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Show How the Five leading clergymen I r,.o Jmmm 'P wpm J$ V o Jt iV t WHAT i' ; -- jfii V.i ! the most serious problems confronting the nation and which Bible passages can help solve them? ARE Several leading American clergymen Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish g were asked to answer this question, for Famly Weekly. Their answers are presented as a prelude to National Bible Week, Nov. sponsored by the Laymen's National Bible .Committee, the American Bible Society, and the Catholic Biblical Association of America. Here are the clergymen's views of principal contemporary problems and their recommendations for applying the Bible to them : thought-provokin- 23-3- 0, Dr. Norman Vincent Peal, min-ittof Marble Collegiate Church, Neic York; president of the Reformed Church in America, and author of "The Power of Positive Thinking" and other books. The most pressing problem confronting cur country today is the deterioration of character among our peopleold and young. Our problems 8 tern basically from moral laxity. We emneed to restore the phasis on character in the making of a strong people and a strong nation. It is difficult to find many people who really believe in something and er ed Family LA Weekly, November IS, 1969 V 1 "'if iL Dr. Norman Vincent Peale 1 have the courage to stand up against all opposition to defend what, they believe. Our young people do not hesitate to stand up and fight as an expression of protest, but many of them assume that their cause is such that they do not have to accept the consequences of their deeds. Then, we have parents who, at the dinner table, discuss ways to defraud the Government They say it is all right to cheat on your income tax or speed or go hunting out of season as long as you can get away with it Then they wonder what is wrong with the younger generation. I do not know very many people who have the kind of character we need today, who take action for what they believe in. Parents are afraid of their children. Deans are afraid of their students. Nearly everyone is afraid of militants. Businessmen seem reluctant to take positive or negative stands on anything. While they fear the danger of getting out on a limb, they are also too tim;d to admit this fear. Where are we going to find people who are willing to stand up and be counted? Perhaps we should turn to the Biblical advice in II Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." In other words, all will be well or lot a better if we can learn to be bold and brave, acknowledge our wrongdoings, and face up to the fact that we sometimes have to pay a price for what we do in this world whether it be wrong or right. The Rev. Dr. W. A. Criswell, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, and president of the Southern Baptist Convention. National Bible Week brings to the attention of our American people the basic and everlasting foundation of Godliness upon whjch our forefathers built this country. The pilgrims came here for a purpose, and those who followed them were no less motivated by that same dedication namely, to find The Rev. Dr. W. A. Criswell a place where they could build their homes, rear their children, and worship their Lord. The most serious and ultimately tragic problem that faces our nation today lies in our departure from those fundamental principles upon which our country was built. "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" That sol- - |