Árdís - 01.01.1964, Síða 11

Ársrit Bandalags lúterskra kvenna
9
Christ. There is no true soul satisfaction unless our motivation for
all we do is our love for Christ, our love that comes in response
to His. We would do well to remember this challenge as we plan
our church programs and projects, in order to make them most
meaningful for all concerned.
The church, we know, is the house of God. It is basically a
place of worship. Yet, in some cities, we are told, one’s church
affiliation is chosen as one chooses a country club. The church is
made up of social beings, it is true, but it is not a social institution.
The church is the communion of saints. It has also been defined
as the “fellowship of the concerned”. When we love God we love
our fellow men as well. But is the church always concerned that
our neighbors are fed and clothed and visited, that decent housing
is provided for all, that opportunities for work and education are
equal for men of different races, that business and politics are
carried on in ethical and moral ways? We must never belittle the
influence of the church in our country, for it is great. Neither should
we feel there is no room for improvement. It is sad to say that too
often the church has shown little concern, or has come too late
with too little. Whatever degrades men and makes them less than
sons of the King we should fight to correct with all the strength
that’s in us.
We’re all aware that there has been an upsurge in the number
of new churches built in the past few years and the number of
members on the church rolls. But we know just as well that there
is also an increase in crime and in the divorce rate and number of
broken homes. It seems evident that there is lack of Christian pro-
fession in practice.
Though 60% of the population belong to church, only half of
these attend on a Sunday. Unless you saw them at worship on
Sunday, you would have difficulty during the rest of the week
to discover what difference there was between them and non-
attenders. They are “Sunday Christians”. Religion and living are
not tied together. This superficial Christianity is being challenged
today. Are we, too, guilty on a Monday or Tuesday of denying
God the lordship of our lives though we confessed our faith in
Him on Sunday?
There is no doubt that the church is a cherished institution.