereide fell by the Gravides or in rocky places or among thorns. Vereide' . great virtues were love for people and utter winsomeness. Under- — a standably, because of this, Vereide was rather uncritical—a handicap in dealing with people theologically naive.
Russell Hitt in Christian Life wrote:
Some have criticised Vereide for his inclusivistic policy in permitting men of varied theological stripes in' places of leadership in the Breakfast Groups. Vereide, however, pre- : ferring to foster autonomous rule, smilingly goes on with . his work.
Edwin Orr described his friend Vereide in the following paragraphs:® Vereide was tall, broadly proportioned, and Tuggedly handsome after a Viking manner, with a shock of silver grey hair crowning a noble brow. He was charming, courteous, polished to a degree that made him at ease in the most cultured society in Washington and yet he had the freshness and ~ frankness of the far northern fjords. Vereide possessed the \ difficult access to many big people, including the highest
— officers of Executive, Judiciary and Legislature, yet he never traded on these relationships.
Spiritually, Vereide was a man of prayer, a man 'with a burning love for sinners great and small, a man with such a zeal that he worked himself within sight of the grave. His critics were chiefly narrow fundamentalists who, attending one of his meetings for the first time, were shocked to see one of the guests smoking. Vereide, non-smoker and total abstainer, believed that it was his duty to get after the outsider
_ in his natural habitat. He made friends with the theologically illiterate, seeking to reach the lost. His pious critics had the | idea that the sheep that was lost ought to come and visit the sheepfold every Sunday morning. Vereide loved the sheepfold but was often found outside looking for the lost sheep among the rocks.
Vereide's success among governmental and business leaders made a profound impression upon my mind. Undoubtedly,
nA f i; Ged was bieesing his attempts to carr
to the most influential classes in the coun 5 Norman Grubb's Modern Viking published in 1961 ci (ee a remarkable story of Vereide and the enormous growth and influence of International Christian Leadership throughout the world in reaching many outstanding and powerful leaders in politics and business, putting before them the need for the Ipractice of Christian principles in every sphere of human ife.
. Edwin Orr wrote to Vereide in 1949 to tell him of what he was - doing in Southern California to put I.C.L. principles into practice.'
Using Vereide's methods, Orr helped to build up the Hollywood Christian Group for two years, affiliating it with the Washington
Headquaters, and turning it over to Dick Halverson who moved from Los Angeles to Washington later to become Dr. Vereide's close associate. Orr then moved to fields overseas and continued leadership contacts.
In Brazil, Edwin Orr carried letters from American Senators, Representatives, Governors and Mayors to their Brazilian counterparts.® It would be difficult to say what impact this introduction had upon his ministry there.
_In South Africa, similar letters introduced him to the GovernorGeneral, Dr. Jansen and to the parliamentary leaders in Capetown.® With leaders of both parties he discussed the vexed issue of apartheid and ventured an interpretation of Christian doctrine on the matter. In the great island of Madagascar, Orr was received by the French Governor-General and met also with the national leaders of the Malagasy who were looking forward to independence.
In India, Edwin Orr presented his credentials to the President of the Republic. His Excellency Dr. Rajendra Prasad.?° This
Gandhian gentleman spent a lengthy time in conversation with his Irish-born guest, discussing every possible topic from the lives of Hollywood stars to the habits of New Guinean cannibals.
Orr found him most engaging and enlightened. The President invited Orr for a second visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Orr was even more fascinated with the former (and last) Governor-General of India, the Tamil scholar Rajagopalachari.
Something in their exchange drew "C.R." out and he sparkled
- ger Pac . should dictate ther t to a ea | "Oh, no!' protested Rajagopalachari. "One cannot sit down
: and dictate these things coldly to one's secretary. These are sparks drawn from the friction of our fellowship."
Orr met with and enjoyed conversation with others of our .
Indian leaders. He greatly admired Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, ; the Christian princess who was then a member of Nehru's cabinet. She asked him many questions over afternoon tea.
In New Zealand, Edwin Orr and his colleagues entertained the Prime Minister, the Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition, the Attorney General and other ranking statesmen to breakfast in the capital, Wellington. He maintained contact with both the Right Honorable Walter Nash and the Right Honorable
_Keith Holyoake, who alternated as Prime Minister. On their part, they welcomed news of spiritual fellowship among American statesmen, too often thought of as merchants of dollar diplomacy and sheer materialism. Orr met other heads of state and chief magistrates, but did not often discuss the conversations he had with them.
