THE FUTURE
J. F. JOHNSON
MISS EMMA P. JOHNSON.
L. A. WISE
OUTLOOK
Editor & Publisher
News Reporter
- ? Staff Photographer
Make all checks payable to and mail to:
THE FUTURE OUTLOOK
P. 0. BOX 20331? GREENSBORO, N. C. 27420
PHONE BR S-1758
Seconl Class Postage Paid at Greensboro, N. G.
10c Per Copy Published Weekly $6.00 Per Year
Ministers Seek To Satisfy
Hnman Need
The Ministers played an important role when all or
ganized themselves and picketted the A&P store, located
in a predominantly Negro community. Many have said that
they were out of their place, having the young generation
singing and encouraging customers not to buy at the new
ly^-built A&P store until a black man was employed as
manager.
The A&P store plans to turn back a goodly amount
per week in profit and only employs a few maintenance
workers and cashiers, where two-thirds of the income is
from Negroes, especially at the newly-built East Market
St. A&P store.
It should be the policy of the Negro minister to boy
cott such business enterprises. That is what the church
membership is paying them for ? to look out for the hu
man needs.
The ministers are organized in Greensboro. The loader
has stated that they will go to all enterprises, as Kroger,
Colonial Store, Winn-Dixie, Big Bear and especially those
in predominantly Negro sections, to see that Negroes are
equally employed. The ministers stated that they will also
go downtown where the Negro spends his money. They
are capitalizing more on Negroes because of a human need.
It was further stated that this will be hurriedly done while
the weather is more favorable. The stores downtown will
be boycotted too.
Many of the college students are cooperating with the
ministers because they are taking courses in all phases
of business, and after graduation, they have to go in some
other state to secure a job, unless it is in teaching in their
own state.
The Governor of North Carolina called all Negro pub
lishers into his "mansion", at which time he stressed that
special emphasis be put on Negro employment, especially
high school and college graduates. He further stated that
North Carolina stands lower in teachers' salaries and other
state employees' salaries than any other state in the union,
due to the fact that when Negroes graduate, they have to
go to another state to secure a job and pay their taxes
there.
In Eastern North Carolina and farther down South,
one can find farming becoming a productive enterprise.
That is one of the major reasons for the "Poor Folks March
on Washington." It is due to equal employment and salary.
May our readers patronize the small Negro business,
especially those in Negro sections and the highly populated
business area. Business cannot be improved nor salaries
increased unless we patronize them. The ministers cannot
properly boycott the big supermarkets unless we patronize
the small businesses.
Poet's Corner
"LORD, when Thou seeet that my work is don*,
Let me not linger on.
With falling powers,
Adown the weary hours,
A workless worker in a world of work.
Bat, with a word.
Just bid me home.
And I will come
Right gladly,
Yea, right gladly
Will I coma."
Drive Sanely
This Wfec\'s Sunday School Lesson
4. MAN'S WAY AND
GOD'S WAY
WHAT IS OUR CONCERN?
In an essay entitled "On Med
dling," William Lee Miller
writes: "The religious traditions
have helped to hold the respon
sibe American citizen. One
wants a religious tradition that
will shape public-spirited men.
Such men will not be forthcom
ing from a religion divorced
from the ethical questions ol
the common life."
After reviewing reasons for
various churches' individualistic
approach to religion, Miller
states: "Probably the prevailing
pattern is formally to deny but
actually to practice the confine
ment of religion to Its own quar
ters. It is a standard item in
preaching to say that 'Christ is
Lord of all of life,' or that re
ligion deals with the 'whole of
life,' or, more popularly, to de
plore the failure of the commit
ments of Sunday to extend to
Monday." But he goes on to
point out, "The religious groups
by and large then settle down
in their separate niches." I
The Letter of James makes
an appeal for ethical behavior.
It has intensely personal appli
cation, but it also has broad out
reach ? like ripples moving out
ward from a stone thrown into
a pond.
For example, James is quite
concernd with irresponsible, in
flammatory speech. (See 3:5-10.)
One has only to remember the
catastrophic race riots of the
summer of 1967 to see the rele
vance of James's teaching to our
times. Demogoguea whipped
crowds to a frenzy, urging them
to kill, to loot, to burn. Cities
were brought to a state of civil
war, with tanks, machine guns,
soldiers, tragically in evidence.
Can we not say that tongues
"full of deadly poison" were
busily at work?
Religion is not a purely pri
vate matter between a believer
and God. At least, Christianity
is not. It lays claim upon the
whole of life. Discovering what
the Christian way Is In complex
modern society is not easy, but
it is imperative.
BEFORE YOU READ
THE SCRIPTURE
In the early church teachers
held a highly important place.
In 1 Corinthians 12:28 Paul
spoke of "teachers" along with
"apostles" and "prophets." And
in Ephesians 4:11 we read that
God's "gifts were that some
should be apostles, some proph
ets, some evangelists, some pas
tors and teachers."
After a person was converted
to Christianity, the teacher
helped him understand the im
plications of the Christian faith
for his daily life. William Bar
clay points out, "It was the
teacher's awe-inspiring respon
sibility that he could put the
stamp of his own faith and
knowledge on ,to those who
were entering the Church for
the first time."
Some teachers in the early
church perverted their teaching,
trying to make it another form
of Judaism. Some failed to live
by what they taught, while
some did an admirable job.
