Howard C. Wilkinson - "Strange Bedfellows" (August 20, 1967)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(orchestral music) | 0:03 | |
- | This is none other than the House of God. | 3:19 |
And this is the Gate of Heaven. | 3:22 | |
Enter therefore into His gates with Thanksgiving | 3:25 | |
and into His courts with praise | 3:28 | |
for the hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers | 3:32 | |
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth | 3:36 | |
for the Father, seek it such to worship Him. | 3:40 | |
(orchestral music) | 3:48 | |
(choir singing) | 4:17 | |
(gentle orchestral music) | 6:39 | |
Let us offer unto God, our unison prayers of confession, | 6:53 | |
and for pardon, let us pray. | 6:58 | |
Oh Lord thou has searched us | 7:04 | |
and known us thou understand this, | 7:06 | |
our thoughts so far Lord | 7:09 | |
and thou acquainted with all our ways. | 7:12 | |
There is not a word in our tongues, | 7:15 | |
but oh Lord thou knows it all together. | 7:18 | |
Take from us all hardness and impotence that we admitting | 7:23 | |
our sins and earnestly facing our faults before thee | 7:29 | |
may obtain pardon for all our guilt, | 7:34 | |
absorb us oh God from every kind of sin. | 7:38 | |
Forgive us for trying to be clever | 7:43 | |
when we should have sought wisdom, | 7:46 | |
heal us from the disease of trying to make names | 7:49 | |
for ourselves when we should have been seeking to glorify | 7:52 | |
thy name. | 7:57 | |
Enable us oh Lord, to find pardon now, | 7:59 | |
and to attain everlasting redemption in the world to come | 8:04 | |
through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. | 8:09 | |
Take to your comfort | 8:17 | |
these assurances from the scriptures. | 8:19 | |
The conviction of the wise man, Job, | 8:23 | |
I know that my Redeemer live it. | 8:27 | |
The proclamation of the evangelist, John | 8:32 | |
behold, the Lamb of God that take us away, | 8:36 | |
the sins of the world | 8:39 | |
And the persistent pursuing love of our savior. | 8:43 | |
Those whom I love I reproved and chasing. | 8:49 | |
So be zealous and repent, | 8:54 | |
behold I stand at the door | 8:57 | |
and knock if anyone hears my voice | 9:01 | |
and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him | 9:05 | |
and he with me. | 9:12 | |
And now as Christ, our Savior taught His disciples to pray. | 9:17 | |
We say together, | 9:20 | |
our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name | 9:23 | |
thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth | 9:28 | |
as it is in heaven, give us this day | 9:33 | |
our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, | 9:37 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us | 9:42 | |
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. | 9:47 | |
For thine is the kingdom | 9:54 | |
and the power and the glory forever. | 9:56 | |
Amen. | 10:01 | |
(orchestral music) | 10:04 | |
(singing in foreign language) | 10:39 | |
♪ Lord God of Abraham ♪ | 11:16 | |
(indistinct) | 11:21 | |
♪ God and Lord God of Abraham ♪ | 11:33 | |
♪ That I've gone things according to thy Word ♪ | 11:51 | |
♪ Oh heal me Lord and answers me ♪ | 12:02 | |
♪ Oh heal me Lord and answer me ♪ | 12:10 | |
♪ Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel ♪ | 12:22 | |
(indistinct) | 12:34 | |
- | The Lord be with you. | 14:03 |
Let us pray. | 14:06 | |
Almighty God, Creator of the universe, | 14:12 | |
Sustainer of this earth, Redeemer of mankind, | 14:18 | |
Thy creation is infinite battling the finite mind that seeks | 14:26 | |
to grasp it yet our art closer than breathing. | 14:32 | |
The earth constantly yields its mysteries. | 14:40 | |
Yet it is wonderfully made to sustain us. | 14:45 | |
The wickedness of man is great in the earth | 14:52 | |
yet thou us daily redeem us | 14:57 | |
Except now our cry of adoration and praise | 15:03 | |
blessing and honor, and glory and power. | 15:08 | |
Be unto thee, | 15:13 | |
that sit on the throne And unto the lamb forever and ever | 15:14 | |
amen. | 15:23 | |
That is offer unto God, our prayers of Thanksgiving, | 15:27 | |
our father from whom cometh the gift of life in all | 15:35 | |
by which it is sustained enriched and redeemed. | 15:40 | |
We thy people, thank thee | 15:46 | |
for thy daily Providence undergirding and supplying our | 15:52 | |
creaturely needs. | 15:56 | |
All the joy and gladness of life. | 16:01 | |
