Religion: Twisting the Devil's Tail

The late John Roach Straton was a loud and somewhat lonely voice of protest against the "mechanized Gomorrah" of Manhattan's Roaring Twenties. In 1923, as pastor of Manhattan's Calvary Baptist Church, he set up a small radio station, WQAO, in the basement of his church, and took to the air with his evangelistic message. Said Pastor Straton: "I hope that our radio system will prove so efficient that when I twist the Devil's tail in New York, his squawk will be heard across the continent."

Last week, broadcasting a special Wednesday night service, Dr. Straton's lineal successor, the Rev. John S. Wimbish,...

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