Edwin Orr was cheerfully aware of the fact that he had not been endowed with a presence as commanding as his friend
Vereide. He was not sensitive about his lack of stature or good looks; in fact, by being humorous about it, he turned it to good account.
In anticipation of Orr's address to a Group in the United States Capitol, Vereide stopped this Senator or that, introduced the guest of the day and invited the Senator to hear him.
"Look, Abram," said the long-suffering Orr, "go ahead and invite these Senators to the meeting, and name the speaker!
But don't tell them that this fellow alongside of you is the speaker.
They take one look at me and decide not to come.'
Governor Langlie told a similar story about his first encounter with Orr. Orr himself was fond of introducing himself with the _ story of his meeting in the Westminster Central Hall when the London Star took his picture and put it on the first page, omitting to put Orr's name under it. Gleefully, Orr would show his friends a sorry-looking photograph of himself with the caption directly underneath "Murder at the Zoo"!
CHAPTER 16>
EVANGELIZING ENTERTAINERS
It was a lovely summer evening in California. The month was July, and the year was 1949. The beautiful sitting room of a lovely Westwood home between the Bel-Air hills and the University of California at Los Angeles was the scene of an event unique in both the world of entertainment and the world of evangelism. A dozen or more famous stars of stage and screen had gathered to hear a message from One who cared about them in their world of tinsel and make-believe.
The hostess that night was Henrietta Mears, Director of Christian Education in the Hollywood First Presbyterian Church.
'The speaker was her house guest, Dr. J. Edwin Orr. The guests of the evening included stars of Western entertainment, Roy -Rogers and Dale Evans, the song-writer Tim Spencer, the star of Twentieth Century Fox Colleen Townsend, such famous actresses as Jane Russell, Gale Storm and Barbara Britton,
Connie Haines of singing fame, and others of brightest magnitude in their profession. Fifteen years later, that meeting was still having its effect.
Dr. Henrietta Mears was a remarkable personality. Moving from Minnesota to California, she took up her appointment in the later 1920s. She had a powerful influence upon young people, particularly college students who attended her Bible classes in hundreds. As a result of her wise and prayerful guidance, over four hundred young men entered the Christian ministry and many made their mark in their denominations.?
But there was one class of people whom she longed to reach and for whose spiritual help there seemed to be no special help.
Once, as Henrietta Mears concluded a stirring message in Hollywood, a beautiful actress came up to greet her, threw her arms around her and said, "Wonderful! You have what we all want!'
But, before Miss Mears could say a word, she had slipped away and was off to the madding crowd again. Not long afterwards,
Bil le
Ge sboys crying: ie Thelma Todd suicide!" Henrietta — Mears becaine a purdened to reach the stars of Hollywood who had fame, fortune,
| folly and frustration—everything? No, nothing! She waited : many years.
A number of movie stars attended the First Presbyterian | Church of Hollywood, a fashionable but evangelical church.
But their contact with the church was formal and not of much spiritual value. Miss Mears shared her vision with the Reverend
Richard Halverson, an associate pastor of the church, afterwards well known around the world for his participation in Pastors' Conferences. They and their circle of friends prayed much for the hitherto impossible work of reaching the stars.
Edwin Orr, on the other hand, had been brought up in Puritan Northern Ireland. His main contact with the world of entertainment had come through unsought acquaintance with the films and shows put on to entertain the troops he served in battle. He had heard a good deal about the drunkenness and immorality prevailing in Hollywood and about the many divorces and suicides there. He knew nothing of the many hungry hearts and decent folk. A pretty radio singer approached him after an address at Forest Home Conference, and asked him to come and address a group of her friends. He was deeply concerned.
He had not spoken to such people before and had no intimate knowledge of their particular difficulties. He had never been impressed by the glamour of Hollywood.
For days, Orr prayed over the matter of what kind of message to bring to these people. Orr knew that professing Christians in Los Angeles adopted one of two attitudes towards movie stars: the unworldly regarded them as enemies of the Gospel, beyond the pale of religion; the worldly rushed them for autographs. If a star attended a strict type of church, he was liable to be offended by the scarcely. disguised hostility; if he attended a slack type of church, he would get the impression that he had conferred a favour on Almighty God by deigning to attend a service. Orr prayed earnestly for guidance, and prepared his heart and mind for the message.
