RUSSIA'S PURSUIT OF TRADITIONAL MORAL VALUES

I am pasting below an excerpt from an article in another blog on ethics issues. The article describes attempts by Russia to re-introduce common moral values in Russia and into the world debate - an effort rejected by the administration of our current President.

The reason this article is so significant is that much of the moral debate in the US media and among US politicians tends to be in terms of keeping Christians from imposing their beliefs on others or in terms of throwing off the restraints that Christian ideals have traditionally created on conduct in the U.S. The fact that Russia and many of its allies are recognizing that there needs to be some type of restraint on traditionally immoral behavior is a clear aknowledgement that there are untoward secondary effects of traditionally immoral behavior that doom social order in any society. Thus, the issue is not so much about Christians trying to impose their beliefs on others as it is about what morals and values are best for the health of all of society. If what is best happens to coincide with the values of the Bible, that should not be a barrier to the promotion of those values.

From http://www.mercator.net/:

Russia champions ‘traditional values’

....

The Russian Federation’s demographic and social problems are notorious. Abuse of alcohol among Russians is possibly the worst in the world; levels of fatal injury and violence are extreme and life expectancy for men approaches third world level. As in the first world, family life is in decline but with worse consequences for children; fertility is well below replacement and the total population is in decline. If you re-aspire to Great Power status, you need people.
But the Russians, always slightly mysterious to westerners, are also capable of surprising us. In recent years the government has shown a certain realism about fundamental issues such as family life and demography that tends to be lacking in the West. It has introduced policies favouring marriage and fertility; at recent United Nations meetings it has promoted pro-natalism rather than population control and resisted attempts to get “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” language embedded in human rights instruments.
Why, though, would gay rights -- which is the only remaining gender issue for Russia -- trouble a nation that has used abortion as its main method of birth control for decades and seems to have largely forgotten the Ten Commandments? Does it have a moral scruple about homosexuality, or is it just a matter -- as the Mayor of Moscow has implied -- of containing the spread of HIV/Aids?

Piero Tozzi, a lawyer and Executive Vice President and General Counsel of C-FAM, a Catholic organisation that monitors the UN closely, suggests that Russia has genuine moral concerns as a result of its unique recent history. “Russia’s revolution occurred in 1917, not 1968. They basically missed out on the great social revolution that has turned western morality on its head. The left in Russia is the political left – former communists, ex-KGB – not the latex left.”

Politically, says Tozzi, Vladimir Putin and company see a benefit in aligning with the Russian Orthodox Church, “which remains a potent symbol of Russian nationalism and is serious about these moral issues.”

Earlier this year President Dmitry Medvedev met with the leaders of Russia's traditional religions and agreed that the history and culture of the country's main religions should be included in the core school curriculum. He also agreed that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation should have military priests. The dominant concern behind this deal was the spiritual, moral and physical health of the younger generation.

It is not quite so surprising, then, to find the Russian Federation at a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council early this month sponsoring a resolution on “traditional values” that rattled the cage of the sexual liberation lobby represented by the European Union, the United States and their allies.
The resolution called for the UN Commissioner for Human Rights to convene a workshop next year “for an exchange of views on how a better understand of traditional values of humankind underpinning international human rights norms and standards can contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms…” It provided for a fully representative gathering of “interested States, regional organisations, national human rights institutions and civil society, as well as experts selected with due consideration given to the appropriate representation of different civilisations and legal systems.”

Now, this is quite a mouthful and seems to cover all the bases required for a reasonable and timely discussion of what has become a highly contentious issue both nationally and internationally: the philosophical basis for the new rights being promoted under the banner of gender equality. The representatives of 25 other developing/non-western nations, including heavyweights China and India supported Russia’s proposal and carried the vote, but 15 developed nations and fellow travellers voted against it -- and some were very annoyed about it.
Of the latter group, those who commented on the resolution confirmed that gender was the big issue. Steering clear of sexual orientation, they focussed on women and raised the spectre of genital mutilation and violence against women as well as other harmful practices violating the rights of women and children. Their technical objection was that the term “traditional values” was not defined in the resolution, leaving an opening for values and practices inconsistent with international human rights law.

