IN THE past few years antiques have become so valuable that a flourishing market has developed in their modern manufacture. The frequenter of Ye Olde Antique Shop has to be extremely careful and know his field or he is likely to be "stung" by being sold a cheap imitation instead of a real antique.
There has been a growing disenchantment with the new. For years Americans have worshiped at the shrine of newness, but today we see the pendulum swinging back in reaction against all the new gadgets, gimmicks, and gambits that have made our age in some respects a living nightmare, with so much of our lives being con trolled by the inanimate computer. One illustration of this pendulum swing is found in watching the younger generation sewing patches on and bleaching brand-new denim jeans in order to make them appear worn.
In this age of instant everything, people want some old values that will give sense and meaning to life. Many observers feel that the trend of the seventies is a return to religious values as opposed to the swing to skepticism that characterized the sixties. This does not mean that people are re turning in droves to the majority churches. Part of the disenchantment of the sixties can be traced to the shallow, superficial approach to gospel truth by large segments of organized religion.
People today want the old and eternal values. In this age of "let's do anything we can get away with" morality, many are coming to recognize the bankruptcy of the new morality and the new philosophies. There is a nostalgia for old values, the old way of life, and just plain integrity.
This bodes well for the continued growth of the conservative and fundamental churches that have clung to the "old-time religion." Yet in this new enthusiasm for the "old," we must be careful not to throw out the gold with the garbage.
The gospel sword still needs the sharpness of relevance and the challenge of new understanding of old truths. In our enthusiasm for either the old or the new we must avoid becoming lopsided. The bride's traditional "something old and something new" represents the nice balance we need to keep in our preaching, our theology, and our daily Christian experience.