Signs of the Times

with contributions from Donald E. Lewis, W. J. Brown

Chaplain (Capt.) Donald E. Lewis
in the Chaplain's Corner, in the
Harford Democrat-Enterprise
Aberdeen, Maryland

There is a group of artists who paint scenes of modern life with Christ [Jesus] as the central character.... Some artists of the Renaissance painted [Jesus] in the same way surrounded by scenes of their day in the midst of friends and neighbors. These pictures...present a great religious truth which we have often overlooked—religion should be part of our daily living. The important thing about Jesus was...the life he lived, the spirit he imparted, the revelations he displayed.... Religion, if it is to be helpful and true, must never be solely a shrine of the past. Neither must it be reserved for certain days or certain moments of our lives.... Our religion must...pervade our every day and all our living.

W. J. Brown in a column
in the London Sunday Dispatch
London, England

The materialist's conception of the universe, which underlies so much of our economics, our politics, and our science, is on the way out. ... The nearer we approach the borders of knowledge of matter, the more evident it becomes that the universe can only be explained in terms of spirit.

From an editorial in the
Chronicle-Tribune
Marion, Indiana

Christianity presents itself in a form that should commend it to every serious-minded person who is desirous of living under the best conditions. Stripped of theological dogma and ecclesiastical trimmings, Christianity lays down a simple and practical formula of life. This formula is embraced in a statement of Jesus to the effect that we should love God with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves....

The Apostle Paul tells us that love suffereth long, and is kind, envieth not, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, takes no account of evil, rejoiceth not in unrighteousness but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, endureth all things, hopeth all things. Can anyone imagine that a life which one lives in a relationship such as this with his neighbor will not prove the happiest, best, and most useful life one can live?

Christianity commends itself, therefore, by putting us on a basis of living a life that will yield the best and most enduring results. It puts us right with God and puts us right with our neighbor. Surely such a life is going to yield assurance, comfort, and peace of mind.

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