Our home, the love of husband and wife of parent and child | 16:06 | |
of a young man and woman seeking these joys, | 16:17 | |
for friends and the pleasures of human relationships | 16:24 | |
for the understanding sympathy and good will of others. | 16:30 | |
We thank thee, | 16:34 | |
for the heritage of all that is good in the church, | 16:39 | |
the home, the school, the state | 16:43 | |
for the sacrifice of Martyrs | 16:50 | |
and the courage of Patriots who guided | 16:52 | |
and passed home this heritage. | 16:55 | |
For thy strong call to men and women in this changing | 17:00 | |
generation to protect and leave this heritage | 17:04 | |
We thank thee, we praise thee, | 17:09 | |
These are, but a few of our blessings from thee | 17:16 | |
give eyes to see them minds to appreciate them, | 17:22 | |
hearts to cherish them and whelms to share them. | 17:28 | |
And we shall praise thy name evermore, amen. | 17:36 | |
Let us all pray unto God | 17:46 | |
our prayers of intercession for our nation and its people | 17:47 | |
who God established this nation in righteousness | 17:57 | |
and in personal character and public integrity maker, | 18:02 | |
foundation show and lasting | 18:06 | |
from the ravages of crime, | 18:13 | |
the disgrace of political corruption, | 18:17 | |
the dishonor of lawless men, | 18:21 | |
the destruction and poison of those who hate. | 18:25 | |
Deliver us good Lord | 18:30 | |
from prejudice of color and race | 18:36 | |
from all unjust inequity, | 18:40 | |
from the denial of human dignity of liberty | 18:45 | |
and the pursuit of happiness, deliver us. | 18:49 | |
From the failure of moral courage, | 18:56 | |
the corrosion of public responsibility, | 19:00 | |
the temptations to withdraw from the concerns | 19:05 | |
and struggle of life | 19:08 | |
And to live for our own interests alone. | 19:11 | |
Good Lord deliver us right now unto each of us, | 19:14 | |
the honesty to see the fault in ourselves when it is there | 19:21 | |
and pray for its deliverance more urgently, | 19:27 | |
than when we see the fault in others. | 19:30 | |
Let redemption begin within. | 19:35 | |
Then we shall become agents of thy redemption without hope | 19:39 | |
so that our national house is set in order | 19:45 | |
and our common life become a blessing to all. | 19:49 | |
This we pray for the sake of him | 19:55 | |
who came that we might have lied | 19:57 | |
and that we might have it more abundantly, amen. | 20:00 | |
Let us ask God's blessing upon the final days | 20:09 | |
of this school term, | 20:12 | |
although by whose will all learning is advanced. | 20:16 | |
We pray for all teachers | 20:22 | |
and student in these closing days of the summertime. | 20:24 | |
Guide the teachers in their testing | 20:30 | |
And support the students in their time of testing. | 20:34 | |
Where there has been hard study and earnest inquiry | 20:40 | |
give competence and high achievement. | 20:44 | |
And at the end, recreation and renewal. | 20:49 | |
Sustain the ongoing work and purposes of this university | 20:55 | |
to the end that young men and women | 20:59 | |
will grow in knowledge and wisdom. | 21:02 | |
Equipped to meet the tests | 21:05 | |
and demands of this generation. | 21:09 | |
This we ask for the sake of him. | 21:12 | |
Who met his own tests, | 21:15 | |
and became the servant of all. | 21:17 | |
Amen. | 21:22 | |
Now, here we pray thee | 21:25 | |
the unspoken prayers at rise in silence | 21:26 | |
from the deeps of our hearts, | 21:29 | |
and to those needs that find no voice | 21:32 | |
save for thine ear Lord. | 21:35 | |
minister, we pray thee according to the riches | 21:39 | |
of thy grace in Christ Jesus, our Lord. | 21:43 | |
Amen. | 21:49 | |
- | Let us hear the reading of the gospel. | 22:13 |
According to mark chapter 15 beginning at verse 22, | 22:15 | |
and they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, | 22:22 | |
which means the place of a skull. | 22:25 | |
And they offered him wine mingled with Myrrh, | 22:29 | |
but he did not take it. | 22:32 | |
And they crucified him | 22:35 | |
and divided his garments among them | 22:38 | |
casting lots for them to decide what each should take. | 22:41 | |
And it was the third hour when they crucified him. | 22:46 | |
The inscription of the charge against him read, | 22:51 | |
the king of the Jews. | 22:55 | |
And with him, they crucified two robbers. | 22:58 | |
