by Steve | Jul 1, 1981 | Archive - 1981
Archive: Why It Rained on the Day of the Sunday School Picnic
Another chapter in the history of the Hackelburg Sunday School[1]
by Riley Case, Pastor, Hobart Trinity United Methodist Church, Hobart, Indiana
Herbert, the irreverent angel, feels an explanation is necessary for the rain on the day of the Hackelburg United Methodist Sunday School Picnic. Herbert is the developer of Heaven’s prayer computer, which sorts out divers manners of prayers, and makes recommendations to the Heavenly Father. After receiving four spoken prayers for nice weather for the picnic, plus 46 silent prayers, 105 secret wishes of the heart, and 97 hidden desires, some in the weather department wanted to recommend “fair skies with temperatures in the 70s” for the picnic. Herbert, however, on the basis of James 5:16 (“The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”), and his computer, felt the situation was too close to call. The Heavenly Father made the decision. Since some were disappointed, Herbert explains:
Pastor Harding, a truly righteous man, made two audible requests for a “nice day” for the picnic, but, Herbert points out, the pastor’s fervency level was somewhere around 17%. While the pastor favors a successful picnic, he also remembers the pop fly that bounced off his head during last year’s softball game, and the resulting snickers. His prayers—one at the men’s prayer breakfast, and one during the prayer of his pastoral visit to Minnie Skiver when he ran out of other things to pray for—were mostly in the line of professional duty.
Freddy Nolan, the Sunday school superintendent, prayed frequently with a fervency level of 92%, but there was a question about how “effectual”—that is, toward an end of good effects—his prayers were. It is common knowledge that Freddy had wagered a banana split with Ed Holman, Sunday school superintendent of the Baptist Church, over which church would have the biggest crowd at their picnic. The Baptists had 149 three weeks before. Freddy’s goal was 150.
Aunt Nellie Wilcox also fed in several requests for “blue skies.” Herbert allowed that while his computer did not completely disregard the requests, it noted that Aunt Nellie, resident saint notwithstanding, had prayed every single day for the past 25 years for blue skies during her morning devotions, and if the prayers had all been answered it would not have rained for a quarter of a century and all of Hackelburg Township would be a desert.
Janie Teegarden, high school junior, had a number of secret wishes and several hidden desires for a “warm day” so the softball game could be played. Janie was the very first person chosen at last year’s softball game and got on base every time she came to bat. Her blue halter top and short shorts were washed and laid out.
Jim Foster, Nicky Slater, Emilio Gomez, Teddy Wright, and Buster Hugheseven managed to pray for the weather, the picnic, and the softball game. Or at least they thought quite a bit about it and the angels considered their thoughts as prayers and ran them through the computer. Last year, the boys remembered, Janie Teegarden wore her green halter top and short shorts for the softball game. Herbert pointed out that the boys’ fervency level was not bad, but their standing as “righteous men” was in question.
There were other prayers. Mahilda Brown, whose favorite contribution to church pot-lucks, homemade bread, gets soggy in wet weather, prayed. As did Maryjo Andrews, for whom wet weather always means straggly hair. Even Joe Fields, a Baptist, prayed for hot weather and a big crowd. Joe runs the ice cream parlor from which the United Methodists had ordered their ice cream.
Against this outpouring of prayer, there was only one dissenter. Bobby Bales, age 10, had asked his friend Joey Davis to the picnic. Joey, who had no Sunday school, said he could except his parents were going away that day except they probably wouldn’t go if it rained. Bobby prayed for rain, and mentioned to the Heavenly Father that maybe if Joey came to the picnic he might be interested in Sunday school.
The day of the picnic brought rain with the temperature in the low 60s. Only 67 people made it to the pavilion at the park. Mahilda Brown’s bread was soggy and Maryjo Andrews’ hair was straggly. Ed Holman called Freddy Nolan about his banana split. Janie Teegarden wore jeans and none of the high school boys showed up. Half the ice cream was sent back to the ice cream parlor.
Those who came huddled around the fireplace in the pavilion where they made cracks like why didn’t the Lord give the Baptists all this rain on the day of their picnic since Baptists like water so well. Then they laughed and told more stories about Baptists and Methodists and Catholics and what it must be like in Heaven. Little children couldn’t play on the swings so they talked to grandmas and grandpas about pets and school and making their beds in the morning. Pastor Harding started some choruses and everyone sang a long time.
That night the weatherman on television explained that an unforeseen cold front had moved in bringing unexpected rain and even weathermen can’t be right all the time. Joey Davis told his mother all about the picnic, and the soggy bread, and the fire in the fireplace, and the stories about Baptists, and the singing. Then he said he would like to learn about Jesus and asked if he could go to Sunday school with his friend Bobby next Sunday.
[1] See chapter one, “A History of the Sunday School of the Hackelburg Church,” page 38, March/April, 1980 Good News
by Steve | May 8, 1981 | Archive - 1981
Often Satan snares Christians in
Archive: Financial Bondage—The Deadly Trap
By Larry Burkett
Reprinted from his book, “Your Finances in Changing Times”
©Campus Crusade for Christ, Inc., 1975.
Part II
It is important for a Christian to be able to recognize financial bondage, but it is equally important to know how to achieve freedom. Financial freedom manifests itself in every aspect of the Christian’s life—relief from worry and tension about overdue bills, a clear conscience before God and before other men, and the absolute assurance that God is in control of his finances.
This is not to say that a Christian’s life will be totally void of any difficulties in the area of finances. Often God will allow the consequences of earlier actions to remain in order to reinforce the lesson; also God does not promise to remove every difficulty.
How can we achieve financial freedom? What must we do according to God’s plan? The following are nine steps to financial freedom:
Transfer Ownership: A Christiam must transfer ownership of every possession to God. This means money, time, family, material possessions, education, even earning potential for the future. This is essential to experience the Spirit-filled life in the area of finances (Psalms 8:6).