But isn’t this precisely the sort of thing that would be debated at the workshop? Why be so scared of a dialogue that could deal with the underlying tensions between states and blocs over human rights unless the real game at the UN is ideological domination by the few over the many? As the Cuban representative (who supported the resolution) observed, values bearing on human rights such as respect, tolerance, good faith and dialogue had been missing in the negotiations preceding the vote.

The United States representative, Douglas M Griffiths, was in an awkward position. The Obama administration is trying to “reset” its relationship with Russia as an ally against Iran and although during her visit to Russia this month Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke publicly about human rights, they were rights touching on political freedoms rather than gay rights or other gender issues. In keeping with the new détente with Russia, Griffiths expressed US opposition to the Federation’s “traditional values” resolution almost apologetically, and only after thanking the sponsor for having conducted “open and transparent consultations.”

In any case, it looks as though Russia is going to get its workshop on values and human rights, with whatever outcomes it has at the UN. Perhaps there is some other, more political motive behind this initiative, but it could also be that the Russians, like some other states (those with Muslim majorities, for example), are simply fed up with the gay rights issue being pushed at every possible opportunity.

Says Piero Tozzi: “My impression is that they are genuinely puzzled about the whole thing. To them the gay agenda is self-evidently morally wrong and also irrelevant to such major concerns as the declining birthrate and its threat to national security.

“They wonder what has gotten into the Europeans, the Kiwis, Canadians and Blue State Americans when there are more serious things to worry about. I suppose they figure there must be something in the water – which is probably why, quite sensibly, they stick to their vodka.”

WHOLEHEARTED, ALL ENCOMPASSING, JOYOUS WORSHIP

The first place that the early church really began to take root outside of Israel was Egypt. The church rapidly developed an intellectual base in Alexandria, Egypt and the most ancient New Testament manuscripts come from that church.

For various reasons, the Egyptian desert gradually became a place for monastic individuals and communities. They desired to preserve the raw simplicity of the gospel, forsaking the world. God used those monastic people and communities in several powerful ways that I won't go into here, but out of those communities came awe-inspired worship, including the following hymn, which reflects the heart and character of the these people. As you read these words, you can imagine these simple, yet profound people, living in the rocks and crags of the desert, completely caught up in the glory and wonder of God and His creation:

May none of God's wonderful works

keep silence, night or morning

Bright stars, high mountains, the depths of the seas,

sources of rushing rivers:

May all these break into song as we sing

to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

May all the angels in the heavens reply:

Amen! Amen! Amen!

This is cited in Turning Points, 2nd Ed., by Mark A. Noll.

God used these simple people to preserve the fundamentals of the Christian faith at a time when the doctrine of the trinity was under severe attack. That, however, is a book length story. The question for us is how we can break away from the hustle and bustle and noise of life in order to learn to meditate and worship with the joy and confidence of these long forgotten saints whom God used to protect His church.

An Apprentice to Christ

Leading up to the legal acceptance of Christianity by Constantine in 312 was a period of intense persecution. Not only were Christians killed, but many were horribly tortured and survived. God used the persecutions of the church for good in many ways, but there was clearly a sense of relief, celebration and joy when the persecution was not only over, but the government officially accepted Christianity.

Very quickly, the government went from persecuting Christians to financially and otherwise supporting the church. As often happens when the power of government mixes with religion, some church leaders got caught up in pomp and circumstance and politics. Others reacted to this new experience of government support of the church by withdrawing in fear that this was Satan encroaching on the church. Monasticism developed from this fear. Many monastics simply lived by themselves or in small communities. This is a story about a church leader who ministered in the cities, but with a monastic attitude, and in the process helped keep the church closer to the Christ-like ideal.

In 335 A.D., Martin (of Tours) was born to pagan parents, but was drawn to Jesus Christ in his late teens. Martin was forced to enter the army by his father, who hoped that the military would crush faith out of him. Instead, he became a godly influence in the army. Without knowing it, we all celebrate Martin every time we use the words, “chapel” and “chaplain.” While Martin was in the army, he came across a naked, shivering beggar. At a time when soldiers were not known for compassion, Martin tore his own soldier’s cape in half and wrapped it around the beggar, quoting Jesus’ words: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

Martin’s act of compassion and his humble, godly spirit, made a huge impact on the people around him. This story spread and people were drawn to imitate Martin’s submission to Christ. Eventually, a small church hung up a torn cloth that they said was Martin’s torn cape. The Latin word for cape – capella – came to be our word, chapel, in recognition of the size of the church where Martin’s cape was displayed. A “chaplain” became someone who served in that church. Thus, in using these words, we remind ourselves of Martin of Tours.

