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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 1968)
Responsibility Alters Civil Disobedience Editor's Note: Nr. Paul Pine gar is the religious intern on the staff of Westminster House and serves as an advisor to the Op. Cit. program of the ASUO. He is a native of Portland and graduate of Portland State Col lege. By PAUL PINEGAR For (he Kmerald Christians here at the Univer sity, as everywhere, face crucial decisions today regarding their patriotism, and their commit ment to God as Lord of All. The draft. Black Power, and other symptoms of deeper so cial death are confronting Chris tians with new agonizing ques tions. How does your commitment to God relate to the gun barrel of a 17-year-old black boy point ed at the heart of our law and order, with the words scream ing from his lips through the barrel. "I’m takin' what's due me. honky . . white bastard!"-’ It seems like trying to relate the frills of white lace to the blood of a battle field. Yet. there are certain rea sons why Christians have so much difficulty relating their faith to their seemingly pri mary duties to civil law and or der. and the possibility of civil disobedience. Let me point to a Tew of the historical high points which have contributed to this present agony. When Emperor Constan tine was converted to Christian ity in 800 A D.. Christian ideals took a definite civil, social char acter Christian virtue was de fined as responsibility to exist ing laws, norms and values es tablished by the civil society. Appropriate Loyalty To be a Christian meant to live within these values, and de velop an appropriate loyalty to public and government agen cies and orders. To be a sinner meant to break-off this mainte nance of social order. A social rebel or revolution ary. threatening existing gov ernment or social structures, was being anti-Christian. This attitude set the pattern for the next thousand years of "Chris tian" civilization. Even the major reformers. Luther. Calvin and others, did not break with social order to carry through their reforms. Lu ther. for example, needed the government princes to battle the Catholic Church. But he combined with these same prin ces to suppress the Peasant's Revolt Europe 68 $383 Portland-London June 17-Sept. 10 Pan-Am Children V4 Fare IMPORTANT The f!:ght is offered in accordance with the Inter national Air Travel Asso ciation fares and regula tions. Th s is not a charter flight, but is a blocked group on a regularly scheduled Pan American World Airi nes polar jet. I.E.C. 319 EMU Ext. 1384 1-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri. By the nineteenth century the identification of Christianity with indifference and hostility to major social reform became so strong that men like Kieke gaard, Nietzsche and Marx had to reject the Church in order to identify with the suffering of humanity. What these men were calling for was a new self - conscious. Each in his own way was groping for a new form of human dignity. To Be Human We see the same struggling today in the writings of Camus and Satre, to name only two Each of these men parallels God's call to man to be human, to celebrate the fundamental worth of our flesh and blood ex istence. God’s call invites man in this struggle to individual, social and political responsibility. The Church, however, has allowed man to be defined by institu tions. existing social “givens," and in so doing has prostituted Religious Calendar There will be an Ecumenical Worship Service at Wesley Foundation. Sunday at 11 a.m. This service is open to all de nominations as an on campus worship service for students. IS GOD A1.IVE? See if you can find him at Oregon Inter varsity Christian Fellowship at 7 tonight at University house. 791 E. 15th. There will be a guest speaker, singing and re freshments. The joint-action group meet ing of Campus Crusade for Christ meets at 9 p.m Sunday at 1224 Mill St Jesse James will speak on Love and the body of Christ. College Life meets Wednes day. January 31. at 9 p.m. in the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. 1851 Onyx. Refreshments will be served after the informal dis cussion of Christ's Rele\ance to College Students Today. Looking for a place to eat and relax Sunday evening’ Westminister House is serving a light supper at 6:00 Sunday evening. The lively discussion on the Meaning of the Church will be continued. God's Commandments. The entire Old Testament rings with this contliet between man. nation and God. Isaiah. Jer emiah, Amos, and llosea, to mention only a few of the proph ets, cry out against man's cloth fulness, his total commitment to the gods of the nation in stead of to the Lord Yahweh. The Commandment against taking the Lord's name in vain is not primarily against swear ing. It is a commandment against substituting other social, institutional, or personal gods for the one Lord. Ezekiel cries out against Is rael's loss of faith He judges her severely for setting up other gods in the market place and neglecting the poor and desti tute. He prophesies God’s anger against those who do not return to God and feed the starving. A Higher Law In the New Testament Jesus himself affirms his loyalty to God by denying to wear the civ il crown, and refusing to allow his Lord to be