Hope
In a book called "Essentials in Christian Faith" by John B. Harrington, published in 1958, there is a quote that could have been written yesterday.
It opens with this quote from Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948:
"A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; 'We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.’"
Harrington notes that Gallico makes no pretense of being "a religious man" noting that "...for him it is precisely religion in its organized forms which has in part caused the situation he deplores. He is careful to state that it is not "religion" for which he is looking. For in his opinion, religion throughout the history of our culture has advanced its control over human beings by the investment of bigotry and persecution.
Yet, out of despair over the current human situation he says; ‘The voice for which my heavy spirit is yearning must reach us all... For if it is not heard, we are lost. Something beyond our material enrichment and lust for power and position, some rewards founded on good will, selflessness, and the innate dignity of the human spirit...honour, humility, decency courage."
If Paul Gallico is right, and I believe he is. Mankind is considerably nearer the bottom of that slope than he was in 1948. Moreover at the bottom of that slope is a very deep lake filled with brimstone.
When Paul Gallico wrote his article the world the world was still reeling from world war two, the worst war in human history in which 56,000,000 plus people military and civilian died. 11,000,000 plus in Nazi death camps 6,000,000 plus Jews alone. Killed for simply being who they were.
Paul Gallico could not have even begun to see what the rest of the twentieth century and the first decades of the twenty-first century would be like.
The numbers may not be on the industrial scale of world war two but daily around the world innocent people are dying at the hands of terrorist.
People are being murdered in the streets of our cities by people who are not worried about the consequences of their actions. Crime around the world is rampant. And while crime in many areas may be down, the fact is man with all his laws and punishments has not been able to stop it.
The fact is all the laws and punishments for crime will not stop people who do not fear the law.
Another Paul writing to a member of the first century church wrote the following,
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" 2 Timothy 3:1-4
Particularly it seem since the second world war with the rise of consumerism and materialism, western society has turned away from God.
I was born, in England two years prior to the first satellite going into space. You got your news from the News paper, Radio or a black and white television. Music was played on record players. If you wanted to record anything you got a reel to reel tape recorder. Telephones were attached to the wall and used a rotary dial. My parents never used a credit card.
The big purchase in my teens after we moved to Canada, was a stereophonic record player about five feet long and two feet deep that cost me I think fifty dollars.
At the time the record player was a big thing. But I never remember advertisements telling me I “really, really needed it”. Although there probably were.
In today’s society we are bombarded in the media with adds telling us we need the “latest greatest gadget”. That we have to be connected. A simple cell phone is not enough we have to have a smart phone that is more computer than phone. We must have it so we can chase imaginary creatures around our city and town. Not to mention broadcast our every move to the world.
Life today is fast paced and God has it seems been left out. Materialism is the new God within our society. It seems our youth in particular can name more factitious characters in a video game than they can books of the bible.
Morality in the first part of the twenty-first century at least seems to be changing. As a now sixty-two year old observer or our society I have seen our society change.
My fathers generation sent its teens and those in their mid twenties to fight a war against the evil that was Nazism. Today it seems there are many teens and twenty something’s that are disillusioned with our western society and choosing to join the forces of evil.
My generation seems to be the link between the two groups. True my generation has seen little wars but my generation ushered in our materialistic society. A society that has put less and less faith in God.
Abba Hillel Silver wrote,
“Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society. Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority.” Abba Hillel Silver.
Today that bulwark, that defensive wall is being broken down. People no longer recognize God let alone have faith in him. Sadly as that faith fails I believe society will ultimately fail.
The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes12:13,14.
Unfortunately this is a message lost, it seems in this generation, not just in North America but around the world. There is however I believe hope. That hope is Jesus.
The message of Jesus of Love for God, ones neighbours and even ones enemies is as relevant today as it was when he walked the earth. This is the hope I believe Paul Gallico was looking for sixty-eight years ago.
To my mind Jesus is the only hope for mankind today. His call of,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
Is for today. Is the answer to those who see no hope in today’s society.
Please think about it.