Edwin Orr told us in India that he had been the victim of an unfortunate accident that morning. It was his custom to
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aes ae es e a4 ee ' ie ls A ae oe z — relax by reading in bed late at night, after which he usually put — his glasses under the bed. His good wife trampled upon both ©
'lenses while making the bed, and left Orr unable to see the — features of a single beautiful girl or handsome man in the meeting.
— The group listened attentively to the words of our Lord:
'No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
That night Orr explained the way of salvation as clearly as possible. He told them his honest opinion that he did not believe that all entertainment was necessarily unwholesome but that some of it surely was; and that, if they became truly converted, the Holy Spirit would show them whether or not their particular field of entertainment was displeasing to Him or hurtful to _ others. He told them that they could not enjoy an easy religion of serving Christ on the side and doing as they pleased. He must have first place.
As the guests were introduced to me, I recognised many mames, and found all of them friendly and approachable.
The actors looked like easy-going sportsmen or college boys.
The actresses were all of them attractive, but no more so than some evangelists' wives.* Edwin Orr returned to address the group at their request. It was decided to meet regularly on Monday evenings thereafter. for prayer, Bible study and spiritual fellowship. Often the stars gathered in the home of Henrietta Mears. Other times they moved from the home of one star in Hollywood to another in Bel-Air to another in the San Fernando Valley.
During the first year more than forty stars attended the meetings of the Hollywood Christian Group, but the names were not published. This kept away many curiosity mongers: twenty guests had attended that first meeting; of these, ten were leading actors and actresses. They kept coming.
T. B. Rees, a prominent British evangelist, wrote in a London paper about one meeting:5
I was invited to address this fabulous meeting. I must say that what I saw both astounded and impressed me. The meeting was held in the home of a millionaire film director in Beverly Hills. (What a house! It. made Hildenborough Hall
fe ly plan de me an hour and a , half late, i mee ee ene everyone waited for me, about forty of the most :
_ gaily dressed folk I have ever seen. I told them when I stood. up to speak that I felt like a wheel-barrow in the motor show!
At their request, I spoke on "How to pray and enjoy the Bible". After speaking for about twenty-five minutes,
I said: "Don't let's talk about it; let's do it, let us pray. Can any of you folk pray?" To my amazement, the answer came back, ""Yes, sure we can pray."
Almost before we could close our eyes they started—and what praying! Simple, sincere and delightfully free from evangelical jargon.
At the invitation of one of the converted film actresses, I was taken around one of the great film studios in Hollywood— the Paramount Studios. I was impressed by the wealth of the film industry, but far more by the straightforward testimony of my film actress guide. She is a real trophy of grace ... her devotion to Christ warmed my heart. As I stepped out of her
— car, she said, "Be careful, Doctor (!) Rees. That book is my commentary on Romans. I couldn't live without that book.'
Knowing that Tom Rees was quite critical of American evangelism with all its advertisement and boosting, Edwin Orr was greatly gratified to find that Rees had appreciated the excellent work done by the Hollywood Christian Group.
Colleen Townsend, a star of Twentieth Century Fox Studios, became the first secretary of the Group.® She was a girl of Mormon upbringing who had been converted through the college work of — the Hollywood Presbyterians. She became a most ardent Christian witness, in church, on the set, in military camps and hospitals.
Many of those she met in the industry were helped by her word. f It was Colleen Townsend who first thought of asking the comparatively unknown evangelist, Billy Graham, to address the group; so just before his sudden rise to fame, Billy Graham became the second visiting speaker. He often returned to it and became a lifelong friend. Billy Graham has spoken of the Hollywood Christian Group as "one of the most amazing. i evidences of religious resurgence in the United States."
Edwin Orr first heard of Colleen Townsend from Bill Dunlap
BTL a aR et? Si erek "2
who 1 was 'denn him out to a 6.30 a wlitee wood held each week by a crowd of college students. place
"You know," said Bill, "Colleen Townsend will poibebhy be there this morning if her overnight plane gets her in from Kansas City on time. She's starring in a picture, but she does not let her work interfere with her spare-time work for the Lord.
She's a real eager beaver. Hardly ever misses the early morning prayer meetings on Saturdays."
