Eugene Carson Blake Sermon, 1963-09-15, Law And Order And Christian Duty

it's been now some of the weak july dr eugene carson blake stated clerk of united presbyterian church in the usa for blake speaks on law and order and christian duty the sermon was delivered at sunday morning worship service of the riverside church on september the fifteenth nineteen sixty three here is dr billy my text this morning as fallen in the book of the acts that the chapter and the twenty nine verse but here and the

apostles answered we must obey god rather than men almost everyone in our nation knows by now that the negro community is no longer satisfied with that measure of freedom which it has received an iron in the last one hundred years since the proclamation of emancipation by abraham change is coming change is coming so it was not a question of whether it is not even a question of when the only question is how will justice freedom

equality hall will lay the us government voluntarily and under law more violently by re vote rebellion revolution james reston clearly pointed out after the august twenty eight march on washington at the most critical place for decision on this matter is in the church use of the nation as i judge it from talking to people and from my mail or are worried reasons for hesitation some are fearful of any change some will resist any reduction of the special privileges that white men have always enjoyed in

this nation relies on a new moniker as the negro great herds fortunately these are a small minority of the united states and even a smaller minority in this your city the second play some say something like this yes negroes ought to have their rights but they're pushing too hard they want too much too quickly which this community which has been patient for a one hundred year is directly reply is a century marks the end of a quiet patients there is a third group

who say oh yes it's been too long i would be for them but they're breaking the law with these demonstrations civilization is based upon order that is on law for not going to do anything until my quiet down for we will not ally ourselves with law breakers how much of these reasons are cruel reasons and how much our rationalizations for having things be as they've always be i leave it for you to judge but from all this you can say why i feel it important to preach are you about law and order and christian duty we're never ever isn't right to break the law that's

what i would like to think have you think about with me this morning lawyers among you will quickly note that there are deep legal questions raised with which i could not deal in a sermon even war i qualify but i would remind know that you're maybe lawyers that in the eighteenth century and contrast to the twentieth lawyers were the leaders in their legal theological and political those questions having to do with the revolution and civil disobedience it was apparently an easier thing for a lawyer to do it then than it appears to be now or i would remind you about an eighteenth century jurisprudence almost all of the lawyers thought of the statute law on the books as based upon or arising out of common law which i'm karen was taught to rest on

natural law something object is given by nature are more often by nature's law in the twentieth century most lawyers have been taught to think of a lot of what are called positive terms only what is law is determined by what the legislatures of bass and what has been interpreted by courts period thus the twentieth century lawyer has made his day by day vastly easier by eliminating from consideration such concepts of abstract justice or natural law the effect of this means that most protestant lawyers today as lawyers have not thought very much about the question of the sermon by correspondent since july fourth revealed a rather naive shark in the minds of many lawyers that

anybody like me in my position who are deliberately break the law all i can say here this morning is that i wish more lawyers today would buckle down through the ultimate task of harmonizing theology on law or i am god is about lack of liars will pay little league of theologians or ministers in their own theme and some parents nationally the clear the breaking crests law they say that in our free society all freedom is based upon the protection of property rights this is partly true but i would remind you all that no christian there ultimately are finally put property rights above human rights it is one thing to argue for

property rights in order to ensure human rights but it is another thing to argue for property rights as against human rights and the distinction is perfectly clear you never relented for all the most conservative of us knows that property rights are not absolute no one has an absolute right that would allow him to use his properly however great or small against the general welfare of the community or the general videotape of the citizen that is why i suppose that a quality in public accommodations is one of the most crucial even though as we're not analyze it not so fruitful in terms of long range development of civil rights in this nation will return to my question whatever is it right to break the law

first let me make it perfectly clear that breaking law is not something to be done lightly anarchy as a terrible play disorder doesn't make civil life impossible and anyone who has lived through right at or revolution in congo or anyone else knows how much all of us whoever we are ought to appreciate the civil order of our communities and that the police who enforce it for us all but let us be entirely clear that law is not draw it has always been from the first a basic christian conviction that there are times when a christian ought to break the law

