COMPROMISE: A fruit of wisdom in difficult circumstances!

THE WAY AROUND! [Hebrews 13:17a]

During a recent and tightly contested mayoral election in Long Beach, California, the incumbent, Beverly O'Neill, was prevented from running for reelection due to "term limits." In the end, however, the June 4, 2002, election results revealed she had retained her office. In the words of a spokesperson for her honor, "The mayor found a way around the law."

What, pray tell, is the mayor of California's 5th largest and the nation's 33rd largest city telling our young people? As a leader, she should be sending a message which encourages observance of the law, not how to circumvent it!

Isn't this just another sign for our time? Hasn't the word of God warned us there would be days like this? Isn't the pedophilia problem devastating the Roman Catholic body just a symptom of this day? Haven't the pervert-priests and the bypass-bishops just been finding a way around the Law?

SINKING THE SHIP! [Galatians 2:5]

In 1974 the Lutheran Church International agreed it could allow for papal supremacy in the interest of reconciling with the Roman Catholic Church. Their leadership reasoned that the Pope was in a better place "politically" to represent their faith to the world for the remainder of the 20th Century, as well as in whole of the 21st Century.

This is quite typical of many well-meaning, ecumenical efforts on behalf of reconciliation, world peace, and unity. While the ideals pursued are commendable (as far as man is concerned) a conservative and biblical worldview should reject them out of hand as a desertion of the true Gospel.

Kingdom progress may not be achieved by temporal compromise or political expediency.

As someone said years ago, "The boat may very well be in the water, but the water may not very well be in the boat. So too, the church may very well be in the world, but the world may not very well be in the church."