It is simple to say, “I make total transfer of everything to God,” but not so simple to do. At first, anyone will experience some difficulty in consistently seeking God’s will in the area of material things because we are so accustomed to self-management and control. But financial freedom comes from knowing that God is in control.
Freedom from Debt: A Christian must get out of debt altogether. Again, let me define a Scriptural debt. Debt exists when any of the following conditions are true:
1. Payment is past due for money, goods or services that are owed to other people.
2. The total value of unsecured liabilities exceeds total assets. In other words, if you had to cash out at any time, there would be a negative balance on your account.
3. Anxiety is produced in the area of financial responsibility, and the family’s basic needs are not being met either because of past or present buying practices.
Freedom from debt involves getting and staying current. I suggest these steps:
A. Written Plan. A written plan is an absolute necessity for the Christian who is in financial bondage.
Use a written plan of all expenditures and their order of importance. The order of importance is crucial because we have lost the point of reference between needs, wants, and desires. Let’s examine the differences between a need, a want, and a desire:
1. Needs. These are the purchases necessary to provide your basic requirements such as food, clothing, a job, home, medical coverage, and others. “And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content” (I Timothy 6:8).
2. Wants. Wants involve choices about the quality of goods to be used. Dress clothes versus work clothes, steak versus hamburger, a new car versus a used car.
3. Desires. These are choices according to God’s plan which can be made only out of surplus funds after all other obligations have been met.
The difference between needs, wants and desires can be illustrated this way: we can see in our society today that most people need an automobile. That need can be satisfied by a used Volkswagen. The want can be satisfied by a larger car such as an Oldsmobile. And the desire may only be satisfied by a brand new Cadillac.
Each of us must assess these levels according to the plan that God has for our lives. We must also assess movies or vacations accordingly. Those who are in debt have no prerogative but to meet their needs and then satisfy the needs of their creditors according to God’s plan. Always analyze every expenditure made in terms of these categories.
B. Living Essentials. A Christian in debt must stop any expenditure which is not absolutely essential for living (Proverbs 21:17). Look for services around the home that can be done without outside cost. Also begin to develop some home skills. By utilizing individual skills, you can begin to cut down on some of the expenditures which are not really essential.
It’s also important to learn to substitute for items of lower depreciation. For example, when purchasing appliances, select those without so many frills on them.
What I’m expressing is an attitude of conservatism. Begin to eliminate expenditures which are not essential, remembering that many expenditures are assumed to be essential only because of our society.
C. Think Before Buying. A Christian who is in debt (and even those who are not) should think before every purchase (Proverbs 24:3). very purchase should be evaluated as follows:
1. Is it a necessity? Have I assessed whether it is a need, a want, or a desire?
2. Does the purchase reflect my Christian ethics? (For example, Playboy does not reflect Christian ethics.) Can I continue to take magazines, encyclopedias, or other book and record subscriptions while I owe others?
3. Is this the very best possible buy I can get or am I purchasing only because I have this credit card?
4. Is it a highly depreciative item? Am I buying something that will devalue quickly? (Swimming pools, boats, sports cars all fall into this category.)
5. Does it require costly upkeep?
D. Discontinue Credit Buying. A Christian should also begin buying on a cash basis only. Often someone in debt, with an asset that can be converted into cash, will ask, “Would it be better to sell this asset and pay off the debts?” That’s normal mistake to make, but it only treats the symptom rather than the problem.
The principle to observe is this: If you are in debt from the misuse of credit, stop—totally stop—using It. Mail the cards back to their respective companies and ask them to mail you no more. Include in your letter the plan for paying that credit card debt, and then commit yourself to buying solely on a cash basis.
E. Avoid Leverage. When in debt, avoid the use of what is called “leverage.” Leverage is the ability to control a large asset with a relatively small amount of invested capital.
For example, if you bought a piece of property that cost $10,000 and required $1,000 down, that represents a nine to one lever. You have invested 10% of your money and borrowed 90%.
It should be understood that although the practice of leverage itself does not violate a Scriptural principle, it can fall into the category of a “get rich quick” scheme if used excessively.
F. Practice Saving. A Christian should practice saving money on a regular basis. This includes those who are in debt. Even if it is only $5 a month, develop a discipline of saving.
This does not mean to store up a large amount of money to the sacrifice of creditors, but one of the best habits that a young couple can develop is saving a small amount on a regular basis.
Everyone in our society living above the poverty level has the capability to save money, but many fail to do so because they believe that the amount that they can save is so small it’s meaningless. Others believe that God frowns upon a Christian saving anything. Neither of these two reasons are Scriptural. “There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up” (Proverbs 21:20).
Establish the Tithe: Every Christian should establish the tithe as the minimum testimony to God’s ownership.
It is through sharing that we bring His power in finances into focus. In every case, God wants us to give the first part to Him, but He also wants us to pay our creditors. That requires establishing a plan and probably making sacrifices of wants and desires until all debts are current.
Accept God’s Provision: To obtain financial peace, recognize and accept that God’s provision is used to direct each of our lives. Often Christians lose sight of the fact that God’s will can be accomplished through a withholding of funds; we think that He can direct us only by an abundance of money. But God does not choose for everyone to live in great abundance.
Each Christian must learn to live on what God provides and not under pressure brought on by driving desires for wealth and material things. This necessitates planning lifestyles around the provision that God has supplied—it can be done.
How can a Christian actually apply this principle and find the level of living God has planned for his life? He can begin putting these attitudes into practice in the following areas:
A. Extra Income. Often when a family cannot pay its bills, the first thought is, “More money will help.” Perhaps the husband takes a second job or the wife goes to work. Before either step is taken, a Christian should assess whether he is living outside God’s will for his finances. Is a lack of money the problem or is it a wrong attitude?
