Articles from this month's issue of the Berean News

Viewpoints Who is Responsible? "Who is responsible for...... ?" is one of the most common questions asked in everyday situations from business, to school, to home. By it, we seek to find out a broad range of facts from, "Who is the expert in something?" to, "Who can find it for us?" to, "Who can fix it?" to, "Who created the problem?" to, "Who is guilty for the damage?" Our attitude and motive in asking the question depends a lot on just which of the above questions we are asking. If we are seeking help, we can be quite solicitous. If we are looking for the guilty party, we can be quite unreasonable (and sadly, therefore, quite unchristian also). In almost every situation, and certainly in every complex one, there are multiple parties who bear responsibilities. But responsibility alone is not the problem. The problem is with those who don't properly carry out their responsibilities, and thus are guilty by default. We need to separate achievement (properly handled responsibility) from guilt (improperly handled responsibility) In the recent massacre in Littleton, CO, the world is assessing this "guilty" aspect, and certainly most of the groups named will share some of the guilt in this, including the press (newspaper, radio, TV, magazines), violent videos, music and video games, the NRA, the school management, the parents, and even schoolmates. In our lives is an area where responsibility is an even greater concern because it has an eternal effect, not just a temporary human life effect. It is in the area of our faith which determines our salvation. Who is responsible for this? The broad answer is, "whomever can affect that outcome in us." This certainly includes God who devised the whole plan and provided the necessary ransom and the high priest, and Christ who directly is both of these, and, we ourself, that is the New Creature, who needs both of these! We can have no doubts concerning God and Christ. They have fulfilled their responsibility in the past and guarantee to fulfill it every time in the future, if we will only ask for and follow their directions. On the other hand, we cannot blame our Old Man, the world, or Satan, or even our brethren who seek to help us because Romans 8:38-39 says they cannot overcome the power that God makes available to us through Christ. If God and Christ are doing their part, that leaves only us with open responsibility for ourselves. We need to challenge ourselves. Shall we "achieve" through this responsibility, or shall we fall short and be "guilty"? The choice is strictly up to us. Are we receiving grace but not using it? Are we seeking faith, or waiting for God to give it to us? Are we gaining new faith, but not putting it into action in our lives? Are we studying scriptures daily, so the holy spirit might reveal their understanding to us? Are we faithful as children, spouses, parents, brethren, Elders, Deacons? Are we working to acquire the Christian graces of Gal 5:22-23, of 2 Pet 1:5-8, of Jas 3:17-18? These are our opportunities, our faith, our salvation, and also our responsibilities! Only if we live them fully now, will we enjoy their fullest reward eternally. Be a responsible Christian! Be faithful to God! Now and always! God and Christ have done Their part. We need to do ours! Phil. 2:12-13. We have no one but ourselves to blame for a poor relationship with God, and no one but Him and Christ to thank for a great relationship with Him! --Joe Knapp

Perspective The Revolutionary Christians There has been a great deal said and written about how the United States as a nation has been moving away from the Biblical principles upon which it was founded. The founding fathers themselves are presented as men of great faith who upheld God's moral and spiritual standards. Our nation is said to be particularly blessed by God due to its original principles and morality. Personally, I have always questioned this concept. While I am in no position to judge the spiritual maturity or religious devotion of any in particular of our founding fathers, it has always seemed to me that they were quite a mix of men. And I do believe that the nation of Israel was God's only chosen nation. I was therefore very interested in a recent article that appeared in "Christianity Today." The article was entitled "Was the Revolutionary War Justified?" The author was Mark A. Noll who wrote a book "Christians in the American Revolution" (Eerdmans). According to Noll, King George III was himself a Christian. Nevertheless, "When it comes to the British actions toward the colonies in the decade before 1776, almost all historians concede those actions were insensitive, based on lamentable misconceptions of colonial life, and often simply stupid. George III, a responsible family man who tried to act like a Christian, was far from the ogre pictured in the Declaration of Independence. But he had no real feel for life in the colonies, and he, when choosing advisors, allowed political loyalty to take precedence over sound assessments of ability." On the other hand, there are some very interesting observations to be made about the revolutionary American Christians. First of all there were about a half-million African-Americans held in slavery by the very colonists who were making claims for freedom and liberty. John Fletcher, a leading Methodist in Britain, wrote in l776 about the plight of American slaves, "whose groans upbraid the hypocritical friends of liberty (in America), who buy and sell and whip their fellow men as if they were brutes; and absurdly complain that they are enslaved." Mark Noll goes on to write, "Many sermons in America (and some in Britain) supported revolt, while a few in America and England argued against it. Serious [Biblical] exegesis, however, of what would seem to us like the relevant passages was very rare. Rather, it was much more common for patriots to liken George III to Pharaoh and George Washington to Moses, or to depict the conflict as a struggle between the Woman and the Beast of Revelation 12." What scriptures should have been considered? How about a serious discussion of these: ROMANS 13:1 - Everyone 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. I PETER 2:13-14 - Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. It seems that our founding fathers ignored these scriptures or must have rationalized them away. How could Christian men build a nation on Bible principles while the very fact of their rebellion violated Biblical commands? It is also instructive to note that Canada, New Zealand, and Australia were simply given, a short time later, the same kind of freedom that the American revolutionary Christians won in revolt and blood. It is a very questionable claim that the United States was founded upon Biblical principles. &emdash; Larry Urbaniak

