Editorial November 6, 1971 Issue

Defending a Nation's Honor

Carl J. Welz

In The New Yorker magazine for July 3, 1971, William Pfaff presents a searching exposition of a nation's moral stance. His article is entitled "Reflections—Vietnam, Czechoslovakia, and the Fitness to Lead."^{The New Yorker, July 3, 1971, p. 35;} It not only searches its subject, but causes the reader to search his own thinking—to ask himself, Where do I really stand morally?

The Apostle James says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."^{James 5:16;} Prayer can do much to solve the problems of Vietnam, but if it is to be effective, those who pray will have to be righteous before God. Such righteousness demands thorough self-examination.

The question is not whether America was right when it went into Vietnam, whether its forces should remain in Vietnam, or whether it has failed in Vietnam. The question before us is, Are we—the people of any nation—willing to examine the facts and to admit to ourselves and to the world what those facts show us?

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