Seek the possibility of extra income only after correcting buying habits. Quite often, when analyzed on paper, a working mother does not contribute any more actual income. In many cases it costs more money, considering the costs of child care, travel, and clothing. But the greatest sacrifice is the loss of family guidance from the mother. I believe there is no provision in God’s Word for a mother with children to work if she must sacrifice her children’s welfare. If there are no children at home, or the children are in school during the day, it should be an individual family decision. But it is necessary to first assess whether you are rationalizing that you cannot live within God’s provision.
B. Ask God First. Before making any purchase, regardless of the amount, give God the opportunity to provide that item first. Many times we pass by the blessings God has in store for us because, being Impulse buyers, we purchase without giving God the opportunity to show us His will.
Several things a Christian should cl before every purchase that is outside his normal budget are:
Pray about purchases. Absolutely no purchase is too large or too small to pray about. How can you know God’s will if you never ask Him?
Seek family counsel. Bring the entire family into the petition before God and allow them to share in the blessing of God answering prayer.
Seek God’s will. Learn to discern God’s will in requests. God is not under any obligation to grant our every wish since often we ask for things that hurt us. It is God’s wisdom that we are seeking; not ours. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?” (Romans 11:34).
A Clear Conscience: A Christian must have a clear conscience regarding past business practices and personal dealings.
God is saying, “Don’t give anything to the Lord as long as you have transgressed against your brother and you are not willing to make it right.”
Put Others First: A Christian seeking financial freedom must always be willing to put other people first. This does not imply that a Christian has to be a floor mat for others; it simply means that he doesn’t profit at the disadvantage of someone else. The key, again, lies in attitude.
Limit Time Involvement: A Christian must also limit time devoted to business affairs when family involvement suffers. “Do not weary yourself to gain riches, cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings, like an eagle that flies toward the heavens” (Proverbs 23:4,5). Many Christians are trapped in this cycle of overcommitment to business or money pursuits.
It’s important to remember that the priorities God sets for us are very clear and that every Christian seeking God’s best must understand them. The first priority in a Christian’s life is developing his personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The second priority of a Christian’s commitment is to his family, including teaching them from God’s Word.
This training requires a commitment to the family unit—and that means a specific time commitment, too. Christ deserves the best part of our day. If you study best in the morning, get up early in the morning and give time to the Lord. Sacrifice if necessary to do so. If you find that your family time together can take place best between eight and nine in the evening, commit that time to God.
The third priority in a Christian’s life should be church activities, social groups, work and all the hobbies that he might have.
Every Christian needs to assess whether he really allows God to have first place in his life. An assessment of this can be made by keeping a 24-hour calendar for about one week. Write down, on an hourly basis, each activity of each day. Observe how much time you give to God, how much time to your family, how much time to work, and how much time to pleasure.
I don’t mean to imply that God expects us to set aside eight hours each day for Him. But how much time do you give to God? ls it five, 10 minutes a day, or even less than that? How much time is devoted to television or newspapers that might be given to God? When you find a balance in your life, God will make the time spent more profitable. I believe that the majority of Christians could, if they planned their schedules properly, trim their average day back substantially and accomplish the same amount of work or perhaps more. But seek a balance. If business involvement requires that you sacrifice God’s work or your family, it is not according to His plan.
Avoid Indulgence: Every Christian, to achieve financial freedom, must avoid the indulgences of life.
The range in which God’s will can be found is between Luke 9:23 when Christ said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” And John 6:27, “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on him the Father, even God, has set His seal.”
Does your lifestyle fit within this range? Are you willing to trust God and deny yourself some indulgences?
Christian Counseling: It is important to seek good Christian counseling whenever in doubt. “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22). God admonishes us to seek counsel and not to rely on our own resources.
The very first counselor to be used is the spouse. Many times God will provide the answer right within your own home. Husbands should not avoid their wives’ counsel in the area of finance, for many times I have found the wife’s suggestions to be useful and enlightened. Husbands and wives can frequently work out financial problems that would frustrate either of them separately.
Don’t avoid the counsel of your own children, either. Let them know what your problems are, keep them involved. Allow them to know and understand why you must adjust your living standard.
If necessary, seek professional financial counseling. I would advise counseling only from a Christian source. Often good, sound financial counseling can come from a non-Christian source, but many of the things that you want to accomplish will be nonsense to the non-Christian.
So we can see, as we examine the concept of financial freedom, that God clearly outlines when a Christian is in financial bondage, as well as the steps that lead out. Begin to put these principles into practice in your life and share them with other Christians.
by Steve | May 7, 1981 | Archive - 1981
Archive: Is War Ever Justified?
YES!
says Elizabeth Richman, Lay Member, Oregon/Idaho Annual Conference, Alsea, Oregon
A recent Judicial Council decision makes it clear that the Social Principles statement (Discipline, pp. 86-104) does not have the force of law in our church. Yet every step United Methodists take is shadowed by statements in Social Principles! We see this in annual conference resolutions on political matters and in political statements which are justified in terms of our Social Principles. We see that often when United Methodists speak on certain moral issues, as well as foreign relations and military defense.
Is it possible, we are justly asked, to be a true follower of the UM Church and at the same time to favor a strong national defense for the United States? Does our church have a theology of war and peace? Should it?
In this article I am not trying to define a position but rather to raise a basic question which has already been placed by others on the United Methodist agenda. Examine the Social Principles statement. Even though this is not binding law, nevertheless it serves widely as a guideline for inner church teaching. And very importantly, it is a part of what those outside our church see when we talk United Methodism to them.
Notice ¶74 G, Military Service (Discipline, p.101). It makes a stab at carrying water on both shoulders but not unexpectedly winds up slightly off balance. And ¶75 C, War and Peace (p.102), is either pacifist or says nothing; I’m not sure which.
Consider the resolutions adopted in 1979 by a number of United Methodist annual conferences. Newscope for July 6, 1979 made a summary of these pronunciamentos. It reported:
At least 33 conferences passed statements on reduction of military forces, 13 conferences called for ratification of SALT II and one asked to study the treaties. Another eight urged arms reduction; three called for studies on disarmament; and seven opposed any draft reinstatement.