one on his right and one on his left. | 23:01 | |
and the scripture was fulfilled | 23:06 | |
which says "he was reckoned with the transgressors". | 23:08 | |
The king James translation of that is | 23:15 | |
"he was numbered with the transgressors". | 23:17 | |
Moffatt translates it. | 23:22 | |
That he was classed among criminals. | 23:23 | |
Good speeds Version of it is he was rated and outlawed. | 23:26 | |
whatever translation we use, the meaning is the same. | 23:31 | |
Jesus was the best person who ever lived. | 23:36 | |
He helped people and he did not harm them. | 23:39 | |
He showed love to his enemies. | 23:44 | |
He fed the hungry, he clothed the naked. | 23:47 | |
He healed the sick. | 23:49 | |
He preached good news and release to the captives. | 23:52 | |
And yet the society of his day, | 23:57 | |
Put him to death in a very cruel manner. | 24:00 | |
It executed him not in spite of his goodness, | 24:05 | |
but because of it. | 24:08 | |
Strangely enough, | 24:10 | |
this same society ended the lives | 24:11 | |
of two other men along with him. | 24:14 | |
And the three of them, | 24:16 | |
shared the same fate in the same manner. | 24:17 | |
These latter two men , | 24:21 | |
were crucified because they were criminals. | 24:23 | |
Robbers, brigands, | 24:26 | |
One of the two acknowledged as they were dying, | 24:30 | |
that the two of them deserved what they were getting. | 24:32 | |
What a jarring contrast This is. | 24:36 | |
you see ,Christ was so far above the standards of society | 24:39 | |
that it couldn't tolerate him. | 24:45 | |
The robbers were so are below the standards of society that | 24:47 | |
it couldn't tolerate them either. | 24:51 | |
So society lumped all three of 'em together | 24:54 | |
and killed them of all. | 24:57 | |
Jesus and the criminals Therefore had two things in common. | 25:00 | |
First, they broke with the accepted norms of society. | 25:05 | |
And secondly, they died of common death. | 25:08 | |
This is why mark reported | 25:13 | |
that Christ was classed with criminals. | 25:14 | |
I think it's likely that Shakespeare had this in mind | 25:19 | |
when in the Tempest, he wrote misery acquaints | 25:22 | |
a man with strange bedfellows. | 25:25 | |
Well, it very often happens that | 25:29 | |
oddly different people Find themselves | 25:31 | |
sharing a common cross or at least a common cause | 25:35 | |
Far from this being an exceptional occurrence. | 25:40 | |
It happens regularly. | 25:43 | |
Even in the natural world, | 25:45 | |
we see dissimilar animals | 25:47 | |
living together in a symbiotic relationship. | 25:50 | |
Last month, my family and I | 25:54 | |
drove through the semi desert regions | 25:55 | |
of the great Southwest, | 25:57 | |
Where one may see Prairie dogs and rattlesnakes inhabiting | 26:00 | |
the same holes in the ground. | 26:04 | |
Certain types of weeds | 26:08 | |
not only grow in the same ground with flowers, | 26:09 | |
but occasionally | 26:12 | |
they even a superficial resemblance to them. | 26:13 | |
But now I wish immediately | 26:17 | |
to return to the area of human conduct | 26:19 | |
Because there are some conclusions we need to form | 26:22 | |
and some decisions we need to make | 26:26 | |
regarding similar conduct | 26:30 | |
and dissimilar people. | 26:32 | |
Let's take a look at some of our strange bedfellows | 26:37 | |
and see | 26:39 | |
what we can learn. | 26:40 | |
A nice, comfortable place to begin is in history, | 26:42 | |
far away in history, we can't change it. | 26:48 | |
We're not responsible for anything that happened back then. | 26:51 | |
And so it's comfortable. | 26:55 | |
It has been observed by some historians, | 26:58 | |
that two kinds of people | 27:01 | |
came from England to settle the American colonies. | 27:02 | |
These two types came for opposite reasons. | 27:07 | |
One made the voyage because of very high ideals | 27:11 | |
and the other sailed because of a lack of idealism. | 27:15 | |
The first group launched out | 27:20 | |
because they wished to build a society | 27:21 | |
in which they would be complete religious freedom. | 27:24 | |
And England, at that time did not offer such at home. | 27:28 | |
The second group came because they would rather | 27:33 | |
flee from their honest debts than to pay them. | 27:35 | |
England in the 17th century | 27:40 | |
was very hard on people who didn't want to pay their debts, | 27:42 | |