What moves me the most, however, about Martin, was his ability to minister in truth and grace and power, with godly humility and surrender, despite his popularity. Everyone loved Martin. He was generous and kind and faithful and gracious. He always found a way to help others. He lived poorly and humbly, often not caring about his poor dress and disheveled look. This was a huge contrast to the church leaders around him. Martin was eventually elected to be Bishop of Tours, but he continued to live by monastic values. God used him to do miraculous things and to bring great blessing to his region, “but he always refused to count himself as anything more than an apprentice in the Christian life.” (Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1, p. 148.)

That last statement, about being nothing more than an apprentice in the Christian life, really got to me. For those of us who study and teach and are building our knowledge, there is a strong pull of self-righteousness, toward believing that we are doing pretty good. Comparison is always with those around us instead of with Christ. By Christ’s standard, we are always nothing more than an apprentice, a workman who is continuing to learn the trade of the master. There is nothing in us that is worthy apart from the presence of Jesus Christ. He alone is to be a our everlasting preoccupation and passion. May you and I become better apprentices of our Lord and Savior, forsaking anything that interferes with that holy calling.

SAY YES AND BE A DOER

I just attended the annual conference of the Christian Legal Society, which was held in La Jolla this year. There were about 150 law students there who are future leaders, passionate young followers of Christ who need our support, example and encouragement. CLS needs the support of Christian attorneys! CLS needs the involvement of more Christian attorneys. I would probably not know many of the Christian attorneys that I know if it wasn’t for CLS!

I wrote this from the CLS annual conference in San Diego. As usual, the conference has been inspirational, but the final night's speaker was extraordinarily incredible. The audience included many really bright, successful attorneys and many others. I can’t believe how many Harvard, Duke and UCLA attorneys are in this group. Yet, the speaker, Bob Goff, could not qualify for law school. He was rejected by seven law schools, and the only way he made it was to literally camp on the bench outside the dean’s office at USD for 2 months. It wasn’t until 5 days into the school year that the dean gave him the right to attend. He said he has never been a scholar, but he is a DOER!

He is a gregarious, complete optimist, constantly smiling contagiously, who sees everything positively. God blessed his law practice (primarily construction litigation with offices in San Diego and Seattle). His life motto is “YES!” So, he decided that however God leads him, wherever doors open, his answer is always “YES!” His presentation was hilarious – I mean really, really funny and my description will not do justice to his presentation. You will need to watch the video.

His family doesn’t have a television, so they were among the last to know about 9/11. When he discussed the issue with his wife and kids, his kids wanted to know what they could DO. He had each child come up with a one sentence statement of what they would like to do. Essentially, each child wanted to encourage world leaders and help them understand that they should be people of HOPE. So, they wrote letters and emails to the leader of each nation in the world and asked three things: (1) Will you come spend the night at our house so that we can talk about hope?; (2) If you won’t come to our house, can we come to your house and ask you questions about hope?; and (3) Can we videotape the interview?

Believe it or not, they received 29 yes responses from world leaders, including Bulgaria, Malaysia, Israel, Switzerland and other nations. So, as a family they went to these nations and interviewed these world leaders. At the end of each interview, they would ask if they could pray for the leader and they were always given permission to pray. The kids are now old enough to travel on their own and are continuing to complete these interviews. They provided a nice red box with the gift of a key to their home to each world leader whom they interviewed, along with an open invitation to come visit.

When Bob’s youngest son was 7 and had a bad cold, he called the White House for his son and asked if the President would speak to his son to encourage him because he wasn’t feeling well. His son spoke with an operator at the White House and felt better very quickly.

This man visited India with his family. They learned about sex trafficking of young girls and the family got involved in buying young girls to keep them out of sex trafficking. They developed a school and a fully staffed ministry to find and rescue these girls. They support staff in India who continue to track down and rescue such girls, placing them in a safe school environment.