In 1979 the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference recorded its opposition to any “proposal to further institute or increase civil defense activities against nuclear war …” fearful among other things lest such activities “… might alarm Soviet leaders.”
According to Newscope for Sept. 28, 1979, the UM Board of Church and Society presented to General Conference resolutions opposing any form of military draft and supported SALT II. The UM Boards of Church and Society and Global Ministries both have been acting as sponsors of the Religious Committee on SALT which seeks ratification of SALT II. As a church, we have been up to our necks in lobbying for SALT II!
I wonder what are the ethical/theological grounds by which our church is advocating both (1) decreased military defense for the United States and simultaneously (2) ratification of SALT II. This proposed treaty would not lessen the arms deployed by the two countries involved. But it would have an effect upon the relative military strength—to the disadvantage of the United States.
The frequently-cited standards for judging doctrinal correctness among United Methodists are Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. These might well be used also as a framework for judging stands on SALT II, and other military-defense positions taken by our UM Church.
Scripture is often used as an argument for pacifism. I know this not because of anything I read in the Bible but because, in my own personal experience, I have often heard such arguments. There is Exodus 20:13, “You shall not murder.” However, this is closely followed by laws relating to the death penalty and later on in the Old Testament by quite a lot of non-pacifist material on the subject of war. Should not the word “kill” in Exodus 20:13 be more properly translated “murder?” Clearly this text is not referring to war, otherwise God Himself would not have sanctioned war as right for His people of the Old Covenant—and in fact ordered them, in some instances, to kill His enemies.
Pacifists often quote the well-known “… They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4) and Isaiah 11:6: “The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.”
How many illustrations against war have I seen on these themes? But how many farmers would keep a wolf in the sheepfold or a lion in with the cows? And climbing into the lions’ den at the zoo is strictly a no-no! When we properly consider the context of these proof-text pacifist Scriptures, it becomes clear that Isaiah is prophesying concerning the Day of the Lord, still in the unpredictable future. He refers not to the present, but to the time yet to come, a blessed time of peace and tranquility. Jesus taught us to pray for this and we do every Sunday: “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). But until that blessed time arrives, and sin shall be no more, we will live in a world that is not yet made perfect. For this reason, war and violence are very present realities which Christians must deal with realistically. To confuse the future age of Kingdom- completeness with the present evil age is an error constantly made by idealists who do not “correctly handle the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15b).
In the New Testament, Matthew 16:52 warns: “… all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” But if we take time to read this entire chapter we can see that war is not under discussion. So the use of this text to validate pacifism involves some real distortion.
In the closely related Luke 22:36 we read: “… if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” What is the significance of that non-pacifistic word of Jesus?
Probably the most important Scripture passage related to Christian understanding of war is often ignored by the promoters of pacifism:
Everybody must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:1-7).
This passage has a depth of complex meaning and a long history of difficult interpretation. But one thing stands out clearly in it: God has ordained structures of authority and government in our fallen world. Their purpose is to keep evil in check. Think about it—without police, murderers and robbers would kill, terrorize and steal uncontrolled. And without opposing military force, the Hitlers, the Pol Pots, the Idi Amins, and the Kremlin dictators would be able freely to commit genocide, invade, and pillage. Obviously, governments often do abuse their authority. But think what our world would be like without police and military power to control aggression against people and nations?
This passage from Romans teaches that God has ordained armies and police. They are entrusted with the awesome right to use ultimate force in order to restrain evil while the world waits for Jesus Christ to return and bring an end to war and violence.
Tradition. St. Augustine comments in a sermon:
If the Christian Religion forbade war altogether, those who sought salutary advice in the Gospel [from John the Baptist in Luke 3:14] would rather have been counseled to cast aside their arms, and to give up soldiering altogether. On the contrary they were told: “Do violence to no man; …and be content with your wages” (Luke 3:14 KJV). If he commanded them to be content with their pay, he did not forbid soldiering (quoted from Ep. ad Marcel., CXXXVIII, Chap. 2, as quoted in Aquinas, Summa Theolog).
Furthermore St. Augustine, whose writings show his dedication to peace and his horror of war, often refers to “a just war.” Few Christian thinkers have exerted so great an influence as St. Augustine.
Thomas Aquinas, in Summa Theologica, Question XL, Of War, asks “whether some kind of war is lawful?” He goes on to say:
In order for a war to be just, three things are necessary. First the authority of the sovereign by whose command war is to be waged. For it is not the business of a private person to declare war, because he can seek for redress of his rights from the tribunal of his superior. …
Secondly, a just cause is required, namely that those who are attacked should be attacked because they deserve it on account of some fault. …
Thirdly, it is necessary that the belligerents should have a right intention, so that they intend the advancement of good, or the avoidance of evil.
So there is ancient church tradition supporting the use of force under certain circumstances. But to listen to the pronouncements and policies of our denomination, it sounds as if pacifism is the only tradition that ever was!
Experience. Winston Churchill, in his Memoirs of the Second World War, and Gen. Telford Taylor in Munich, The Price of Peace, both made clear how military weakness on the part of the democracies led to the aggressions of Hitler. But where in United Methodist publications and/or policy statements can you find any acceptance (or even discussion) of the “peace-through-strength” approach to national defense?
Lack of military preparedness may actually encourage war because aggressors think they can safely break the world peace unopposed. Therefore, in a fallen world, strong military force may be one of the best means of being a “peacemaker” (Matthew 5:9). Failure to recognize this suggests a defective sense of awareness concerning the fallen condition of our world. I believe pacifism rests upon a fatal naivete and idealism which fails to take sin and depravity as seriously as all Scripture and the lessons of human history require.
Reason. By what reasoning do our church bodies consistently advocate reduction of U.S. military strength? Certainly no one living in today’s world can be ignorant of the logistic realities of modern warfare. Well, maybe someone, but whole conferences of church leaders?