Orr found himself among a score of college men and girls.
They were on their knees praying. Orr was asked to bring a brief word. He noticed the young actress there, who had flown overnight from Kansas City but apart from an occasional blinking of tired eyes, was most attentive to the Word of God. That was the beginning of fellowship weekly in the Holywood Christian
Group, as well as in other ministry occasionally.
One Friday night, while addressing several of the Deputation Teams in the Hollywood Church on "How to Find God's Plan for One's Life", Orr was asked by Colleen Townsend'
"Ts it possible to have absolutely clear guidance to engage in a certain calling, and then get guidance which is different entirely?"
"It's like this, Coke,"' explained Orr. "'A couple of years ago, I was standing on the forward deck of a little Norwegian steamer making its way up the northern fjords. It was dark. And I was trying to guess where the skipper was trying to take the ship.
He seemed to be headed for a sheer wall of rock on which there were two lights. There did not seem to be much sense in heading there, with just a pile of rocks at the foot of a cliff, and no town.
But he kept on straight for those lights. When we got within a hundred yards of the cliff, we suddenly changed course to the east. From that point I could see away up into another fjord where the twinkling lights of a town were beckoning. Why didn't the skipper head straight for the town before that point? e couldn't. He had to wait for a certain time and a certain position, and then it was right to change course. See ?''
It was not long until Colleen Townsend quit her job to find God's final plan for her life. When she did, she had reached stardom in her own right. Had she quit before stardom, critics
'might have said that she could not make the grade. But her
was not because of any dissatisfaction — with whee she was dome, rather "a positive tug" of gee
_ Christian service.
"During the three years I worked s in Hollywood as a Christian, ae she said, "'I felt increasingly that I was to spend my life in some
_ type of Christian work. It seemed so much greater to me than anything else."
When Orr asked her if she proposed to stay in the movies— _ a recurring question to her, she said:
"As long as I can witness for Christ or until the Lord calls me to some other kind of work."'
She felt more and more an urge to give up this work to serve God more fully. When in 1950 she announced her decision, there was extraordinary interest in it all over America—although some thought that it was a publicity stunt on the part of her
_ producers to bring her into prominence. She married Louis H.
Evans, Junior, then a theological student. They now have four children and she has experienced all the difficulties and hardships of bringing them up as a parson's wife in striking contrast to the luxurious life of a cinema star. She never regretted it.
I noticed that, twelve years after this step, she wrote in Decision, Billy Graham's magazine, how she regarded her work in her home and in Christ's Church as of far greater importance than her work as an actress. She took time out to participate in two of Billy Graham's films.
Roy Rogers, "The King of the Cowboys", his wife Dale Evans, "'The Queen of the Westerns",* and many other members of the Hollywood Christian Group came to the conclusion that they must stay in the world of entertainment and give their witness for Christ in it. Many staunch evangelical Christians ie. could not understand why Roy Rogers, for example, did not immediately abandon his profession and enter the ministry.
Roy told Orr that he regarded his profession as honourable as that of a teacher and that he would continue in it until called to do otherwise. After twelve years of observation, those qualified to speak could say that Roy and Dale maintained a good confession of Jesus Christ around the world.
Le For many years, Roy Rogers acted as chairman of the Hollywood Christian Group. He succeeded his close friend Tim f
Le Spencer in in bat.
anon Tim Spen r, a CoV v joy § and song-writer, was a heavy drinker but his. wife Velma, who had been converted in her early teens, kept praying for him.
Tim Spencer had written two hundred songs for which he depended upon liquor for his inspiration. Then he was. wonderfully converted. Without his drinks, his muse dried up. So he prayed: eat he Ta all "Lord, I'm so new that I don't know properly Thy way of doing things. I want to write a song, a good, clean, wholesome song. Please bless me in the writing of it ... 1 want to serve
Thee until my dying day. Amen."
Orr met Tim Spencer at Forest Home Young Adult Conference in the beautiful San Bernardino mountains in July 1949.° He was obviously a novice in Christian things but his sincerity was plain to see. He sang a number of "'spirituals" and then played and sang his newest composition, ""Roomful of Roses". Tim asked Orr to pray that the Lord would bless the song. It was a new thought to Orr but he agreed. Within a matter of months,
'the song was published and became an immediate success in America, "top of the hit parade" for months. It made the Spencers enough money to catch up with debts and responsibilities, so they bought themselves a house with a drawing room large enough to accommodate a large company willing to hear the Good News.
