Cavenant
College
Quarterly
PUBLISHED BY COVENANT COLLEGE, LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, TENNESSEE • EARLY SUMMER, 1969
covenant College's main building became "Carter Hall" in
a simple outdoor ceremony on April 8. Many of Chatta¬
nooga's foremost citizens gathered to honor Paul Burton
Carter, a local industrialist and real estate developer who
originally constructed the building in which Covenant is
now located.
That was in the late twenties. The economic depression
which followed closely after the building's gala opening
wiped out Mr. Carter's early investment. But a determined
spirit and a keen financial sense brought Mr. Carter again to
a place of leadership in Chattanooga's business and civic
circles.
Even though the hotel which Mr. Carter built was oper¬
ated independently of him for many years, still it stood as
a symbol of his style and vision. "It was always my dream,"
he said recently, "that through the hotel we would attract
people from all over the country to come and visit the
Chattanooga area."
Now—in a sense—that dream is fulfilled. Not only from
all parts of the country, but literally from all over the
world, students come to Covenant College. They live and
eat and study and worship in the castle-like structure
which Paul Carter dreamed of and built. That building,
more than any other single human factor, was the reason
for the move of Covenant College to Lookout Mountain in
1964. Now just a little more than comfortably full, the
*
iwi—.v.
- V Mf
President Barnes (left) and Chairman of the Board
Vernon Pierce unveil the bronze plaque
Main
U.S. District Judge Frank Wilson, President Barnes,
Mr. Carter, and Master of Ceremonies DeSales Plarrison
building
named
"Carter
former hotel has provided for growth and financial stability
which the college had not earlier known.
Paul Carter knew enough of the work of Covenant Col¬
lege to believe it was worthy of a substantial gift investment.
It was a happily surprised college president when Dr. Marion
Barnes was called last fall to accept a gift of 228 acres of
choice mountain land about two miles from the campus.
The land was recently appraised for $168,000.
In transferring the land, Mr. Carter's deed says: "Paul B.
Carter, the owner of the land hereinafter described, desires
to make a gift to Covenant College Inc. of land for and in
consideration of his desire to aid in the growth and develop¬
ment of Christian educational institutions in the Metropoli¬
tan Area of Greater Chattanooga . . ."
In recognition of the gift, Dr. Barnes requested and re¬
ceived from the college's Board of Trustees action naming
this campus's first and principal building for Mr. Carter.
In the master plan for the development of the campus, the
building is scheduled for increased use as a residence facility,
for expanded use in student dining, and for further devel¬
opment in student activity offices. The library, many class¬
rooms, and most faculty offices will be moved from the
building when new construction is completed, allowing for
more student use of the facility.
The ceremony naming Carter Hall was held in connection
with a dinner honoring Mr. Carter. Master of ceremonies
Hall"
for the evening was Mr. DeSales Harrison, chairman of the
board of the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. (Thomas). The Honor¬
able Frank Wilson, United States district court justice, was
the main speaker of the evening. Others who participated
in the program were Mr. Cecil Woods, president of the Vol¬
unteer Insurance Company, and Dr. James Fowle, minister
emeritus of the First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga,
and Mr. Carter's former pastor. Mr. Vernon C. Pierce, chair¬
man of Covenant's board, spoke briefly and assisted Dr.
Barnes in unveiling the bronze plaque now on the front of
Carter Hall.
+
+
+
Only a few weeks before the special occasion honoring
Mr. Carter, he learned how far abroad Covenant's influ¬
ence is felt. While eating at a sidewalk cafe in Nairobi,
Kenya (82 years young is a good time for a round-theworld trip!), Mr. Carter struck up a conversation with an¬
other American. Where are you from, Mr. Carter? Chat¬
tanooga, Tennessee. Is there any chance that you know Dr.
Barnes and the people at Covenant College?
"That was right down my alley," Mr. Carter told the
men at the dinner. "That gentleman was from the Rift
Valley Academy way back in the bush. He told me that
they send students almost every year to Covenant Col¬
lege."
Barker is named
Dean of Faculty
Covenant College has a new Faculty Dean. He is thoroughly
acquainted with the college's past, is already totally im¬
mersed in its present program, and gives frequent thought
to the school's future.
