Abdul Baha in London (1912)/At the City Temple (Introduction)
ON September 10th, the first Sunday after
Abdul Baha’s arrival in England, he
spoke from the City Temple pulpit to the
evening congregation at the special desire of
the Pastor, the Reverend R. J. Campbell.
Though Abdul Baha’s coming had not been
advertised the Church was filled to its utmost
capacity. Few that were there will ever forget
the sight of that venerable figure clad in his
Eastern garb, ascending the pulpit stairs to
address a public gathering for the first time
in his life. That this should be at a Christian
place of worship in the West has its own deep
significance. Mr. Campbell introduced the
visitor with a few simple words in the course
of which he said: “We, as followers of the
Lord Jesus Christ, who is to us and will
always be the Light of the World, view with
sympathy and respect every movement of the
Spirit of God in the experience of mankind,
and therefore we give greeting to Abdul Baha
in the name of all who share the spirit of our
Master, and are trying to live their lives in
that Spirit. The Bahai Movement is very[Page 2]
closely akin to, I think I might say is identical
with, the spiritual purpose of Christianity.”
Before Abdul Baha left the Church, he wrote in the old Bible used by generations of Preachers, the following words in his own native Persian, the translation being added as follows:
Written by Abdul Baha in Persian
THIS book is the Holy Book of God, of
celestial Inspiration. It is the Bible of
Salvation, the noble Gospel. It is the mystery
of the Kingdom and its light. It is the Divine
Bounty, the sign of the guidance of God,
- Abdul Baha Abbas.
