Website owner:  James Miller

  DOES THE EVANGELICAL MESSAGE WORK?            1/97

   Does the evangelical message of "Turn to God", "Give your heart 
   to Jesus", etc. work?  Let me respond to this question in this 
   way.  In my observation of people and life over the years I can 
   say that there are things that definitely do work, that 
   definitely make a great difference, all the difference.  Let us 
   list some of them:

   Virtue, goodness, morality, patience, temperance, hard work, 
    industry, perseverance, honesty, integrity, character, 
    humility, kindness, self-denial, self-reliance, frugality, 
    good sense, good personal habits.

   Now, after examining this list, let us ask, "Are not these very 
   things taught to us by the Bible and Christianity?"  If we 
   follow the commandments of God and Jesus are we not on the 
   right track?  If to turn to God means to us to turn our back on 
   wrong values, attitudes, outlooks and habits and to embrace 
   right values, attitudes, outlooks and habits then I would say 
   that the message of the evangelicals works.  The message in 
   this case really does transform us and turn us into new 
   creations in God.  If, however, turning to God means to us only 
   a lot of things like belief, faith, going to church a lot, 
   reading the Bible a lot, praying, testifying, becoming 
   mesmerized by a lot of complicated dogma, tithing, involvement 
   in a lot of church activities, engaging in a lot of pious talk, 
   etc. and does not include those things in the above list then I 
   would say the message does not work.  It does not work, at 
   least, in the sense that it creates happy, well-balanced, 
   spiritually whole people. 

   My philosophy:  Love God and, for his sake, live upright, godly 
   lives.  Forget the pious talk.  Talk simply.  Talk little.  
   Actions speak louder than words.