Caution: Studying the Bible may be hazardous to your beliefs.

Rather than being based solely upon biblical evidence, most Christian belief systems in place today are rooted in man’s traditions and ideologies. Of course much of this did not happen overnight, but over a period of generations. We need only look in the book of the Acts to find the Apostles already dealing with issues of the church’s moving away from the doctrine of salvation by grace and into a system of works? Keep in mind that at the time, they did not have the written scriptures to use for persuasion or comparison. The only proof they could offer was the testimony that they had walked with Christ, literally. These same men were the men who actually put pen to parchment and wrote the words given to them of The Holy Spirit; the words we now call the New Testament.

Even in all this, I must say that I do not believe that there was an intentional conspiracy to totally abandon the truth and move away from the foundational teaching of the early church, but mostly came about by ignorance of the scriptures, misinterpretation of the Bible or through some minor nuances in their views of theology. These perspectives, however minute in error, were then passed along to others who naively trusted their doctrine and practice. Left unchecked these views grew into what was eventually considered to be factual truths.

We find that determined, unbiased study of the Bible is the only means by which the myths that have become strong traditional beliefs of today can be dispelled. However, most church goers, when offered the truth of the Bible vs. the traditions of their fathers and mothers, will, in almost every case, turn their backs on biblical certainties and hold tightly to the culture in when they were reared. It is for this reason we must stress the need for intensive study of the Bible. But be forewarned, as the title of this post suggests, this can have a disastrous effect on imbedded beliefs and can turn the reader’s world upside down. 

I mentioned some of the errors of our forefathers of years past and gone, but It is much different today than then. Deviant church behavior is now being accepted by the masses with little, if any resistance.  Even in my brief span upon this earth, I have seen many ideological seeds sown that have become deep rooted traditions within only a few short years. Unlike our forefathers, who may have ignorantly misinterpreted the word, men and women today seem to be purposely disregarding and even changing the scriptures to meet their own agendas. Satan is hard at work and is hurrying the process of deceit along at a much faster pace. He knows his time is drawing close to an end.  

Matt.15: 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men

Gal.1: 14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers

Matt.15: 2-3 & 6 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

Mark.7: 9 & 13-14 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

Col.2: 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Sam Everett

The New “Worship?”

The old time honored, spiritually blessed hymns are seldom heard within the walls of the “worship centers” that are popping up across our country’s landscape. The hymnals in which so many beautiful doxologies reside have now become passé and have long been recycled for other uses. They have become too old fashioned for this modern electronic church of today. These precious psalms of the past are much too depressing. Singing about the blood, death and or the suffering of our savior is no longer suitable for the “lively”, “positive thinking” church of today.

 

 The “praise songs” that have replaced these wells of poetic worship seem to be nothing more than repetitive mantras whose words are viewed on an oversized, overhead projector screen. The “minister of music” has taken the place of the song leader. His only direction is, “just watch and follow me”, and he is easy to follow since he is wired with his own personal microphone with which he all but drowns out any other voices. When the choir is called on to sing, it is only a backdrop for his continued “performance” with the congregation serving as the audience.  When or if the congregation is actually allowed to participate in a song, they have no option but to watch the screen and listen to the minister of music as they are still being led by the same overbearing voice blaring over the sound system. There is no time limit for these incantations. This is his service for which he was hired to do. They will go on until the “minister” of music finally calls it all to a halt in order for the pastor to have time for his “message” This is called the “praise” portion of the service. Except for His name being mentioned only a few times in this musical cabaret, Jesus Christ has been all but been omitted from this type of so-called worship.

 

Oh and by the way, for all that should desire them, donuts and coffee are served in the lobby. Feel free to bring both into the sanctuary. And don’t worry about how you are dressed. Come as you are. There are no dress codes. No one is to be made feel uncomfortable by any unwanted reverent code of conduct that might upset this leisurely setting.

 

After the “praise” portion of the “service”, the pastor finally takes his place on the stage. He is usually wearing a t-shirt, or maybe a collarless pull over sweater, jeans and sandals or athletic shoes. Almost everything he says and does is cute or funny, which is deliberately directed toward a younger generation. He knows the best way to acquire and retain power is to gain the confidence of the youth. He does this by becoming one of them; dressing like them; talking their language; hanging out with them. The older congregation has no recourse but to sit quietly, as the adolescents and the younger adults embrace and endorse all that is taking place.

