Letter to the editor: Answers to world's current problems are in the Bible

What is it that provokes us to action? Recently a horrible attack on police doing their job in Charlotte took the lives of four in the line of duty. It happened close to where my son lives. Students with very little in their heads but hatred of Jews have stormed campuses scattered across our nation. Illegal immigrants from all over the world continue to cross our border with impunity to the extent that the FBI director is warning of imminent terrorist attacks. Our dollar's importance, the standard by which financial activity is measured across the world, is failing at a rate previously unseen because of federal spending that exceeds our ability to fund. Russian aggression in Ukraine shows no sign of slowing, even as China prepares its population for conflict with Taiwan. Iran launches 300 missiles and drones into Israel with virtual impunity. I could go on. At what point do we become alarmed enough to take action? And what would be the nature of that action? Obviously we can vote, and attend local meetings, and talk to our friends, but is there anything that we really can do?

The last time the world looked this way we saw the Great Depression and World War II. We do not know what we will see this time, but everyone with a brain is concerned. As one who looks first to God for answers, it is clear that we need direction. We need help in discernment and understanding. While it is easy to say that those answers are in the Bible, I would suggest that those answers are not on the surface. In fact, Biblical truth is never superficial or self-evident. But the answers are there, nevertheless. The Church exists to make those answers clear to each succeeding generation as it encounters the unveiling of God's plan and His march across history.

The last thing the Church is called to do is make us feel comfortable and anesthetized against the realities surrounding us. In other words, we need a clear Word from the Lord! And unless the Church trumpets that clear Word we can expect that the people of God will be ill-equipped for the trials that surely will come. I am concerned that the churches in America are as ill-prepared to speak truth to power as they were during the leadup to the Civil War. If this is true, then we can expect the litany of ills to increase and prevail to the point of irreversible crisis. As believers who are attached to many kinds of congregations, it is our collective responsibility to be aware of the dangers we face as well as the way that God looks at these issues. It is only in this context that we can hope to be the Salt of the Earth. I suspect most of us recall what Jesus said about salt losing its saltiness. We have our work cut out for us!

JAMES R. CHANDLER JR.

Sumter