Orr took Tim Spencer with him to a campaign in Pomona, an orange-growing town in California. One of the pastors protested against Spencer's participation in the meeting, saying that a parishioner who had known him in his alcoholic days had refused to believe the story of his conversion, insisting that he must be a fraud. Spencer's own testimony rang so true however that the minister apologized for ever having doubted the grace of God.
Tim Spencer soon became a tireless personal worker in Hollywood, nicknamed by one that he had apprehended for Christ
"The Lord's Sherlock Holmes". He continued his association with the singing group Sons of the Pioneers for many. years.
Then he engaged in the dissemination of Christian songs and music, through his company, Manna Music. There is a connection with India in the story of Tim Spencer's greatest musical service,
'the popularization of the hymn 'How Great Thou Art". The
: Hine, published ; he ' story: BM dy In eal 1954, the oie received a letter from De J.
Edwin Orr, written from India: "Near the sacred city of Nasik, I heard a choir of Naga tribespeople from the jungles of Assam sing the hymn, 'How Great Thou Art'. It was a great blessing to missionaries and nationals alike, but most of all. to me. That night, I could not sleep for elation of spirit but spent the time in praise and adoration of God."
ASaise Dr. Orr sang the hymn on his tours of the U.S.A. and — | introduced it to Christian firms there who published it in 1955.
It was at Forest Home that Edwin Orr introduced the hymn ""How Great Thou Art". The conference of students took it up with profound fervour. Tim Spencer, hearing it, recognized its worth and negotiated through Edwin Orr with the author in London.
Meanwhile, Cliff Barrows and the Graham Team based the hymn in London. Tim Spencer arranged with the Graham organization to make the hymn available by the million. It soon became the best-used hymn of the English-speaking world.
Georgia Lee, a television dancing star, owed her conversion partly to the influence of Colleen Townsend's testimony on the set:
"Colleen invited me and my husband to one of the first meetings of the Hollywood Christian Group. The next week,
Ralph and I were there and listened to Dick Halverson tell of his conversion, how he had sinned and then saw that not only he but everyone needed a Saviour. There was a discussion after the message in which Dr. Orr and Miss Mears explained.
Jesus Christ the Saviour to us, so that Christ became a reality in my life instead of just a fact in my mind.
"That night, I knelt to pray as usual, but in a different way I prayed that the Lord Jesus would come into my life, — forgive my sins and use me to His glory. Since that night,
Ralph and I have studied Scripture almost every day."
Soon after her conversion, Georgia Lee began to make her Christian testimony her first concern in her daily life, besides maintaining the highest standards of Christian propriety.
one ve would enter Christian service. 'They they preferred to be Christian entertainers, servis the Lord in - their field. Almost monthly Orr asked them if they had given further consideration to the higher form of Christian service.
They said that they had prayed about it, but felt sure that they ought to continue in their chosen profession. Orr did not argue with them.
In mid-1951, when Georgia Lee had her own television programme, she called Mrs. Orr to tell her that she and Ralph had news for her absent husband. Mrs. Orr invited them to supper with the evangelist upon his return. Unknown to the eager entertainers, Edwin Orr was writing his book Good News in Bad Times, and had felt so sure that Ralph and Georgia would enter the full-time Christian ministry that he had included their story prophetically in the section dealing with stars who had given up their careers. When they announced their decision to the Orrs at table, they were at first disappointed.
"We thought you would have been surprised and delighted after all the talking you did with us!"
Orr took them to his study. There he showed them the manuscript of his new book. They were utterly dumbfounded. T hey often told the story.
Ralph Hoopes entered college, heiped at first by the earnings of his wife. Then they both went to theological college in San
Francisco, by faith, and were helped by a mysterious, anonymous donor.
Ralph Hoopes became minister of a church in' California, with Georgia helping him in the parish while dedicating her own talents to the Lord for use in Christian films. Her first assignment was a starring role in Dr. Bob Pierce's true story of the war among men and peace of God in Korea. Then she took leading roles in Billy Graham films. Her work and testimony
_ took her hundreds of thousands of miles throughout the United States and the world at large.
