line everywhere. The popular sing ers always seem to have a hymn ready. Churches are prospering and joining one seems quite the thing to do. But let us not be deceived by talk, when men say “peace, peace,” and there is no peace. At the prelude of the national elec tion, the following amazing scene took place in a large metropolitan hotel lobby. One of the aspiring can didates had hired, possibly through his campaign manager, a bevy of scantily-clad showgirls dressed in black tights. They were to parade through the lobby and try to solicit the votes of some delegates. One of the most briefly-attired girls carried a paradoxical banner for the hope ful presidential candidate bearing the doubtful legend, “Meet the Moral Challenge! Elect so-and-so!” It is clear that men have not met this moral challenge. Can you remem ber a few years ago when this truth was.proven dramatically? The then Soviet Premier visited our city and the best we could show him was some degraded aspects of humanity. This revealed once more the groping of man for basic satisfaction, which can come only through the personal knowledge of Jesus Christ as Sav iour. He alone can give true and last ing peace. The average person in our country longs for happiness. He has been tpld by the politicians that the right vote at the polls will bring permanent peace. Unfortunately this is not the case. Today, the average person wants what he wants when he wants it, and like a little child, he has no desire to wait. Hence, there is the increase of divorce, the morality problem, the rising rate of mental illness, and the breakdown of social barriers. True and lasting happiness come from the peace Christ gives within, not merely from having things about us. Whitney Griswold of Yale Univer sity warned students as well as par- 14
ents: “The greatest single menace to our society is the way in which we, as a nation, and as individuals, have permitted our sense of respon sibility to be deadened on moral issues.” Walter Lippmann, well- known journalist, speaking on the subject of our national purpose, wrote in essence, “The American people to day have the mistaken idea that we have arrived; that we lack nothing.” How tragically true is this evaluation when spiritually and morally speak ing we are bankrupt and bereft of the things which really count for eternity! This attitude, which rele gates God to a lesser position and exalts man; this feeling of having arrived and needing nothing more than we ourselves can devise; the entire godless philosophy which is apparent on every hand — can well defeat us from within, before the Communists even fire a single shot at our shores. The Bible brings all these thoughts into focus in the simple, pungent statement which we would do well to remember, not only at the polls, but every day that God allows this na tion to have her freedom: “Right eousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people!” As sacrilegious as this may sound, recently I heard a comedian making a modern paraphrase on one of our historic national songs. He may not have been too far wrong: “My coun try, ’tis TV; Sweet land of sit and see . . . Gunsmoke galore! Land where the villain dies . . . shot right be tween the eyes . . . by good fast drawing guys . . . L-e-e-et six-guns roar!” I venture to say more people know the plot of Sunday evening’s “Mission: Impossible,” than the eter nal truths of just one story of the Bible given earlier in the day in Sun day schools and churches throughout the land. We have placed the empha sis in our nation on obtaining, on striving to gain satisfaction, on en tertainment at any cost, on the for
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