HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG, Chairman Publisher of The PLAIN TRUTH Magazine
EXTENSION DEPARTMENT An educational service at all levels for all people worldwide
June 28, 1971
Dear Inner Family of Co-Workers:
I want to tell you, privately and in confidence, that many men high in the governments of Germany, Belgium, India, Israel, Japan, Singapore and such nations around the world, have recently been visiting Ambassador College campuses.
Last month I told you of the almost unbelievable manner in which giant doors have been opening before me for personal meetings with kings, presidents, prime ministers, and other high government officials. But now, more and more, WORLD LEADERS are coming themselves to visit our campuses — to see for themselves the EXAMPLE we are setting for bringing about WORLD PEACE!
World rulers are beginning to realize that this Work — in which YOU are a Co-Worker — is making the greatest contribution toward WORLD PEACE in our time! All through history, nations and their governments have been striving for WORLD PEACE! But their striving has led only to wars — and more wars! There is the Biblical truism: "The WAY of peace they know not." For 37 years, we in this Work have been proclaiming to the world THE WAY to world peace. And on three Ambassador College campuses in the United States and Britain, we have been SETTING THE LIVING EXAMPLE of PEACE!
Until the past three or four years, instead of this kind of recognition, we had only persecution and opposition from the world. Of course, there is still the persecution, misrepresentation and opposition. But also NOW, there is coming to be RECOGNITION, APPROVAL, RESPECT in many high places of the world. Now, more and more, men who rate very high in the world are coming to visit Ambassador College campuses. And always they are tremendously — and FAVORABLY — impressed!
Instead of the hippie-type students, the protest, the strife, the disharmony, the riots and violence so prevalent on college and university campuses today, they see peace — harmony — motivation — purpose — smiles that radiate inner HAPPINESS on the Ambassador campuses.
Last month I told you how King Leopold of Belgium had so highly honored me for the accomplishments of THIS WORK toward WORLD PEACE. And that is the Work YOU are having a part in! His father was King Albert. After the armistice ending World War I, King Albert visited a battlefield. The King of the Belgians was horror-stricken at realization of the great slaughter of human lives that had occurred there. He had an iron cannonball from that battlefield melted and formed into four black watchcases to encase four fine watches. He wanted to encourage efforts toward world peace by presenting these watches to the four men who had made the greatest contribution toward world peace.
World War I was known everywhere — then — as "the war to make the world safe for democracy" — the war to END all wars! King Albert consequently felt that the victorious chief generals, and the French Premier, had made the greatest contribution for world peace. One watch was presented to the Supreme Commander of all Allied forces, Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch. The second watch was presented to General John J. Pershing, Supreme Commander of all United States forces. The third was presented to Premier Georges Clemenceau of France.
Apparently he did not feel the man or activity to be awarded the fourth watch had appeared, at that time. It was passed on to his son, Leopold III, to award. King Leopold had kept that watch all these years. And finally, while a dinner guest in my home in Pasadena, California, he told me he felt he should present the watch to me. He had visited two of our campuses. He knew about our worldwide educational program, pointing THE WAY to world peace, with its impact on more than 100 million people. He had seen the living EXAMPLE of real PEACE on the Ambassador campuses.
WHY have we never had WORLD PEACE? I repeat, there is a Biblical truism: "The WAY of peace they know not." There is A WAY that CAUSES peace! It is as simple as "two plus two equals four."
Everything is a matter of CAUSE and EFFECT. For every EFFECT, there has to be a CAUSE. There has to be — and there IS — A WAY that CAUSES peace. But nations' governments have never turned that way. Again and again, I state it simply. There are two WAYS of life. One is the GIVE way — the other is the GET way. The WAY that CAUSES peace is the way of giving, helping, serving, sharing — the way of OUTGOING CONCERN for the good and the welfare of others equal to self-concern. The way that has CAUSED all wars, strife, violence and unhappiness, is the "GET" way — the way of vanity, greed, selfishness, envy, jealousy, hatred.
The one is THE WAY of LOVE. And LOVE is simply outgoing concern — toward God and toward man. The other is the WAY of UNconcern for man or God — concern only for SELF. The WAY of peace is defined Biblically as "the law of God." And it is PRACTICAL — it WORKS — it really produces PEACE! David wrote: "Great PEACE have they which love THY LAW." The wise Solomon wrote: "My son, forget not my law but let thine heart keep my commandments; for length of days and long life, and PEACE, shall they add to thee."
WHY is this great Work, in which YOU are a Co-Worker, making the greatest contribution toward world peace! Because we have been proclaiming to the world for 37 years THE CAUSE that produces peace, happiness, and abundant well-being. Thousands of lives have come to enjoy that blessed EFFECT. And because, also, we are SETTING THE LIVING EXAMPLE on our three college campuses. On them we have peace, harmony, radiating happiness, purpose, accomplishment!
And now many, high in government and business from many parts of the world, are visiting Ambassador College campuses. And here they see and experience the living example of the PEACE, and enthusiastic happiness that the "GIVE" way of life produces. They are impressed with the character of the students, faculty and other personnel.
Let me tell you of a few specific instances.
In November, 1968, when both Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ambassador College were considering the joint participation in the huge archaeological project, Dr. Benjamin Mazar, former President of the University, and Dr. Joseph Aviram, Dean of the College of Humanities at the University, visited the Pasadena and Texas campuses. They were much impressed with what they saw. Several others from Hebrew University and the Israeli government have since visited various ones of our campuses. Ambassador College is highly respected and honored in Israel.