William S. Barker received the reins of faculty adminis¬
tration from Dr. John W. Sanderson, Academic VicePresident and Dean of the Faculty since 1962. Dr. Sander¬
son resigned the position to return to full-time teaching in
the philosophy department; he was also named Scholar in
Residence by the board of trustees at its recent meeting,
and will be encouraged to engage in writing as well as his
teaching responsibilities.
Professor Barker has been associated with Covenant Col¬
lege since the school's St. Louis days. St. Louis, in fact,
is his home town—his father was a banker there, the Card¬
inals gave him a thorough education in baseball, and what
is now the Covenant Presbyterian Church contributed sub¬
stantially to his deep interest in the work of the church
at large.
From St. Louis's Country Day School, Mr. Barker went
to Princeton University, where he was graduated Phi Beta
Kappa in history. He completed a master's degree at Cor¬
nell University, and then returned to St. Louis to enroll at
Covenant Theological Seminary. While preparing for the
ministry, he taught part-time in the college's history depart¬
ment and continued in that role when he was ordained and
became minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in
Hazelwood, a St. Louis suburb.
Mr. Barker was one of the dozen faculty members who
moved with the college to Lookout Mountain in 1964.
Commuting for two years and then a leave of absence in
1967-68 permitted him to complete all requirements for
his doctorate in history at Vanderbilt University, except
for final work on his dissertation which he expects to finish
this summer.
His appointment as chief faculty administrator is an im¬
portant one for a man of 34. Dean Barker is especially aware
of the contribution of Mr. Sanderson in recent years in the
area of faculty recruiting, and says that this may be the
toughest role to fill. "One of Dr. Sanderson's great achieve¬
ments has been his ability, through his own reputation, to
attract men of high calibre—Dr. Lothers, Dr. Nicholas
Barker, Dr. Donaldson, Dr. Nuermberger, Dr. Olney—men
who bring real excellence of background."
Dean Barker also emphasizes Dr. Sanderson's work in
helping the college understand its own purposes and goals
as a Christian institution. "We don't have a well formed
statement of how this applies in every field," he says, "but
there has been progress."
"Dr. Sanderson has raised a standard of our distinctive
of the Reformed faith—but he has always emphasized that
we are not merely Reformed but Reforming. Under his
leadership, the Status Study has been completed and much
work put into a formal statement of purpose. Those ef¬
forts have clarified the progressive nature of our educational
task, the innovative aspect of it, the need to explore all the
implications of both the covenant of creation and the great
commission."
Eager to maintain momentum in the directions Dr. San¬
derson has pointed, Dean Barker is already hard at work. He
sees three primary objectives during the next few months:
(1) Faculty recruiting must continue and be stepped up.
One goal is to have at least four teachers in each department
offering a major course of study, and for one of those teach¬
ers to have a doctorate.
Why are doctorates so important? Acknowledging that
a doctoral degree is no guarantee of a great teacher, Mr.
Barker points out that a man without a degree may well
have a superior ability to communicate. But having some¬
thing to communicate is also important, and the three years
invested in a doctoral program provide a teacher with con¬
fidence in breadth in his discipline. Not until then can he
really know what a student should have—"It takes time to
get a grasp of any field as a whole." An advanced degree is
also evidence of competence in a specific area of specializa¬
tion, a real necessity in upper-division courses.
(2) A five-year projection of Covenant's curriculum is
another priority in Dean Barker's schedule, and he hopes to
make the projection of course offerings and faculty needs
more systematic. Some departments will be restructured.
A sociology major may be offered if competent Christian
scholars can be found. Language offerings must be expand¬
ed. The whole core curriculum will get a hard look—"We
have to review regularly what we expect to be part of
' every Covenant student's education."
(3) Increasing teaching effectiveness is another prime
goal. Dean Barker is eager to spend time next year visiting
classes and reviewing the work of individual faculty mem¬
bers. "We want to find out what is working for some," he
says, "and see if there can't be more cross-fertilization of
good ideas about the learning process."