but it was also hard on people wanted freedom of conscience. | 27:45 | |
And thus, we see that two groups did the same thing, | 27:50 | |
but for very different reasons. | 27:54 | |
Well, lets consider other example | 27:59 | |
from the safe distance of history. | 28:01 | |
John Gottlieb heckewelder's book | 28:04 | |
on the history of early Manhattan | 28:06 | |
Describes how the pioneer white men | 28:08 | |
who inhabited that island | 28:11 | |
were divided between those who wish to help the Indians | 28:12 | |
and be friends with them on the one hand. | 28:16 | |
And on the other hand, | 28:19 | |
those who wanted to make the Indians drunk | 28:20 | |
so they could relieve them of their possessions. | 28:22 | |
There was so much of the latter activity | 28:25 | |
that the Indians called the Island Manahahtaan | 28:27 | |
which means the place of drunkenness. | 28:31 | |
This apparently was sufficiently | 28:34 | |
a characteristic of the island. | 28:36 | |
That it provided the name | 28:37 | |
which it bears even to this day, | 28:38 | |
manha or Manhattan or further comment there. | 28:41 | |
One more example should be sufficient | 28:48 | |
to give us a sampling from history. | 28:51 | |
in China and India, | 28:54 | |
During the early years of Christian missions, | 28:56 | |
it was noted by many Buddhist | 28:59 | |
that the Christians and the atheists | 29:02 | |
had one very significant feature in common. | 29:05 | |
They did not worship idols. | 29:11 | |
Now, what does all this say to us? | 29:16 | |
What we conclude from these strange befell situations? | 29:19 | |
How are we going to act? | 29:24 | |
When suddenly we discover that our policies, our actions, | 29:26 | |
our speech, the organization, to which we belong, | 29:30 | |
our voting, bears a marked similarity to that of some | 29:33 | |
individual or group whom we regard is unworthy. | 29:39 | |
Now, | 29:44 | |
before looking at | 29:45 | |
the strange bedfellows in our contemporary scene, | 29:46 | |
let's ask ourselves now the decisive questions, | 29:48 | |
which we ultimately must answer as we form our own | 29:52 | |
conclusions and make our own decisions. | 29:56 | |
Here's a question | 30:00 | |
When we find that one of our policies is outwardly identical | 30:02 | |
to a policy being advocated by someone whom | 30:07 | |
we regard as unworthy. | 30:10 | |
Should we discontinue our policy? | 30:12 | |
because of that similarity. | 30:15 | |
Another question | 30:18 | |
when two groups advocate the same policy | 30:20 | |
and from opposite motives or reasons, | 30:22 | |
should the group which advocates it | 30:25 | |
for a pure and high motive, | 30:28 | |
be content with the difference in motives? | 30:31 | |
and continue the same policy? | 30:35 | |
Or should we discontinue advocating a policy | 30:39 | |
in which we profoundly believe Less?. | 30:42 | |
Our fellows misunderstand our motives, | 30:46 | |
to be the same as those who we regard is unworthy. | 30:50 | |
Another question, | 30:55 | |
should we judge people by their bedfellows? | 30:57 | |
Should we dam by association? | 31:01 | |
Now let's test our tentative answers. | 31:07 | |
whatever they may be in your mind or mine | 31:10 | |
By pondering three contemporary | 31:14 | |
strange bedfellow situations. | 31:17 | |
I'm now thinking of one, | 31:22 | |
which I prefer to label a bit later, | 31:23 | |
but for the moment I shall simply describe it. | 31:26 | |
Here's the description. | 31:30 | |
There are people in America who are race conscious | 31:32 | |
to the extent that they seek to separate | 31:36 | |
and segregate people | 31:39 | |
on the basis of the color of their skin. | 31:42 | |
This is the chief test of association. | 31:46 | |
They seek to make their own group proud | 31:51 | |
that their skin is not of the other color. | 31:53 | |
Those who have the proper skin coloration | 31:59 | |
are in and those who do not are out. | 32:02 | |
Regardless of other qualities, | 32:07 | |
abilities or characteristics. | 32:09 | |
Those who have the correct skin color | 32:12 | |
should get what they want. | 32:14 | |
If necessary, | 32:17 | |
Even at the expense of those | 32:18 | |
whose skin is not the correct color, | 32:19 | |
The objectives of this group are of overwhelming importance. | 32:23 | |
And the obedience of the opposite group | 32:28 | |
must be demanded and obtained. | 32:32 | |