Roy's Reflections It Has To Do With Character Your greatest opportunity and responsibility is not so much the making of a living as it is the making of a life. Whatever else one may accomplish in life, you have failed if you do not make yours an honorable, useful, trustworthy life. Horace Greeley is reported to have exclaimed, "Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wings, those who cheer today will curse tomorrow. Only one thing endures. Character." In commenting on Mr. Greeley's statement, the late Dr. Dwight L. Moody wrote, "These weighty words bid us all remember that Life's one task is the making of manhood. Our world is a College, events are teachers, happiness is the graduating point, and character is the diploma which God gives man." It would be great to live in a world in which all men recognize the importance of character and then make an honest pursuit of the same, beginning with our leaders and flowing down to the common man on the street. Unfortunately this honorable trait called "character" has fallen upon extremely hard times. Apathy with respect to such things as integrity, honesty, and character has infected a rather large percentage of this nation. When we add to this the abysmal ignorance of its citizens with regard to character's essential contribution to a stable society; we begin to understand why the call for honesty and integrity on the part of those who would lead us into the next century falls largely on deaf ears. If polls come anywhere near reflecting this nation's attitude toward the importance of character in her leaders, then it is indeed much later than we think. A recent CNN poll reveals that 70% of Americans do not think that character should be an issue in an election year. I submit to you that character IS important. It is important for our very existence; yes, even our survival. If history teaches us anything it is this: absence of character among any people spells disaster and ruin. When a people throw off moral character and integrity there is nothing left to hold them together. Try to imagine a society in which lies were accepted, where promises meant nothing, and where dishonest and unethical business dealings were the norm. No man, not even the liar and the thief, would want to live in such a place. The problem of crime and violence in our society are not economic. It is a problem of an absence of character and moral integrity. Washington continues to crank out anticrime bills, each one tougher than the previous, and yet our crime rate continues to escalate. A number of years ago producer Norman Lear made this observation: "At no time in my life has our culture been so estranged from spiritual values. Our problems lie beyond the reach of politics alone." Perhaps it is time for every single American to pay closer attention to the words of the Psalmist: "Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah, The people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance" (Psalms 33:12). Let us pick up our Bibles and read again the words of Solomon: "Righteousness exalteth a nation: But sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34). It has been said that no institution can rise any higher than its leaders. I think the same is true with regard to nations. If our leaders are not willing to exercise moral restraint, how can we expect any less from the citizens? It would seem, as the poll previously mentioned indicates, that we no longer expect our leaders to demonstrate genuine character, and worse yet, we don't care. Perhaps the most frightening aspect about our present lack of concern with regard to character on the part of our leaders is the fact that such is actually a reflection of what we expect of ourselves. Charles Colson, close associate of President Richard Nixon, pinpointed the problem a number of years ago when he wrote that the most terrifying thing that can happen to a society is the death of conscience in its young people. The new century lies just around the corner. The future depends largely upon the present. Where we want to be in the year 2000 (and beyond) will be determined by the choices we make today. And, yes, much more than we think, or perhaps care to admit, "it has to do with character." --Roy P. Boswell

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