Southside Oracle Archive

Vol. 50 No. 14                    SOUTHSIDE ORACLE                    June 8, 2007

Jeff Hill To Work With Church

It was announced Sunday morning that Jeff Hill has accepted an invitation to work with Southside as a full-time preacher. The decision by the elders to work with the church followed an extensive effort by the search committee to discover who might be interested in working with Southside. Twenty people expressed interest in this work. Three men were invited to interview and preach for us and the input of the members was solicited. Jeff Hill is a graduate of Rochester College and is working on a Master of Divinity at Bethel. He currently preaches for the Westside Church in Pasco, WA where he has been three years. Prior to that he preached for the church in Tomah for thirteen years and was very active in WCYC. Jeff is married to Holly and they are in the process of adopting two children. The time of their moving to Milwaukee will depend in part on the adoption process but will be as soon as the move can be arranged.

The Bulletin Board

Congratulations to our high school graduates! They are: Jennifer Giemza, Greendale High School; Adam Nichols, Muskego High School; Joel Valdez, St. Francis High School; Alex Van Handel, Hartford Union High School.

Our condolences to Dennis King and his family in the death of his mother, Dorothy King, on May 28. Funeral services were last Saturday.

The sick - Hope Zettel suffered a serious stroke on May 30 and is in St. Lukes Hospital. At age 93 she is the oldest member of our Southside family .... Emma Webb, mother of Sandy Ondrejka. underwent surgery last week but is now recovering at home .... Diane Santana has been diagnosed with spinal stenosis and is considering treatment options.

ATTENDANCE RECORD

(*) first service, 148; second service 63

Praise and Palate will be Sunday at 6:00 p.m.

Daryl Miller will speak at the morning services Sunday.

Calendar of Events

June 10 - Praise and Palate, 6:00 p.m.

June 17 - 30 - Junior Camp, Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp, Fallhall Glen

June 26 - July 1 - Youth/adult service trip, Fallhall Glen

July 1 -14 - Middle Camp, Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp, Fallhall Glen

July 15 - 28 - Intermediate Camp, Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp, Fallhall Glen

July 29 - August 11 - Senior Camp, Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp, Fallhall Glen

August 6 -10 - Midwest Family Encampment, Green Lake

Pubic Morality (2)

How are our ethical values determined? On a personal level our morals are shaped by our homes, schools, churches, and peers. However, our homes tend to reflect the public morality of society, what the community as a whole acknowledges as acceptable behavior. Last week we noted that the values of society have drastically changed in the last fifty years. Things accepted then are now rejected and vice versa. What are the influences that shape the morality of society as a whole?

Until the middle of the last century, religion had been the dominant force in determining our ethical standards. America was known as a Christian nation, and while that was never the case, Christian values affected almost everyone including the irreligious. Society was the ally of the Christian home in rearing children to reflect the teachings of Jesus. That is no longer true. Other influences are now predominant.

It is not coincidental that the decline of public morals parallels the rise of television. Within itself television is neither good nor bad. However the national producers of television programs are driven by profit. Greed determines what shows will be aired. Since young people buy more products than older folks, programs are slanted to youth. Predominant themes are violence and sex, and sex means pandering to lustfulness. The objections of religious people are ignored because they don't make a profit. By dint of constant repetition of the same themes, we become inured to what we objected to. We no longer are shocked when on the screen two unmarried people jump into bed together. The public now regards this as acceptable.

Special interest groups are also a major factor in changing public morals. An example is seen in the influence of animal rights activists. Constant protestations by Hollywood celebrities against perceived abuse of animals has created a climate that makes certain practices politically incorrect. Whether the objections are legitimate is not the issue, but rather the fact that a constant barrage of propaganda from people who have access to the media alters the public perception of what is right or wrong. The same is true of the gay lobby. Only 2% of the populace is homosexual, but by virtue of constant issue raising, anyone who objects to the practice of homosexuality is deemed to be homophobic. It would be a sin to condemn homosexuality on religious grounds except that "sin" is a word that has now been repealed and has been replaced by political incorrectness.

These observations are oversimplifications about what has happened to public moral standards. Other factors have played a part in what has occurred in society. It is hoped that as Christians we will be aware of the battle in which we are engaged in a society that no longer accepts Christian values as correct. In our final article we will look at the Christian response to changing public morality.

Monroe E. Hawley

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