A CHALLENGE TO GODLY PASTORS

Text: "Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it." - (Psalm 81:10)-

The call of God separating a man unto the ministry is not limited to a building. What our Lord commanded His disciples should be transcribed to Christian ministers: "Ye shall be witnesses (martyrs) unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."(Acts 1:8)

When John Wesley exclaimed, "The world is my parish!" he ejaculated the essence of the Divine call. A church may "call" a pastor, but the man’s calling is not confined to a congregation. He is under the same commission as that delivered by our Lord to His disciples: "Ye are the light of the world." Therefore, shine as lights in the world! "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Verse 16) God calls men to a city, a state, a country-- "to the uttermost part of the earth."

For a limited time, we have access to the greatest means of disseminating the truths of the Gospel --the local newspaper. The freedom of using the radio and television to proclaim God’s Word is largely impaired by cost and by the "Fairness Act" which muzzles anyone who would obey Scripture by "warning every man." But in most cities, the newspaper is still open to us, and there are two ways of utilizing it: the editorial page, and paid Gospel messages.

Take up your pen and salt down the rottenness in society by making use of the editorial page. It costs nothing! Let the light of God’s truth be a guide to men. You may need to sharpen your writing skills, but as one has said, "Writing makes an exact man." Encourage members of your congregation to submit letters-to-the-editor."

Neither you nor I will ever convince the majority to assemble at the church. Does this mean God wants us to ignore them? We have an obligation to confront them with the truth of God. Since they will not read the Bible, nor attend Gospel preaching, why not meet them in the columns of the local newspaper? We have a responsibility "whether they will hear or whether they will forbear!" (Ezekiel 3:11)

The second way to employ the local newspaper is to buy space. It is lamentable that most churches have nothing to say in the newspaper except to announce upcoming meetings. For shame! Why not use such space to call sinners to repentance instead of simply trying to interest people in attending your church?

The cost of running such an ad in our local newspapers is quite high. By comparison, the last time I checked, a message could be placed in the Atlanta Constitution and Journal for 4 times our cost, but can reach 10 times as many readers.

The potential of the newspaper is tremendous. No wonder Napoleon declared he feared 3 newspapers more than 100,000 bayonets! May God distil 100,000 newspapers with His truth!

OUR BUILDING

Many have written expressing concern about our building situation. By the time you receive your Angelus, we may have already lost our building. It is difficult sleeping under the wrecking ball.

The asking price is $40,000. Would you be willing to help us?

Please let us hear from you as soon as possible.

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SCIENCE VS. MAN

by Otto J. Scott

Recently the airwaves were clotted with reports of "Humphrey the Wayward Whale," which was said to have accidentally wandered into the Sacramento River. "Scientists" were quite concerned over Humphrey, who weighed 40 tons, was humpbacked, and who appeared to enjoy cleansing the Sacramento of fish. They said that immersion in fresh water would certainly kill Humphrey, and it was clear that they – and the media -- regarded this as a great potential tragedy.

While bystanders collected on the banks of the river, and others took to their boats, aiming binoculars and cameras, Humphrey wandered about in typical whale fashion, surfacing from time to time to exhale, emerging in great leaps and diving down with loud slaps of his tail.

Meanwhile, it became evident that the scientists who specialize in marine activities considered themselves responsible for Humphrey’s life. They tried hammering underwater on metal pipes in an effort to drive Humphrey back to sea; eventually they resorted to playing underwater tapes of other humpbacked whales feeding. These tapes were apparently made in the normal course of scientific monitoring of other forms of life in, around, and over these United States.

In due course the scientists claimed a great success: Humphrey swam out of the river and back unto the ocean, showing none of the debility from fresh water that the scientists had predicted. The scientists said nothing about the failure of this prediction but called attention to what they claimed was their success in luring Humphrey back to sea with their tapes. They also said their efforts had cost the State of California $60,000, and they requested donations to one fund or another to replace this money to enable science to proceed to other necessary, "scientific" efforts.

Reports of these scientists paralleled earlier reports of other scientists, who are obsessed about the condors of California. Tens of thousands of condors exist on the west coast of South America but California, it seems, has only dwindling bands. Therefore some scientists roosted in high places for weeks, filming and watching condors, and recording their every wing flutter. One such team described how a male and female condor, having produced their season’s one egg, fell into an aerial fight over which would next sit on the egg. Apparently condors rotate this duty, and this particular pair had lost count. Their fight was waged in the air, with much pecking, raucous screams and clawing. In the struggle, they dislodged the egg, which rolled out of the nest and crashed. The scientists were appalled, and discussed ways to steal future eggs, to save future condors from such irresponsible parents.

Other tales could be told of the obsessive belief of modern American scientists that it is their duty to prevent the extinction of any and all species of life, to monitor each and every sparrow, and to be responsible for all that moves or lives on this planet...except human beings.