and the law let us look briefly at the new testament precedent peter and some of his fellow apostles have been old fashioned way and legally ordered not to breech publicly that jesus the christ had been raised from that that they were in and out of jail several times refusing to obey the injunction and i reminded of lawyers in to get more excited when people threatened to disobey an injunction than any other one thing they have refused to obey the injunction established by the church and state officials i priest council and sent as christians peter the apostle believed that they could not abate and alun are however legal which would stop them from making their weapons to the lord jesus christ and so they said we must

obey god rather than men i do not believe that an abuse seriously would argue in general and it's never right to break the law what about christians or jews under hitler what about you have no friends or in the underground in france or switzerland during world war two or what about the boston tea party what about the whole series of arrests in the new testament when christians regulate refused to obey some laws even though they were plopped through the apostle that the powers that be are ordained but perhaps some of you ask has the present day effort by american negroes to win the quality now in building an education and job

opportunities and advancement in housing and in public facilities even amusement parks has this anything to do with witnessing to jesus christ as the apostles in the first century well it's quite clear that all of the highest authority is in the church of jesus christ do so billy the general assembly of my own church has repeatedly made it clear that the white man's treatment of the negro in our free nations is morally and spiritually wrong and that our culture pattern our normal treatment of the negro within the church itself is morally wrong the world council of churches said that this summer in rochester new york

that it is a betrayal of christ the pope has made it clear that this is the roman catholic understanding the presiding bishop of the protestant visible church they see as they've been on the scripture as an on the actions of their convention spoke most eloquently and officially this spring in the same vein so all the major christian churches in the hole why world it's clear enough that we should have begun to witness our convictions in this matter much more effectively sooner but there are at least two reasons why plead with each of you today to consider what maybe your question do they end this critical time of these month's this fall of nineteen sixty three in a battle

for justice and equality the first reason is that the nation is facing a crisis i began with that everybody knows it i suppose i wonder am i do however it's not a sexual prices and national crises it is a crisis in every community even in advance communities like new york or one hundred years since their fathers were freed from chattel slavery the negro community has on the whole follow the christian leadership nonviolent leadership in trying to win a place of dignity and equality as guaranteed at last by our american constitution in some states they do not yet have the right to vote either because of laws on just the ones or because of intimidation analyze a intimidation i'm a murderer

totally interrelated discrimination in getting jobs in finding housing and good opportunities for education most negroes as members of the community find it almost impossible to move out of the lower social and economic straits in our society it was not too long ago when i was a pastor in california but i found we had in my town a negro college graduate writing a garbage truck y well because he was in fact discriminated against in a job for which he had been prepared by great effort on his part and by real sacrifice on the part of his family isn't surprising than that many other negroes drop our allies who

when i have seen how hard it is to get an even when you qualified and we're going it's surprising that there are not enough negroes reading for the good jobs when suddenly for some reason some jobs are opened up and why are we surprised that negroes generally have been forced into high priced crowded housing because they do not qualify for other communities as our kind of people without an international crisis to resolve that i am confident the second reason why you and i must act now in nineteen sixty three no later to establish justice and the second reason is the first importance for any christian is that there isn't a coup a grave

crisis within the christian church in america part of the crisis that we face in the churches of negro christians by now have largely lost their faith in this and serve the other professions of white christians and this whole matter that we do not act the way we have a long talk it is clear that the negro community will turn increasingly from the christian church on their own christian leaders to which up until law negroes have been amazingly loyal but there's a greater crisis that exists in the christian church i estimate that five thousand presbyterian minister is hesitate to lead in this effort rate of their jobs and they have good reason our conscious and unconscious prejudices to guide us in our actions in our building

and an eyewitness saying and eight when our lack of actions these are the things that have moved us rather than the christian faith we broadcast on a sunday morning frankly the christian church in america doesn't look much like a christian church as far as race is concerned mostly we look like religious clubs for our own kinds of people the religious agree on a secular culture which is essentially more and more fearful and more and more selfish the wealthier and more affluent we become i say that the reason people like you and me should stand with our negro brother and in their effort to achieve equality is that if we do not we shall reveal ourselves up glass closet regrets and we shall play

