CHALLENGES TO KINGDOM BUILDING

edited by Paul A. Wellington

For over a century the Restoration movement has been predicting the "hastening time." Now it is upon us. The rate of change in recent decades has accelerated at a gallop, and most of us have not been able to keep up. As a result, our ability to cope with the social revolution accompanying the technical and scientific breakthroughs seems increasingly inadequate.

We can't turn back the clock; we can't go back to horse-and-buggy days. We have people, people, and more people—and we must recognize that this is the major factor which has multiplied our problems. This is not a time for lament; it is a time for admitting that we must increase wills and talents to face the continuing changes ahead. Second, we must sharpen our know-how in many fields. One of our most beloved scriptures is the statement, "The glory of God is intelligence." If we truly are thrilled by the implications of this verse, we will see the need for absorbing more knowledge and for developing skills in working with people. This is not an age for complacency.

The editor has collected writings from the Saints' Herald which he feels bear on the many facets of the problems of our age. Instead of problems, they have been called "challenges to Kingdom building."

It is hoped that this book will prove to be an exploratory adventure for members of the Church and that it will arouse latent talents and zeal in behalf of specific needs existing in our immediate communities. It is the purpose of this book to lead the reader into a wider program of study of the problems and goals of mankind in order that he may more proficiently meet the challenge of the hastening time and successfully contribute to the evolving Kingdom.