Need Of Church In World Of Power Politics

Chronicle (Levin), 14 November 1949, Page 4

Need Of Church In World Of Power Politics

"Suppose a perplexed citizen of modern Greece disliked the American way of life so much that he invited Communists into his coamtry to resist it. He would be surrendering what frepdom he had and would make his own slavery quite certain. That kind of situation had to be faced by the prophet Isaiah," said Rev. A. Salmond preaching in St. Andrew's Rresbyterian Church yesterday, "The King of Judah, in an at-* tenipfc to resist the power of Syria, made an alliance with Assyria. When Assyria smashed Syria and Israei, the ruling group of Judah became afraid and attempted an alliance with Egypt. Isaiah's wise counsel was thrust aside. His nation had forgotten God and a Whole dimension had fallen out of their thought and experience. "jsaiah, the soul of loyalty and good citizenship, did two things. Jn his own heart he turned to God. He began by going to the recognised place of worship, the Tempie, and he gathered around him a little company of people whose simple faith in God brought them into a distinctiye relationship of brotherhood with one another. "In Isaiah's little company, made up of his own children and others who hard faith in God, we can See the beginning of the church," •said the preaoher. The church is a gathered community made up of those Who try to worship God and to work out in fellowship the implications of sincere worship in practical - living. In a world of power politics that Church is much needed."