September 21. On this date in 1957, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States referred to Bahá'ís as "the leaven of God" and "the chosen people of God."

September 21. On this date in 1957, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States referred to Bahá'ís as "the leaven of God" and "the chosen people of God."

454. Bahá'ís Are the Leaven of God, the Chosen People of God
"...The Bahá'ís are the leaven of God, which must leaven the lump of their nation. In direct ratio to their success will be the protection vouchsafed, not only to them but to their country. These are the immutable laws of God, from which there is no escape: 'For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.'
"They cannot be the chosen people of God,--the ones who have received the bounty of accepting Him in His Day, the recipients of the Master's Divine Plan--and do nothing about it. The obligation to teach is the obligation of every Bahá'í, and particularly, the obligations of the American Bahá'ís towards humanity are great and inescapable. To the degree to which they discharge them will they be blessed and protected, happy and satisfied."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, September 21, 1957: Bahá'í News, November 1957)