The boy was so busy plugging the leak in the ceiling of his house that he could not go and plug the leak in the dike! The folly of that is plain: No matter how carefully the leak in the roof is plugged, if the dike gives way, the whole house and everything in it will go under — and the city as well. We have been so busy looking after our own evangelical interests that we are doing almost nothing about great national issues. It will not help at all if we protect and preserve our evangelical realm, while allowing the nation we live in to go to ruin. There is a Congress of the peo ple in this nation that makes the laws. By the laws made there, the quality of our lives and the quan tity of our freedom are constantly monitored and affected. Why do we not have at least 30, still better 50, Christians sitting in Congress, deliberating this nation's
interests and affairs? It wouldn't matter which side of the aisle they were on. The important thing is that they would be there when the crises come, Christians who really care about the nation's well-being. Oh but someone says, wouldn't that be worldly? As to believers having control of things, the Word of God speaks plainly: "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn" (Proverbs 29:2). That is definitive. Jesus did not tell us to be spec tators until He comes. He did not tell us to restrict our activities to deploring the state of affairs. Nor did He tell us to occupy until the going gets too hard. Jesus told us to "Occupy, 'til I come." By what means, and to what de gree, shall we occupy? By every available means, and to the high est possible degree!
Mr. Phillips, a reporter and feature writer for The New York Times, is the author of THE BIBLE, THE SUPERNATURAL, AND THE JEWS. The journalist prepared this article based on his lecture in Chicago at the 23rd convention of the Evangelical Press Assoc.
Page 57
Made with FlippingBook Annual report