placed at the al tar with the other governmental and social gods. He fulfills God's Commandment to submit pri mary allegiance to Him. and not to civil order and social insti tutions. Each order and institution is judged by a higher law. the law of human dignity. If it is lacking, Christian faith de mands that we change it or break it. This does not mean we immediately reject all social institutions and government agencies. It does mean, how ever, that we put them in per spective. Denials Revealed A simple scan across our cul ture today reveals our society's denials of the tradition of the Old Testament prophets and the Commandments of Jesus. We have put the Lord along side and with other cultural and po litical gods. Our church has con tinued in the tradition of Con stantine and largely ignored its own authenticity. Our coins are stamped "In God We Trust.” Our pledge of allegiance declares us to be "one nation, under God." No major social or political institution could hope for success without an appropriate reference to God. Our Congress opens with pray er. Our armies are stocked with chaplains. The paradox is this: When Christ refused to wear the civil crown he maintained the Church as the judging, renewing, re Saint Thomas More University Parish Newman Center MASSES: Sunday at 8:30. 9:45, 11:00 a m., 12:15, 5:30 and 8:00 p.m. Weekdays at 8 a m. and 4:30 p.m. SACRAMENT OF PENENCE: Before each Mass and Satur day evening from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Inquiry into Catholicism Wed., 7:00 p.m. 1850 Emerald Street, Ext. 2597 or 343-7021 Church of Christ Eugene: 494 10th Avenue West Herald of Truth Bible Classes 10:00 a m. Worship 11:00 a m .7:00 1580 River Road Bible Classes 10:00 a m. Worship 11:00 a.m.. 7:00 Springfield: 1305 N. 5th Bible Classes 10:00 a.m Worship 8:45 and 11:00 6:00 p.m. Channel 13—KVAL P'"1' Sunday 10:00 a.m. Radio Programs ^ m' KZEL Sunday 8:30 a.m. KORE Sunday 8:45 a.m. i.m., Central Lutheran Church (an American Lutheran Church) 18th and Potter 3454)395 • Sunday worship - 9:15 and 11:00 a.m. • Philip L. Natwick, Pastor • Eric Ottum. lay asst. LUTHER HOUSE 1824 University 344-7373 has taken the crown it has re inforced civil order at the ex pense of social Justice to the door and suffering God calls us to feed and clothe, forming community within the civil society. When the Church CCM Officers Outline Projects The strategy committee which is the student voice in organiza tion and planning for the Co operative Christian Ministry held election of officers. Lindsay Baldner is chairman of the committee and Leslie Carlson was elected secretary. In the committe's planning process now is a conference for next fall to deal with private morality and public respon sibility especially as it relates to the question of the draft and the racial crisis. The Back Door Coffee Unuse is also under the committee's program. It is open on Friday and Saturday nights featuring folksinging and poetry reading. Another area of the commit tee's interest is the Operation Citizenship (Op. (’it ) tutorial program in which students are able to involve themselves. In restless corner* of t h e Church new hope I* emerging. We must a* Christiana see our selves as part of that hope, at the expense of popularity, so curity and social success. The Confession of faith of the United Presbyterian Church of 1967, affirms that "When Un church allows some one mi ttonal sovereignty of some one "way of life" to be identified with the cause of God it denies Christ the Lord and betrays its calling We approach civil disobedi ence in the context of our Chris tian faith, deciding response bility, while not forgetting the words of our Lord. "He who loses his life for my sake wilt find it." DUCKS! Save $ $ $ Get Your Student Discount Card at CRYSTAL MOBIL SERVICE Gas & Tires for Less Broadway at Hilyard Grace Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) 17th and Hilyard Street 344 2361 Sunday Worship Services: 8:30 and 11 a m. Bible Class: 9:45 a m. Harold J Gieseke, Pastor Donald Jerke, Campus Pastor First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) East 23rd at Harris . . . short walk south of campus 9:30 and 11:00 a m. Identical Worship Services 9.30 and 11:00 a m. Church Schools and nursery Ministers: Wesley G. Nicholson, Lloyd R. Stamp For rides phone 342 4876 or 345-8741 by Saturday noon First Baptist Church welcome U ot U students Broadway at High 3450341 COS < las*. Will Molt 1! a.m. “Can These Honrs Live?” Dr. Vanci* II. Webster, Paster 7 p m. “Lisins a Thousand Lives" Hi v. Hon Lundy UNIVERSITY HOUR H 30 p.m. First Methodist Church 1185 Willamette 345-8704 9:00 AND 11 A M. SUNDAY SERVICES Ministers: H. James Jenkins, Max L. Wills WESLEY FOUNDATION Methodist Campus Center, 1230 Kincaid Bob Peters — University Pastor Christian Science Services FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST Pearl Street at 14th Avenue Eugene, Oregon A Branch of The Mother Church, Boston Massachusetts Sunday Services and Sunday School at 0:30 and 11:00 a m. Subject this Sunday: “TRUTH” Wednesday Evening Meetings at 8 pin. Including Testimonials of Healing Nursery facilities provided at all services BEADING ROOM 84 EAST 10th AVENUE Open week days from 8:30 a m. to 6 p m. and on Sundays and Holidays from 2 to 5 p m.
