What is Required of Us?

It’s amazing how fast we move through these books. James Moore continues to call voices up for us to hear. In this eighth chapter of I Hear Voices… , he is asking us to hear the voice of Micah as he distills the essence of God’s requirements for a spirit filled life. He expresses concern for the losses that we have suffered as a country in the demoralization(both morale and morals) of America. He gives a litany of the areas of our society that have become less that they should be. Each of us could probably add to the list and explain the reason for the listing. In his thoughts, Moore, is concerned with the excesses of the areas of concern. I don’t see that he condemns each of these areas, as such,.Rather, he is concerned that the pendulum has swung too far in one direction, or the other. In listing his perceived dangers, the loss of “Goodness” is first. He quotes some noted theological figures, such as, Jay Leno. In his on the street interviews, Jay asks questions that we would think anyone would be able to answer. The subjects of The Ten Commandments, quotations from Jesus, and Old testaments stories seem so elementary to us, but confound the average person on the street. I misquoted Thomas Jefferson a couple of week ago, but Moore recounts a story that must have distressed this great man to no end. In his mind, apparently, Jefferson felt that humankind acted out of an innate sense of conscience. His great experiment of a university was not dealing with the lowest level of society, but college age young people that should have been exposed to the social mores of the day. Yet ,they reverted to virtual animal behavior when all restraints were removed. Moore, then moves to the danger of becoming tribes or being “Balkanized” as a society. I appreciate his play on words when he says that we have ignored E pluribus unum and moved to more unum than pluribus. I agree that special needs may best represented by sensitized groups. The difficulty may be that each of these groups devolop a single agenda that ignore the needs of any, but their group. This is true of society as a whole, but is also true of the church. For example, when ministry is based on a single factor, the church may ignore the needs of the many. The possibilities are endless. Think about all the groups that clamor for attention. Think, also, about those that have no voice and can be easily ignored. Finally, Moore calls to mind the tendency of society to interpret the freedom of religion as freedom from religion. Like some of us, he sees the entertainment industryas hostile to Christianity. The trend over the several decades has been to portray religious(Christian) leaders as narrow-minded and weak. Interestingly, he points out that the church has become a reflection of society instead of a shaper of society. Is this a true indictment? How has this been played out? Moore asks how serious issues can be debated in society without the governing tenents or reference to religion?

All we have to do is watch the evening news to see that played out. One danger that Moore doesn’t address has been lifted by some in the church in recent times. It is the danger of grief. If, in fact, we spend so much time in grieving about the way things used to be done, we may miss the opportunity to move into the future with new ministries. Jesus warned bout that when he made the analogy of new wine in old skins or patching old fabric with new cloth. If we are not willing to let go of the “old time religion”; like the Pharisees, the church may not speak in a understandable voice. Preservation of principles is essential. As Moore quotes, “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” Dwight Eisnehower. Wesley stresses that dogma and doctrine are not deal breakers. Can we hear Micah speaking to today’s world? “Do Justice, Love Kindness, and Walk Humbly With Your God.” Do you see the world putting its fingers in its ears when some or all of these words are spoken?