The Pilot printed Ellis’ sermon in its July 25 opinion section under the title “Our Moral Decay” and, in the same issue, printed a column by Clare Ruggles of Pinehurst. Ruggles charged that Ellis used Amos 7:7-17 as his text but shortchanged the message expressed in the 9-chapter book of Amos. She said Ellis focused on Amos’ condemnation of immorality and decadence while going light on the prophet’s concern for “social responsibility.”
“I happen to believe that which is most immoral and decadent in our nation is the fact that so many people live in poverty, while the country as a whole, is the wealthiest on earth,” Ruggles wrote.
Perhaps Ruggles’ response to Ellis’ sermon reflects a division found in our nation — and also in U.S. “Christianity.”
Many churches that seem to emphasize “personal faith” often appear lacking in social action efforts. Conversely, some churches promoting social action seem to downplay personal faith experiences.
I suspect many of the Protestant denominations that place importance on an individual’s “personal conversion experience” first drew, and still draw, members from folk located on the lower rungs of our country’s economic ladder, while numerous social-action-oriented Protestant denominations attract adherents hailing from higher rungs on that ladder.
Some might think the opposite would be true, but Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” We tend to offer hope to others in the form of whatever gives us meaning and hope.
My dad worked in a mill when I was young. We attended a 1950s Pentecostal church, and, back then, those kinds of churches seemed to attract “the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free” (in a religious sort of way, of course).
I remember our church sometimes collected food for people, but many in our congregation probably qualified as “poor.”
I heard this message during my early years: “Change a person’s heart (by conversion to Christ), and he’ll change his environment.” Preachers would quote, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things (material needs, not necessarily ‘wants’) shall be added unto you.” I often pondered Jesus poignant statement: “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?”
Some of my friends attended “uptown” mainline denominational churches; many of those churches had become “rich and increased with goods.” I noticed that some of those congregations de-emphasized evangelism and moved toward social action efforts, especially as the 1960s steamrolled the American “establishment.”
In those days, I began to hear of pastors — ministers usually associated with well-to-do, old-line churches — who didn’t believe in the virgin birth of Christ or in Christ’s deity. When one guts Christ unique claims from the heart of Christianity, there isn’t much left to preach, except behavior modification and social action.
We should blend Good Samaritan deeds with preaching about decadence, immorality, judgment and salvation — and we should remember this: Though he broke bread and multiplied fishes for thousands, Jesus provided us our greatest hope by offering his broken body and becoming our Bread of Life.
Steve Crain may be reached at crain207@earthlink.net.