Nudie was a tailor, an expert in making cowboy clothes for the stars of Western films such as William Boyd, Gene Autrey and Roy Rogers,* Nudie was not a profane man, but if a customer "cussed" a lot, Nudie "cussed" a little to make
him for his language.
"What's the matter with you' tal nleed Mace! can his ee :
told him that he was now converted. The next customer in to see him also professed to be converted. It was not long until
Nudie and his wife showed up in the Hollywood Christian Group. They came faithfully to every evangelistic meeting, to : every devotional meeting and even showed up at a business session in the Orr family home in Brentwood Glen where the Group leaders were thrashing out such questions as the utter wie renunciation of intoxication and profanity and impropriety by all new converts. Nudie seemed impressed when all present ended the session with a round of earnest prayer.
In due course, Edwin Orr received an invitation to visit Nudie and Bobbie in their lovely home. After supper, Nudie explained:
"The thing that got me about the fellows and girls in the Group meeting was that they talked about Jesus Christ as if He was alive and as if they knew Him personally. I thought that _ Jesus Christ was a good Jewish teacher who died a couple of thousand years ago. But when the fellows and girls told how they talked to Jesus about their problems, and how they got answers to prayers, I started watching them very carefully.
"IT must say,' he went on, "that I noticed a big change in all of the ones I had known previously. And not only did they live clean lives, but they seemed to enjoy it, and they seemed to love each other just like a big happy family. Then I began to see what was the matter with me. I was no worse a sinner than they
— | had been but I wasn't happy enough though I was doing well in business.
*So,"' said Nudie, "I decided that I needed to get to know | Jesus Christ personally.
I was not so much concerned about changing my religion as changing myself, getting converted ;
That's why I asked you to come tonight, to help me.'
Orr looked at him with mixed feelings. All of his adult life. he had been seeking sinners to present to the Saviour. Here was a sinner seeking him out instead. Before he could trust himself to speak, Nudie started again. There was a catch in his voice and a tear in his eye.
"But now I must apologize, Dr. Orr, for pling you all
| thie hon swliehals ouks are a "busy eu, yen ae se 2 any longer so I went and got converted Monday nahe
; From 1949 until the end of 1951, Edwin Orr was the deve +
of the Hollywood Christian Group. Then he left for evangelistic — meetings in Brazil, South Africa and India, being succeeded by the Rev. Richard C. Halverson, who served as chaplain for another couple of years until he entered the service of International Christian Leadership in Washington. Edwin Orr continued as Chaplain Emeritus.
When Edwin Orr returned to Los Angeles in 1954 from his evangelistic tour around the world, he was delighted to see that during the three years of his absence the sapling he had helped to plant had taken deep root and was beginning to bear fruit.
It was one of the greatest joys of his entire Christian life to find that in five years the Hollywood Christian Group had become an established work of God. The good work was continuing as in the first flush of success.
In the first two years of the work, fifteen of the Group's members gave up their careers and devoted themselves to fulltime Christian service as ministers, ministers' wives or evangelists.14 Some members of the Group began to act in the new
_ evangelistic and missionary films. Others with talent for songwriting wrote choice songs of deep religious feeling, some of which became prime favourites. Yet other Group members took part in evangelistic rallies, such as those of the Youth for Christ movement, and the Billy Graham Crusades. Their names were well known and thousands of people came to hear what they had to say. The effect of their testimony was only one step in the direction of a Christian life. Other steps had to be taken.
Even more important than all these was the work that lay closest to the hearts of all the Group members—Christian witness in the entertainment industry itself. This was well expressed by two members, the Harveys:!* "Day after day, on movie and television sets and in the various studios of Hollywood, God leads us to the men and women He wants. We find them empty and hungry for God's love, and yet—as we were—confused and afraid to reach for Him. God gives us the words to say and leads us in our witness
We have had the pleasure of seeing several men and women
pik o-
{Hollywood Christian Group Ait meetings We are : looking Soawend to helping many more put ae their feet (and hearts) in the only Way!" |
One cannot say that all the members of the Group gave clear and convincing testimony Many did and many failed, as in # any community. The loyalty with which people practise the principles of Jesus Christ differs so much with individuals.
But the Hollywood Christian Group kept these ideals constantly before this important class of people whose influence today in the world, for good or ill, is tremendous. ''The failures and the phoneys" in the work were outnumbered by the genuine.
