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WHY AMERICA MUST TAKE THE LEADER-
SHIP IN EVANGELIZING RUSSIA
By REV. DAVID NYVALL
President of North Park College, Chicago
BEFORE I attempt, in the briefest possible way, to answer this
question, first, a word about Russian missions and Russia in
general.
I acknowledge a very large debt to our Russian mission. But my
conscience in the matter is denominational rather than individual.
We (I refer to the Swedish Covenant churches) accepted many years
ago a call to bring the Gospel into Russia by way of Alaska. We ac-
cepted missionaries who went there with this purpose. And we have
withheld them in Alaska ever since, doing a very fine work, no doubt,
but so far neglecting the larger call for which we entered Alaska.
Personally, I never had a call which I could recognize as from God
to go to Russia myself, but as a member of my denomination I have a
conscience accusing me of a duty neglected or postponed. The place
to get right with my conscience, such as it is, is therefore not at this
conference. It is at the conference of the Swedish Evangelical Mission
Covenant, just about to convene at Jamestown, N. Y. You cannot cor-
rect an error which we have committed. We must do that ourselves,
and it can be done at any time simply by extending our Alaskan mis-
sions into the Great Russia beyond.
This conference, I trust, is going to do some good. It may stir up
things. I hope it will bring Russia nearer to the hearts of American
Christians. And yet I am free to say that the greatest result, the most
coveted fruit, I could look for from this conference, would be har-
vested, if the different denominations, mine included, through our in-
fluence, could be persuaded to place Russia upon their map and include
the evangelization of Russia in their missionary enterprises.
Sweden and Russia
Then also a word about Russia. It is probable that no continental
American can ever feel what that word means to a Swede or an Ameri-
can of Swedish descent. It is really curious how little the people of
this continent concerned themselves about Russia until just lately.
It is fair to say that Russia seemed to most of you only a year ago
as something very far away. It is not thus with a Swede or an Ameri-
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