Page 10 - TheGoldBug1972-73

PAGE TWO THE GOlO BUG OCTOBER ·10,1972 Reflections Dean Zepp The Christian in a political year Some suggestions traditionally fallen into two fatal traps. the transcendent, even to be critical of our man, to In his relationship to the world, the Christian has hold above him the norms which will be realized in One path taken has been "come ye apart and be for homecoming separate." The world is unalterably evil, doomed the Kingdom of God. the purity and The man of faith experiences by powers of darkness. So, with apocalyptic other- perfection of God impinging on every time and worldliness, the Christian concerns himself with his event and since God alone is obsolute, every spiritual purity and the salvation of his soul, with a historical person and movement is subject to Homecoming should be an exciting time of firm eye on heaven. Politics is irrelevant to faith. scrutiny. year. At least, it used to be. The danger here is that Christian faith resigns So we "hang loose" as well as "hang in there"; itself to the powers-that-be, is a-political and we involve ourselves in a movement for the O!e~~~e~r Sh~~~dS~pJ~~~h~I7a~~ns~~il~~l eventually becomes an ally of oppression. creation of a fuller humanity s well as detach week; "Best Foot Forward." Seems a small Another pa th taken by Christians has been ourselves, so as not to rous about any midwestern college was having their yearly "become involved and change society." History is Iy . fun Homecoming .celebratton, and they viewed as having within it inevitably redemptive historical expression of II' ve are in the world, doing our other-worldly wanted to make it really special. So, one of the forces. So with our resolution, activism and secular One remembers the early ell! rstians who resisted guys came up with the brilliant idea of inviting faith, we plug into those forces and help transform Caesar because they already had a Caesar, the fhe young starlet, Lucille Ball. (It was 1943). the world. Politics is identified with faith. Lord Jesus. They were dealing with another Not only does Lucy show up (sans The danger here is that the Christian tends to Reality, and refused to play Caesar's game. By not Desi...remember, it was 1943!) but she brings imitate the world and have his life-style defined in employing Caesar's metaphors and methods, and an agent to cover the whole mess and the terms of the world. He is soon co-opted and playing keeping the integrity of their witness, they helped college is suddenly nationally famous. Now, the world's game. And since there has been no basic alter human history. this ought to grve us a few ideas. Maybe Lucy re--deCinition of "power," "success," "freedom," So, Russia, China or America; first world or third can't snow up, but thee's always Lucy Jr. and "justice," when the Christian activist "wins" world; new or old politics; McGovern or Nixon do That takes care of the dance, but what about the pyramind is simply inverted, we are right back not matter ultimately. What really mounts is the the football game? We have to win' remember where we started and nothing is really changed. empowerment of people to be themselves-the it's seven years' bad luck to lose at A further and more serious danger is that, in each realization of love and justice issuing in personal instance, we tend to identify God with our t~~e;g{~~~~'b'::/8t~:e ed!~;, ~~dnfps~e~r~~ spirituality or our activism. By ·deifying our and social liberation. Or as the Apostle said, "What really matters is a new creation." he'd welcome the publicity. Maybe we could position, idolizing an historical moment, we cut off In the presence of continued apparent failure, we future possibilities, freeze our personal growth, ~~B~i~~~e ?~~ho~~~P ~:;~a t!?ai a~d ro~trai~ stop history and lose the dialectic of detachment- ~ntinue to strive and offer our lives for that goal. pl~yer; ":'Ie don't know about Pat) Can you see involvement manifested in the life of Jesus. MIke Bricker passing to Ronald Reagan? In fact, a third path is provided by Jesus of Nazareth, who remains the Christian'smodel for life l£etters to the ti:;~-ho~~~~kt~!~8~~: fR:c~~\i~~ nM~~i~~i~ in the world. He transcends the pietism of much current evangelical Christianity and the over- Editor ~~er~l~~bill,dl~~ifls~~~~es ~;!~e~~a~h~ involvement in the secular by much social Campus Parking Authority Homecomin~ Follies Of 1972, Starring The Christianity. Western Maryland College Entire Actor s Equity." That would pack them He was grasped by the transcendent reality we Westminster, Md. 21157 in, "gosh Kids, wouldn't it be swell? An it call God, a power which enabled him to be the Dear Sir' takes is a little faith and a latta guts ... " (a freest of all human beings. But this experience of I am somewhat bewildered by certain in- chorus of 200, the film rights, two gallons of the transcendent never led Jesus to apathy and novations in this year's parking regulations here at College, and have, Maryland ~~~f~it~~~ \1~~~h~~~~~!