In the year 1955, Edwin Orr was requested by the Directors of the Group to write a book which would correct many wrong impressions of the work of the Group. This Orr entitled The Inside Story of the Hollywood Christian Group. It gave an account
> of the purpose of the Group, its steady growth, its many problems, its leading personalities, the criticisms which were made and the pitfalls which it sought to avoid.
The Hollywood Christian Group embarked upon a pioneering work and many problems were faced. There were no blue-prints to follow. Is it possible for Hollywood stars to be true to Christian standards? Should people who are converted continue in their profession as entertainers or should they give it up for: more specialized forms of Christian work? How much publicity should be permitted? The men and women who came to the meetings were known all over the world. People were only too anxious to learn details of the work done among them. If it was reported that they had given up big salaries or had declined to act in pictures of doubtful morality, the reports were not believed.
Should criticisms be answered? There was much demand for the | converts to bear witness in evangelistic meetings. Some who had just taken the first step in the Christian life were urged to give public witness to their new experience, sometimes with disastrous
_ results to their spiritual life. How could new converts be protected from such dangers? What sort of disciplinary action should be taken against members who were accused of living in sin or of getting drunk? This happened rarely.
Edwin Orr helped to draft the constitution of the Hollywood Christian Group.'® It was his keen insight that helped to safe-
Aj; oe it deta he svete' of scinktiets wh , tri as well as of careless people who tended to sabotage ity:
The Hollywood Christian Group changed very voi denibly after its first few years. In early days, the Group met in the — y :
" homes of famous stars and attracted the attendances of first- ' rate people. Many years later, the Group transferred its Monday meetings to the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood. By that time, it had widened its appeal until anyone in the entertainment industry was welcomed, providing he or she held a membership card in one of the entertainment guilds in stage, screen, radio or j i television. Soon its membership rose to the hundreds, and a couple of hundred people attended its weekly meetings. But the stars of brightest magnitude stayed away, excepting a few who were truly converted and wished to help the prospects and converts in the lower echelons. Orr held the view that it was impossible to hold a fellowship meeting which included generals and privates, or even colonels and sergeants—not as far as fellowship among true Christians was concerned but evangelism among those unregenerate. So also with stars and ordinary workers.
The Hollywood Christian Group had its ups and downs. The more successful it was in attracting the truly needy worldlings of Hollywood, the more diluted became its standards of Christian propriety. But the hand of God seemed to be upon it, and each period of spiritual decline was followed by revival.
The rise of the Hollywood Christian Group coincided with _ the production of many wholesome motion pictures, such as The Man Called Peter based upon the life of Peter Marshall, chaplain of the United States Senate. It also coincided with the introduction of television to almost every home in the English-speaking
_ world. The latter caused a strange development in motion pictures. It was necessary to have a reasonably high standard of film for viewing in the family circle, so certain producers took this as a challenge to compete with television by producing films which were more "sophisticated"—that is to say, immoral or amoral. The same producers tried to cash in upon the public interest in the Bible. In narrating Biblical stories, many films went to extravagant lengths, inventing numerous additions in order to give them a sex appeal. Hence these producers sought
Christian jaterests ae ndaaee of he. move to preduce i better quality films of Biblical or of evangelistic interest. Before _ the Second World War, there had been Christian pictures: but oe they had not been taken as carefully and as beautifully as in recent years. Since the Second World War, Christian motion pictures became widely and effectively used for evangelism, teacher training, retelling the stories of the Bible and for the stirring up of missionary interest. It is clear that people want to _ see stories from the Bible acted for them with all the bao ae and gripping interest of a good cinematic direction.
There was the striking film Martin Luther. Its actors were | well-qualified persons, the direction excellent, and the production of the best. Churches were glad to co-operate in showing the picture and many theatres were eager to feature it. This film showed that it was possible to produce a picture which was both spiritually stimulating and financially remunerative.
Dick Ross, active in the Hollywood Christian Group, teamed up with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to make films like Mr. Texas and Oiltown, U.S.A., which were somewhat lacking in the production polish of later films in colour such as Souls in Conflict and Touch of Brass. i It was significant that Billy Graham used the talents of nie friends in the Hollywood Christian Group to launch his venture — into film evangelism. Graham and his associates claimed that more decisions were made after the projection of these evangelistic
— films than even in the appeals of the evangelist in person.'® Dr. Bob Pierce used the same medium to advance the cause of _ Missions.