The Christian teacher was in
the tradition of the Jewish rab
bi; and, we would remind our
solves, Jesus himself was called
"Rabbi" by his disciples. To be
a teacher is a tremendous re
sponsibility ? one that can only
be discharged rightly when one
is himself teachable, humble,
and open to the guidance and
teaching of the Holy Spirit.
(Compare John 14:26.)
The Letter of James is full of
ethical teachings. The best way
to us it is to test its truths in
one's own heart and mind. One
is then equipped to speak out of
personal knowledge.
WHAT THE
SCRIPTURE SAYS
The Scripture for today is
James 3:1 through 4:12. Se
lected verses are printed below.
See Home Bible Study sugges
tions in the back of the quar
terly.
James 3:13 through 4:4
13 Who is wise and under
standing among you? By his
good life let him show his
meekness of wisdom. 14 But if
you have bitter jealousy aftd
selfish ambition in your hearts,
do not boast and be false to the
truth. 15 This wisdom is not
such as comes down from above,
but is earthly, unspiritual, dev
ilish. 16 For where jealousy and
selfish ambition exist, there
will be disorder and every vile
practice. 17 But the wisdom
from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, open to reas
on, full of mercy and good fruits,
without uncertainty or insincer
ity. 18 And the harvest of right
eousness is sown in peace by
those who make peace.
1 What causes wars, and what
causes fightings among you? Is
it not your passions that are at
war in your members? 2 You
desire and do not have; so you
kill. And you covet and cannot
obtain; so you fight and wage
war. You do not have, because
you do not ask. 3 You ask and
do not receive, because you ask
wrongly, to spend it on your
passions. 4 Unfaithful creatures!
Do you not know that friendship
with the world is enmity with
God? Therefore whoever wishes
to be a friend of the world
makes himself an enemy of
God.
Memory Selection: The wisdom
from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, open to reas
on, full of mercy and good
fruits, without uncertainty or
insincerity. ? James 3:17
HOW WE UNDERSTAND
THE SCRIPTURE
James 3:2-12 constitutes one
of the most incisive treatises on
the tongue (that is, speech; one's
way of talking) to be found in
any literature. James points to
the universality of the problem
(verse 2), contrasts our ability
to control animals and ships
with our inability to control our
tobgues (verses 3-4, 7-8), points
to the damage that can be done
by careless or malicious speech
(verses 5-6), and indicates the
inappropriateness of using the
same tongue to praise God and
to curse men (verses 9-12).
In verses 13-14 James indi
cates that the test of wisdom is
a good life. He warns against
jealousy; ambition, and boast
ing. One scholar comments, "The
one who is really wise and in
telligent must manifest his ach
ievements or show what he ia
able to do through good Chris
I tlan behavior." In other words,
ethics and wisdom are insepa
rable.
Some members of the early
church may have been influ
enced by pgan philosophers who
taught persons to be argumen
tative. James contrasts the wis
dom of the worldly wise man,
which is devilish, with genuine
wisdom, which is humble, reas
onable, sincere, merciful, and
peace-producing. (3:15-18)
The Root of Conflict
What could be more pertinent
in 1968 than the discussion that
begins Chapter 4? James drives
us to consider the root of war.
His analysis applies to wars
both "hot" and "cold," for it
points to envy, covetousness,
and uncontrolled passions. It in
dicates that the primary battle
ground is the heart of man.
At least one scholar holds thai
James was not referring to mil
itary action; he suggests that the
readers may have been engaging
in riots and sabotage, thus
bringing persecution and death
to their fellow Christians. How
ever, as we in America know,
following the riots of recent
summers, there is strong simi
larity between these two kinds
of hostile and violent situations.
In verses 4-10 the author com
pares disobedience to God to
breaking the marriage oath or
vows. The passage thus has
echoes of Exodus 34:13-16; Deu
teronomy 31:16; Jeremiah 3:20;
and Hosea 9:1.
Verses 11-12 warn against
speaking harshly about another
person. This section means we
should not criticize, insult, or
slander one another. James had
already reminded his readers
(in 2:8) that "You shall love
your neighbor as yourself." "nila
was quoted from Leviticus 19:
18 ? and, of course, had been
lifted up by Jesus Christ as the
second commandment. Harsh,
judgmental remarks such as
James refers to are, of course,
completely out of line with this
teaching.
WHAT THE SCRIPTURE
SAYS TO US
The theme of Expo 67, held
in Montreal last year, -was "Man
in His World." In one of the
"theme buildings," the presen
tation ? by motion pictures, tele
vision, computers, and commu
nication satellites ? was about
the drastic change in our lives
produced by media of commu
nication. It was pointed out that
when President Lincoln waa
assassinated, weeks elapsed be
fore persons in other nations
across the oceans knew about it.
But when President Kennedy
was assassinated, the news was
flashed around the world in a
matter of minutes. The reaction
to news anywhere in the world
is almost instantaneous at al
most every other point on earth.
This fact was made vivid to
me personally in the summer of
1963, when I was teaching wri
ters' workshops in Southeast
Asia and the South Pacific. I
went by longboat up the Rejang
River in Sarawak to a long
house. Just inside the door there
were many human heads hang
ing from the rafters ? witnesses
to the fact that, a generation
before, the Ibans had been head
hunters. I was received graci
ously by the people, who are
now Christians.
Shortly after the chief had
(Continued on Fag* S)