Article September 9, 1944 Issue

"Give me understanding, and I shall live"

JOSEPHINE HANLYN

The desire to live and to live abundantly has occupied the thought of men more than any other one thing—from the cave man to the dwellers in palaces. Though with widely divergent interests, pursuing their devious ways, the intellectualist, the aristocrat, the farmer, the man on the street are all headed for the same goal, "abundant life," regardless of their individual concepts of the same.

Today it is widely acknowledged that the course of life must be run individually from the standpoint of the individual's experience and outlook. The jostling of varying human opinions along the way, as mankind advances from one landmark to another, may produce an unpleasant stir in the human mind until erroneous human concepts are replaced with higher visions and clearer views. But in the process of replacement we are reminded that we cannot "put new wine into old bottles;" they must first be emptied of their useless contents. This procedure might well be called the "unlearning process."

Did not Saul have to give up — unlearn—his conviction that Christianity was a false doctrine and that Christians should be persecuted, before he could accept Christianity? Saul's conversion seemed to bring suffering and total blindness, but at length the light of Truth dawned on him and his complete healing by Ananias was accomplished. Later, Saul's name was changed to Paul, and he became such an ardent follower of Christ Jesus' teachings that the Jews sought to kill him. Festus, finding no fault in him, brought him before King Agrippa, who allowed him to plead his own case. This he did with such eloquence and sincerity that Festus, unable to understand Paul's spiritual standpoint, thought him a mad intellectualist and accused him in a loud voice, saying, "Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth' make thee mad." Paul's reply, "I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness," convinced King Agrippa that he was not a man of doubtful learning, but a man of understanding who had strong convictions as to his course of progress.

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The Name of God
September 9, 1944
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