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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, April 18, 1980
Page 2
While in Cairo, Mr. Rader was interviewed by the Egyptian press and an
article should be appearing about the Church and the Foundation in both
the Arabic and the English newspapers. Mr. Rader has been invited to
return to Cairo next week to address the Institute of Diplomatic Affairs
which is a school for diplo�ats that is run under the direction of the
Foreign Ministry of Egypt. It is designed to prepare their diplomatic
corps before they are sent abroad and also retrain and recycle ambassadors
and other diplomats upon their return to Cairo. He will also be address
ing the American University in Cairo as well as the Cairo University on
subjects similar to those that were discussed in the Chinese Universities
of recent date.
In Cairo, Mr. Rader was also received by the Minister of Information and
Culture and spent an evening in the home of Dr. Hatem, the former Deputy
Prime Minister. Dr. Hatem and his family are very close to Mr. Armstrong
and to the Church and College in particular. Two of Dr. Hatem's daughters
are being married this year and his son is presently earning a master's
degree at the University of Colorado. An invitation was extended to Dr.
Hatem's son to visit Ambassador College at his earliest opportunity.
Last Friday Mr. Rader attended a ceremony at the International Cultural
Center for Youth where a beautiful, modern piece of sculpture was unveiled
(for a second time). Earlier in the year the official unveiling took
place in the Herbert W. Armstrong Square, but Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Rader
were unable to attend. On that occasion the American Ambassador was
present. The sculpture is very reminiscent (although it is modern) of
the egret sculpture of David Wynn, at least in terms of its sweep and
its motif.
OVERVIEW OF THE COURT CASE AND THE CHALLENGES AHEAD
Over the last few years, there has been a trend toward greater and greater
intrusion by various levels of government into church matters. A note of
alarm has finally been struck by U.S. church officials over some of the
recent actions by the State as more and more Americans become aware that
the free exercise of religion, which they have enjoyed through the pro
tection of the federal Constitution, is beginning to be sorely threatened.
George Cornell, Associated Press religion writer, commenting on this trend
in a March 1980 story said, "To try to guard against intrusions, some de
nominations are taking steps to tighten up their own constitutional pre
rogatives." He noted in his article that in effect the civil courts are
being allowed to make religious decisions!
As Mr. Rader observed early last year concerning this legal battle that
the Worldwide Church of God has been thrust into, "We are in the vanguard
in this defense of religious freedom." Suddenly--without notice--God's
Church was forced to engage in the most important single church/state case
of the century. In the course of defending its very existence, the Church
produced full-page advertisements and then a one-hour television documen
tary in order to educate the public as to the true facts of this travesty
of justice.
The TV documentary was aired in Southern California over KCOP Channel 13,
January 16, 1980. As a result, the station received letters from Judge