In all three areas, the new dean is a natural successor to
the retiring one. His reputation for scholarship, his careful
and thoughtful insights into the very nature of Christian ed¬
ucation, and his own high standards in the classroom will
frequently remind his colleagues of Dr. Sanderson, but they
will also exist as a yardstick by which many can examine
their own performance.
45 Covenant College seniors received diplomas on
May 3, the membership of the college's alumni association
grew 22%. But even though the class was bigger than most
in Covenant's 14-year history, it was remarkably similar to
those of the past in its makeup and the vocational direction
chosen by its members.
The class-divided almost evenly between women and
men-included 38 liberal arts majors, two music majors, and
five nursing education majors. Nine of the 23 young men
plan to enroll in theological seminaries this fall, six of them
at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis. At least 10 of the grad¬
uates plan to go into teaching, although for some, graduate
study is on the schedule before formal studies are laid aside.
Guest speaker for this year's commencement exercises
was the Rev. Mr.'William A. Mahlow, General Secretary of
World Presbyterian Missions, the foreign missions board of
the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod.
Mr. Mahlow spoke on "The Practical Christian, and
encouraged the graduates to apply their educations in the
demonstration of Christian love in their vocations. He
spoke of love as a spirit that always considers others be¬
fore self, that does not try to dominate others, that respects
the integrity of others, and that is not judgmental.
Commencement activities, which followed a busy week
of final examinations, included a special concert of the
Covenant Chorale and Madrigal Singers on the evening be¬
fore graduation, a reception for graduates and their parents
at the home of President and Mrs. Barnes on the mountain's
east brow, and the annual alumni breakfast honoring new
graduates. Alumni president David Bragdon, an associate
systems engineer for IBM in Chattanooga, presided.
THE GRADUATES
Candidates for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts
WILLIAM BLANTON ACKER III, Huntsville, Ala., Science
STANLEY BYRAM ARMES, Kenya, East Africa, Psychology
JOSEPH ANTHONY AUKSELA, Cicero, III., History
EDITH COSTELLO BALLAGH, Lynchburg, Va., Social Science
ROBERT CLINTON BALLAGH JR., Lynchburg, Va., English
JOHN RENDER CAINES, Lookout Mountain, Tenn., History
LINDA JACKSON CAINES, Lookout Mountain, Tenn., English
ANITA LOUISE CAPE, North Pinellas Park, Fla., Greek
MADGE PORTER CROSS, Greenville, S.C., Education, cum laude
SHERIANN DeGROOT, Racine, Wise., Psychology, cum laude
DEBORAH GAYLE EDELMAYER, Camden, N.J., Education
KENNETH GEORGE FOWLER, Trenton, N.J., Psychology
LINDA JEAN FROST, Wheaton, III., Social Science, cum laude
COLETTE SMALLWOOD GRADY, Lookout Mountain, Tenn.,
History
ROSS WILSON GRAHAM, Collingswood, N.J., Philosophy
KATHLEEN ALICE HANES, Terra Linda, Calif., Biology
CAROLE LYNN HENDRY, Somerville, N.J., Psychology
DAVID ADON IRWIN, Memphis, Tenn., History
STEPHEN RICHARD KAUFMANN, Huntsville, Ala., History
THOMAS ALLEN KENNEDY, Falls Church, Va., Psychology
DALE WELSH McLANE, Koppel, Pa., History
Wl LLI AM ANDREW MAHLOW JR., Annapolis, Md., History
WILLIAM RAYMOND MERCER, Sharon Hill, Pa., Psychology
ROBERT JOHN MOORE, Lookout Mountain, Tenn., Mathematics
Senior class president Bill Mahlow Jr., his father and commencement
speaker William A. Mahlow Sr., and president Barnes
ROBERT ALBERT MOREY, New York, N.Y., Philosophy
NICHOLA OPPERT, Atlanta, Ga., Education
PATRICIA RUTH PRALL, Merion Station, Pa., Education, cum
laude
JAYME SMITH SICKERT, Indianapolis, Ind., English
STEPHEN EUGENE SLIGH, Lakeland, Fla., Science
JAMES ALTON SMITH, Huntsville, Ala., Psychology
SHAYNE MAUREEN STROOP, Merritt Island, Fla., English
THOMAS EDWARD TROXELL, Hatboro, Pa., History
THOMAS JAMES WALKE, Boothwyn, Pa., History
GRACE ELIZABETH WALLIS, St. Louis, Mo., Biology, cum laude
DANA EDWARD WELLER, Aristes, Pennsylvania, Psychology
ALBERT JAMES WINTERODE JR., Aldan, Pa., Psychology and