This flight from reality--for this is what it is represents a new, modern form of Animism in which all manifestations of life -- except the human – are considered sacred. The ancient belief in Animism was, of course, that every living creature and object had a spirit of its own. Ancient Animists, generally associated with primitive cultures but actually active in Greece and Rome as well {to say nothing of Egypt and Babylon), attached supernatural qualities to trees, certain species of animals, the sky, some marine life and even insects.

Modern scientists do not recognize "soul." They express no religious belief about non-human forms of life; they simply take it for granted that all non-human forms must be protected against Man at all costs. Their indifference to Man comes, in fact, close to hatred.

Their pursuit of this animus has cost America immense sums, curtailed industrial progress, and has led to millions of acres of land being declared off-limits to the American people and their enterprises.

Rushdoony has compared these sequestered acres to the Crown lands set aside in England, beginning with William the Conqueror, reserving the right to hunt deer. Since that distant time, property rights in England have been especially detailed regarding the right to hunt game or to fish, and poachers are still held in abhorrence by the British gentry. The American gentry has taken an even loftier approach: the land is to be held sacrosanct for its unsullied beauty, and for the exclusive use of non-humans.

Until modern times, no government in the West has ever gone so far in its disdain for all its citizens, The prevailing "ecological" view appears to be based on the premise that Man is an excrescence in the Universe. This is a mirror-reversal of the traditional Christian belief that Man was created in the image of God for a special purpose, and was given dominion on earth over all other creatures and forms of life.

The governmentally sponsored "scientific" position has led to amazing developments. A great dam project was first delayed and then ruled out of existence because, the scientists said, the snail-darter—a small, nearly unknown fish, would be rendered extinct by the creation of the dam. Since then, snail-darters have been discovered in embarrassing numbers in various locations, but so far as I know the dam remains unbuilt.

Arguments against offshore drilling for oil center on presumed ecological damage to the sea and the shore. But fish thrive on oil spills, for all is a natural substance. The ocean tides wash away oil residues on shore. Some birds have, it is true, suffered from oil spills. But so far, not to the extent that the seabird population has been significantly affected. On the other hand, the loss of the oil obtainable from our shores has cost the American people and industry untold billions in jobs, products and quality of human life.

Some years back a debate arose over DDT. This insecticide, made from coal-tar derivatives, is credited with eradicating malaria in many parts of the world and with preventing the spread of typhus at the close of World War II. Since typhus has killed more people than battles, DDT was responsible for saving millions of lives. But some said that DDT was deleterious because it builds up in the system and resulted in creating thinner egg-shells in some species of birds.

This, it was claimed, would reduce the bird population to dangerous levels.

Rachel Carson, a writer on biological, subjects, afflicted with terminal cancer, read such arguments and was overcome with dread. In 1962 she wrote Silent Spring, which depicted a grim, lifeless world without birds. Silent Spring helped spawn an environmental movement that saw Man as a menace to all living things. A campaign was launched against DDT. Despite a scientific report that said DDT was beneficial, the U.S. Court of Appeals, in response to environmental arguments, ordered an end to its use. Since then, the infestations and damage created by insects upon crops and humans alike have spurted.

The DDT action came not long after a scare about mercury in fish. This scare led to a drop in the sale and consumption of fish, greatly damaging fishermen, canneries, restaurants and allied industries. It was later discovered that mercury has been present in fish since prehistoric times, and presents no harm.

To detail all the follies attendant upon the blind worship of what is called "Nature," and sometimes "Mother Nature," would, of course, soon grow encyclopedic, Suffice to say that there is no such entity as "Nature," let alone its "Mother." There is only God, who created this marvelous world within which we dwell.

What is truly macabre about the scientific attempt to monitor all forms of life, however, is the indifference of the "environmental" lobbies and the scientists regarding the destruction of human beings in various parts of Asia (Cambodia, Vietnam, Tibet, Communist China}, Syria, Africa {Libya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, etc.), Latin America {Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, etc.). There have been eighteen million abortions in the United States since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that abortion is a constitutional right. Abortions in Communist China now range into hundreds of millions.

None of these terrible human deaths -- by murder, by deliberate starvation, by abortions forced and voluntary -- have enlisted judicial, political or media support on a level equal to that achieved on behalf of condors {a scavenger bird), of whales, or snail-darters, or insects.

To say that this weird disparity represents a loss of proportion is to understate. One is reminded of Hemingway’s response to a question about his beliefs. He said that, if he had his dearest dream, he would have been "a shark, cutting cleanly through the water, in a world without Man."

This anti-human remark, made by one of our most loudly modern successes, proved that Hemingway was a true man of his civilization, his time. For Hemingway, having no faith, after a life spent in pursuit of self-indulgence, committed suicide. A similar goal is being pursued by our scientists. Our environmentalist’s concern for non-human life forms is merely the reflection of their self-hatred, and their enmity to all other humans -- and to God.

Fortunately, those of us who believe in know that such modern heretics, such enemies of mankind, will fall -- as did Hemingway and all his ilk --by their own hands, through their own excesses.