Southside Oracle Archive

Vol. 51, No. 18                         SOUTHSIDE ORACLE                            July 4, 2008

The Bulletin Board

Southside Homecoming - We are just a week away from our 50th anniversary homecoming at Southside. We are expecting a number of previous members to be with us for this event including at least four former elders and two former preachers. On Saturday the 12th we will spend time re-telling the Southside story as former and present members will share their personal experiences. There will be a large picture display in the fellowship room. On Sunday we will have our two morning worship periods and conclude with a potluck dinner. Because of the fullness of the schedule, we will not have a Sunday evening worship. See the posted schedule and by all means if possible join us for these activities. The actual 50th anniversary was March 2nd, but the homecoming was deferred until July because of convenience.

Camp notes - This weekend will bring the middle session of the Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp to a close. The two-week intermediate session begins Sunday and we will have nine campers from Southside going to Fallhall Glen. They are Dustin Dickson, Zachary Giemza, Maggie Mahan, Sydney Miller, Chad Mudd, Hannah Shilts, Haley Slye, Lulu Valdez, and Hannah Wagner. Michael and Julie Shuster will be serving on the staff during the second week.

Congratulations to Jeff Hill on his graduation at the end of May from Bethel Seminary with a Masters of Divinity degree.

The car wash by our youth scheduled for this Saturday has been cancelled.

Daryl Miller will be our speaker Sunday evening. Last Sunday night Bruce Williams at the elders' forum led a discussion of how the Christian should relate to those in the world.

ATTENDANCE RECORD

                                      (*) first service, 119, second service, 83

Calendar of Events

June 22 - July 5 - Middle camp session, Fallhall Glen

July 6 - 19 - Intermediate camp session, Fallhall Glen

July 12, 13 – 50th anniversary homecoming of Southside Church

July 20 - August 2 - Senior camp session, Fallhall Glen

August 3 - 16 - Junior camp session, Fallhall Glen

August 9 - Milwaukee inter-congregational picnic, Kleztsch Park

August 11 - 16 - Green Lake Family Encampment at Green Lake

August 12-17 - Youth and family service trip to Fallhall Glen

September 22 - 24 - Midwest Preachers' Retreat, Fallhall Glen

Many Ways to Heaven?

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has released a survey showing that most religious Americans don't believe that their religion is the only way to eternal life (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 24, 2008). Those surveyed included Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Moslems, Catholics, and Protestants.  Even 57% of Evangelicals subscribed to the idea that there are many ways to heaven.

It should be noted that the survey was not about differences within the Christian community, but rather suggested that other faiths such as Hinduism and Buddhism are acceptable in one's quest for eternal life.

Some will read these statistics positively as evidence that Americans have become more tolerant and less judgmental. Certainly, of all people Christians must be tolerant in the true sense of the word - willingness to accept other people for what they are. However, tolerance does not necessarily denote approval. Acceptance of an alcoholic as a friend does not mean that one should wink at the negative behavior of the alcoholic. Similarly, a Christian may respect a Hindu, but it does not follow that he should therefore believe that the Hindu's belief in the hereafter is an acceptable religious faith.

I strongly suspect that the survey reveals the post-modernism of our times that holds that how one personally feels is the true measure of what is right rather than there being such a thing as absolute truth. One sociologist commented on the results that "the survey shows religion in America is, indeed, 3,000 miles wide and only three inches deep."

But are there really many ways to heaven? The early Christians didn't think so. The first believers were severely persecuted and many died for their faith. Their Roman overlords were quite willing to let them practice their faith - except for one thing. The Christians taught that idolatry as practiced by their neighbors was wrong and that the only way to heaven is by following the teachings of Jesus. You see, Jesus taught them, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:4). For this principle they were willing to die. Their blood paved the way for those today who subscribe to the tenets of Christ and who believe that only through him may we receive the eternal reward.

                                                                                                         Monroe Hawley

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