| Highlights of Dawn | November 1953 |
The Unknown God
“Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.” —Acts 17:23
IN EVERY field of human endeavor today the world is confronted with strange paradoxes. Politically, economically, and internationally, there is confusion, with the brightest minds unable to bring forth a remedy to halt the alarming progress of disintegration, and give the world a sense of direction and stability. This is likewise apparent in the realm of religion.
From one standpoint it can be said that never before has so much thought been given to religion, and perhaps at no time in the history of mankind has so large a proportion of the human race longed for the security which it is believed can be found in religion. Increasing thousands, yes, millions, are reaching the conclusion that only in religion can they find a haven of refuge from the unsettling and frightening aspects of world developments which threaten the very bulwarks of civilization, filling the hearts of the people with fear as they look ahead to the things which they see coming upon the earth.
This unprecedented turning toward religion is reflected in the fact that church membership—Protestant and Catholic combined—in the United States increased four and one-tenth per cent during the year 1952; which was about two per cent more than the increase of population.
At the close of 1952, fifty-nine per cent of the population of the United States were church members, as compared with sixteen per cent in 1850. At the turn of the century, thirty-six per cent of the people in the United States belonged to churches, and there has been a slow gain every decade since, but the increase from 1950 to 1952 was sharply in advance of any similar period during the last century.
Theoretically, if the ratio of increase during these peak years should be maintained, every person in America would belong to some church considerably before the close of the present century. To some this might indicate that the long cherished hope of the nominal church to convert the world is at last to be realized, for with America one hundred per cent religious, it would seem to be possible to spread churchianity over the remainder of the world.
But is the outlook really as bright as these recently published statistics might indicate? Is America actually becoming Christianized? The fact is that as the number of church members has increased, spirituality and genuine belief in Christianity has decreased. It would probably be safe to say that the sixteen per cent of Americans who belonged to churches in 1850 were practically all regular attendants at churches. The vast majority of them were studious readers of the Bible and held family worship in their homes.
In those “good old days,” which continued well into the present century, there was a sharp line of demarcation between the church and the world. Generally speaking, church members were well acquainted with their Bibles and endeavored to adhere to its precepts of righteousness. To most of them a “thus saith the Lord” was the end of controversy.
True, there were clear-cut differences of belief by the various denominations, which often resulted in heated controversy between them. But those who held to the doctrine of “election” as well as those who gloried in the thought of God’s “free grace” actually did believe, and were ready to contend earnestly for what they understood the Bible to teach. The same was true with respect to other tenets of their faith.
But how different it is today! With few exceptions, we doubt if members of one denomination really know wherein the teachings of their church differ from those of other groups. There is an increasing number of “Community Churches” in which members of all denominations—except Catholics—worship together. It has become unpopular to stand up for one’s beliefs. The modern trend is toward the idea that “doctrines” are responsible for most of the divisions among churches, so it is considered best to relegate doctrines to the background, to be adhered to very loosely and indifferently.
Among the intellectuals in churchianity today—especially the clergy—this looseness of belief is even more apparent, for among these there is but a small minority who any longer believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. For the most part the Bible is looked upon merely as one of the good books which have come down to us from the ancient past, that it does not speak with any greater authority than the writings of Plato, or other allegedly wise men of the past.
And in this we have another paradox of our times, for never before has the Bible been so popular. Many times more Bibles are sold each year than any of the world’s top-selling novels. It is by far the world’s best seller, yet those who exercise a genuine faith in its divine inspiration, believe its miracles, and have confidence in its promises of future blessings for mankind are becoming an ever decreasing minority.
With this growing lack of faith in the inspirational authority of the Bible, its sanctifying power which in the past kept believers separate from the world no longer rules in the lives of church members as formerly, with the result that the line of demarcation between the church and the world is becoming less and less apparent. To an increasing degree church institutions today are like social clubs, rather than centers in which the self-sacrificing principles of true Christianity are taught and practiced.
The Darwinian theory of human evolution, which denies the biblical account of the creation and fall of man, has had much to do with destroying faith in the inspiration and divine authority of the Bible. In the past, the deteriorating effect of this system of unbelief was limited largely to Protestantism. The Catholic Church hitherto has been adamant in its stand against the theory of evolution, and outspoken in its opposition to it. But recently a slight change—at least in America—is becoming apparent. Now Catholic writers, seemingly with the approval of the church, are cautiously suggesting the possibility of the evolution of the “body” into which God, at the proper time, miraculously implants a “soul.”
