Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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bers are not so impressive as the spirit of Christian fellowship and unity apparent even in this first session of
the conference.
The first general meeting of the Persian church was
held in Hamadan two years ago. Up to that time there
were those who doubted that such a meeting could be
held in this Moslem land. Some thought the church that
God is calling out of Persian Islam was not far enough
advanced to benefit from such a conference. If any
doubts remain that there is a living church in Persia, the
Isfahan conference should dissipate those doubts, as the
sun dispels the morning mist. T h e ecclesiastics of Islam
view with some alarm this meeting of Christian converts
and missionaries, and a slight earthquake shock on the
second day of the conference is attributed by them to divine displeasure at the meeting, though the next day we
learn ki the papers that the quake had been felt in many
other cities of Persia.
Reports from all the churches opened the first regular
business session. These messages gave a birds-eye view of
the foundations in many cities upon which the Persian
Church of Christ is being built. The membership of the
church comprises many nationalities, and those who have
formerly been adherents of various religions. First in
interest, because Persia is predominantly Mohammedan,
are the converts from Islam. The number of such converts varies from about three hundred in the largest
church to as few as ten or twelve in some of the congregations. Among them are men and women rich in Christian experience, who have passed the apprenticeship of
struggle and persecution, and whom we feel sure no wind
of chance could shake. Others are taking their first halting
steps in the sunlight of Christ. There are also a number
of members of the church who were formerly followers
of Zoroaster, the prophet of ancient Iran. These people
and their ancestors have withstood the pressure of Islam
for centuries, and now they have found the truth in
Christ. There are Kurds from the western provinces
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who were formerly Sunni Moslems, several congregations report Jewish members, and there are two churches
made u p entirely of Hebrew converts. There are also a
number of congregations of Assyrian and Armenian
Protestants, who join with converts from other religions
in the Persian church. I n the Urumia region alone there
are more than one thousand members who are Assyrian
by race. One of the joyful blessings of the conference is
to see these people of different nationalities, who have
been traditional enemies, now gathered in abiding
brotherhood in the name of H i m who has broken down
the middle wall of partition and made them all one
through His blood.
After the reports from the churches, there followed
an open discussion on evangelism, and our hearts beat
high as we think of the life stories of those who one after
another take the platform. Each of these has made the
great adventure of faith in a land where the penalty of
that step is death. Let us look now at the platform-the
man who is speaking was formerly a member of the AliIIahi sect; he is now a Christian evangelist, we call him
The Tall Poplar of Kerman. There is a former
Mohammedan Mullah, marked by the deep Arabic sound
of his Persian phrases; the words that used to echo
through the mosque are now telling of his efforts to
preach Christ to his own people. W e see a Christian
dervish from Meshed, who goes about over the land making his living by dispensing simple medicines and pulling
teeth, but all the while planting the seed by word of
mouth and Scripture portion or Bible. T h e life-story
of each one is a romance, deeply human, yet touched by
a spark of the divine. These people are writing the Persian Acts of the Apostles. Then come the preliminary
papers and discussion on Pastoral Work, T h e Training
of Workers, and T h e Church. Much discussion develops
over the terms which should be used in the work and organization of the church. These people are confronted
with the problem of the apostolic church in finding ter-
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vided for the whole congregation in Bible study, development of the Christian life, and the teaching of best
methods in personal evangelism.
Four classes of workers are needed by the Persian
church :writers, Sunday School teachers, evangelists and
pastors. Indigenous authorship should be developed to
take the place of the present publications, which are
largely translated. The peculiar apologetic needed in
Persia, and devotional literature for the church here, can
best be produced by Persian Christians. Bible teachers
for Sunday and week-day religious education, who know
both Christianity and Islam thoroughly, are needed everywhere, and can be a great power in the advancement of
Christs kingdom. There is a present call for evangelists
and pastors; and as the church develops there will be a
constantly increasing need for consecrated men to fill
these positions of great opportunity and responsibility.
The Church. From the beginning of the conference
there existed the general feeling that the great question
before us was the matter of union of the church all over
Persia. This conviction was strengthened with each session of the conference, every mention of the fact of essential unity in the church elicited expressions of approval. As one speaker put the matter, The Church of
Christ in Persia has unity, and woe be to him who does
anything to destroy it. T h e conference approved as a
guiding principle the words of Abraham Lincoln, In
essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things
charity.
Though the outward forms may differ in the north
and south, there exists throughout the whole church a
genuine unity in spirit and in doctrine. The disposition
of the Persian church, clearly expressed in the conference, seemed to be that they would work out their own
forms of service and church government rather than follow those of any one church in England or America. T o
this end appeals were made to the church bodies sending
missionaries to Persia, asking that the Persian church be
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