The Tribune. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1951-19??, 1953-04-25
tiles Are Bad

az" was up against 1t all the
me, one way or another. A good
sample of the sort of thing that
made his work hard was his stav
in Corinth, not to mention his trou-
oies with the Corinthians ever aft
er. Corinth was one of the great
clties of the Roman Empire at that
time. 1t was a transfer point for
cargoes bound from the east to
the empires capital, Rome. 1t was
a center for professional athletics.
Everybody In. the place had the
Idea of getting rich as fast as DOS
Slble. 1t was not noted for culture
or for religion or morals. Indeed it
was SO bad that it's morals would
make Roman policeman blush.
When Paul wrote Roman ] he was
living in Corinth, and the horrible
picture he draws is no more than
he could see, SO to speak, looking
out OF his window Now big cities
contain much good. They are the
centers of worldwide Christian ac-
hvities, in many cases today. But
big cities are bad too, as every
body knows. and for much the
same reason that Corinth was
bad. The one god worshipped
there, by the majority of its citi-
zens, is Mammon, Money. Why do
people crowd into big cities? Most
of them are there, directly or in.
directly, because they hope to
make money faster than they could
back home What chance has the
gospel of love in such place? A
real chance; but it has to fight.
Half-Religion ~-~s;s1IG
Paul stuck to cities for his mis-
Sionary work because he was, aft
er all, city man and understood
city people. But still it was a
fight. Besides the indifference of
people who cared for no god but
themselves, there was bitter op-
position from people who already
had a religion, and a right good
one. Paul suffered sharper attacks
from the Jews than he ever did
from downright pagans. People
who already have something good
are more likely to be fanatical
against what is better than are
people who have nothing. For in
stance, nowadays the great new
revision of the Bible is getting
more bitter opposition from people
who have good but old transla-
tion-the King James-than from
people who don't have Bible at all.
Highbrows
In Acts IL there is told at some
length what is only limited at in
Acts 18-the kind of trouble Paul
had with the Greeks. In dealing
with Greeks he was up against
the true highbrows of his time.
The Jew had a very practical
mind; but the Greek mind was
always worrying with very difficult
questions, to which the answers
have not all been given even down
TO this present day. Paul had to
argue with these people - he
couldn't just knock them over the
head with Bible texts; the Greek
mind didn't bash in easily. And
Paul won some of them. Indeed he
was more successful with them
than he was with his own people,
somewhat to his own establishment.
But that is one hurdle that Christ
ianity meets everywhere: the OPP
position Of people who want to
have all their questions answered
before they will consent to believe.
There is surely nothing wrong in
having bright mind, and moth
ing at all wrong in having the best
education one can absorb. But any
person who insists on Gods ex-
planning himself to him before he,
the man. will give his heart to
God, is demanding the wrong
thing. Gods grace is for the
humble.
Based on outlines copyrighied by the
Division Of Christian Education, Ma
tionaI Council Of the Churches Of Christ
iu The IS a. Released by Com I'm unity
Press ServiCe.)