If necessary by threats, intimidation, | 32:36 | |
force violence and bloodshed. | 32:40 | |
Now, my friends, | 32:45 | |
What group in America have I just described? | 32:47 | |
Have I described a certain group of white people?, | 32:52 | |
or have I described a certain group of Negros? | 32:54 | |
Actually I have described one of each | 32:59 | |
I have given careful thought to this description | 33:04 | |
and I can document each phrase as applied to each group. | 33:08 | |
Listen to it again, | 33:14 | |
there are people in America who are race conscious | 33:17 | |
to the extent that they seek to separate | 33:20 | |
and segregate people on the basis | 33:23 | |
of the color of their skin. | 33:25 | |
This is the chief test for association. | 33:29 | |
They seek to make their own group proud | 33:33 | |
that their skin is not of the other color. | 33:35 | |
Those who have the proper skin coloration are in, | 33:39 | |
and those who do not are out | 33:42 | |
regardless of other qualities | 33:45 | |
or abilities or characteristics, | 33:47 | |
those who have the correct skin color | 33:50 | |
should get what they want if necessary, | 33:52 | |
at the expense of those whose skin is not the correct color. | 33:56 | |
The objectives of this group are of overwhelming importance. | 34:02 | |
And the obedience of the opposite group must be demanded | 34:05 | |
and obtained If necessary by threats, intimidation | 34:09 | |
force violence and bloodshed. | 34:15 | |
Okay, the irony of the situation | 34:19 | |
is that the white racist | 34:24 | |
and the black racist who hate each other, | 34:28 | |
are actually not only the strangest of bedfellows, | 34:33 | |
but are in the truest sense, Soul brothers. | 34:38 | |
The color of a man's skin | 34:43 | |
cannot make him a soul brother. | 34:45 | |
It can merely make him a skin brother, | 34:48 | |
which is the shallowest of all brotherhoods | 34:51 | |
only the quality of a man's soul | 34:55 | |
can make him a soul brother. | 34:57 | |
Hence, | 35:01 | |
the Negro racist is not a soul brother | 35:01 | |
of the Negro integrationist. | 35:04 | |
Rather the Negro racist is a soul brother | 35:07 | |
of the white racist. | 35:10 | |
In my opinion, the two most perfectly matched | 35:13 | |
soul brothers on the American | 35:17 | |
scene today are Stokley Carmichael and Robert Shelton, | 35:18 | |
The person who calls another man nigga | 35:26 | |
exclusively because his skin is black | 35:30 | |
is a true soul brother | 35:33 | |
to the person who calls | 35:34 | |
another man honky | 35:36 | |
only because his skin is white. | 35:39 | |
These strange bedfellows not only have | 35:43 | |
almost identical policies and programs, | 35:46 | |
but the motivation behind their policies | 35:49 | |
also is identical. | 35:52 | |
For this reason. | 35:54 | |
I bear my Testimony this morning | 35:56 | |
that there is no place | 35:58 | |
in an enlightened society | 35:59 | |
for a policy of white or black racism. | 36:02 | |
With its underlying motivation of hatred | 36:07 | |
based on skin pigmentation. | 36:10 | |
Well, let's turn now to a second contemporary phenomenon, | 36:15 | |
which has created strange bedfellows | 36:19 | |
and let's think it through | 36:23 | |
in the light of the questions, | 36:24 | |
which we must ultimately answer. | 36:25 | |
Here i have in mind, | 36:29 | |
the point of view expressed in Moscow | 36:30 | |
concerning the involvement | 36:32 | |
of the American government in Vietnam | 36:34 | |
And the similarity between that at viewpoint | 36:37 | |
and the proposals of such leading American citizens | 36:41 | |
as Senator Fulbright, Dr. Spock, | 36:45 | |
rabbi Heschel, Archbishop Hannan and numerous others. | 36:48 | |
There are many handles | 36:54 | |
by which we could take hold of a discussion | 36:55 | |
of the Vietnam war. | 36:58 | |
If we were particularly concerned | 36:59 | |
to discussed that this morning. | 37:01 | |
The only handle that I am grasping in this sermon | 37:03 | |
is the similarity | 37:06 | |
of the communist view | 37:09 | |
and the view of the American citizens | 37:12 | |
who wish to deescalate America's military | 37:14 | |
action in Vietnam | 37:16 | |
and to negotiate with the enemy. | 37:18 | |
Assuming that communism is the enemy of freedom. | 37:23 | |
As I do assume, | 37:26 | |
the question arises regarding the wisdom | 37:28 | |
of Fulbright and others, | 37:31 | |