I can see only three possible reasons why our church advocates a weaker United States defense. One is a creeping in of the pacifist fog. Second is a belief that the threat to world peace today comes mostly from the United States—a swallowing whole of that Marxist, third world propaganda line about “imperialistic Amerika.”
There is, however, a third possibility. It is probably closer to what is actually happening. Perhaps we are not approaching the question from any logical point of view. We may be simply “going along” with the liberal mindset of those who for long have dominated the structures of our church. To object to their “official” views is to be considered “disloyal.” And rather than bear this awful stigma, many church leaders and people just go long as a course of least resistance. It is to precisely this possibility that I address my final comments.
I can see three fairly logical alternatives: (1) that we are, indeed, a pacifist church; (2) that we base ourselves upon the “just war” concept and accept the duties inherent in it, namely of supporting the strengthening of our national military; or (3) that we, as a church, consider the issues of national defense to be outside our realm of competence. Therefore, we would take no official position as a church; we would confine ourselves to explicitly spiritual matters.
There is “pluralism,” I suppose. It should allow United Methodists to hold various opinions of war, peace, and national defense, but the “powers-that-be” in our church do not play that game! Instead, they promote only one view and will tolerate no other. How else can we explain the total absence of views such as mine from the official statements of a church with 9,400,000 members?
As I said at the beginning, I am not defining a position but rather am throwing out some questions which need desperately to be studied by the whole church. Take it from here.
NO!
says Scott Andress Pastor, Forest Hill United Methodist Church, Amarillo, Texas
My final year in seminary I spent three weeks in Israel. My course of study included a trip to Yad Vashem[1], the Holocaust memorial. Yad Vashem stands a somber testimony to the consequences of the church allowing the state to be its master and conscience. It marked the final step for me in seven years of study and prayer. I could no longer reconcile Christianity with violence and silence. From that time I considered myself a pacifist, as well as a Christian committed to the authority of Scripture over my life. Indeed, my belief in the authority of the Bible first led me to question the acceptance of war and violence as a necessary part of Christian lifestyle in the world.
United Methodists subscribe to the interpretation of their faith by Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. I wish to share some thoughts on non-violence and peacemaking as a Christian lifestyle and vocation.
Scripture. The Old Testament is a bloody book. Men of God not only used violent means but, we are told, were enjoined by God to do so. Yet the taking of life, whether of criminals or enemies, was not casual. The prophets speak out against the idolatry of trusting military power supremely. Isaiah tells us security comes to Israel through faithful obedience to God—not in foreign alliances.
God’s sanctioning of violence in the Old Testament cannot be understood apart from its context. The heathen worship practices presented a danger to the people of God in their immaturity. Yet no Christian today (I hope!) feels divinely guided to kill his neighbor who holds to pagan views and lifestyle. One has shown us a more excellent way. We need not destroy our enemy, for Jesus’ death purchases for him or her the possibility of conversion.
Jesus never directly addressed the attitude his followers should take toward war. Some argue from his silence that violence is not forbidden. A similar reason lent support for slavery a century ago. The Gospel proclaims the arrival of the Kingdom in this world. His followers repay no man evil for evil, but love their enemies, bless those who persecute them, and seek to bring all men to Christ through the life they live submitted to Jesus.
What evidence confirms Jesus’ identity? It must be the love His disciples show to one another and t the world, and their commitment not to live for themselves but or Christ and the lost. Christians are called to live ordinary lives in extraordinary love and obedience. I may consider no man my enemy if Christ died to make him my brother.
Tradition. For most Christians in America, participation in war is traditional. This tradition does not stem from the 1st century Church. Noted church historian Roland Bainton states, “From the end of the New Testament period to the decade A.D. 170-180 there is no evidence whatever of Christians in the army.” Rather, the pagan Celsus rebuked Christians for their refusal to serve in the military. The idolatry of the Roman army offers one explanation for their refusal. Early Church fathers Tertullian, Origen, Athenagorus, and others testify to a concern for loving enemies and an aversion to killing as a primary cause for not serving in the military. Some early Christians sanctioned military services so long as it entailed only police functions and no bloodshed.
With the wedding of Christianity and the Roman Empire under the Emperor Constantine, pacifism halted abruptly. Constantine “defended” the faith and the faithful were expected to defend the empire. The Bride of Christ became the bride of the state.
Justification for Christian participation in war often centers on variations of a “just war” theory. Early Christians such as Augustine drew from Greek and Roman philosophy to define the situations which would allow Christians to fight.
A “just war” must be fought for a righteous cause with the purpose of securing justice and peace, and then only as a last resort. Christians are to control their violence, using the minimum necessary and never against civilians. The just warfarers act from pure motives—never greed, hatred, vengeance, or selfish interest. The good achieved should outweigh the evil of war. Victory and the goals of just war must be obtainable.
Yet all men believe their cause to be just! One can argue that all wars fought by the United States violate the just war theory, especially our American revolution. Even in World War II, massive bombing of civilian populations such as the fire-bombing of Dresden, violated just war principles. The destruction of Dresden served no strategic purpose save to placate our Russian allies who desired vengeance for the destruction of their civilian populations. The U.S. policy of demanding total surrender fell outside the just war ethic by giving the enemy no hope in early negotiations of peace.
Modern warfare cannot be made to conform to just war. Likewise the church has consistently proved unwilling or ineffectual in calling “Christian” nations to adhere to just war. No nation recognizes the right of Christians to refuse to participate in unjust wars. The local church fails to prepare its young people adequately to make the moral decisions called for by a belief in the theory of just war. Instead, a simple-minded national idolatry takes the place of an informed Spirit-directed conscience. We are left with a situation ethic in which everyone does what is right in his own eyes.
Reason. The secular world relies on reason. As Christians we acknowledge that sin corrupts man’s reason. Therefore reason is subject to Scripture. Yet the justifications of Christian participation in war generally echo those of the secular world. This agreement with those who do not recognize Jesus as Lord deserves reconsideration.