 

Much like the praise portion of this service, the pastor’s message seldom mentions the shed blood of Jesus Christ or the efficacious work of the cross, but is usually some type of motivational speech geared toward individual self esteem or personal gain. He takes the liberty to speak on any topic…literally. However, biblical instruction is seldom on his agenda. Nothing is off limits for him. Some topics might even include (as sick as it may sound) how to improve the sex life of a husband and his wife. It seems that nowadays, sex is a topic that has made its way into the pulpit. The pastor seems to enjoy speaking on the subject and it is evident that it stays on his mind…a lot. Not only is it the pastor who is reveling in this subject; the congregation is receiving his words with a very warm welcome, and in many cases with excitement.

 

How to achieve happiness through prosperity is another popular topic he may use. It seems, according to the pastor, that there can be no real contentment without some type of worldly influence, whether it is monetary or worldly wisdom. He tells us very plainly that Jesus came to this world and gave His life so we could be happy and comfortable. Simply put, most of his messages are rooted in secular humanism; it is all about us and nothing about Jesus Christ.

 

So…welcome to the neo-modernistic church of today! Welcome to the new age worship center!

 

Welcome to the “Church of the here and now”!

The Architect

Isaiah 46: 9-10

Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me
 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure

In the mind of the architect, everything is already “viewed” before any construction is started. Every detail has been scrutinized. The architect knows and “sees” exactly how the building will stand and how it will look upon completion. His plans are laid before him. He knows every detail, where every brick will be laid and every stud will be placed; all this before the first shovel of dirt is turned.

As laborers, we have no access to these plans and can in no way comprehend what the end product will be. We can only do our part and see only what has been built thus far. We view only that specific portion with which we are personally involved. We may be called upon to assemble things in a way that may seem odd to us. But as the structure continues to “come together”, suddenly the oddity takes shape and melds into the rest of the framework. 

Most who are hired to do the labor may never see the finished product. So it is with the masons, who laid the foundation and have now moved on. They are gone long before the framers begin their construction, and so it goes with each crew until the last detail of the building is completed.

And so it is with the great sovereign architect of the world and his plan for it and us. He sees the ending of the thing from the beginning, while we as servants and laborers only view that part on which we may have labored. And as with the laborers of the natural building, the part that we add may not make any sense to us, but that does not matter for it is the completed structure that the architect is concerned about. Many have come before us and many others may come after us; adding their labor to the “building”. But when His building is eventually completed, all that were chosen to be involved in the great work will be brought together in one to view in awe the majestic wonder, the finished work of His great plan.

Selective Service System (SSS)

“It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son”
”It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no!”

 John Fogarty

 

I became eligible for the draft before the draft lottery was implemented. During this time, those of us who were drafted were picked, or selected, by the SSS or “draft board”, which consisted of volunteers located within the same district in which the draftee resided. This being the case, we find that the members of the local board were often involved in choosing whether friends or the sons of friends would serve in the military, or stay at home and become good private citizens.

 

Being drafted into the military (which was in almost all cases the Army) during this time was almost a guarantee of being sent to Viet Nam. Allow me to use this as an example. There were five of us who were best friends during high school. All five served in the military; four were sent to Viet Nam.

 

Not everyone knows that every male-child born in this country has a six-year military obligation.  It is for this reason that all young men must register with the SSS on or before their eighteenth birthday; that their names will be readily available, in case the need (usually a national emergency or declaration of war) for the draft arises. This was the case during the mid to late sixties to very early seventies. Deferments (or waivers for not serving) were given for obvious reasons, but some were given for not so obvious reasons.

 

During World War II, very few were exempt from the draft. Men from all walks of life were called upon to serve their country. The most common deferments during this time were for mental or physical incapacities or if someone’s career or job dealt in some way with the security or welfare of the nation.

 

During the Viet Nam era however, other reasons were brought into view. One of which was the “education deferment”. During this time, a young man attending college on a full time basis was “excused” from military duty. After finishing his undergraduate studies he was, by law, eligible to be drafted if he did not go on graduate school, yet I cannot think of any of those who ever served in the military, other than someone who may have enlisted.

 

The prime “pick” for the SSS was the nineteen year old, who had no plans for college and was seemingly going nowhere with his life anyway. It was almost as if our draft board did not want to “waste” a young educated young man by sending him off to war. This may seem facetious, yet one need only look back to that time to find that many of these things are not just mere conjectures.

 

Another reason for deferment was due to a disability, whether physical or mental. However, many who were classified as physically unfit when the “conflict” first began were reevaluated and were found, toward the end of the war, to be fit after all. The simple fact of the matter was that our country was running out of boys to serve, therefore the board could not be so choosey. But one thing was for sure. Even though many with disabilities were being reclassified, those who were in college or newly graduated from the same were very seldom, if ever, touched.