continuing to advocate | 37:33 | |
a deescalation of the war. | 37:35 | |
Since that is also what Russia is advocating, | 37:38 | |
Although the proposals of Moscow | 37:44 | |
and those of these leading Americans I have mentioned | 37:47 | |
differ at many points. | 37:51 | |
There are a number of parallels. | 37:53 | |
Both advocated cessation of the bombing of north Vietnam. | 37:56 | |
Both advocate that America propose a temporary truce | 38:00 | |
while negotiations get underway. | 38:04 | |
Both advocate | 38:07 | |
that the people of Vietnam | 38:08 | |
should have the right of self-determination | 38:09 | |
Both contend that the existing government of south Vietnam | 38:12 | |
has been propped up | 38:16 | |
by American dollars and guns | 38:17 | |
rather than by the vote | 38:20 | |
and support of the citizens of south Vietnam. | 38:21 | |
Now, | 38:25 | |
since these leading Americans | 38:26 | |
share many of the same proposals | 38:28 | |
being made by Moscow and even P king, | 38:30 | |
Does this make them not merely strange bedfellows? | 38:33 | |
but fellow travelers as well? | 38:39 | |
Some people contend that it does. | 38:43 | |
The DAR for instance, | 38:47 | |
has refused to allow American folk singer Joanne Baez | 38:48 | |
to use their hall in Washington this past week | 38:52 | |
for a concert. | 38:55 | |
'cause miss Baez | 38:57 | |
is one of those who are opposed | 38:58 | |
to America's military action in Vietnam, | 39:00 | |
consequently 30,000 people | 39:03 | |
had to listen to her concert outdoors. | 39:05 | |
It's odd that the DAR should take this posture | 39:09 | |
for, it has been only a few years | 39:14 | |
since the two most prominent organizations in America, | 39:16 | |
which were objecting to the concept of a world government | 39:21 | |
where the DAR and the communist party. | 39:25 | |
if the DAR, is going to accuse anybody | 39:32 | |
of communist leanings simply because, | 39:35 | |
like the communist, | 39:38 | |
they favor Deescalating the war, | 39:39 | |
then the DAR must confess itself to be communist | 39:43 | |
because its opposition to world government | 39:46 | |
parallels that of the entire communist apparatus. | 39:49 | |
Personally, | 39:54 | |
I'll come to the defense of the DAR at this point, | 39:54 | |
I do not believe | 39:57 | |
that the members of the DAR | 39:58 | |
whom I know are communists. | 40:00 | |
And I think the organization itself | 40:03 | |
should not be labeled communist | 40:05 | |
simply because | 40:06 | |
it shared an important party line with communism. | 40:08 | |
And so far as I know, | 40:13 | |
it still does today. | 40:14 | |
unless the DAR is now supporting world government, | 40:16 | |
because certainly the communist still oppose it. | 40:19 | |
However, this being the case, | 40:24 | |
the DAR should be in the best position of all | 40:26 | |
to understand | 40:29 | |
that one does not have to be a fellow traveler of communism | 40:31 | |
merely because he proposes | 40:34 | |
a parallel point of view. | 40:37 | |
They therefore should be the last to question | 40:41 | |
the loyalty of Americans | 40:43 | |
who for quite different reasons | 40:45 | |
than those which motivate the communists | 40:47 | |
advocate, | 40:50 | |
the deescalation of America's military action in Vietnam, | 40:51 | |
it would appear | 40:57 | |
that much of the accusation now being made | 40:59 | |
against Senator Fulbright, Martin Luther king, | 41:02 | |
Archbishop Hallam Dr. Spock, and others. | 41:04 | |
represents nothing more than an attempt | 41:07 | |
to deter them | 41:11 | |
by a charge of strange bedfellow and fellow traveler | 41:12 | |
and is based upon an unwillingness | 41:16 | |
to discuss with them the real issues of the Vietnam war. | 41:18 | |
You see, | 41:23 | |
it should be possible | 41:24 | |
to disagree with someone without | 41:25 | |
labeling him, am an unworthy person. | 41:27 | |
It should be possible to disagree with a movement | 41:30 | |
without implying that it is disloyal, | 41:32 | |
Because it doesn't agree with you. | 41:36 | |
One final situation, | 41:39 | |
that we want to look at | 41:41 | |
in contemporary life | 41:43 | |
before we draw some general conclusions, | 41:44 | |
is the Perspective of the church. | 41:49 | |
I'm talking about the Christian Church | 41:58 | |
and the strange bedfellows or pew fellows | 42:01 | |