In a book called "Essentials in Christian Faith" by John B. Harrington, published in 1958, there is a quote that could have been written yesterday.
It opens with this quote from Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948:
"A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; 'We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.’"
Harrington notes that Gallico makes no pretense of being "a religious man" noting that "...for him it is precisely religion in its organized forms which has in part caused the situation he deplores. He is careful to state that it is not "religion" for which he is looking. For in his opinion, religion throughout the history of our culture has advanced its control over human beings by the investment of bigotry and persecution.
Yet, out of despair over the current human situation he says; ‘The voice for which my heavy spirit is yearning must reach us all... For if it is not heard, we are lost. Something beyond our material enrichment and lust for power and position, some rewards founded on good will, selflessness, and the innate dignity of the human spirit...honour, humility, decency courage."
If Paul Gallico is right, and I believe he is. Mankind is considerably nearer the bottom of that slope than he was in 1948. Moreover at the bottom of that slope is a very deep lake filled with brimstone.
When Paul Gallico wrote his article the world the world was still reeling from world war two, the worst war in human history in which 56,000,000 plus people military and civilian died. 11,000,000 plus in Nazi death camps 6,000,000 plus Jews alone. Killed for simply being who they were.
Paul Gallico could not have even begun to see what the rest of the twentieth century and the first decades of the twenty-first century would be like.
The numbers may not be on the industrial scale of world war two but daily around the world innocent people are dying at the hands of terrorist.
People are being murdered in the streets of our cities by people who are not worried about the consequences of their actions. Crime around the world is rampant. And while crime in many areas may be down, the fact is man with all his laws and punishments has not been able to stop it.
The fact is all the laws and punishments for crime will not stop people who do not fear the law.
Another Paul writing to a member of the first century church wrote the following,
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" 2 Timothy 3:1-4
Particularly it seem since the second world war with the rise of consumerism and materialism, western society has turned away from God.
I was born, in England two years prior to the first satellite going into space. You got your news from the News paper, Radio or a black and white television. Music was played on record players. If you wanted to record anything you got a reel to reel tape recorder. Telephones were attached to the wall and used a rotary dial. My parents never used a credit card.
The big purchase in my teens after we moved to Canada, was a stereophonic record player about five feet long and two feet deep that cost me I think fifty dollars.
At the time the record player was a big thing. But I never remember advertisements telling me I “really, really needed it”. Although there probably were.
In today’s society we are bombarded in the media with adds telling us we need the “latest greatest gadget”. That we have to be connected. A simple cell phone is not enough we have to have a smart phone that is more computer than phone. We must have it so we can chase imaginary creatures around our city and town. Not to mention broadcast our every move to the world.
Life today is fast paced and God has it seems been left out. Materialism is the new God within our society. It seems our youth in particular can name more factitious characters in a video game than they can books of the bible.
Morality in the first part of the twenty-first century at least seems to be changing. As a now sixty-two year old observer or our society I have seen our society change.
My fathers generation sent its teens and those in their mid twenties to fight a war against the evil that was Nazism. Today it seems there are many teens and twenty something’s that are disillusioned with our western society and choosing to join the forces of evil.
My generation seems to be the link between the two groups. True my generation has seen little wars but my generation ushered in our materialistic society. A society that has put less and less faith in God.
Abba Hillel Silver wrote,
“Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society. Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority.” Abba Hillel Silver.
Today that bulwark, that defensive wall is being broken down. People no longer recognize God let alone have faith in him. Sadly as that faith fails I believe society will ultimately fail.
The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes12:13,14.
Unfortunately this is a message lost, it seems in this generation, not just in North America but around the world. There is however I believe hope. That hope is Jesus.
The message of Jesus of Love for God, ones neighbours and even ones enemies is as relevant today as it was when he walked the earth. This is the hope I believe Paul Gallico was looking for sixty-eight years ago.
To my mind Jesus is the only hope for mankind today. His call of,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
Is for today. Is the answer to those who see no hope in today’s society.
Please think about it.
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