by Keith Bassham
I have lamented more than once in this column the requirements and limitations of a monthly publishing schedule in the matter of current news. Since we last went to the printer’s, we have witnessed a massive storm, a dramatic election, and a new spate of scandals among the higher-ups in government. All three will have repercussions for months, years even. It remains our job to work through new situations, but remember to anchor ourselves to the Word and constantly adjust to the revealed mind of God even more thoroughly than we adjust to new circumstances.
In that light, we believers find we have much in common with our spiritual ancestors who awaited the fulfillment of God’s promise. I’ll not claim that America has a covenant relationship with God as a nation. We do not live in a modern-day holy land, despite what some of our more religious forefathers may have believed in the early days of the nation’s founding. I’ve been saying for some time that believers most anywhere in the world today, even in our nation, have much more in common with Daniel in Babylon or Paul in Athens. Even faithful Israelites in and around first-century Israel had become ersatz foreigners in their own land, oppressed spiritually by a religion with practices gone off the rails, and oppressed politically by a civil power with an official no-truly-serious-observation-of-Yahweh-allowed policy. Sound familiar?
In my feature article this month, I mention the dark and troubled times represented by the phrase, “the days of Herod the king.” The fact is Golden Ages are not the norm. Most of human history is characterized by troubled times, and times with less trouble. And of course times with more trouble. The Christian vocation remains constant throughout storms, electoral turmoil, and scandals — we are to help those who are stricken, do what we can to preserve morals, and live lives against the current waves of unfaithfulness. If the recent news tells us anything, it tells us there is more work for Christians than ever before. In that sense, we will never be out of a job.
____________________
This time of year is important to the Tribune. As we look forward to our midwinter meeting in Atlanta, we are also preparing to receive the February Tribune Offering. We have managed to keep our costs as low as possible, but struggling churches and companies with flagging advertising budgets have meant our revenues are down as well. Not quite a disaster — more a storm than a hurricane — but it is necessary to remind our subscribers and contributors that neglecting the Tribune is a sure way to put us on that disaster path. We want to raise $125,000 in the Tribune Offering. We have done that and more several times, and the value we bring to our Fellowship is surely worth much more than that, so help us help you by participating in the February Tribune Offering.
We wish you a blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year!