The sum of this brief analysis of the deteriorating changes which have developed within churchianity during the last half century is that while church membership is at an all-time high, genuine Christian belief and spirituality were probably never so scarce as they are today. This reminds us of Jesus’ question, “When the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”—Luke 18:8
The loss of desire to stand up for Christian doctrine is evidenced in the slogan of “tolerance” which today is being emphasized world-wide. This viewpoint is being expressed not only in professed Christian circles, but among other religionists as well. Quite recently the ruler of Egypt called upon Jews, Moslems, and Christians in his country not to allow their religious differences to separate them, to remember that first of all they were Egyptians. He likened religion to a candle encased in a glass bowl of varying shades of color, with various groups seeing the light through a different color, although it is, as he said, the same light.
The spirit of tolerance and good will is a true Christian principle when properly applied, but not when used as an excuse to bury one’s genuine religious convictions in order to be at peace with those who differ. Too often the idea of tolerance has been misused to assault the bulwarks of faith in the true doctrines of Christianity. Once the walls of faith are broken down, believers are quickly engulfed in an onrushing tide of error and unbelief.
And this is what has happened in nominal church circles, with the result that with few exceptions the churches today are but centers of social activities. They are wholesome centers, nevertheless, and from this standpoint are an uplifting power for good in the community. But wholesome moral living does not make one a Christian, nor does self-sacrifice in the service of others—however noble such service may be. To be a Christian, one must exercise obedient faith in the redeeming blood of Christ, and surrender his will to do the will of God as expressed through his inspired Word.
Longing for God
While the fundamental teachings of the inspired Word of God are being more and more set aside in the modern churches of today, their increasing membership reflects a heart-longing of the people to contact a Higher Power in order that they might enjoy a sense of security in this chaotic, dying world. This also explains in part why the Bible is “the world’s best seller.” For nearly forty years the world has been in turmoil. The mature years of every member of the human family today who is fifty years old, or younger, have been spent in a terribly abnormal world, and from the human standpoint there is no ray of hope for better days ahead.
Instead of tomorrow’s horizon being bright with hope, it is shrouded with the clouds of threatening global wars, made even more ominous by the thundering roar of exploding atomic and hydrogen bombs. No wonder an increasing number of people are searching outside of themselves and their strictly worldly institutions for something substantial to which they may cling in this frustrating hour of increasing peril and foreboding of disaster.
This search for God throughout the western world is accentuated also by the fear of a spreading communism from the other half of the globe. Millions interpret the evils of communism as stemming from its atheistic ideology. They see the competitive profit system as being Christian, and communism as unchristian, so respond to the call to join a church in order to help strengthen the position of the free world against the forces of atheism.
Evil Also Increases
Side by side with what many interpret as a nation-wide revival of religion is an increase of evil manifested in crime, corruption in business and politics, youth delinquency, and the unprecedented consumption of alcoholic beverages. The Apostle Paul wrote that in the “last days” men would be “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” (II Tim. 3:4) The fulfillment of this prophecy is plainly evident as the harassed millions of earth seek respite from their worries by plunging into all sorts of fun-making adventures in which religious restraints are recklessly abandoned.
Yes, we are living in a strange, even mad, world. Yet the very conditions which unsettle the minds of the people are slowly causing them to look beyond materialism for solace and assurance in this time of dire need. So they turn to God and to religion. But what “god”? As the Scriptures say, there are “lords many,” and “gods many.”
In the past the Catholic and Protestant gods were quite clearly defined, so much so that a Methodist, for example, did not feel satisfied to worship the Baptist god, nor vice versa. But times have changed. Millions have come to the conclusion that they cannot be too sure about the actual existence of their denominational gods, so they are reaching out to an “unknown god,” an undefined Higher Power to whom in their frustration they can cling and be supported.
Unlike the vast majority of believers fifty years ago, most of the people today who are turning to religion for comfort do not think of deity from the standpoint of hell-fire, a burning earth, and the judgment day, with all the horrible implications erroneously associated with these expressions. Instead, they are trying to think of a deity who is loving, sympathetic, kind, and able to give them what they have been denied by the unsettled world of today.
Standing on the sidelines, as it were, and looking out over the religious elements of this “present evil world,” we see a situation somewhat akin to the one which confronted the Apostle Paul as he stood on Mars’ Hill nineteen centuries ago. and preached to the philosophers of Athens. Below him to the left was a valley in which many and various gods were represented by idols which had been erected to them. In the midst of these was an idol to the “unknown god.” Towering above the apostle to the right was a mammoth heathen temple, gloriously beautiful in design.
