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The Chronicle StriTM To Be A CImii News paper, Complete, Neway and Reliable ©hr (HUntnn (Eljnmirlp If Yon Don't The Chronicle You Don’t Get the Newt Volume LVI Clinton, S. O, Thursday, March 31,1955 Number 13 *= Present-Tense; Future-Perfect By DAVID A. MAC LfNNAN ProfeMer, Tele University Divinity School In April TEXT: “By now they were ap proaching the village to which they were going; end He made ee if He was going still farther. But they pressed Hiln, saying ‘Stay with us, for it is near evening and there’s not much daylight left.”’ —Luke 24:28, 20 (Maneon) Two men are driving along a prairie road to town. They “take it easy”; ditches with gumbo wait to grab their wheels. They have talked about many things as neighbors will; how' the stock weathered the winter, when seed ing might begin, how Jennie and the wee one are making out, tax es, and the like. Taxes and poli tics bring their words to the threat of war and what is happening In Moscow and Peiping and what it will do to us over here. Nodding their heads vigorously, you hear them agreeing about one fact: things are bad. And what’s around the corner is likely to be grim, really rugged—no mistake. “It’s tough any way you look at it, Bill. Take that boy of mine, he never lived in a world without war brewing or breaking out. And we’ll all be in it I guess it’s what a fellow on the radio said the other night: we’re going to live in a kind of garrison state from now on.” “It IS tough, Mac,” agrees his friend. “Russia, China, Formoaa— things are a mess.’’ Two men—or were they man and wife?—walk along a country road to the village where they lived. “What kind of world is this?” asks one. “Isn’t there any thing we can count on in religion? Here was this Man, and somehow I still think He was more than a man—God-man, Peter called Him. If anyone could have saved us and our people without lifting a spear, it was this Jesus. I had hoped that He would have been the One, but now He’s finished like a common criminal, on a cross. It makes a person wonder if God Men like ourselves are moving along roads whether in Canada, in America, in Asia, in Palestine, try ing to face the facts, deserving full marks for living with dark reality. How would you describe die out look on the way to Emma us— theirs and ours? A phrase that comes frym those lessons in gram mar we had hack in school is us able now for our inner mood and outward prospect: “Present— TENSE.” But what of the future? No doubt about the present; any can did camera shot of our condition would show tensions—between power groups in the world com munity, and in us. What about the future? Would it not be just'plain sense to say the future will be black, dreadful, something that will not bear thinging about? It would be—unless there is another factcf operating: a power and a purpose with goodness and justice at the heart, v That factor is at the heart of this difficult and dangerous en terprise we call living. We call it the Good News, the wonder, the truth of Blaster. The Gospel points to the infinite factor in our human situation. What do those wizards with numbers, the mathematicans, say?— multiply infinity with any factor, and the result is infinity. What does the living Word of God say?. In substance this: multiply divinity —the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ—with any fac tor, and the result will be divine. Now listen again to peurt of the report on the two discouraged travelers trudging to their vil lage on the first Easter evening. The two have been joined by a Third who is the key to the problem that perplexes them. "By now they were approaching | the village to which they were going; and He made as if He was going still farther. But they pressed Him saying, ‘Stay with I us, for it is near evening and ! there’s not much daylight left.’ So He went in to stay wth them. Divine love reached down into the human scene giving men the clue to the grand drama of life. If Easter means that death and evil could not defeat or hold Christ, then it means the same for us, if we are linked to Him. It means that for all who trust i and serve God, it is a case of present—tense; future — perfect. You see, the disclosure, the! revelation of Easter, is that God has the last word, and that this word is life, peace, joy, victory. The present is indeed tense, and in this kind of world the Chris tian cannot escape tension. The pull between two kinds of pow er—the power of evil and the strange power of holy, righteous love—that kind of tension is like ly to continue. True, if you com mit yourself to God in phrist, commit all that you know of yourself to all that you know of God, you will experience release from many inner tensions. But while there will be peace at the center, you will encounter war around you. Do ypu say, “Then isn’t this rather stupid optimism to speak in the same breath of the fu ture’s being perfect?” Is it? If l?y perfect you mean the end of striving, the end of tears, the] end of sacrifice in this mortal | stretch of our existence, then perfection is not promised. But if you mean growth toward ma turity in our relationship with others toward God; if inward re inforcement for every need