who make up its members and its ministers. | 42:03 | |
Perhaps bedfellows is not an altogether inappropriate term. | 42:09 | |
Since occasionally a member | 42:12 | |
sleeps through a church service here and there. | 42:13 | |
Included in the fellowship of the church, | 42:18 | |
are some people who have made | 42:21 | |
an all out commitment to Jesus Christ. | 42:23 | |
who are throwing the full weight of their lives | 42:27 | |
into the struggle | 42:30 | |
to make this world conform to the will of God, | 42:31 | |
as revealed in Jesus, | 42:34 | |
Who are courageously standing for justice in society | 42:36 | |
For decency, in human relations ,for brotherhood | 42:42 | |
within the nation, | 42:46 | |
and among the nations | 42:47 | |
Who are praying that God's will, | 42:49 | |
may be done on earth as it is in heaven, | 42:51 | |
who sacrificially give off their time | 42:55 | |
off their money, | 42:57 | |
their influence, | 42:58 | |
and their very lives | 42:59 | |
to realize the meaning of the gospel, | 43:00 | |
Who look upon the church | 43:04 | |
as a means whereby they can serve the world | 43:05 | |
and the Lord And who care little about what they | 43:08 | |
themselves will get in return for all their trouble. | 43:12 | |
But also within the fellowship with the visible church, | 43:17 | |
one may find another type of person. | 43:22 | |
this kind thinks of the church | 43:26 | |
as an influence in the community, | 43:27 | |
tending toward the protection | 43:30 | |
of his property and his job. | 43:31 | |
Through the church, | 43:34 | |
He can make contacts | 43:35 | |
which will increase his customers, | 43:36 | |
enhance his status in the community, | 43:38 | |
solidify his relationships with the socially elite, | 43:41 | |
improve his chances of elected. | 43:44 | |
If he runs for office | 43:46 | |
And help him in general, | 43:48 | |
to realize his own selfish ambitions in life. | 43:50 | |
He uses prayer as a means of getting what he wants. | 43:55 | |
A means of keeping his family out of danger. | 43:58 | |
of calling the Lord's attention | 44:01 | |
to the deficiencies of his competitors. | 44:03 | |
He looks upon his pastor | 44:07 | |
as a man who can serve him, | 44:09 | |
and he will praise him to the skies if he does, | 44:12 | |
but he will criticize him unstintingly | 44:15 | |
If he occupies himself in some other way. | 44:18 | |
this type of member | 44:21 | |
wants the church to avoid all appearance of controversy | 44:22 | |
to take no bold stands | 44:25 | |
to support things just as they are. | 44:27 | |
Surely this second type of member is not a true Christian. | 44:32 | |
What should the first type which I have described do | 44:37 | |
when they find themselves | 44:41 | |
in the same church with some of the second type/ | 44:43 | |
what should a prophet do | 44:46 | |
when he finds himself in church with a Pharisee? | 44:48 | |
What conclusion should we draw? | 44:53 | |
And what decisions should we make | 44:54 | |
When we find strange bedfellows in the church? | 44:56 | |
what did our Lord do? | 45:01 | |
When he found himself | 45:03 | |
hanging between a couple of crooks. | 45:04 | |
He might have reasoned, | 45:07 | |
that the world would get the wrong | 45:09 | |
impression from that spectacle | 45:11 | |
and that whatever he was | 45:13 | |
ultimately going to do about Pilate | 45:15 | |
and the Jewish religious leaders. | 45:16 | |
At least he didn't want the world | 45:18 | |
to get his last glimpse of him | 45:19 | |
out there on a hill with two bonafide (Indistinct), | 45:22 | |
this didn't project the right image, Somehow. | 45:27 | |
Madison avenue would certainly never | 45:31 | |
have advised him | 45:33 | |
to go along with that. | 45:34 | |
And yet despising the shame. | 45:37 | |
He accepted his lot. | 45:41 | |
He died between two thieves, | 45:44 | |
but he converted one of them | 45:49 | |
while he was doing it . | 45:51 | |
And said to him this day, | 45:53 | |
Shall thou be with me in paradise. | 45:54 | |
The true Christian | 45:59 | |
can always look forward to that possibility | 46:00 | |
as he ponders whether to stay in church | 46:03 | |
with the strange bedfellows. | 46:06 | |
A great many young idealists, | 46:10 | |
properly impatient with the imperfection of the church | 46:11 | |
are tempted to abandon it all together. | 46:15 | |
And we hear their cries in this day. | 46:17 | |