History
NICOLE ELAINE WOLF, St. Louis, Mo., Psychology, cum laude
JONATHAN HARDESTY ZENS, Philadelphia, Pa., Bible
Candidates for the Degree of Bachelor of Music
LINDA ANNE LAVERELL, Blue Bell, Pa., Voice
CATHY ELLEN PIERCE, Trenton, N.J., Voice
Candidates for the Degree of Bachelor of Science
REBECCA EMERSON FERGUSON, Chattanooga, Tenn., Nursing
Education
VIRGINIA LEAH GIBSON, Louisville, Ky., Nursing Education
LUBERTA FERN JONES, Beaver, Pa., Nursing Education
DOROTHY JANE SCOTT, Collingswood, N.J., Nursing Education
ROBERTA LOUISE STIGERS, St. Louis, Mo., Nursing Education
The largest cash gift ever received by Covenant College—
a check for $100,000.00—was designated by its donor for
the regular operations of the college.
The donor of the exciting gift, who preferred to remain
anonymous, wrote late in May saying, "It is [our] view . . .
that Christian education is needed today as fully, if not
more so, than at any time. Covenant College is meeting this
responsibility in a very fine way, so much so in fact, that it
is our wish to be of assistance in the furtherance of your
goals and plans."
President Marion Barnes said: "This gift is clear recogni¬
tion of the impact of the Christian witness of faculty and
students and staff alike on the community of Chattanooga
and Lookout Mountain. We are most thankful for it."
The same donor at the same time pledged $100,000.00
for Covenant's building program, to be given when all other
private funds for the three new buildings are secured. De¬
tails about finances for the three buildings are on page 8 of
this issue.
Three members of the Covenant science faculty are using
their summer months in specific fields of advanced study
which will expand the resources available to Covenant stu¬
dents. Dr. H. Omar Olney has received a research grant
from the National Academy of Sciences for work in growthactive substances from a pest-type plant found in the West.
Dr. John E. bothers will study at a summer institute in the
history of biology at Ohio State University, while Dr. Charles
Donaldson will be enrolled in a similar summer institute in
polymer science at the University of Akron. Dr. bothers
and Dr. Donaldson are both being sponsored by the National
Science Foundation.
Covenant's President Marion D. Barnes was doubly
honored recently by Wheaton College, Wheaton, III. The
105-year-old Christian institution invited him to be speaker
for its May 31 commencement exercises, and announced it
would confer an honorary doctor of laws degree on Dr.
Barnes at that time.
President Barnes was also recently appointed chairman
of the Chattanooga Air Pollution Control Board by the
mayor of the city. The board wrestles with one of the
most severe pollution problems in the country, partly be¬
cause of the city's location in a natural topographical basin
among the surrounding mountains. Covenant's campus, of
course, is several hundred feet above the problem.
The Barrows Scholarship Endowment Fund, established
last year by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Barrows of Lookout Moun¬
tain, was strengthened recently by their gift of a home on
Lookout Mountain. The home has been sold by the college,
and the income from the principal will provide an annual
scholarship for a student from Georgia, Tennessee, or Ala¬
bama.
Two high-quality bagpipes were given to the college in
a special assembly in April. Members of the Scottish Flistoric and Research Society of the Delaware Valley trav¬
elled from the Philadelphia area to Lookout Mountain for
an impressive demonstration of the pipes and an informa¬
tive session about their use and history. Original contact
with the society came last summer when Covenant student
Laurie Byers of Blowing Rock, N.C., met members at a
large Scottish gathering at Grandfather Mountain, N.C.
Covenant's music department now has the task of helping
select students to learn to play the two new bagpipes.
A Christian Thought Conference, sponsored by the stu¬
dent council in March, featured Dr. Evan Runner of Calvin
College as speaker and found a heartening response among
students. The student council hopes to make the event a
part of the annual school calendar.
