THE JOURNAL'S 30th ANNIVERSARY
Richard H. Bube, Editor
Stanford University
Stanford CA 94305

From: JASA 34 (March 1979): 1-2
On January 7, 1949 the first issue of the American Scientific Affiliation Bulletin appeared under the editorship of Marion D. Barnes. It consisted of 19 sheets mimeographed and mailed by Russell L. Mixter in Wheaton, Illinois. The ASA had 75 members. The name was changed to the Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation one year later and mimeographing gave way to printing in 1952.

Page 1 of this Volume 1, Number 1, consists of a foreword by Editor Barnes. It is perhaps worthwhile to repeat here the initial vision concerning the purpose of the Journal.

The purpose of the ASA Bulletin is manifold. It is intended primarily for the benefit of the ASA members, and interested friends, and it is hoped that it will be instrumental in helping the organization achieve its primary purpose of witnessing to the truth of the Scriptures and elucidating the relationship of both the ideology and fruits of science thereto. Furthermore we confidently expect that in the publication of papers presented at the
convention and others received from the membership at large, a real service will be rendered each of us in creating an enlarged appreciation and understanding of the Christian position in other fields of science than that of our own specialization. Also thru the ASA Bulletin we plan to give every interested member the benefit of a constructive criticism and Christian evaluation of papers presented and of reviews of books of great interest or strategic importance.

Today with 4300 copies of each issue of the Journal ASA being printed, we hold to these same goals in the somewhat extended format that growth in membership and in science/Christianity relationships over the past 30 years has brought about. With this March 1979 issue, we add another 16 pages to bring you a 64 page issue.

A second feature of the ASA Bulletin was to provide editorial opportunities for guest authors. That first issue contained an editorial by then President F. Alton Everest, one of the founding fathers of ASA. Urging wide dissemination of copies of Modern Science and Christian Faith to the colleges and universities of the United States, Alton closes with the following words:

in short ... the work of the ASA is just what we few members, by the Grace of the Lord, make of it. If we are lethargic, the work will shrivel; if there is no vision, no progress. I urge each member to make a positive and definite contribution to the work of the ASA, unsolicited, during 1949 that these students might he reached with the claims of Christ.

The first issue of the ASA Bulletin contained two papers. The first of these was "A Christian View of the Development of Science" by Marion D. Barnes; the other was "The Meaning of Mathematics" by H. Harold Hartzler. They were both papers that had been presented at the 1948 Third Annual Meeting of the ASA, held at Calvin College with 25 registrants.

We celebrate this 30th birthday of the journal ASA by reinstating the practice of guest editorials. Any ASA member may submit material for such an editorial (not more than 750 words) and we will select the most challenging and timely for publication.

We are grateful for the blessings of God upon the work of the ASA over the 30 years during which the Journal ASA has been published. his gift to us of greater potentialities carries with it greater responsibilities. Alton Everest's words are as true today as they were in 1949.