Bob visited Uganda with his family and felt called to invest his life in that nation. He is a tall, blond/grey man with very fair skin. He learned of problems with the criminal justice system and of the multitude of issues with child soldiers, most of whom were abducted from their families and forced to kill. He felt that he could use his legal skills to help solve these problems. So, he read the Ugandan Constitution, read the key Ugandan laws, learned how the criminal justice system worked, and began trying to rescue kids lost in the criminal justice system. He is also helping with restoring former child soldiers back into society.

The Parliament of Uganda was so impressed by Bob’s work that they made him a Ugandan diplomat with full Ugandan diplomatic papers and diplomatic immunity (he had to get U.S. State Department approval to become a diplomat for another country). He then felt called to become a Ugandan justice in order to help with the backlog of criminal cases involving minors. They don’t have enough skilled judges to bring minors to trial within 3 years of their arrest!

The Parliament approved a resolution making him a Ugandan justice and he is expecting the President to sign that resolution this week. He is flying to Uganda this week to preside over the first graduating class of a school of almost 200 that he started in an area that was decimated by rebels and where thousands of children had been kidnapped to become child soldiers.

Several months ago he was driving in his jacked-up jeep in San Diego. The jeep is open-air with roll-bars. An 84-year old lady ran a red light and hit him, flipping the jeep. He was not wearing his seatbelt and as the car rolled, he went through the roof and landed on the street in a sitting position. The jeep kept rolling down the street.

He said that after realizing that he was unhurt, his first thought was, “that was thrilling, I want to do it again!” He had a hard time convincing the hysterical older lady that he was not hurt. He sent her flowers!

He ended up buying back the jeep from the insurance company after it was totaled. He still drives it as a reminder of God’s protection, but it is crushed on the driver’s side and pulls hard to the left. It leaks oil constantly.

His message was that all of us have been in wrecks in our life and because of the wrecks we leak oil. The oil is Jesus. Everywhere we go, we should be leaking Jesus – the oil of joy and gladness and mercy and grace that is Jesus working through us.

His challenge was to always be a doer, never a sitter or a contemplator. Do and leak and spread the life of Jesus as long as we have breath! What a great example. I will try to get the video and share this with others. What a tremendous encouragement to be Christ, filled with joy in a dark and hurting world.

So, what are you going to DO to let your life leak Jesus? How are you going to be a DOER? When and how are you going to say YES as Jesus calls. As Bob Goff said, when Jesus calls us we often say, “no way,” but God says “YAWAH!” What are you going to say?

JESUS' PERFECT TIMING

Galatians 4:4 – But when the time had fully come, God sent his son.

Let’s consider the timing of Jesus' coming to earth. The Greeks and Romans had opened the door for trade and travel and the mixing of languages and cultures. The Jewish nation was about to be dispersed as their nation was destroyed for their rebellion, so this was the last opportunity for Jesus to come while the temple was still present and testify to the Jews in Israel with the temple and the synagogues and the traditions still in place. By 70 A.D., that was all gone. The timing of Jesus' coming gave the church time to solidify and grow first in Jerusalem, then in Judea, then in Samaria and then to the rest of the world.

When the Jews were attacked by the Romans and their culture was destroyed, the Romans also attacked the church, probably because the Romans viewed Christians as a sect of the hated Jews – which it was at the time. The persecution was used to spread the Gospel. First, the Gospel was preached in Jerusalem and Judea, then in Samaria, then out to the known limits of the world.

The Gospel and the church spread very quickly. Traders and merchants and slaves took the gospel on the trade routes throughout the known world. The Pax Romana enabled unrestricted travel and proliferation of the Gospel.

In addition to political and geographic timing, Jesus coming was at a crucial philosophical time. The Jewish faith was reacting to the influence of Greek thought from Socrates and Plato and Stoic philosophers. Jews learned Greek and translated the Old Testament into Greek, creating a ready ability for gentile Christians to understand Old Testament principles and history. Greek thinkers explored the ideas of one true God, of a natural created order and of universal values. These were all ideas used by the early church to help gentiles come to understand the one holy almighty eternal God of the Gospel. Thus, in every sense, the coming of Jesus was exactly at the right confluence of events for the maximum spread of the Gospel and the maximum growth of the church.