 

Another deferment was “married with children”. Marriage alone was not considered to be an exclusion from the military. If this had been the case, many would have married just to receive this deferment. The draft board didn’t have any qualms over separating husbands and wives. After all, these young wives were being paid an allotment during the absence of their husbands. What wasn’t mentioned was that, in order to offset the cost to the government; a portion of the soldiers pay (which at the time was only around ninety dollars a month) was taken and added to this small payment. Both together totaled less that two hundred dollars a month.

 

A man with wife and child did receive exemption from military duty.  Please understand that this had nothing to do with any of our government officials or the draft board feeling any guilt over any child being left without a father. No, this was not the case at all, but rather, a money issue. It simply was not cost effective, since the government was required to bear the financial burden of paying allotments to each child of the soldier.

 

Initially I was one of those who received a deferment by the “board”, as I was registered to attend junior college in the fall after my high school graduation. However I knew this was only putting off the inevitable, for I had only enough money saved for one year of school, and my family was barely scraping by.  My dad was fifty-eight years old and had been “laid off” from his job at a chicken feed mill. He had been a laborer all his life and finding work at his age was close to impossible. I would never ask him for any financial assistance. He was a proud man and having to deny help to his son would have hurt him terribly. He was in no way unwilling, but he simply did not have the monetary means to give aid.

 

After my first year of college, I again worked the summer months trying to save enough for the next school year. However, this summer’s work was not as lucrative as the previous year. For me to leave this job and go to school full time was not feasible. The funds simply were not there. So I opted to keep my job and attend school at night, taking on a full load of classes.  It was about this same time that I met the girl who was to become my wife. I must say that I was smitten. Working in Atlanta, driving to sixty or so miles in order to attend night classes, and all the while worrying that the love of my life could possibly slip away, was too much for me, so I dropped out of school, and started the task of convincing this beautiful young lady to become my wife.

 

Within days (literally) after I was dropped from the school roll, the “board” was hot on my trail.

 

After dating Ann for only two months I asked her to marry me. This was November. We set the wedding date for June of the next year. In December I was again ordered to make another trip to the induction center but was sent home. It was then that we decided to move the wedding date up to February 14, understanding that by waiting until June, I, more than likely, would have already been drafted, and that there was a strong possibility that, by that time, I could already be serving in Viet Nam, which also carried a possibility that I might not return home. We made the decision to take the time that had been afforded us and spend as much of it as we could together as man and wife, before this happened.

 

We were married on the new date that we had set, but surprisingly I wasn’t called again until March of the next year. This time I was not so lucky. I was inducted and sworn into the Army being sent to the US Army training center at Fort Benning, Ga. for basic training.

 

I have tried not to be overly critical, but I lived during that era and was eyewitness to many of what could be considered injustices that loomed within this system of sending young boys off to war. Considering the lyrics of John Fogarty’s song “Fortunate Son”, it seems I was not the only one that noticed the “inconsistencies” within the SSS. 

 

During the mid to late sixties, an eighteen-year old boy, who had graduated high school, had three options; go to college; join the military or be drafted. I cannot recall many, if any, of the “sons” of the doctors, lawyers, dentists, pharmacists, local businessmen, city or county officials, who were drafted into the military. I agree that most of these were attending college, but it I think it could be safely said that many of these were in college for one reason only, and that was to simply stay out of the military, to be more specific, Viet Nam! A few of my high school friends were just not college material, if I may say so, but they went on to college just the same.

           

I saw quite a few of the “boys” who were “called up”, and very few of those were not the sons of common laborers. I watched moms and dads as they would bring their sons to the rear parking area of the SSS, where a bus would take them to the induction center located in Atlanta, Georgia. I watched as they stood in stunned silence, tears streaming down their faces as their son climbed aboard the bus to be sent to away to boot camp. My parents did the same, but I also had a nineteen-year old wife whom I was leaving behind. We held onto each other as long as we could before I had to climb on board the bus that would take me away!

 

             There were a few who had “affluent” parents who chose not to go to college. Many of these were never drafted. Some were somehow able to get into the National Guard or Reserves, which for all practical purposes, were closed to most young men. There were a few who were overlooked completely by the draft board and were never called upon to serve. I must admit that this still puzzles me. However, I can recall a handful of boys who never signed up for the draft, even though being threatened with prison time if caught.  

 

 I doubt that anything “illegal” on the part of the local board ever occurred, but I will say that, in my opinion, there were some unethical practices that went on during these hard times. 

 

I think it would safe to say that Viet Nam could truthfully be called the “poor boy’s war”. I was one of them. Those of us, who could not afford any other way out, simply had to bite the bullet and await the inevitable.

 

I must admit that I would take nothing for the pride and experience of serving my country. I can only hope if the need should ever arise for another military draft that it would be executed in complete fairness to all those who may be considered eligible to serve.

 

Sam Everett