Ray L. Henthorne in Front Rank St. Louis, Missouri

Have present-day Christians lost God from their vocabulary and faith? Sometimes it seems so. Sermons are preached that recognize no God beyond Jesus Christ. Prayers are prayed to Christ [Jesus], and he is the object of worship. Perhaps this is a heresy of our times, and it is a dangerous one. Too many Christians have substituted Jesus Christ for God.

Jesus is the Son of God. He is Lord and Saviour. He is the revealer of God. He performed a unique role in the plan of God. But he is not God....Jesus worshiped God. He prayed to God. He called men to a right relationship with God. We ought to do the same. If we have substituted Jesus Christ for God, we have done something that neither God nor Christ [Jesus] intended.

If one has dethroned God in favor of Christ [Jesus], he has weakened his basis of faith and the virility of his religion. We need to restore God to the center of our faith. And we need to accept Christ [Jesus] as Lord and Saviour. A faith without God at the heart of it is destined to failure and loss. We need to recapture the simple faith of Jesus—that God is the Father and is deeply concerned for His children, whom He loves with a love beyond human understanding.

If we have lost God from our faith, then we no longer can call ourselves Christian, even though we may have substituted His son as the object of our worship. Christianity believes in God and in Jesus Christ. It does not give to the son the adoration reserved for the Father alone.

Federal Councilor Rodolphe Rubattel quoted in Feuille d'Auis de Neuchätel Neuchätel, Switzerland

[Translated from French]

M. Rubattel recalls what the prince of atomic physics, academician Louis de Broglie, has written, "Faced with the dangers of which the progress of science is capable if used for evil purposes, man needs more spirituality, and he should try to acquire it before it is too late."

"We are now seeking this supplement of spirituality." said M. Rubattel. . . . "The crisis of the modern world comes essentially from the fact that a formidable surge of material forces has coincided with a commensurate decline of spiritual values. Mechanism has multiplied its products and improved living conditions, but today there is proof that a great moral effort is needed so that technical progress may become an honest agent of civilization and that its blessings may not bring disaster. No material progress is valid without spiritual progress to give it meaning."

Taylor G. Bunch in Signs of the Times Mountain View, California

Christ's standard of conduct for all Christians was set forth in what is known as the Golden Rule: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." . . . "Therefore" indicates that this rule of life is the practical outworking of what Jesus had just been saying about judging others, intercessory prayer, and the spirit of charity.

The Golden Rule is the essence of the Decalogue and the Scriptures. It is the summary of the law and the prophets as they are fulfilled through the motivating power of love. "For this is the law and the prophets" shows that this measure of Christian justice and integrity is not something new, although stated in a new way. "That is the meaning of the law and the prophets" [Moffatt], and "For in this the law and the prophets are summed up" [Weymouth], are other translations. It is the sum of all Bible instruction, setting forth in one sentence "the whole duty of man" in his relations with his fellow men.

The Golden Rule is a restatement of the second table of the Decalogue as given in its condensed form, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Those who are guided by love, justice, and mercy, will treat others as they would wish to be treated if the circumstances were reversed. In it the whole circle of our obligations to one another is embraced, and any act of injustice we may do to others is a violation of its righteous principles. . . .

The Golden Rule is all-inclusive, embracing "all things whatsoever," and applies to our dealings with all men, including strangers, foreigners, and even enemies. Every word and thought and act of life is involved. It is far more than a beautiful sentiment to be piously repeated at a religious service. It is love in action, and strikes at the very root of selfishness, which is the source of all injustice and un-Christlike conduct. This standard is so high that we cannot practice it unless we have union with Christ. Until he abides in our hearts and lives out his own life in us, this measure of love is hopelessly out of our reach.

Charles S. Haslam in The Pinellas Parker Pinellas Park, Florida

Do not feel that God has forsaken you if trouble comes into your life. Cling to Him and He will soon bring you out of your sadness. . . . Don't pray, "O, Lord, heal me and I will serve Thee." God has already given His assurances in His word. Man must now comply with heaven's demands.