LOOK AND LISTEN AND NOTICE GOD POWERFULLY AT WORK

I often hear people say that God doesn't work like He used to work. I see people trying to figure out how to live the Christian life in their own strength, and they get really frustrated. One of the many benefits of keeping up with what God is doing in other countries is that I am reminded that God is still powerfully working for those who are surrendered and dependent.

A ministry that I support in India started from scratch 40 years ago. They started in a state with almost no known Christians - just a handful of people out of millions. Within 40 years, there are now more Christians than any other religion. This growth was despite intense persecution, abuse and impossible conditions. This ministry now houses, feeds and educates thousands of orphans and abandoned kids, has nearly 1,000 students in a top notch college and runs a seminary and hundreds of outreaches in various communities. The ministry actively supports thousands of field workers and most of its college graduates and orphan home graduates go into some form of ministry. The ministry has high, American-style standards.

So, how have they done this? Obviously, there has been hard work, sacrifice, courage, and faith. Most of all, however, has been a ministry of prayer. Everything they do and every part of their daily lives is covered in prayer. Prayer is like breathing for them. There is no obstacle or difficulty that they can't face with prayer. Not quick prayer, but constant prayer, anguished, persevering prayer. Prayer in faith expecting God to work. In response, they see miracles, they see doors open, they see attacks dissipate. They are constantly praising God.

Through their ministry, millions (probably tens of millions) of people have come to Christ. The landscape of India and southeast Asia has been changed. They have gone from being the pariahs of society to welcomed and blessed. God's grace has abounded. And they started with nothing.

I see God work in that way in India and it reminds me that God can do the same thing again here. We don't have to accept retreat and defeat. We can pray and persevere and live by faith and see God work through us. He is always faithful, but He needs people to follow Him who are willing to live His way and pray in faith without ceasing. Will you be one of those people? Will I?

MISSING THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

I attended a men's breakfast today at a large church. There were 500-600 men there for breakfast and a speaker. The church is doing a great job of organizing men's groups and getting people excited about trying to live out their faith.

There were two "testimonies" to start the morning. Both men testified to how small group times with other men changed their lives and helped them overcome serious addictions. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ was never mentioned, nor was the transforming power of the Word or prayer. The focus was more along the line of what we can accomplish to overcome our addictions and problems with the help of other men. The work and power of the Holy Spirit was not mentioned.

The speaker then gave a dynamic talk. He was extremely funny and entertaining and powerful in his delivery. He never mentioned Jesus Christ in any positive way. He never mentioned the power of the Word of God or the role of the Holy Spirit or the power of prayer. Instead, he blasted the old lady who led his young Sunday School class as a kid, he ripped the traditional church and he told the men that they were created by God with their passions, so their passions were good and they needed to accept that, because God accepts that. He encouraged them to live for "God," but with their passions.

He never mentioned any need to confess sin, repent, be conformed to the mind of Christ, be continually transformed or otherwise pursue the image of Christ. We are good enough because we are the way that God created us. Wow! Is that true? Is that what God's Word says?

What a contrast to the following quote, provided by a friend, from a godly pastor:

"The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued and that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone." - Tim Keller, "The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism" p. 181.

The Gospel (the great news of what Jesus did for us) is the power of God for salvation to all who believe (in the message of the Gospel). (Romans 1:16-17.) We are not called to be conformed to the world, but "transformed" (metamorphed) by the renewing of our minds through the presence and power of Jesus Christ in our lives. (See Romans 11:33-12:2.) We are not our own. We were bought with a price. We are called to glorify Christ with our minds and our bodies. (See 1 Corin. 6:18-20.)

Entertaining human wisdom is never a substitute for the power of God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I left the meeting grieved that so many eager men never heard the power of the Gospel and were not challenged to be transformed, but were told they can get along by being conformed. May the speaker learn to use his god-given communication gifts to communicate the whole truth of God. May I never fail to communicate all of God's truth, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as I have opportunity.

RE-THINKING GOD

The linked article states that Christianity is plummeting in the U.S., while the number of non-believers is rapidly increasing. The survey in question, however, doesn't clearly define what it means to be a "Christian" and doesn't even try to define God.