Late in 1969 Willy Brandt replaced Kurt Kiesinger as Chancellor of West Germany. Soon after, Chancellor Kiesinger's Press Secretary and Public Relations Officer, Dr. Alf Enseling, flew to Pasadena to spend two days on our campus. Then he spent one day on the Texas campus. Returning to Bonn, he held a press conference. His first words, as reported to me, were: "Gentlemen, I have just returned from Paradise!"
A little later, spring of last year, the "strong man of Europe," Dr. Franz Josef Strauss, former Finance Minister of West Germany, with his wife and secretary, spent two days on our Pasadena campus. At the close of the first day, he commented that he had just spent the happiest day of his life. The PEACE and happiness here are contagious! Dr. Strauss drank it in. Herr Strauss said, "We need an Ambassador College in Germany."
He was flown in our jet plane to our Texas campus, then to Houston to inspect the giant moonshot Space Center, then to Washington, D.C. for important conferences. But from our Texas campus he sent his wife back to Pasadena to enjoy another day on the Ambassador campus.
Last October, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Singapore, Mr. George Thompson, came to visit the Pasadena campus. His reaction was the same.
In November of last year, King Leopold, with his wife and two daughters, were our guests at the Pasadena campus. They also had visited the campus in England. I have already reported on their reaction.
Last February, in Tokyo, Mr. Rader, Mr. Gotoh and I were having dinner with the Japanese banker and industrialist Takasumi Mitsui, and his wife. Mr. Mitsui's chief subject of conversation was his enthusiastic report of his visit to the Ambassador College campus in Pasadena. He and his wife had just returned from there. They visited our campus while we were on our February round-the- world trip. He was lavish in his remarks about the genuine happiness he had experienced on the Ambassador campus.
Probably the top ranking internationally known educator of Japan is Dr. Nobumoto Ohama, former President of Waseda University. He attended the meeting of Japanese professors I addressed last September. He accompanied me on my 45-minute meeting with Prime Minister Sato. He is chief nonpolitical adviser to the Prime Minister and the Japanese government on Okinawan affairs. He met me at the airport in Okinawa when I arrived there in February. Dr. Ohama plans to visit and speak at Ambassador College in Pasadena in September.
Prince Mikasa, brother of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Hirohito of Japan, has expressed a desire to visit and lecture at Ambassador College. However, because of his official position he must await an official state visit on invitation of the Government of the United States. That may be next year.
Also President V.V. Giri of India has twice expressed to me a desire to visit and lecture at Ambassador. But he, too, can come only on an official state visit on invitation of the United States Government. We look forward to that in anticipation.
And just over a month ago, a man very high in the government of the second largest nation — India — was our guest for a week on the Pasadena campus. Twice he addressed our students. He is Dr. Nagindra Singh, Executive Secretary to President V.V. Giri, and delegate of India to the United Nations conference at Geneva. Also Dr. Singh is perhaps the leading exponent of "WORLD PEACE through international Law." He has SIX academic doctorates after his name — all earned degrees — from such universities as Cambridge, Moscow, Dublin, Delhi, Calcutta, and Bihar, including the very rare and coveted D.C.L.
He and I are in agreement, in principle, on what it will take to bring world peace. In his lectures he said two ingredients are basic — Law, and Authority. Law without Authority would be flouted and produce anarchy. Authority without Law would be despotism and tyranny.
I explained to him that what we proclaim is: The LAW of GOD'S GOVERNMENT, and the supernatural divine AUTHORITY of God. We are PREPARING THE WAY for that. And meanwhile we are proclaiming THE WAY that does, in our lives now, CAUSE peace. And more, we are SETTING THE EXAMPLE!
Other world leaders have come, and in increasing numbers are beginning to come, to the Ambassador campus, to SEE with their own eyes our EXAMPLE of WORLD PEACE!
Dr. Singh said there is no other educational institution like it in the world.
I know it's hard for us to realize fully the tremendous IMPORTANCE and MAGNITUDE of this great Work. In our day-to-day lives we are prone to FORGET that world conditions are so rapidly CHANGING — and WORSENING! Morals have deteriorated into the cesspool. Family and home life are breaking up. One-tenth of the people are now MENTAL cases. Crime is rampant until life is unsafe even in residential neighborhoods. Everywhere there is PROTEST, rioting, VIOLENCE. The world is aflame with WARS or war-conditions — in Vietnam, in the Middle East, in North Ireland — threat of war and violent conditions all over the world.
Can't we see that this world is fast approaching a CRISIS? Can we sleep on, in such a world?
There is but the ONE VOICE crying out in this worldwide chaotic wilderness, proclaiming THE WAY to PEACE, HAPPINESS, WELL- BEING! That is the powerful VOICE OF THIS WORLDWIDE WORK!
ONE VOICE proclaiming the way that will CAUSE peace — ONE WORK that is PREPARING THE WAY for the supernatural intervention that MUST COME to save humanity ALIVE! And YOU are having YOUR PART in that great WORK!
What a PRIVILEGE you and I have to be having our part in saving humanity ALIVE — in bringing about WORLD PEACE — in SAVING THE WORLD! Our part in this Work is the MOST IMPORTANT THING IN OUR LIVES! Isn't it worth sacrificing other things for?
Keep PRAYING for it!
While thousands of industrial corporations, and large businesses have gone "broke" during the financial recession of the past three years, it is apparent THIS WORK has had the protection and guidance of the living God. We are reaching and influencing 50% more people, worldwide, than three years ago. But it has been a tight-financial squeeze! NEVER has the NEED of your tithes and offerings been more urgent. Even more, it needs your earnest and believing PRAYERS. God IS BLESSING YOU AND ALL OF US for our part and sacrifice in His great Work for WORLD PEACE and the salvation of mankind!
With sincere love, in Jesus' name, Herbert W. Armstrong
Copyright © 2024 Herbert W Armstrong Library