It was a crisp December evening in 1950 in Times Square, New York City. We watched with more than one million others in that Broadway district as the electric ball fell to usher in 1951. I remember my euphoria about what the future might be, for me, my family and country I loved, and for the world. Matters could be better. The lengthy years of cold war tension between the Communist world and the west were on us. The Korean War was in full armor, even though the devastation of World War II had not yet been totally cleared. The Great Depression was over. Pressures were building for greater equality for races, for women, and for disenfranchised persons. Various issues would lead to hateful confrontations among citizens. Globalism was slowly gaining attention. Religion became more important with the front page news of the publication of the book, The Greatest Story Ever Told; the rise of Billy Graham (with whom I was working), and other religious leaders, especially ethnic ministers reaching large public influence and power; the emphasis of Papal changes in the Catholic Church; the rise of competing religious persuasions in active life cultures of the world; and, other influences as well, too many to enumerate here. Did these represent change in persons and society? Yes and No.
At this editing, more than sixty years after that New Year’s Eve, I muse about the feeling of the French proverb that: The more things change, the more they remain the same. The World was mesmerized by celebrities then, as it is now. The World was influenced by terrorism then, sometimes exploding into warfare, as it is now. The World was suffering from disease and poverty then, as it is now. The world was taken with considerable carnality in general cultures then, as it is now. The world seemed conflicted about the nurture of children then, as it is now. The world was prodigal with the earth’s resources then, as it is now. The world was troubled with crime then, as it is now. God was kept at distance then, as he is now. So the story goes.
Manifestations of negative factors change, but basic meanings survive no matter how they are cast. For example, the crimes of the families of the Godfathers declined, and the crimes of some officials and moguls increased. The diseases of paralysis and tuberculosis were reduced, but cancer, heart and habit-induced illnesses increased. The socially debilitating problems of gambling, prostitution, alcoholism/drugs and related conducts moved from private and nefarious contexts to public with availability for all which invited more millions of persons. The change for these matters was in scope, form and availability. The condition of the human heart, reflected in the preoccupations of individuals, seems not to be changed. The problem of human character is bandied about in discussions about mankind’s condition. This is a major issue addressed by Jesus both in his teachings and in his offering on the cross – for the sins of the world. Here is the point. He offered forgiveness of the same sin (condition) and sins (acts of thought and conduct) for all persons in all eras. This is the eminent teaching of Scripture, but our larger society appears to miss the message. In general, the identity as Christian has regard, but the concepts of sin, of spiritual birth, of righteousness as defined in Scripture, and a life of devotion to God is taken as something of the past when the population had so little, bereft of modern approaches to life in knowledge, culture, and general well-being for the majority of persons. One prays the future may invite God’s greater inclusion in it. God tends to go where he is wanted. More than sixty years, since that New Year’s Eve, the World has the same basic needs as then. God’s everlasting arms underneath his children of faith can carry us. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020