But Paul was not impressed. Diplomatically, he referred to their “unknown god” and said, “Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.” (Acts 17:23) And then, alluding to the temple towering above him, the apostle continued, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshiped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us; for in him we live, and move, and have our being.”—Acts 17:24-28
Throughout the world today there are hundreds of various denominational gods, and there is an unprecedented building of “temples” in which to worship these gods. But just as the Athenians sensed that there was a god who was yet unknown to them, whom in their ignorance they also worshiped, so it is now. The creedal gods are not entirely discarded, but the people are searching for a god that is superior to the one represented by denominational creeds, a god who is to them as yet “unknown.”
And, as Paul told the audience who listened to him on Mars’ Hill, the “unknown god” for which millions are now searching is, in reality, the true and living God, the Creator of heaven and earth. And what a glorious God! He does not dwell in temples made with hands, no matter how gorgeous and costly they may be. He is not a denominational God, nor a national God. He has made of “one blood” all the nations of earth, and in him they all “live, and move, and have their being.”
The Future Blessing
Referring to the Athenians’ lack of knowledge concerning the true God, Paul said, “The times of this ignorance God winked at,” then added, “but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”—Acts 17:30,31
In this short statement of the divine plan, Paul points out one of the essential differences between the true God of the Bible, and even the most noble conceptions of deity devised by human minds. It is the fact that the One in whom “we live, and move, and have our being” purposes to do something for the human race which will compensate for the sufferings of the present and of the past.
Yes, God has “appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained.” And he has given “assurance” of this in that he has raised “that man” from the dead. This is the message which we can declare to the millions today who are searching for the “unknown god.” We can tell them that the God of the Bible, the true and living God, is infinitely wise and just, that he abounds in love and is almighty in power.
But it requires great faith to believe in the true God of the Bible and to accept the assurances of his wonderful promises. Because man originally was created in the image of God, all have inherited the desire to worship the Creator, however much this desire may be buried by sin and selfishness. Most people find it comparatively easy, even natural, to believe in God; for, as David wrote, the heavens declare his glory, and the “firmament showeth his handiwork.”—Ps. 19:1
But it is quite another thing to lay hold upon the promises of God and believe that he will actually do the things which in his Word he has promised to do. When the Athenians heard Paul say that God had appointed a day in which he would judge the world in righteousness, and that he had given assurance of this by raising Jesus from the dead, the record is that “when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, ‘We will hear thee again of this matter.’”—Acts 17:32
It is the same today. Millions believe in and worship their conception of deity. Throughout heathendom and Christendom alike, deity too often is conceived to be cruel and fearsome. However, many do like to think of a Higher Power as being loving and kind. But how rare it is to find those who really believe the promises of the true God! In most cases, when even those who are earnestly and sincerely seeking after God that their souls might find comfort in him are told of his plan to raise the dead and bless all the families of the earth in a day which he has appointed, like the Athenians of old, many of them say, “We will hear thee again of this matter.”
Nevertheless, in this fact of God’s design to intervene in human affairs, establish a government of righteousness, raise the dead, and extend an opportunity of everlasting life on earth to all who will obey the laws of the new kingdom, is seen the real difference between all human conceptions of deity, and the true God of the Bible.
We may think of God as loving, as powerful, as wise, and just. We may adore and reverence him as our Creator and enduring friend, (but if our faith cannot lay hold of his promises pertaining to his plan to destroy all evil in the earth and to bestow blessings of peace, joy, health and life upon his human creation, he will remain to us an “unknown God.”
The only way that world conditions of today can be reconciled with the existence of an all-powerful and loving God is to believe the prophecies which foretold these conditions, and his promises to establish a new and righteous social order to take the place of the wreck which has been produced by human selfishness. If God should permit sin and suffering and war and death to continue forever, either because he lacked interest in his human creation, or was powerless to prevent evil, he would not be worthy of our worship.
How thankful we are for his many assurances of love, and for his revealed design to re-establish his authority among men and to cause his will to be done in earth even as it is in heaven! Yes, we can praise God for the assurance that the “veil” of darkness which Satan, the “god of this world,” has drawn in front of the “eyes” of the people will be removed and they will see him in all his glory.—Isa. 25:6-9
While today the whole symbolic “earth” is being devoured by the fire of God’s “jealousy,” we can praise him for the assurance that soon he will turn to the people a “pure language” revealing his love, and that then all will learn to know him and to serve him with “one consent.”—Zeph. 3:8,9
We can rejoice also in the fact that soon the true and living God, through the agencies of the messianic kingdom, will “swallow up death in victory,” wipe away tears from “all faces,” and remove the “rebuke of his people” from off the whole earth. Then, with the “veil” of darkness removed, the people, given the opportunity to believe, obey, and be blessed with health and life, will say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord: we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”