Chapter Nine

Behavior

The grace we receive in the congregation of the faithful is for a purpose. Jesus said thet
men would be known by their fruits. Paul never conceived of faith without works, and if anyone
should misunderstand him at that point, the letter of James serves as a reminder that faith
without works is dead. The opposite danger is to attempt works without faith, and it is the
emphasis on ethics without theology which has led such continental theologians as Karl Barth to
suggest that American Christianity is boring, because it is so interested in activism that it fails
to be grounded in God.

We need to think of Christian behavior first of all in terms of discovering and doing the
will of God. The Christian is a baptized and doing the will of God.The Christian is a baptized
member of the Body of Christ, and thus the framework of all this ethical decisions is provided by
the Church, with its sources of authority.

If the ethical question is answered on purely ethical grounds, there will be no satisfactory
answer, for the basis of ethics is the will of the liying God and not a set of ideals. The chief
power of the Church, as we have tried to show, is that it has a Gospel. The good news of Jesus
Christ, who came from God to save, redeem and reconcile men, puts salvation on a plane
higher than God is at work in the world, and whenever Gods will is translated into human terms,
it ceases to be absolute and becomes permeated with the relativities of human experience.

The Christian ethic is always directed to the will of God, rather than to any ideal, even
the ideal of love, for it is a religious ethic. Christian behavior is achieved among men by Gods
grace. Mans own seeking after his own highest ideals Gods grace. Mans own seeking after his
own highest ideals leads to moralism and not to a religious ethic.

All of these Christian standards of judgment are general, but they point in the direction of
Gods will for men and nations. The expediting of them in particular situations involves the
powers of critical judgment comes down to the motives of individual men. The Christians
behavior is not based primarily on standards, but on an inner attitude of faith.

The calm uderstantement of the Book of Common Prayer takes on fuller meaning
against this background: my bounden duty is to follow Christ, to worship God every Sunday in
his Church; and to work and pray and give for the spread of his kingdom. The beginning of
Christian behavior is as a member of Christs Church, where man accepts Jesus Christ as his
Lord and Savior, and then follows him with whatever light the grace of God may grant him.

The problems of Christian ethical decisions face the little child at an early age. The
responses to situations built into his habits by his parents at the earliest age determine much
that he does by choice as he grows older. the earliest experiences within the unit of the family
on a day by day basis provide personality traits and behavior patterns before the child can
atticulate them. The fundamental needs of a childs emotional and spiritual life must be met as
dependably as his physical needs. Parents often do not realize this, and in their own instability
provide an environment which the child finds not only confusing but utterly unpredictable.
 The first time a child comes up against an unpleasant school situation and reports it to
his parents, many also be crucial. It may seem obvious to the parents that a teacher has been
unfair, but the answer is not to sympathize with the child and build a spirit of antagonism; the
answer is not sympathize with the child and build a spirit of antagonism; the answer is to lead
the child to solve the problem of getting along with his teacher. A negative reaction to Church
school should be handled in the same fashion. The task is to give children the kind of
personality which is able to adjust to the personalities of others, however clashing the
relationship may at first seem. To adjust is not to submit, but to seek a creative relationship.

The major emphasis in determining Christian behavior is to increase the ethical

discrimination of the learner at every age level. Ethical judgments are grounded in theology, for
the good is meaningless without referenceto God.

Christians are not perfect even when they seem to have access to Gods grace, but
Christians are born with the same qualities as other men, and what marks off the true Christian
is that his intentions are sound and his faith is sincere and his seeking to do Gods will is without
reservation. This does not automatically make him good, but it makes him a better follower of
Jesus Christ than if he did not make this response to Gods free offer of grace.

Chapter Ten

Society

The church has always been concerned about the nature of society. It has never
withdrawn from its social responsibilities, although there have been times when it lacked
courage and conviction in the face of the challenges of society. The social imperative of
Christian faith has taken different forms during the long history of the Church, and at times has
seemed wellnigh forgotten, but the basic humanitarianism of the story of the Good Samaritan
could never be neglected for long by those who considered themselves disciples of the Great
Physician.

The Churchs interest in social reform is also dictated by its concern for persons. The
cure of souls is not just an individual matter when one observes the debilitating effects of
unemployment. It is not only suffering and privation which arouse Christian sympathy, important
as this is in all the arouse Christian sympathy, important as this is in all the effect upon the
personalities of those who are crushed by the oppressionsof an unjust social system. These are
simple sociological insights which have been clarified by scientific research but which have
been part of the Gospel since the first time the story of the Good Samaritan was told.

The change in modern society offer great opportunities for both injustice and justice in
the new forms of culture. The increasing weakness of the Church as far as political attachments
are concerned gives it greater freedom to make use of its prophetic function as the conscience
of the state.Another element in the changed sociological climate which the weather me of the
Church must see and predict clearly is the rise in social and political power of various minority
groups.

The Church stands as a witness against all depersonalizing forces in modern civilization,
not by aligning itself with entrenched privilege and the status quo and not by identifying itself
with a particular solution of the problem. The first act of the Church in witnessing against the
subjugation of man to any man-made power or machine is worship. This is the primary function
of the Church. When the body of believers worship God, there are no automatons. Each
worshiper is a person, a creature of Almighty God. The power which comes from worship is
personalized power which is the gift of a gracious God. The one upon whom the grace of God
has fallen knows himself as a person, because his relationship with God is personal.

The Church is a worshiping fellowship, the first witness of the Church is its worship. The
churchs domain iin both worship and action is the whole world of human experience. The
problem of Christian ethics is the discovery of Gods will and doing it.

The relevance of the idea of the kingdom of God becomes clear even in this brief
treatment. God wills that men should live together in brotherhood; God values all men equally
and loves them so much that he sent his only begotten Son to save them.

The junior can take a step forward. He has had enough experiences to be aware of the
widespread injustice and the various social problems of his entire community, which is probably
a cross-section of America. The life of fellowship and worship within the Church is the great
powerhouse of action by persons to bring Gods will to fulfillment. The rhythm of worship is such
that it includes clearing away all obstacles, listening to what Gods will may be, and then through
prayer gaining power to do his will. Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand, has an added
urgency when modern forms of technology shorten the time available for repentance. Christian
education needs to move forward now with the cry of prepare ye the way of the Lord