Dr. Francis Schaeffer, popular lecturer and teacher from
b'Abri, a student work in Switzerland, has agreed to a re¬
turn visit to Covenant College, October 28 through Novem¬
ber 3 this year.
Mr. Warren Zinck gives a presentation plaque to President Barnes
Student officers chosen by Covenanters for the 1969-70
school year are:
President: Robert Houpt, Huntington Valley, Pa.
Vice-President: Milton Wiest, Cherry Hill, N.J.
Secretary-Treasurer: Jean Harrison, East Point, Ga.
Social Committee Chairman: Linda Warsing,
King of Prussia, Pa.
The new officers were installed at the college's formal
spring banquet several weeks before commencement.
Meanwhile, retiring student
body president Steve Sligh, whose
home is in Lakeland, Fla., has
joined the development staff of
the college as Alumni Represen¬
tative. In that position, he will
also spend much of his time vis¬
iting prospective students in var¬
ious parts of the country. Mr.
Sligh was a member of the Class
of 1969.
Miss Trudy Hall, assistant librarian at Covenant for the
past year, was married on May 10 to John Schrader of Mari¬
etta, Ga. The library is in need of two new assistants, both
with degrees in library science.
Dal Joon Lee, champion table tennis player for the
United States, was a recent visitor to the Covenant campus.
Besides demonstrating his considerable skills with a paddle
and ball, he provided genuine excitement for several hun¬
dred spectators with a close game with Covenant student
Homer Brown of St. Louis, a highly ranked player in U.S.
table tennis standings. The game went deuce, but the
champion—a native of Korea—vindicated his reputation
with an ultimate victory.
HEARD ON THE COVENANT CAMPUS . . .
"Some people never look up until God puts them on their backsit's easy to look up that way."—Rev. Ian Tait, speaking in chapel
"It was in the college of failure, the department of defeat, that
Peter was graduated."—Mr. Tait
"God is more eager that we be HOLY than that we be HAPPY,
because he knows that we will never be truly happy until we are
holy."—Mr. Tait
"Do you know what's wrong with the twentieth century? The
twentieth century has made a false assessment of human nature. .. .
The Christian's diagnosis of man's nature is not optimistic but it is
accurate."—Karl Heller, assistant professor of history
"Your problem as Christians isn't so much that you have failed in
various aspects of your Christian walk as that you are content with
that failure."—Rev. Thomas Jones, speaking in chapel
"The future belongs only to those who have dealt properly with the
past. We spend 95% of our time thinking up stories to cover the
past—and we get away with it. Secretly we all have stories in the
recesses of our hearts for the time when we meet God, and they all
start with, "Yes, but. . .' But then our mouths will be closed, and for
the first time in our lives, we will be honest.
"We have all heard that time is the great healer. Believe that
and you're doomed. The teaching of the Bible is that thereiis abso¬
lutely no healing quality in time—the past has got to be eradicated.
Don't forget what's behind until you've dealt with it."—Dr. John
W. Sanderson, speaking in Spiritual Life Week
COVENANT COLLEGE QUARTERLY, Vol. 9, No. 1. Published
four times each year,Spring,Summer, Fall, and Winter, by Covenant
College. Publication office: Scenic Highway, Lookout Mountain,
Tennessee 37350.
$100,000 challenge
spurs buildings
Anyone who is used to the peace and quiet of Covenant's
mountaintop campus should prepare himself for a change.
The noise and clamor of heavy construction is not far away.
Three major new buildings are scheduled for erection
almost at the same time. They area LIBRARY-CLASSROOM
BUILDING, a PHYSICAL EDUCATION BUILDING, and
a MEN'S DORMITORY.
Final working drawings are already under way for the
physical education building, which will be located on the
southern end of the main campus, just to the left of the
entrance. The building will include a large basketball floor,
rooms for weightlifting and other indoor sports, classrooms,
and offices.
Not far behind in the schedule are the library-classroom
building and the 100-bed men's dormitory. The library
will be built at the point of the large stone gateway on the
main driveway (which itself will later be relocated), while
the dorm is planned for a slope on the campus's western
edge. Preliminary drawings for both buildings are still get¬
ting detailed attention.