Christian reason presupposes the belief in Jesus as the resurrected Savior and that all men are sinful and in need of salvation. God charges all Christians to respond to evil with love, the intentional willing and seeking of our enemies’ highest good. “Reason” which denies God’s purpose in Christ Jesus cannot be trusted as the basis for Christian action.
We praise a Jim Elliot who died taking the Gospel to savages. We applaud his wife whose forgiveness and love reached out and brought a people (her husband’s murderers) to Christ. But we fear to put into practice such an attitude when we, as a group or nation are threatened.
Let us admit the truth. We’re afraid. Supporting a television evangelist to broadcast the Gospel comes easier than developing a relationship with individuals. It is simpler to plead the righteousness of our cause as an excuse for war than to pay the price in time and lives to reconcile men through Christ. We would rather kill to preserve our way of life in this world than die to save the souls of men.
Experience. The Nazi death camps appear persuasive arguments for just war. Yet the documented horrors of Uganda, Cambodia, and Chile indicate some other basis for engaging in war. In these cases it wasn’t in the national interest.
Thousands of European Jews were denied refuge in America prior to World War II. The Allied Air Force refused to bomb the gas chambers of death camps. Not one country entered the war to save the Jews.
At Yad Vashem, pillars commemorate the number of Jews killed in each occupied country. In Denmark 95 percent of the Jewish population survived. When Danish Jews were ordered to wear the Star of David, King Christian called on all Danes to wear one. The Germans rescinded the order. Risking death and torture, Danes hid and smuggled Jews to Sweden.
The tragedy of World War II lies in the abdication of moral authority by the church. Experience teaches that war begets war, hatred begets hatred. Good fruit cannot come from bad seed.
Nuclear Pacifism: Many today feel they cannot reject all use of force, but class nuclear war as morally wrong. Noted evangelical John R. W. Stott writing in the February 8, 1980 edition of Christianity Today says nuclear weapons violate the just war principle of discriminating between combatants and civilians:
…the same principle is sufficient to condemn the use of strategic nuclear weapons. Because they are indiscriminate in their effects, … it seems clear to me that they are ethically indefensible, and that every Christian, whatever he may think of the possibility of a “just” use of conventional weapons, must be a nuclear pacifist.
A few men reserve the decision to use nuclear weapons. Should Russia attack us, those who instigate the war will be least likely to die. Our retaliation would be against innocent men, women, and children, including our fellow Christians (many who suffer for refusal to serve in the Russian army). Billy Graham compares such a holocaust to the hell of Auschwitz. The United States no longer rules out initiating such a conflict.
Waging Peace: The word pacifism creates an impression of passivity and a willingness to do nothing to halt evil. A Christian peacemaker cannot run from conflict or, acquiesce to evil. Neither will he willfully participate in evil or call it good. The peacemaker seeks by his witness to convert his adversary. Sadly, Christians fail to reflect a clear example of living in peace even with each other. Our disagreements exhibit the same bitterness and malice which plague the world. As Daniel Berrigan puts it, “There is no peace because there are no peacemakers. There are no peacemakers because the making of peace is at least as costly as the making of war.”
Peacemaking demands involvement and a willingness to let the Bible stand in judgment over our actions. Belief requires positive action. Christians bear a responsibility to mirror Jesus’ life to the world. Likewise, Christians share the responsibility of showing what it means to live in a Christian community. Christian peacemaking is a way of life, not a political belief.
Questions surrounding Christian pacifism cannot be adequately answered in so brief a space. If all evangelicals cannot accept pacifism as Biblical, consider John Wesley. Although he supported military service, Wesley also defended John Nelson, a Methodist preacher, who refused military service. I hope the reader will go beyond old preconceptions and wrestle with the implications of Jesus’ call for Christians to love their enemies.
[1] A memorial in Israel for Jews who died in Nazi Death Camps. It is a repository for evidence of what happened.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
*1. Bainton, Roland H. Christian Attitudes Toward War and Peace, Abingdon Press, 1960, (page 67-68).
*2. Ellul, Jacques Violence, Seabury Press, 1969.
*3. del Yasto, Lanza Warriors of Peace, Writings on the Techniques of Nonviolence, Alfred A. Knopf Press, 1974.
*4. Holmes, Arthur F. ed. War and Christian Ethics, Baker Books, 1975.
5. Hostetler, Paul ed, Perfect Love and War, Evangel Press, 1974.
6. Lynd, Alice ed. We Won ‘t Go, Personal Accounts of War Objectors, Beacon Press, 1968.
7. Macgregor, G.H.C. The New Testament Basis of Pacifism, Fellowship Press, 1954.
8. Merton, Thomas Faith and Violence, University of Notre Dame Press, 1968.
*9. Ramsey, Paul The just War, Force and Political Responsibility, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1968.
10. Sider, Ronald J. ed. The Chicago Declaration, Creation House, 1974.
*11. Stott, J.R.W. “Calling For Peacemakers in a Nuclear Age” Part I and II, Christianity Today, February 8, 1980, (page 44-45), March 7, 1980 (page 44-45).
12. Stringfellow, William Conscience & Obedience, the Politics of Romans 7 3 and Revelation 13 in Light of the Second Coming, Word Books, 1977.
*13. Yoder, John Howard The Politics of Jesus, Eerdmans, 1972.
*Designates the more important sources.
by Steve | May 5, 1981 | Archive - 1981
A young pastor tells how he began writing folk songs to celebrate God at work in the lives of his congregation. He is …
Archive: God’s Troubadour in Hale Center
by Wesley Putnam Pastor, United Methodist Church, Hale Center, Texas
I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love music. My dad tells a story about my standing on the front pew and singing my first solo in church at the age of three or four. The only problem was that it was in the middle of his sermon.
I was always fascinated with my dad’s guitar and any instrument I could toot, pound, pluck, or play. My parents reinforced this interest by giving me piano lessons and encouraging my brothers and me to sing together. Our gathering around the piano to sing developed into a boys’ quartet. We sang in church and wherever else we could get someone to listen.
