 
PREACHERS AND THE MORAL CRISIS
In the last half of the 8th Century B. C., Israel was in a moral crisis. God described her with searing words: "Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers, children that deal corruptly! They have forsaken Jehovah, they have despised the Holy One of Israel...the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it..." (Is. 1:4-6).
Several years ago Jack Anderson, a news columnist painted a dreary picture of modern America: "The America of the 1970's is in a class by itself. Never before has so large a share of the population indulged in an orgy of self-pampering, overdosing, loafing, sponging, splurging, cheating, shoplifting, looting, philandering, even murdering. That's what the statistics show." Today the situation is even worse. One need not be a seer to conclude that we too are enmeshed in a moral crisis. Is it not strange that a civilization that has produced the best airplanes, cars and computers has also produced the worst types of people in abundance?
What is even more disturbing about this situation is the tolerant acceptance of it by the masses of the people. Signs of moral decadence are everywhere but the average American cannot see them. Society seems unable to deal with crime or to control the criminal element, it appears rather as a helpless victim. In our indulgent society the will to believe, to resist, to contend, to fight is gone. In place of this is the desire to conform to drift, to follow to yield, to surrender.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
It is common for the blame for such a social crisis to be passed on to politicians, educators, the media or some other public group. It is fair to ask if a part of the blame may not lay upon the preachers of America. It is tragic that not only have most pulpits been muted before these moral challenges, but many have actually capitulated to Satan's side in the conflict. Thus we see such paradoxes as preachers calling for "gay rights" and opposing restrictions on pornography. It cannot be denied that the majority are failing to provide strong moral leadership in the public teaching of Christian ethics and in leading the battle against these vices.
Our people are looking for strong moral leadership sin from the pulpit. They will generally warmly encourage and help a man who launches out in a responsible way. Even the denominational world will follow our leadership in this area. All across the land there is a restless feeling of responsibility in the hearts of religious people. They know something needs to be done, they feel that they and their church leaders should do it, but the leadership is just not there. They will gladly fall in behind us when we lead out. (If today they follow our moral leadership tomorrow they may well follow our
spiritual leadership.)
A CHALLENGE TO PREACHERS
Consider these words from Dr. Karl Menninger: "We know that the principle leadership in the morality realm should be the clergy's but they seem to minimize their great traditional and historical opportunity to preach, to prophesy, to speak out...some clergymen prefer pastoral counseling of individuals to the pulpit function. But the latter is a greater opportunity to both heal and prevent. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, indeed, and there is much prevention to be done for large numbers of people who hunger and thirst after direction towards righteousness. Clergymen have a golden opportunity to prevent some of the accumulated apprehensions, guilt, aggressive action, and other roots of later mental suffering and mental disease.
"How? Preach! Tell it like it is. Say it from the pulpit. Cry it from the housetops." What shall we cry?" "Cry comfort, cry repentance, cry hope. Because recognition our part in the world transgression is the only remaining hope." (Whatever Became of Sin? New York, Hawthorne Books Inc. 1974). Remember brethren this is no preacher or elders, it is a world famous psychiatrist. Surely if he sees the need for strong fearless moral leadership in the pulpit, we should.
PROPHETIC PREACHING
For our pulpit models we need to study the ancient Hebrew prophets. Preaching like theirs would revolutionize our diseased society and the church. God is still looking for men who will "stand in the gap" of the broken besieged walls of Zion and build up those damaged moral and spiritual walls (Ezek. 22:30). They were scare in Ezekiel's day, as in ours. We can be the volunteers who stand up bravely and volunteer, Lord, "here am I; send me" (Is. 6:8). Whether we win or lose in the great moral battle for the hearts and minds of men, at least they will know "that there hath been a prophet among them" (Ezek. 2:5). Always remember God's charge to Ezekiel: "son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words...nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto then, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear..." (Ezek. 2:6-7). JHW |