is part of going on toward perfec- ton—then it is true: present— tense, future—perfect. Does this mean that living by the faith of the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us and has been raised from the dead by the power of God, we shall be free from pain and loss? No. But it does mean that the cloud over Hiroshima need not cast its shadow over all the years ahead. For it means that when we move along the road of God’s will for His human family He Himself draws near; that when our dark hours come, as they do, the miracle of Easter in Emmaus is repeated. He comes in to stay with us, and then leads us far ther. And coming He brings meaning, and with the meanng peace, and in the peace power to 1 do what His spirit commands. Easter jittests this incontro vertible fact: God vindicated the most perfect life, even the life of His Son. Lift up your hearts, yes, lift them up unto the Lord! For He must reign, until all His enemies are put under His feet. Present—tense, at least anxious? But the present belongs to Him, and the future is in His hands. Receive His gift of eternal life — knowledge of God through trust in Him and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Then you and I and all our brothers in the faith can conquer the forces of the present that bring death to, men’s souls—war, racial hatreds, lies and deceits, injustice. What about the long future? Christ is risen; He has put down the last enemy, death. There are| no permanent bereavements. Physical death remains, but no death can touch the real you, if, as Paul would say, you are "in Christ,’’ united to Him in loving trust and obedience. The more we live in our love and active immortality, the more greatly we live. One of my Ger man colleagues told me that dur ing the last weeks of World War I two characteristic communi ques were issued, one by the German High Command, and the other by Austrian headquar ters. The first read: “The situa tion is serious, but not hopeless." The next day the Austrian head quarters issued a statement say ing: “The situation is hopeless, but not serious.” For the Chris tian fighter it is like that: “Situ ation now — hopeless; but not serious, not irreparable, "hot fin al." Why? Because even when it seems as if “there’s not much daylight left,” the Light of the world draws near. He makes Himself know supremely with in His communty, the Church. More than ever the church in all its branches is the light and salt of society, the custodian and transmitter of the truth that can set us free from error, impotence and despair. Despite the frailty and follies of her members, she is the Community of the Resur rection, the living Body of Christ. This is the fact, the claim, the promise and the truth this East ertide: “Present — tense; situa tion hopeless—from man’s per spective; but not serious—for there is always Christ. Future— perfect.” The Sense of Security By JAMES C. KINARD As the train rounded a curve in the approach to a large city there suddenly burst into view a lighted cross on top of a moun tain. One of the passengers re marked to his traveling compan ion, “Every time I see that cross I feel our country is more secure because of jt." He was a business executive who admitted that he buried himself in his work but did not forget his religion. He went on to say that he appreciated the fundamental values of things spiritual for which that cross stood. It is worthy of note that church membership in the Unit-J ed States is steadily increasing. I Our newspapers give generous) coverage of religious activities. A number of columnists write on these themes and their readers are responsive. President Eisenhower signifi cantly prefaced his inaugural ad dress with a prayer to God for gudance. Our leaders recognize that the freedom which we Americans enjoy is founded on faith in God. They realize that our profession and practice of that faith. There have been other people to fade out in history be cause they sought security in gold rather than in God. Ameri ca is not making that fatal mis- take. Addressing a group of young people who were studying for business careers, the public re lations director of a national cor poration advised, “If you would succeed, keep God in your busi ness." Good government and sound business are essential to each other The recognition of God' is indispensable to both. Local Girl Writes Magazine Sketch Miss Emma Gray, daughter of Rev. and Mrs James S. Gray of this city, is the author of a sketch published last week in the Con verse college liJerary magazine, “We, The Freshmen ” The magazine is devoted to pub lishing the works of Converse's first year students. It is edited by a freshman board of editors. Miss Elizabeth Bearden, associate pro fessor of English at Converse, is the faculty advisor. Mias Gray’s sketch is entitled. Come Drive America’s Best-Selling Car! 10*10*20 Fi-AH to help y° u Grow GREAT L ° Yer f s ••SO” SPARTICLES '• hilds bit, rugged frames! Whan ohiefc* are about 10 weeks old, !?• to start building their bodies for the job ahead. Put them on “SQ” Growing Sparticlee (or mash)... the find that’s built to do the job... better ... faster! C. W. S. GUANO CO. 103 N. 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