By Knut Lee
It has been said that in his later years, the renowned theologian Karl Barth was asked, in view of the broad diversity of theological opinions current in our times, what was the most important thing. He answered, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."
It has also been said that when people stop believing in God they don't believe in nothing รน they believe in anything! Certainly any thinking person who examines the trends of today's religious patterns must be deeply troubled by the drifting away of the priceless truths of the authority of the Word of God and Lutheran Confessionalism.
The inevitable resultant morality here among us, surrounding us, is drowning out godliness, purity, obedience and decency in the Lutheran Church that we love.
Conscientious pastors who are serving the Lord, who seek to exalt Christ and who believe that the wages of sin is death (Ro. 6:23), believe also that the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. These people are troubled today as never before. Shocked and bewildered at the landslide of permissiveness across a widening spectrum they are calling for help! Heretofore totally unknown, today's unbelievable permissiveness, "universalist" inclu-sivity and biased ecumenism, are only a part of the ever-expanding malady. More and more people are praying:
Lord, keep us steadfast in thy Word, curb those who fain by craft or sword, would wrest the kingdom from thy son, and set at naught all He has done.
In devout expectation that our sovereign Lord will answer deepening prayers among both clergy and laity, F.O.C.L., the Fellowship Of Confessional Lutherans, are urging others to join the prayer-chain for Christ-centered, Spirit-filled renewal, to bring back from the pinnacle of destruction our beloved Lutheran Church.