Mr. John Shoop, vice-president for business affairs,
estimates that approximately seven months is required
from the time working drawings begin until bids for con¬
struction can be advertised. By that schedule, occupancy
of the physical education building could come late in the
school year 1970-71, while the other two buildings would
probably be completed in time for the fall semester of
1971-72.
Of the total cost of the three buildings (about $2.2
million), $612,731 must be provided in private gifts. By
the end of May, $216,000 had been received in gifts and
pledges, while another $100,000 was pledged as a special
challenge—to be received only when the total private por¬
tion is underwritten. Counting that pledge, $296,731 is
still needed for the three buildings.
The LIBRARY-CLASSROOM BUILDING will have about 11,000 square feet on the first floor
for library stack space, study area, and technical services. Another 11,000 square feet on the second floor
will initially provide eight classrooms, at least half a dozen offices, and an audio-visual center—but will
allow for further library expansion as enrollment grows.
PROGRAM LISTING-JUNE 1, 1969
A new program to make available many of the special lec¬
tures, sermons, and other events sponsored by Covenant
College, has been initiated by several faculty members by
means of a tape recording library.
Guest speakers and artists, noteworthy chapel programs,
some of Covenant's own musical programs, and other pre¬
sentations will all be included.
The initial listing of programs includes a variety of mater¬
ial. All but three of the 14 programs were presented at
Covenant during the past year.
Each program is available in either two-track or fourtrack form.
Two-track programs are usually recorded on 7" 1200-ft.
reels at 3%ips for quality reproduction of the human voice.
Two track tapes will be sold for $4.00 each, plus 3% sales
tax for residents of Georgia.
Four-track tapes include two programs each, and sell
for $5.50 per tape, plus tax.
5pecial prices are offered for the complete series of pro¬
grams featuring Dr. Francis Schaeffer or Rev. Ian Tait.
Either series on two tracks is $22.00, or $15.00 on four
tracks.
Three to four weeks should be allowed for delivery.
Program No.
1
Dr. and Mrs. Francis Schaeffer, L'Abri Fellowship,
Switzerland. Three messages on prayer (two by Mrs.
Schaeffer); Lecture and discussion of art norms. 1 7/8
Dr. Schaeffer. Art in the Bible; Lostness and Compas¬
sion; Christian Ecology; The Christian and the Material¬
ist; Comparative Religions. 1 7/8 ips
Dr. Schaeffer. God is Dead—Man is Dead; Modern Man
is a Mystic; The God Who Is There. 1 7/8 ips
4-6
Dr. Schaeffer. Apologetics (four lectures given at John
Knox Junior College and Bible Institute, February,
1965). 33/. ips
7-12
Rev. Ian Tait, Welwyn, England. Twelve lectures on
sanctification. 3% ips
13-14
Missionary Emphasis Week—Covenant College. 3% ips
Dr. John Sanderson—Introduction
Dr. John M. L. Young—Japan
Rev. Richard Strom—India
Dr. Charles Donaldson—Middle East
Dr. Karl Heller—Germany
tape
copies
now
available
rORDERING INSTRUCTIONS
FROM COVENANT COLLEGE
Lookout Mountain, Tenn. 37350
Please record my tapes at foUR11^1*3 lc'rcle one)
I would like program numbers:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12
13
14
P
Special instructions:
THIS IS THE MAILING LABEL-PLEASE ADDRESS IT CLEARLY
c-Series of, 6cprograms:
Two-track @ $22.00
Four-track I® $15.00
Two-track tapes (s? $4.00
Your Name
Four-track tapes @ $5.50
Your Address_
SUBTOTAL
City.
3% sales tax—Georgia
residents only
State
ZIP
TOTAL
1
i
JOHN M. L. YOUNG
force? How all-embracing an interpretation did Christ in¬
tend us to give to his words in the Sermon on the Mount
concerning non-resistance? This problem has genuinely
troubled Christians through the centuries. How do we an¬
swer the voices advocating "Christian" pacifism in the light
of Christ's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount?
The pacifist answer, we believe, springs from an inade¬
quate emphasis on the continuity of the two testaments,
and an inadequate interpretation of the love of God.