What is more likely to be the case is that traditional Protestant denominations are suffering dramatic memembership decline and thus the number of people who "traditionally" identify themselves by the "Christian" brand are declining. This is a good thing, because a little of the wrong idea of God is worse than no idea of God.

Many Protestant denominations have lost their way, denying the truth and inerrancy of the Bible, denying our sinful nature, denying the need for a savior, and denying hell and even heaven. They have, essentially, created a new idea of God in their own image, destroying any basis for hope and any reason for people to be part of such a "religion." Why would anyone want to give their life to such a pointless belief system when they can go their own way and do their own thing without that encumbrance?

Thus, there is now a more understandable contrast between unbelief (as opposed to the "blurred belief" described above) and true belief in a personal, almighty, holy, creator God. The message of hope, purpose and truth, based on the God of the Bible and the work of Jesus Christ is usually more readily received by the unbeliever than the person lost in "religion."

So, Who is this God in Whom we believe? As people who trust the inerrancy of God's Word, we see two bases for understanding God: (1) what God has revealed about Himself in the creation, including both the micro, macro, intellectual and social elements that are part of that created order; (2) God's Word as something that is from God's heart and mind to receptive people who co-authored this book of truth, which contains various literary elements, but which is primarily a consistent narrative revelation of Who God is and what He has called us to as His children. The first basis is called general revelation and God has called us to study His creation through science, philosophy and every manner of study that opens our minds and hearts to Who He is and what He has done. The second basis is called special revelation and it is fully contained in the 66 books that we refer to as the Bible.

The first 39 books of the Bible are known as the Old Testament/Covenant with the people of Israel - the Jews. The 27 books of the New Testament/Covenant tell us that Jesus Christ satisfied and completed the requirements of the Old Covenant and opened the door for a new covenant between God and all people everywhere - to the Jew first, but also to every manner of Gentile.

Thus, the Old Testament gives us insight into God's character and His personal interaction with real people who struggled to follow His call to holiness. The New Testament tells us that Jesus Christ was the person of God come to earth as a man in order to satisfy and do away with the Old Covenant and offer us the free gift of his forgiveness and righteousness. This was so that we can know God and know for certain that we have eternal life with Him. We can't "work" our way to heaven, but we can receive assurance of heaven through surrendering to Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

So, Who is this God? Is he loving? The Bible says absolutely. Will everyone go to heaven? The Bible says no, because God is holy and can't allow sin or sinful people in His holy presence. What do we have to do to be saved? The Bible says that we have all fallen short of the standard of holiness - we have a sinful nature - and we all need forgiven. The Bible says that perfect forgiveness can only come through the sacrifice the Jesus Christ offered for us - we can't be forgiven without Jesus. Jesus conquered the penalty of death and has opened up opportunity for daily relationship with the living God without the barrier of sin clouding our access to Him.

So, we know that God is holy, but He loves us so much He will forgive, if we accept His forgiveness. He doesn't force anyone to accept Him or love Him or to come into His heaven. People are free to choose hell, which is the natural place that the eternal souls of people go when they are separated from God.

So, we know that God has a plan for people: to know Him and be part of His family. We know that God allows sin, because he gives all of us a choice. We can say whatever we want about God, we can ignore Him, we can pretend that He doesn't exist, but ultimately, we don't have any excuse, because He has made His character and nature clear to us.

As someone who accepts God's Word as true, I want to make it my daily goal to honor Him, please Him and bless Him and live joyfully and thankfully because of what He has done for me. I don't want to be deceived into thinking that this glorious life is about me - it is for His glory. As we live for His glory, our priorties change, we start to learn how to think like Jesus, how to love like Jesus, how to call evil what it is and how to promote and encourage what is good and honorable and true. We have purpose, because God has given up purpose. We have value, because God calls us His children and because He makes us part of His family. He offers the same hope and purpose to everyone.

This is why people who love God are all over the world sacrificing and serving to help people understand the great God who loves and calls them and gives them hope. This is the message that transformed culture and civilizations from the filth and hurt and cheapness of life that characterized the pre-Christian world (and that still characterizes much of the world without Christian influence) and that continues to transform people in every culture. The message is real and real people respond to it in order to embrace God with all of their heart every day! May it be so with us as well.