"To follow more closely ... the man from Galilee"

with contributions from R. D. DeBlois Wright, Frank F. Fagan, Gordon Dalbey, Howard J. Conn, Gerald Walton Paul, Gary Ross, J. Ellsworth Kalas, Ephraim Gastwirth, Jeffrey Hart, Thomas Pederson, Stephen Parsons

A survey by a branch of the Gallup Poll organization concluded: "It seems that the people ... are coming increasingly to believe that the problems of the world will not be solved through people's efforts alone but through a change of heart and turning to God. ..."

The urgent need for solving "the problems of the world" may seem too monumental in scope. And yet there is an almost tangibly growing feeling that the solutions to the world's challenges may be much more closely linked to changes and solutions within individual hearts and lives than was imagined in previous decades. The possibility of "spiritual" solutions no longer sounds quite so improbable as it did at the height of mankind's faith in technology and political will to bring about a better world. Even in the wake of recent stunning military events in the Mideast, voices on all sides point to the need for something other than "smart" bombs and superior military arsenals to begin to solve the underlying challenges that lead to conflict and suffering in the first place.

At this time of great spiritual hunger—when faith in materialistic solutions has been shaken—there's a new openness to looking to the churches not just for solace but for the vital spiritual vision that actually makes a difference in people's everyday lives. People are yearning for the conviction that God is real and that this reality has everything to do with meeting the human need for justice, sustenance, love. And from the standpoint of the Church that publishes this magazine, God's realness also has everything to do with the need for health and purpose for all children, women, and men.

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