During my high school years in Vivian, Louisiana, I played in the band, sang in the choir, and began to sing solos. By the time I graduated I was certain that music would be my life. went to college to become a performer and teacher of music.
But in my sophomore year I had a great experience with the Lord, and in the summer of 1972 I felt strongly that I was to go into the pastoral ministry. My reaction to this revelation was disbelief. I had my heart set on music and, after spending my life in a parsonage, I had very little desire to be a minister. But I knew that God loved me and was only going to lead me toward what was best for me.
By November of that year I was standing behind the pulpit of my first charge in Northeast Louisiana and I was making plans to study at Asbury Theological Seminary after finishing college.
The pastorate did not, however, silence my love for music. During student pastorates in college and seminary I began a tradition of singing my Christmas and Easter sermons. In these sermons I spliced traditional and contemporary songs together. in a sequence, connecting them with narration. I began to see that I need not choose either music or preaching, but that the two could be merged into a fuller ministry.
The first song I wrote as a pastor was an unexpected treat. I was preparing my first Easter Sunday sermon in a student pastorate in Grayson, Louisiana, and was meditating on the great love God had shown us through Christ. I picked up a pen and paper and the words seemed to flow effortlessly onto the page. I ran excitedly next door to the parsonage, grabbed my guitar, and began to put the words to music. From the writing of the first word to the time I was playing this song for my wife, Felicia, only 20 minutes had passed. This song was named, “The Gift,” not only because of His gift to me of the song, but also because of His greatest gift, Jesus. These are the words:
You know that there’s love in His heart for you,
For He’s done what nobody else could ever do.
He laid down His life in suffering and shame
And didn’t look around and ask, “Who can I Blame?”
No, He said, “I give my life freely!”
He said, “I give my life freely, and I give it for you.”
I can’t understand how God could give His Son.
But He did! You know, He gave His only one!
And now I can look to God and call Him my Father,
And Jesus Himself has called me His brother.
All because He gave His life freely.
Yes, because He gave His life freely, and He gave it for me.
Now this is the message that I carry with me,
“When you walk in the Spirit, you walk in the victory.”
For there’s nothing below, no, there’s nothing above
That can ever separate us from His perfect love!
For now He lives and gives new life freely!
Yes, he lives and gives new life freely, and He gave it to me.
This was the first, and as far as I knew then, the only song I would ever write. I remember wanting to write and even sitting down and making the effort. But for the next five years I wrote no songs.
I can see now that God was working in my life, preparing me so that the music I would write later would minister to people. Many things were preparing me. The years of study in seminary would give me a sound theological base from which to work. And the student pastorates would show me the needs people face every day. The semester I worked in a university hospital confronted me with the real world of suffering. And the struggles I had facing temptations showed me my own dependence on God. Through all of this (and much more) God was refining me—making me more sensitive to Him, to people around me, and to myself.
After graduation from seminary, I was appointed to the Lazbuddie United Methodist Church in Lazbuddie, Texas. Here I began to write songs again.
This was the first church I had pastored that had an organized youth group. Out of my own struggles with temptation, and the realization that our youth were struggling too, came “The Intercessor.” What would Jesus say if He confronted us in the moment of temptation:
Don’t do it, My child. Please don’t do it.
Satan wants to tear you down.
Don’t do it, My child, please don’t do it.
He wants to rob you of your crown.
I know he makes things look so pretty.
But all it is is make believe.
His lovely package turns up empty,
He just can’t give you what you need.
I ‘II give you strength! Stand on My promise!!
I’ll help you walk the narrow way.
I gave My all that you might know this,
My victory all his power breaks!
In July of 1979 I was moved to Hale Center, Texas. Here I began to see every situation in terms of a song. A sermon series, a special occasion, a personal struggle, or an experience in the life of one of the members-all gave me reasons to write songs.
For example, Buddy Keeler and his wife, Reba, had been married for almost 53 years. She died suddenly in the fall of 1979 and because they had no children, Buddy’s grief was compounded by loneliness. I was sitting with him in his home on the day of the funeral when he looked at me and said, “Wes, this house seems so empty now.”
What can a pastor say in a moment like that? I couldn’t say much. But I went home and tried that night to voice to God what he felt and what God would say to Buddy. The song was titled “To Live Again.”
Lord, this house seems so empty.
I never felt so all alone.
Since the one I love so left me
This house just doesn’t feel like home.
I can see her face everywhere turn
I don’t know if I ‘I I ever learn—to live again.
My child, I know it’s hard to see Me
When your eyes are filled with tears.
But I’m right here where I said I would be
And I will always be here.
Just put your hands in Mine when those tears burn
And with ‘My help I know you’ll learn—to live again.
I will never leave you! No, I will never forsake you.
Remember I once had a Son to die.
I will never leave you! No, I will never forsake you.
I will always be here by your side.
So, put your hands in Mine when those tears burn
And with My help I know you’ll learn, to live again.
A few nights later I called Buddy over to the church and I sang this song to him. It was able to minister where my spoken words could not.
In November of 1979 I was involved in an accident that did muscle damage to my lower back. In January of 1980 I was admitted to the hospital for the second time.
On the same day I was admitted, Betty Alexander had surgery for the removal of a cyst. Near the end of the week while I was tired of lying there and feeling sorry for myself, my wife told me that Betty’s biopsy was positive. It was devastating news for both Betty and her husband, Gene, who lost his first wife to cancer.
I prayed that somehow God would minister to them through me. I had my guitar with me in the hospital, so quietly, I began to work on a new song. The next day I was able to go to her room and sing the song God had given me for her situation:
When I’m cry in’ He sees my tears.
When I’m hurtin’ He really cares.
When I’m weak, on Him I lean
And nothin’s happened He hasn’t seen.
He’s all I need to see me through.
There’s really nothin’ my God can’t do!
So when I’m frightened and feel all alone
Well I may be weak—but He is strong.
When I’m walkin’ and the road is dark
He sees the finish right from the start.
