* A chapel talk given in the General Conference office.
A CERTAIN disease I wish to explore and review with you results from the infectious bite of the virus of net worshiping. The disease appears to be unaffected by race, by climate, by diet, or by hot or cold, but rather to be endemic to every land. It is most prevalent in the second and third and fourth generations of great movements or causes. The story of the outbreak that gave this virus its name is such a simple story that at first glance it does not even appear to be the case history of a disease, but rather the story of some simple man who went fishing long, long ago, and who was thankful for a good catch. Our age is known for certain new diseases, and medicine has made such progress that it is reported today that there are cures available for which as yet no diseases have been found. However, this particular virus is as old as the race. It is not a new disorder unique to this generation. Our particular cause and organization is least resistant to its infection, however, for the very reason that it is most prevalent in the second and third and fourth generations of churches and causes. The early attack that named this virus is recorded as a case history in the book of Habakkuk 1:15, 16. The story is so simple. No infection appears evident at cursory examination, but to the more alert observer it is there. A man cast a net into the sea, and forthwith drew out a draft of fish, and then the virus struck. The net became holy. The catch became secondary. This demonstrates the usual course of this disease, though it has several types of manifestations. Usually, the means becomes the end. The method becomes the goal. The infected then burns incense to the methods which in themselves appear as sacred destinations. In this slow and subtle way great and glorious crusades stealthily and imperceptibly become but careers. Those who sally forth to change the world must have a net, for worlds cannot be changed bare-handedly.
Nets Are Necessary but Not Holy
Nets are right and necessary but not holy. Machinery and organizations are needful to gather human energy from many divergent sources and bend and channel it to a common goal, lest otherwise it all be dissipated and expended in useless counterbalancing of other energies. No man can carry out the great commission to take this gospel to every corner of the world all by himself and all alone. Thus, we devise a church, and pool our single efforts to a common goal. Thus we develop conferences and institutions; and we appoint deacons, elect officers, designate committees, pass resolutions, and fabricate our net.
A good net it is indeed, and with it we go forth to change the world. Let us beware lest we become virus smitten and make the machinery our goal, and lest our dedication be to the perpetuation of the organization rather than to the saving of a world. Let us beware lest a vision become a job, lest a cause become a career, lest a purpose metamorphose from salvation to sustentation. Our job is to change the world, and all of our machinery and institutions and policies are but tools to accomplish this grand end, and not ends within themselves.
Hardened Reporter Becomes Frightened
Recently a friend of mine, who chances to be a hardened newspaper reporter, took a trip behind the iron curtain in Europe. I recognize I am confessing to having dubious friends, for newspaper reporters tend to become a trifle callous as they look at successes and failures, tragedy and fame, piety and crime, virtue and vice, all with the same fishy, unemotional, analytical, and somewhat cynical eyes. They are seldom emotionally moved by the festivities of the winners in life, or by the tears of life's losers. This reporter, returning, told me he was scared, not so much by what he had seen, as by the implications of what he had seen. He does not frighten easily. He had attended a great gathering of communistic youth. These uncounted thousands had assembled in a great outdoor arena at a communistic youth festival. The bands played and the flags waved.
The speaker mounted the rostrum and began to speak to that vast throng of young men and young women. He began a chant first almost in a whisper, and then slowly intoned louder and louder. This chant was taken up by the multitude and at length they were shouting this chant in unison: "We are changing the world! We are changing the world!! We are changing the world!!!"
It was the implication of a generation of youth dedicated to changing the world that frightened my friend, and well it might frighten us. They were not debating nets, or resolutions, or ways or means, or methods, but rather unitedly they were keeping their purpose before their eyes. Forsooth, they have changed the world and they are changing it today.
Net Never to Become Holy in Itself
Have you ever heard of a quotation that begins, "With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained . . ."? The Communists have stolen our task. It is our task to change the world! Let us ever keep our minds focused on this grand objective and always burn our incense to our unchanging purposes and our constant goal. The net, the method, the machinery, must never be lightly changed nor irresponsibly amended, but on the other hand, it must never become holy in itself, nor be taken too seriously, nor its perpetuation become our goal. God does not even need our ways and means. He only gives us a part that we may walk more closely with Him.
We are a church. The vaulted arch, the hanging chandeliers, the soft light filtered through stained-glass windows, has a strange effect upon the mind. It leads us to believe that the God who throws the stars across the sky, who rolls the endless waves against the shore, who scents the dainty flower, who guides the birds in flight, is now, by some strange limitation of His power, dependent on the framing of our feeble words for the accomplishment of His purposes.
We write our resolutions and debate each phrase, assured in our simplicity that God needs our devisings! God does not need our plans or resolutions! We need rather, by piety of lives, by largeness and compassion of our hearts, by simplicity of faith, to fit our lives into those greater plans and resolutions of our God.
So let us come and go, full mindful of the importance of our task to change the world, not so much by holding in our hands our lettered resolutions, but rather holding by our hand the hand of the Omnipotent, and holding in our hearts the greater resolution to live our lives in close communion with our God, expressing His vast love, in service to mankind.