Early in his sermon, our Lord clearly stated the purpose
of his instruction, and its relation to that of the Old Testa¬
ment. This sheds important light on the sermon's interpre¬
tation. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus states that the purpose of
the way of life he is setting forth is that by living it his dis¬
ciples may influence others to "glorify your Father which
is in Heaven." The disciple's life is to be so filled with the
love of God that it will be pure in heart as well as in act. In
his love of his neighbor he is to manifest a willingness to sur¬
render personal rights to demonstrate the love of God to
the end of pointing him to the Father. This teaching is not
an abrogation of the Old Testament instructions but the
fulfillment of its real meaning (v. 17).
There follows the citation of five instances, each intro¬
duced with the words, "Ye have heard that it was said,"
illustrating that the Jews were misinterpreting the Old Test¬
ament law and were missing its fundamental intent. The
law was given to show man how to love God and their
neighbor, but they were satisfied with its letter and neglected
its spirit of Jove, even adding interpretations legalizing cer¬
tain unjust actions against the individual who should be
loved. The first is from the Ten Commandments: "Thou
shalt not commit murder"—that is the real meaning of this
word both in the Hebrew and in the Greek version. It is not
the word used for slaying in war and was never understood
as an absolute proscription of war in Biblical times. But
what was missed was that it was a proscription of hatred and
unjust anger also.
The fourth illustration is from Exodus 21:24, "An eye
for an eye ... as the judges determine." As a rule of reci¬
procal punishment under the sentence of impartial judges,
it was not unjust. But the Jews had extended it to private
conduct as the rule for personal revenge, inflicting the same
injury on others that they themselves had received. This
was a far cry from the Old Testament law, "Thou shalt not
hate thy brother in thy heart . . . Thou shalt not avenge,
nor bear any grudge .. . but thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself" (Lev. 19:17,18). They had added to the command
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor" words which were not in the
law, "and hate thy enemy" (v. 43). It was to the law of
love Christ wanted to return his disciples, for it was the
very essence of the Old Testament law. "Therefore all
things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, so
ye even do to them; for this is the law and the prophets"
(Matt. 7:12).
Neither the God of the New Testament nor the love that
it sets forth is any different from those of the Old Testa¬
ment. But all the disciple's behavior is to be motivated by
the love of God and aimed at demonstrating that love to
attract men to him. The love of God, as revealed in his
Word, is the absolute criterion by which to decide all con¬
duct.
But what is the love of God? The love of God is above
all else his love for himself and of his own attributes such as
holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. God only is perfect
and his love, to be perfect, must be of himself and of his per¬
fect attributes. Sometimes his love is revealed to us in acts
of mercy and sometimes in acts of judgment; but both are
his love. In life the true disciple will be called upon to re¬
veal God's love by both means. Church discipline, for in¬
stance, is a demonstration of God's love of justice and
holiness.
Dr. John M. L. Young is Associate Professor of Bible and Missions at Covenant College.
He has studied extensively in both the United States and Canada, and was president for several years
of the Japan Christian Theological Seminary in Tokyo.
Discussions like this one by Dr. Young will be a regular feature in the
Covenant College Quarterly magazine. They will frequently center on difficult questions
to which sincere Christians offer differing answers. The articles here will represent
the thinking of individual faculty members, and not necessarily an official college position.
Here in the Sermon on the Mount it is primarily the in¬
dividual Christian's revelation of God's love through acts
of mercy that is in view. Rather than insisting on our
rights, we are to be ready to "resist not evil"; to turn the
other cheek; to go the second mile; and to "give to him
that asketh thee" (vv. 39-42). This self-surrender, this selfabasement, is the norm for the disciple in his effort to influ¬
ence others to glorify his Father—where he is involved as an
individual without responsibilities to others. Non-resistance,
however, as an absolute principle for personal, social, or
international behavior would not be fulfilling the Old Testa¬
ment law but an abrogation of it. Self-defense against one
who intends to kill; protection of women or others under
attack; or participation in war in a just cause are not pro¬
scribed here anymore than it is intended that we should give
to any beggar whatever he demands of us and whenever he
does so (v. 42). In the case where others are involved, the
love of God may require us to protect the innocent by re¬
sisting the evil ones, even in our individual capacity, as good
neighbors living by the rule of love.