So I ‘II make sure my hand’s in His
And I ‘II be stronger for know in’ this.
There are now over 30 such songs. Each has its own story. I pray that they will keep on coming and that they will minister to the needs of people in ways that my sermons alone may never do.
by Steve | May 4, 1981 | Archive - 1981
Archive: I Am Convinced…
By James V. Heidinger II, Editor, Good News Magazine
This is my first word to you on the editorial pages since becoming the new Executive Secretary /Editor of Good News. I am still adjusting to the awesome responsibility of giving leadership to Good News. The challenge of continuing the faithful and courageous leadership given by Dr. Charles W. Keyson the past 15 years is nearly overwhelming to me. I appeal to you for your prayers on my behalf.
After 12 years in the pastoral ministry (four as associate pastor at Dueber UM Church in Canton, Ohio, and the past eight as pastor of the Scott Memorial UM Church in Cadiz, Ohio), the new assignment to Good News is a definite change of direction. I am excited about the challenge before me and about the opportunity of working with the outstanding staff of Good News.
Also, I am grateful to Bishop James S. Thomas for granting me the appointment “beyond the local church,” which allows me to maintain my relationship with the East Ohio Conference.
With a move to Kentucky planned for mid-June, this spring brings a number of new things for our family: the new job, a new home and community, and in the next several weeks a new addition to our family as my wife, Joanie, is due with our third child in early May.
This first editorial is an appropriate time for me to share some of my reflections and personal convictions about Good News and the United Methodist Church. Some of these ideas, perhaps, will be themes treated more fully in future editorials.
First, I am convinced that spiritual and evangelical renewal is happening across America in the mainline denominations to a greater degree than any of us can imagine.
This past March 9 and 10, I met in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with leaders from renewal groups representing nine mainline church bodies. In attendance were delegates representing the Anglican Church, the Church of the Brethren, American Baptist Church, United Church of Christ, United Presbyterian Church in the U.S., Southern Presbyterian Church, Mennonite Church, Roman Catholic Church, and the United Methodist Church. This was my first involvement with these renewal group leaders who come together with an amazingly similar agenda of concerns. These are devoted pastors and laity who love their churches, who are concerned about the loss of spiritual vitality and Biblical witness in their churches, and who care enough to become involved in working for renewal.
All of this convinced me that God, in His Sovereignty, has raised up Good News and these other renewal groups to fulfill His purposes in His Church. In a similar way, God has raised up some 52 renewal groups within the United Methodist Church in as many annual conferences. God is saying to us once again, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19).
Second, I am convinced that doctrinal and theological faithfulness is vital to lasting church renewal. Our present renewal in United Methodism, whether via the Lay Witness Mission, Good News, Charismatic Renewal, or the Church Growth Movement, needs right Biblical doctrine to inform it and give it stability. Right doctrine remains indispensable for right faith and practice.
All of this says that we must be willing to enter the arena of doctrinal controversy. At the risk of seeming narrow or exclusive, we must insist on doctrinal definition.
Dr. Tom Oden, in his highly significant work, Agenda For Theology, Harper & Row, 1979, observes that “Doctrinal definition is as essential to the task of theology as identifying a phony dollar bill is to the job of a bank teller” (p. 107). To define anything is to be forced to set a boundary. There can be no definition of anything, he adds, without “excluding from that definition that which is different from it” (p. 108). He goes on to note that it has been the task historically of both pastor and theologian to say, “Here marks the exact line that distinguishes authentic from counterfeit Christianity.”
Unfortunately, we embraced “theological pluralism.” This has helped make United Methodist pastors and theologians so irenic that many have become “theological pacifists”; they are offended by nothing, regardless of how heretical. It is time for doctrinal renewal.
Third, I am convinced that Good News has prevented untold thousands of United Methodists from leaving their church. Others may speculate whether this is true. But for those with long-time involvement with Good News or for those opening the mail in the Good News office these days, we are sure of this. The “letters” section of the magazine has attested to this in nearly every issue. The familiar phrase is, “If it were not for Good News, my wife and I (husband and I, family) would have left the United Methodist Church by now.” I thank God for those of you who have stayed. I urge all of our Good News supporters to stay with us, work, pray, and’ trust God to bring deep and lasting renewal to United Methodism.
Fourth, I am convinced that Good News is representative—not of the extreme right of our church, as we are so often portrayed, but of the large grassroots middle of United Methodism. Personally, I do not view Good News at the opposite end of the continuum from the Methodist Federation for Social Action, as we are so regularly positioned. In reality, I believe that hosts of pastors and laypersons across our vast church are in basic theological agreement with us. I feel many district superintendents and even a number of our bishops share our concerns for renewal within the church. Unfortunately, we have been caricatured so long as extremists and/or right wing reactionaries (the emotionally-loaded phrase used automatically to dismiss a valid perspective without consideration), that many who would agree with us have not risked involvement with Good News. I invite many of you who—for whatever reasons—have remained spectators in this serious struggle, to join us in our efforts for Scriptural Christianity within the United Methodist Church.
Finally, I am convinced that many reading this editorial have enjoyed the luxury of neutrality and non-involvement too long. It is time you let your voice be heard. If one is halting and timid in entering the fray for the very future of United Methodism, I fear that person is also halting and timid in his stand for truth within the local church.
As Dr. Keysor mentioned in his final letter to the Good News family in April, there are new sounds and indications that some of the church leadership are beginning to talk again about accountability. He wrote in that letter, “None of this would be happening without the pressures from Good News. For 15 years we have articulated some deep, across-the-church concerns which have found expression in print through Good News only.” Dr. Keysor was exactly right in so saying. There are hosts of us indebted to him for his visionary and faithful leadership to Good News. I just pray for many hundreds of you to break the bonds of your timidity, neutrality, non-involvement, fear, and institutional loyalty, to help us in this vital ministry to bring Scriptural renewal to our church. God is indeed saying, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19). I pray you will not only perceive it, but that you will be a part of it.