on our day to what mr jesus christ's own so easily we proclaim to be the savior of the world weapon can you do that may conclude quickly the sermon by suggesting very concrete actions for all of us you can try to get the congress to pass stronger civil rights legislation write your two senators your congressman ryan today element you believe that civil rights are a moral matter that you want good legislation passed this fall but you do not want your representatives to make as a partisan issue but you will not countenance a filibuster in the senate to prevent needed legislation this effort will cost you fifteen cents and an hour's time to write good letters and this is a by election by people like you and me and fifty states

begin to demonstrate is the second thing you can do let there be no segregated marches ever again for this cause the invitation is due for unless people like we'll begin to demonstrate it's not really predictive that no civil rights legislation will pass whenever congress is unable or unwilling to legislators really predicted that no and more violent phases in demonstrations will then begin again join the naacp know that you can make a whopping big competition though it's legal and offense on make a contribution to the urban league and add to your church isn't all are deductibles are going to very hard for a christian to get to things that are not deductible add the southern leadership conference martin luther king the congress

the racial equality and by james farmer the student nonviolent coordinating committee as the most radical of all as you would guess these are the i should be these are the organizations that are leading this effort for justice and equality and now they're unwilling to give them give to the national council churches and an earmark to fund for its commission on religion and race why else can you do besides writing letters and joining organizations and supporting them or you can make it your project where you were see that jobs are open to nigro zoo are qualified and that your business will drain on qualified negroes the same way you've been training and upgrading president leon qualified white people if you don't work out or a stockholder ok write the management intel management or owner like you're you want your company to be a leader in enlightened employment

policies as to race it may begin to lose a bit of your popularity if you're really take this seriously which you must begin each one of you wherever you have an atm phones at all you're going great night for the negro community and its leaders you can play for those who are still in mississippi jails under excessive on them have been there for weeks a month you don't believe this really do you follow got arrested coming out of church and were there for months until finally the commission on religion and race was able legally and with money get seventy five people out just last week you can pray for a male boss who may day by day after make hard decisions realizing that will likely be wrong and some of them surely but

nevertheless must make them we hope in the light of the gospel finally you could begin to make it possible for anyone who has the money to buy and rent in your town your apartment your community or know i'm leaving preaching and moving into modeling now or i speak not to you but to myself i have a residence in a lovely suburban spot of isolation and retreat was living in suburbs by the power structure of our society is one of the causes of racial crisis we have her away yeah the expressways which make it possible almost completely if we will to isolate ourselves from an eerie allocate that has any ugly mess in it

and you will find you will not increase your popularity in your town or in your white community if you really mean to back the open housing program already begun by many churches as being a concrete place to begin at least you can protest anytime you hear any one lady negroes for education or saying that they're asking too much some of course you ask too much some ask for the wrong things of course what the cause of extremism as justice delayed and wayne that they are responsible for about what you can do is to begin to act her very intimate laid to ridicule or poverty or danger or arrests the widely publicized march of august twenty eight and washington will not be important

unless it symbolizes it encourages the members of churches you act in a new pattern and witnessed of jesus christ this happens why do they not only among the few ministers and a few members and radicals it'll go far to mark the very renewal of the church by the holy spirit and faith and an open in love it's time for us all to stand up and be counted we must obey god rather than men said later and the apostle about simple decision became the foundation of the church of jesus christ and the reason why the world was wanting to him now it always easy to know how to obey god no audio is failing to try to find a way to change their racially segregated pattern of american life and claim these days to be trying very hard to obey him then on without our best will

still be centers of the gospel reminds us will an age others from a ship and prayers us sinners you are forgiven freely one week to repent of evil and turned to god through jesus christ for this gospel is ape all for reconciliation reconciliation of centers to god and all men to all men in worship here in the sanctuary or in any christian church we need to be helped to be agents of that divine reconciliation loving one another even when we deeply disagree loving the enemy's we make and those who make us that animates the sound only passed the church of jesus christ will be his church to interview witnesses

law and order and christian duty as been the topic of tonight's sermon of the week delivered by dr eugene carson blake stated court of united presbyterian church usa the sermon was originally given by dr blake of the sunday morning worship service of the riverside church on september the fifteenth of nineteen sixty three next week another in these mid week messages by an incursion of all faiths there's been