But if they do abandon it, | 46:19 | |
where will they go | 46:24 | |
to find a perfect organization? | 46:25 | |
I wonder if Christ parable of the wheat | 46:31 | |
and the weeds | 46:33 | |
does not shed light upon the dilemma | 46:34 | |
we have in the church, | 46:36 | |
listen to it. | 46:38 | |
Another parable he put before them, | 46:40 | |
saying the kingdom of heaven may be compared | 46:43 | |
to a man who sewed good seed in his field. | 46:45 | |
But while a man were sleeping, | 46:49 | |
his enemy came, | 46:51 | |
came and sold weeds among the weed | 46:52 | |
and went away. | 46:54 | |
So when the plants came up and bore grain, | 46:57 | |
then the weeds appeared also. | 47:01 | |
And the servants of the householder | 47:03 | |
came and said to him, | 47:05 | |
sir, did you not so good seed in your field? | 47:06 | |
How then has it weeds? | 47:10 | |
He said to them, an enemy has done this. | 47:13 | |
The servant said to him, | 47:17 | |
then do you want us to go and gather them? | 47:18 | |
But he said, no | 47:22 | |
lest in gathering the weeds, | 47:24 | |
you root up the wheat, along with them. | 47:27 | |
let both grow together until the harvest. | 47:32 | |
And at harvest time, I will tell the reapers, | 47:36 | |
gather the weeds first | 47:38 | |
and bind them in bundles to be burned. | 47:40 | |
But gather the wheat into my barn. | 47:43 | |
Well then in conclusion, | 47:49 | |
let us attempt some general observations. | 47:51 | |
We should not fail to sew wheat | 47:56 | |
merely because of the likelihood | 47:59 | |
that some weeds may grow among the wheat, | 48:02 | |
we should concentrate on sewing more wheat. | 48:06 | |
We shall have to leave to the harvester, | 48:10 | |
the separation of the wheat from the weeds. | 48:12 | |
Secondly, we may say that in general, | 48:16 | |
it is as important to know why a person takes a stand, | 48:20 | |
as it is to know what that stand is. | 48:25 | |
One should not label | 48:29 | |
and judge other people by their bedfellows. | 48:31 | |
We should not damn by association. | 48:35 | |
Even our Lord, ate with sinners from the beginning | 48:39 | |
and at the end, he was numbered with the transgressors. | 48:43 | |
We may also say in general | 48:47 | |
that the average run of people | 48:49 | |
are neither criminals nor saints. | 48:51 | |
And so they are as shocked by real Christianity | 48:53 | |
as they are by criminality. | 48:57 | |
They therefore have a tendency to lump both together | 48:59 | |
and kill them all. | 49:02 | |
In general, we may say | 49:05 | |
that good men and good movements | 49:07 | |
like harmless Prairie dogs | 49:11 | |
may find themselves in situations | 49:14 | |
where they occupy the same position | 49:17 | |
that is also claimed by deadly rattlesnakes. | 49:20 | |
You and I not abandoned prayer | 49:26 | |
simply because some people | 49:29 | |
make a terribly selfish use of it. | 49:31 | |
Let us bow our heads and pray now, | 49:35 | |
Oh God, we humbly ask | 49:40 | |
that we may always have the grace of honesty. | 49:42 | |
As we evaluate the work of others, | 49:45 | |
give a us the grace of wisdom. | 49:49 | |
As we decide the course of our own lives | 49:51 | |
and grant us the grace of courage | 49:55 | |
as we put our decisions into effect | 49:58 | |
through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. | 50:01 | |
(orchestral music) | 50:08 | |
(man singing) | 56:04 | |
(indistinct) | ||
(orchestral music) | 1:00:43 | |
Enable thy people oh Lord in this act of giving | 1:02:11 | |
to give ourselves whole fully to thy service | 1:02:14 | |
to meet the needs of others, with compassion, | 1:02:18 | |
to pray and work for the extension of our Lordship | 1:02:22 | |
over all phases of life in this world. | 1:02:25 | |
And to make ourselves more worthy | 1:02:28 | |
as of the life to come. | 1:02:30 | |
So bless what we give, | 1:02:33 | |
what we do and what we seek to become | 1:02:36 | |
for the sake of Christ Our Lord, we pray, amen. | 1:02:41 | |
(Indistinct) | 1:02:48 | |
Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, | 1:02:59 | |
and the love of God the Father | 1:03:02 | |
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us | 1:03:05 | |
now and forever more. | 1:03:09 | |
(gentle orchestral music) | 1:03:11 | |
(bell ringing) | 1:03:34 | |
(orchestral music) | 1:03:44 |
Item Info
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