Pointers for Preachers

"ON THE DOUBLE"

Have you ever met a man who is working himself to death getting nothing done? No, he is neither lazv nor crazy; he simply lacks the knack of organization and execution. Breakdown bent and ulcer bound, a busier man cannot be found. He is up at the crack of day, and from the opening "buzz" the "bee is in full flight." His abnormal pace takes its toll on those around him. He expends tons of energy to do an ounce of work. The pastor in the adjacent district has heavier responsibilities and gets things done, but he is relaxed and good-natured. What a study in contrasts! The difference? One is organized and the other is not. One is carry­ing the load while the other sees that it is carried. To the "do it all" pastor the laymen are good for "listening" but incapable of shouldering responsi­bility. He is so exhausted from mowing the church lawn, stoking the furnace, and dusting the benches that he has neither time nor energy to seek the lost. His inability to "unwind" affects his home life. Upon hearing his footsteps, wife and children jump to attention. His energy resources are so de­pleted that he has little left to be husband and father. Tenderness and tenseness are not twins. Such a one, to borrow a phrase from the army, lives his life "on the double" and is headed for trouble. Unorganized haste is worse than waste.

E. E. C.

MANIPULATED TEXTS

In Accra, Ghana, stands a statue of Kwame Nkrumah, the present leader of that new nation, and beneath it are the words "Seek ye first the political kingdom and all things will be added to it." Those words are, of course, somewhat like our Lord's words in Matthew 6:33, upon which the inscription was doubtless based.

The use of scripture by paraphrase, manipula­tion, or distortion is a common practice that can­not be prevented. But even where such manipula­tion may have a large element of truth in it, it is nevertheless a misuse of the original text.

Are Christian people altogether free from manip­ulation of the Scriptures? Before me is a group of books written by strong predestinarians. Some con­tain good, provocative material; others are heavy reading in Puritan style. Some of the authors re­peatedly attack what is known as the universal atonement teaching. When they read 1 John 2:2— "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world"—they must, so to speak, add the words "who are elected of God." And when we read: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto him-self" (2 Cor. 5:19), they would have us understand "the world" to mean only those predestinated for salvation by the sovereign will of God; and so on indefinitely through the Scriptures.

Any church that is accustomed to "prove" its doctrines by the proof-text method is in danger of textual manipulation to prove a point. Many of the religious groups that grew up in American frontier days proved some fantastic things by this method of exegesis, and thereby brought the odium of fanaticism upon the cause of true religion. We must not manipulate and misapply any text of Scripture to make it teach anything contrary to the general teaching of the Word of God. We are not exempt from this danger, as the flood of false ideas, both written and oral, among us and around us all too eloquently and pathetically testify.

FALLOUT FOLLY

Folks are scared these days. Concern mounts jus­tifiably that present peace proposals may prove in­adequate. Men are digging holes to fall in for pro­tection from fallout, and well they may. As God's mouthpiece the minister has a responsibility not to add to this fear. The Minister of Religion was speaking in Warsaw, Poland. I was on the receiving end of this sound counsel. "When you preach the second coming of Christ," he said, "do not do so in a manner that will frighten the people. They have had enough of that under the German occupation." How true of us all. To further frighten the fright­ened is not our mission. Not that the cataclysmic inundation of all things physical at Christ's coming can be ignored. It cannot. But the glory yet to come, the bliss beyond, inspires hope and quiets fear. To talk of the land of fadeless day, sparkling brooks, and verdant meadows, of fruit-laden trees and blooming flowers, of unending fellowship with one another and our Lord, is a comforting message. The utter timeliness of total truth testifies to its divine origin. Is it not more urgent that we prepare to "fly in" than to prepare for fallout?

E. E. C.

YOUTH AND THE TRUTH

One of the pastor's most pressing problems is in planning outlets of service and recrea­tion for the youth of the church. It is easier to criticize their laxity or mourn their "passing" than to plan for them constructively. The youth depart­ment of the church on conference, union, and General Conference levels has plans for youth sec­ond to none. In our local churches there can be light.  Implementation is the need. Youth are con­victed by the preaching of the Word, but afflicted with idle hours. Some pastors have organized a youth church; others have had the foresight to form youth choirs that sing for radio broadcasts and the like. In one congregation the youth usher board serves once a month. "Save our youth" has become more than a departmental promotion slo­gan. It is the one antidote to the growing nightmare of youth apostasy. City life exerts its gravitational pull on old and young. The preaching of the ever­lasting gospel, plus wise planning and promotion, will help save the youth for the truth.

E. E. C.