Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

God who rules all events. I looked for devotion to the Wordof God, but I saw seminarians deride the Scripture and heapridicule and scorn upon it. I looked for faith and found littleto comfort me."I believe we are experiencing the just deserts of asociety which has overwhelmingly embraced evolution as away of life. What do you expect of those who have beentaught two fundamental laws of evolution: natural selectionand the survival of the fittest? Add to this the destruction ofa belief in a future state and in future judgment and you canunderstand why immediate gratification and selfishfulfillment have become a way of life.Can an institution that speaks with various voices, thatteaches a relative truth and a changing morality provide afirm foundation? I would hope that we could come to a morepositive conviction concerning Him, who is the truth andwho provides stability because He is a rock unto us.CAUSES OF UNCERTAINTYPerhaps our uncertainty and lack of assurance stemsfrom the assaults upon our moral integrity. I am constantlytold that there is a prominent generation gap today — thatwe cannot speak to youth. This has been shouted so oftenthat it provides all adults with guilt complexes. Perhaps ourcommunication problem is akin to that of the newlywedfarmer whose wife began immediate reformation of hisspeech. When his friend of some years visited and the twoconversed, his wife pointed out that Billy was hardly anappropriate name for an adult and he should wisely useWilliam. When he referred to some tale that Bill had related,she wished him to be more erudite and use anecdote. Thatnight as they were retiring she corrected her husbandconcerning putting out the lights and suggested extinguish.Considerably after retirement when a noise was heard in thekitchen, she wakened her husband. On his return shewanted a report, whereupon he exclaimed: "There was aWilliam goat in the kitchen. I took him by his anecdote andextinguished him."I know that we possess the same vehicle of communicationas the younger generation. I have even participatedin the transmission of this vehicle and what amission it is. If there exists a gap in understanding, I feel thatit is not so much that the young do not understand what wesay, but rather that they do understand but don't appreciatewhat they hear. In that case, I believe it our duty to insistupon compliance unless they can communicate to us a betterway. The burden must rest upon them if they are the exponentsof change to demonstrate that it will work.A young man at our national church service constantlyberated our nation for her sin. A lady of our churchput a correction fairly when she said. "Young man, do youever say anything good about our country?" The youngmavericks of today who have experienced the benefit of hardworking,religiously oriented fathers are not to be condonedin their criticism of the means which provided them opportunityto exploit our conscience unless they can providealternatives. I have heard few positive directions from themore vocal groups.GUIDELINES FOR THE HOMELest I be guilty of the practice I criticize, let mesuggest some direction to more substance in our home life:To gain the proper perspective of life I would refer you to theexample of Manoah. "Oh my Lord, let the man of Godwhich Thou didst send come again unto us and teach uswhat we shall do unto the child that shall be born," heprayed.The Psalmist gave expression to solid foundation forthe home when he noted: "Except the Lord do build thehouse the laborers lose their pain. . . .Lo, children are God'sheritage, the womb's fruit His reward. The sons of youth asarrows are for strong men's hands prepared." The nextPsalm begins: "Blessed the man that fears Jehovah and thatwalketh in His ways; thou shalt eat of thy hands' labor, andbe prospered all thy days. Like a vine with fruit abounding,by thy side thy wife is found and like olive plants thychildren, compassing thy table round." The basis of ourlater behavior is the strong value system transmitted by ourparents in the first few years of life, the time when so manychildren are committed to a baby sitter. Do you have confidencein this person to transmit the lasting foundations oflife? The child learns quickly, not only from precept but alsofrom example. Parents need increased education about theircontribution to their child's life system and ways positivelyto influence it.Secondly, we need an aroused citizenry. I am afraidthat the so-called silent majority are really the apatheticmajority. A time of such importance to our nation is no timefor sleep. Look at the involvement of people with theproblems of other people and you can find what I speakabout. I walk onto the playground and immediately I'msurrounded by little friends. They hold my hand; they cometo talk and play. I could cry for the need for affection whichso many show. And who is to provide this? I see us concentrateso much effort upon the attaining of academicexcellence, and completely neglect the inner child. I am notadvocating the expenditure of great funds, but how mutuallyhelpful it would be for some of our older citizens to volunteertheir services to the school to serve as interested fostergrandmothers and mothers. What a boon it would be to someof our children to know such kindly interest.To all of you I would say, develop awareness to theneeds of your community. Most of these are more likelypsychological than physical. People need to feel that they arerespected as persons, as human beings. The gift of our attentionis far more influential and permanent than mostefforts of charity.I fear a polarized society. We had one in Germanybefore the last war. We are rapidly approaching such in ourexperience. The answer lies not in polemics of speech butrather in exchange of concerns and conversation at locallevels. This I guess is a nice way of saying, "Keep talking —but make it count."MARCH in 1971 9