April 19. On this date in 1957, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States stated he was "very impressed with the latest book written by our dear departed coworker, George Townshend, 'Christ and Bahá'u'lláh'. "This book outlines clearly the relationship of Christ and Bahá'u'lláh, and presents the manners in which the Bahá'ís are setting up the Kingdom of God for which the Christians are praying" and the book should be "the basis of a very active teaching campaign."

April 19. On this date in 1957, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States stated he was "very impressed with the latest book written by our dear departed coworker, George Townshend, 'Christ and Bahá'u'lláh'. "This book outlines clearly the relationship of Christ and Bahá'u'lláh, and presents the manners in which the Bahá'ís are setting up the Kingdom of God for which the Christians are praying" and the book should be "the basis of a very active teaching campaign."

1564. Christ and Bahá'u'lláh
"The beloved Guardian has been very impressed with the latest book written by our dear departed coworker, George Townshend, 'Christ and Bahá'u'lláh'.
"This book outlines clearly the relationship of Christ and Bahá'u'lláh, and presents the manners in which the Bahá'ís are setting up the Kingdom of God for which the Christians are praying.
"It is challenging, and surely will affect many religious leaders.
"The Guardian feels your Assembly should make this book the basis of a very active teaching campaign."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, April 19, 1957: Bahá'í News, No. 316, p. 5, June 1957)

George Townshend was born on June 14, 1876.

On June 10, 1919, George Townshend wrote his first letter to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and received a reply six weeks later. He became a Bahá'í a few months later, but only in 1947, at the age of 70, did Townshend renounce his orders to the Anglican Church.

Shoghi Effendi designated him a Hand of the Cause of God in 1951 and once said of George Townshend that he feels "Mr. Townshend's services to the Faith can best be rendered by his writing about it, as he obviously has an outstanding ability in this direction..."

Of the books that Townshend wrote, Christ and Bahá’u’lláh is notable for the changes made from the original publication to subsequent editions published after Shoghi Effendi's death. For example, a statement about the "first and present Guardian" has been removed and a section discussing "the lineage of succeeding Guardians" has been replaced with a section discussing "divinely guided institutions" in general.

On March 25, 1957, George Townshend died secondary to Parkinson's disease.