The love of God is revealed in judgment also, and the.
disciple may be called on to participate with the State at its
call under its rightful authority (Rom. 13:1-6) in preserving
peace, justice, and freedom of worship or by going to war
for the proper defense of justice. Our Lord himself did not
hesitate to reveal the love of God for truth, justice, and
holiness through the judgment of God when he made a
scourge and drove the money changers out of the temple by
force. The policeman who struggles with the robber, the
judge who condemns the murderer to death, the soldier
who shoots to repel the unjust invader, acting according to
the just laws of the state—these are the instruments of God's
judgment. Paul, living under the pagan state of Rome,
wrote: "For he (the magistrate) is the minister of God, a
revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil" (Rom.
13:4).
If he who must use force to preserve peace and justice
in this evil world is a Christian, so much the better. Then
with his heart as well as with his actions he can participate
as an instrument of God in demonstrating God's love for
justice. More, with his words also, he can testify that
God loves justice and will certainly bring judgment upon
wickedness.
Even in the case when an attack on one's person does
not involve the defense of others, the rule cannot be laid
down that non-resistance is the only way the love of God
may be demonstrated. What is to be gained, for instance,
by letting a mad man or a drunk beat one up without resist¬
ance, perhaps resulting in the loss of life? The only
absolute principle is that whatever our action, it must be
motivated by love. Did not Christ put his approval on
physical constraint, under certain circumstances, at the tem¬
ple, and again when he said to his disciples, "He that hath
no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one" (Luke
22:36)? The possession of a sword did not compel one to
use it. The bearer would have to make his own decision in
each case. Its very existence, however, would be a restraining
influence on the lawless ones who saw it.
We live in a sinful world. It is all too easy for men to re¬
duce the love of God to a sentimental humanism and to
ignore the lofty holiness and pure justice of God. But the
love of God can speak in either the accents of mercy or the
thunder of terrible judgment. The pacifist position of nonresistance as an absolute principle is Biblically untenable.
We need to return today to careful study of the whole
teaching of Scripture, Old Testament and New Testament
together, as one book, one revelation from the one God.
We need to remember that Christ came to teach us not the
abrogation of the basic principles of the Old Testament but
the true fulfillment of them, that we might glorify our
Father in heaven and influence others to do the same.
If undeliverabtfl, please return address tab to Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, Tenn. 37350
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Do
your summer plans
include
a
Christ-centered
Bible
conference?
Come ye apart and rest awhile.
MAY 20-23
General Synod of the Reformed
Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod
Arthur Glasser
John Sanderson
Ben Haden
JUNE 14-20
Lookout Mountain Workshop
on Christian Living
Tom Watson
John Dunlop
James McLintock
JUNE 21-27
Campus Crusade Institute
on Lay Evangelism
Ron Jones
Howard Ball
JUNE 28-JULY 4
Southeast Presbytery Conference,
Reformed Presbyterian Church
Frank Smick
JULY 5-11
Reformed Presbyterian Young People,
National Conference
Edmund Clowney
JULY 19-25
Believers Bible Conference, SE Region
Robert J. Little
J. Philip Morgan
AUGUST 2-8
Christian Business Men's Committee
Convention for Southeast
Ted DeMoss
AI Page
AUGUST 9-15
Covenanters Family Conference
Reformed Presbyterian Church
AUGUST 16-22
Campus Work Week — "Yoke Week"
Bible conferences at Covenant College are different
from what you may be used to. You won't just sit there
as a listener. You'll be encouraged to be a participant,
led by capable teachers.
At the same time, you will find a good vacation. The cool
mountain climate, the big pool, and other recreational
facilities both on and off campus all invite you to relax.
Comfortable private rooms and tastefully prepared meals
will provide a restful escape from home responsibilties.
Relax your body. Refresh your soul. That's the best
kind of vacation there is.
Return this coupon for information about the conference
of your choice.
CONFERENCE DESK
Covenant College
Lookout Mountain, Tennessee 37350
Please send me details about the
conference during the week of
Please send me registration materials as well.
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