I have or possess except in its relationship to the kingdom of God” ? Where are the Luthers who say, “Here I stand; I can do no other; God help me” ? I am Tired of Dialogue Which Results in Compromise Truth and falsehood cannot dialogue without truths giving way to compromise. I can hardly pic ture Nehemiah of old on the walls of Jerusalem doing dialogue with Sanballat and Tobiah. The hour has come for modem Nehemiahs to say, “ I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down; why should the work cease while I leave it and come down to you?” I am concerned with stress upon unity which fails to be based on the Word o f God and doctrinal statements but finds its rationale in the bonds of expediency. I am annoyed and irritated by theo logical “gradualism” that gently is diluting the great doctrines o f the Church as embodied by the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicean Creed, and the West minister Confession. f am Tired of The Accent on Relevance Christianity in the afternoon o f the twentieth century has been blighted with a humanism of relevance, a scourge that little-by-little emasculates the Gospel. I am tired of the attitude that the end justifies the means. I am tired of parents who tell their children it is all right to cheat for good grades as long as they are not caught, parents who show by their example that it is O.K. to steal for a good cause, and that it is all right to indulge in extra marital sex. I am tired o f college students who through existential brainwashing convince them selves that premarital sex is O.K. as long as it is meaningful. I am sickened by LSD trips that are supposed to magnify Christian experience. I am tired o f “ re ligion for kicks” that fails to recognize the tre mendous cost o f God’s providing eternal redemp tion for sin-sick men. I am tired o f religious institutions supporting men who denounce the existence o f God and delight in shaking the faith of Christians with their “ learned atheism.” I am tired o f unbelief mas querading in the guise o f intellectualism. I call for a return to objective scholarship which recognizes Divine revelation as recorded by the writers of Scripture. I am Tired of the Compromise of Conviction Today we are sold on the idea that it is wrong to disagree with anyone because o f a matter o f conscience. Let us remind ourselves that convic tions produce individuality in an age when men are rapidly becoming nondescript numbers, IBM
computer cards, and statistics. Convictions produce character and integrity, so let us remember that the man who stands for nothing will inevitably fall for anything. I am tired o f men who straddle the fence and cater to the grandstand crowd. In short, I am repulsed by the wholesale compromise o f conviction that white washes truth and integrity. I am Tired of Moral Laryngitis I am tired of Christians being silenced by the accusing finger of the left. May God forgive us for shirking from our duty at the cry “ radical!” I am sick o f hearing the cry “ freedom o f re ligion” when the real theme is “ freedom from religion,” a cry that demands the silencing o f the voice of Christianity before “ tolerance” can be operative. I am tired o f Vietniks who are being brain washed into being pro-communist. And at the same time, I am tired of a government that will sacri fice our boys, but will refuse to fight an all-out war to give them the protection they need to do what they have been sent to do. I am tired o f hearing that we “ fight to win the battle” when historically we have “ fought to win the war.” I am tired of the loss of our rights through the default of speaking out. One by one liberties are trickling through our fingers as the result o f neg lect and disuse. I am a tired Christian. But I am not only tired, I am distressed as melt because God is distressed. 1 realise that ours is the path toward moral de cadence, and spiritual decay. Believing that the wise sage o f old was right when he said, “ I would rather light a candle than curse the darkness,” I suggest that those who name the name o f Christ do something as well as de nounce the decadence o f the day. I suggest that: 1. We reaffirm our historical position in support of the Bible as the inspired and infallible Word of God. 2 . We remember that Christianity involves a per sonal experience with Jesus Christ, and let us rededicate ourselves to the task of evangelism, winning men to Christ. Let us remember that so cial reform is the result, not the kernel, of Chris;- tian experience. 3 . We determine that we shall “ contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Let us lift our hearts, our heads, and our voices, “ looking unto Jesus the author and finish er of our faith.” Let us remember we belong not to the twentieth century—we belong to Jesus Christ. Harold J. Sala, Ph.D.t is a Pastor in Redondo Beach , Calif.
JULY/AUGUST, 1969
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