~:.3-D eyeglasses) indifference toward human need and his radical in Western received one citation because in fact, personal freedom never led him to resignation already of my the face of Roman imperial power or entrenched unenlightened state. This letter is not intended as a CCN religious tradition. defense for my crime, hut rather, I merely wish to From encounter with the D-evii"in hIS temp- point out that other students may be pondering tation ("Man does not live by bread alone") to his these same questions. confrontation with Pilate ("My kingdom is not of Unless I am mistaken, the fee for obtaining a this world"), Jesus was insisting in so many words, parking permit was, prior to this year, one dollar "I am dealing with another Reality!" But that This fall the fee has been raised to $5.00. As a student interested in economics, I find myself l~w~J?gu(~tJlyg ~~~~~i~e;~~ht~~f6~ th~~~!~f:~a~~~ t;~~~~e~!f~~ wondering about any possible justifications for systems is necessary. And in the name of that other such an increase. Aside from the question of OCTOBER 10, 1972 VOLUME 49, NUMBER 11 Reality, Jesus resisted de-humanizing'structures. whether a 400% increase is even legal considering Indeed, it was precisely the awareness of that the present wage and price guidelines aimed at Reality which required him to do so. curbing inflation, I question whether this year However, his resistance was not an echo of the marks the first time that student drivers will be Editor-in-Chief Cathy Nelson way the world resists ("else my soldiers would required to pay their fair share of the cost of fight"). He refused to be co-opted, to let the world Associate 'Editor Francois Derasse call his signals and define his terms. He knew you p-oviding parking-i.e., the case is such that the Copy Editor Nellie Arrington could never change the world by using the cost of maintaining a parking space is ap- proximately $5.00per vehicle, and the registration Sports Editors Chip Rouse, metaphors and methods of the world. fee is intended to defray that cost-or whether this Bob-Ramsdell It is loyalty to this Reality that defines the fee is simply a tax which has been arbitrarily set at Christian and determines his life in the world. That $5.00. Perhaps the cost to the College is actually Photography Editor Dave Korbonits life is lived in a tension of detachment and in- greater that $5.()() per vehicle, and if so, perhaps the volvement. It is a relationship to the world that Art Editor Jim Sollers avoids the traps referred to above. In this detach- fee should be even higher. But whatever the rate, students would be more willing to pay it if they ment-involvement response of the Christian to the knew they were merely paying for benefits which world, politics is related to faith. they themselves receive. Ha.r.dwork: Gail Bruder Higgs, Suzi Windemuth) Now there are Christians who endorse the Nixon Enclosed is my check for $5.00; I sincerely hope Ruth Ansel, Heather Keppler, Becky Williams, presidency and those who support the McGovern that it will be used most efficiently by the WMC Julie_Mull~n; Dona Herbst,.,Adele Moorman, movement. But the Christian is after bigger things Campus Parking Authority. Reggie Lee, Rich -Gould, Richard Elliot than the endorsement of a finite personality or a With kindest regards Chip Wright political movement. He is concerned for a vision of the N.e\Y Man, the New Humanity, traditionally Timothy E. Meredith symbolized by Messianic Era, Kingdom of God and Beloved 'tommunity. Dear Editor: Special thanks. to Miss N.ancy Lee Winkleman' for press releases. We are called to approximate that vision in Apparently some person or persons on this history and to use the political, religious and social campus do not believe in the Constitution of the avenues available (appropriate to that other United States and the Bill of Rights. Specifically I E_lltj!red_.as.secondclass material at the Westminster Reality) to help achieve that end. We are com- am referring to the right of Freedom of Speech. Our ~~ryiaod ·p~st offic_!,.2f157. Second class postage': mitted to the reconciliation of all of life-people with form of government, based on the Constitution, paid at Westmlnst,r~ .P_ubli$hejl..~y an_df.ot the students God, people with people and people with nature. supposedly gives everyone the right to formulate of.W~er_n Maryla!1~ College. The opinions expressed And from the Christian standpoint, reconciliation is and to express his own opinion. Regrettably some In this paper d~ not neeeesseruv reflect those of one the terms of the weak, poor and oppressed. As people do not believe in honoring this basic prin- theadministretinn. someone said, "A reconciliation that means I can ciple of our society. To their way of thinking, they keep as much as possible of my oWIJprivileges is must have the right to remove someone else's dangerous caricature of Christianitv." bumper sticker. What they expect to gain by this Address all mail tu 8oll: .3, Western_Mi.'ryland College, If our particular candidate seems a better in- act is beyond me. Are they effectively silencing a Westminster 'Maryland, 21157. strument for the approximation of these goals of p-oponent of some cause? Have they changed any justice, harmony, freedom and human dignity, thoughts'? Or is the bumper sticker such a threat to then, for the time being, we want him in office. We their own beliefs and values that it must be will support him and vote for him, without making a removed and destroyed'? Just what do they ac- deal of.it. as if our very existence depended on his complish'? Stuart R. Fishelman election. For we reserve the right, in the nameof Associate Professor, Sociology