THE FUTURE
J. F. JOHNSON
MISS EMMA P. JOHNSON.
L. A. WISE
OUTLOOK
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BIRTH OUT OF WEDLOCK
It has been stated by sociologists and physchologists
that when a child is born out of wed-lock it should not be
called or classed as a bastard or a more pleasant word,
"illegitimate child." It is the parents. The child is not re
sponsible for his being here. There have been many out
standing educators and citizens born out of wed-lock. But
most of these persons are convicts and persons who fall in
the category of the biggest problem cases in the com
munities where they reside. If you go back a little in the
history of the illegitimate parents you will find they fall
in the same category as the law of iniquity. For example:
mother was a bright student in school and had to drop out
in her junior or senior year in high school due to preg
nancy. Her mother did likewise and this has been handed
down from the first generation to the third and fourth
generations. Mother can't tell the daughter anything, be
cause in many cases the daughter speaks in a very un
mannerly tone, "you are no better than I."
Illegitimate birth is an old tradition, always has been,
is now, and shall ever be. On many occasions one may walk
by a group of teen-age boys on the street corner boasting
about the sex relations they have had with certain girls
from families who are making every effort to educate
them just as the boya' parents are making a sacrifice for
their education. The boy has the advantage in these cases,
for as he pulls the girl down as the old saying goes and
she has to stop school he continue and graduates.
Women and girls have many weaknesses which they
cannot help. It is up to an intelligent man to help her
strive for a more valubale aim in life rather than to pull
her down and boast about it. Sex is an illness which many
females cannot resist unless she has a double determina
tion to strive for something definite in life and knows that
indulging in sex relations will be the chief handicap.
Illegitimate birth is not the only handicap derived
from sex relations. Many of the different veneral dis
eases, even tuberculosis and cancer come from the illegal
practice of sex relationship.
Sexual controls, should be emphasized to the young
girl when she reaches puberty age. Parents, teachers, and
Sunday school teachers should talk frankly with their
children v.hen they reach this stage of life if they desire
to make a sacrifice for a more civilized education.
One shouldn't think anyone should rebuke the act of
sex relationship when a person is properly married with
love and affection and with no one else.
Around many of the public schools many boys and
men meet their girl friends after school has been dis
missed. Some of these men are married ; knowing that the
parents of these girls are at work, they carry them every
where except home. Of course when their teacher visits
the mother and tells her that her daughter can't remain in
school any longer due to pregnancy it breaks her heart.
On many occasions the father is a young married man but
the girl places the blame on one of her young male class
mates. This is due primarily to the fact that the young
married man has more to offer them for their enjoyment.
This is not only practiced in the public schools but the
colleges as well.
When a young man asks for his first date with a lady
of his choice of love and affection he is responsible for her
conduct as long as he choses her as his special companion
and the same applies to the young lady.
The young lady should have the following under con
sideration when choosing her boy friend, no drinking,
especially in public places, never take me to a bawdy house,
"I will not sit in his lap while driving on the highways,"
no sex relationship before properly married. This is the
type of girl he is looking for as a wife but when she yields
to too many of these illegal requests he begins to find
fault
As to the young married couples, they should have
thorough understanding of married life before going into
it. First think about the children; no man should walk off
and leave his wife without any support as is often the
case and that not only applies to the man and wife but to
T his Weed's Sunday School Lesson
A SPIRITUAL PILGRIMAGE
Beginning Where You Are
Most of us know the spiritual
"We Are Climbing Jacob's Lad
der." Persons who know little
or nothing of the story of
Jacob's "ladder vision" at Beth
el have sung its simple verses
and melody. This spiritual has
a charm of its own that fre
quently brings a feeling of
heaven's closeness.
These lyrics, which begin
with "We are climbing Jacob's
ladder" and end with "Soldiers
of the cross," express the pro
found theological conviction of
the church that God can bring
spiritual changes in the lives of
men. Jacob's change from de
ceiver to faithful soldier of the
Lord can suggest the Christian's
change from a life of self-caused
alienation and fear to new life
found in the redemptive recon
ciliation made available through
the innocent suffering of the
Messiah on the cross.
Every person needs at least
one Bethel experience in his
life in order that the faith of
his fathers may become truly
his own. Personal awareness of
the reality of God's presence is
necessary if biblical religion is
to be a living source of comfort
and strength. The Christian doc
trine of the "witness of the
Spirit" is suggested in Jacob's
Bethel vision. It is the essen
tial motivating element In the
faith of the spiritual giants of
biblical and church tradition.
Jacob fled his home In dis
grace and fear. He was destin
ed to return, some twenty years
later, successful and blessed. His
journey from the Promised
Land to Mesopotamia and back
again parallels the spiritual pil
grimage by which he was chang
ed from a man of selfish drive
to a man dedicated to God's
will. He encountered God at
Bethel and was empowered and
guided for his time of exile and
bis subsequent return to his
homeland.
Searching The Scriptures
The Scripture for this lesson
is Genesis 27 and 28; 32; 46:1-3.
Selected verses are printed be
low.
Genesis 27:18-24
18 So he went in to his father
and said, "My father"; and ho
said, "Here I am; who are you,
my son?" 19 jacob said to his
father, "I am Esau your first
born. I have done as you told
me; now sit up and eat of my
?un* that you may bless me."
20 But Isaac said to his son
"How is it that you have found'
it so quickly, my son?" He ans
wered, "Because the Lord your
grajited me success." 21
Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come
near, that I may feel you> my
son, to know whether you are
really my son Esau or not" 22
So Jacob went near to hlf
father, who felt him and said.
The voice is Jacob's voice, but
the hands are the hands of
23 And he did not recog
nlze hlm. because his
were hairy like his brother
Esau's hands; so he blessed him. i
24 He said. "Are you really my
son Esau?" He answered, "I
am."
Genesis 28:11-17
| 11 And he came to u certain
place, and stayed there that
night, because the sun had set.
Taking one of the stones of the
place, he put it under his head
and lay down in that place to
sleep. 12 And he dreamed that
there was a ladder set up on
the earth, and the top of it
reached to heaven; and behold,
the angels of God were ascend
ing and descending on itl 13
And behold, the Lord stood
above it and said, "I am the
Lord, the God of Abraham your
father and the God of Isaac;
the land on which you lie I will
give to you and to your de
scendants; 14 and your descend
ants shall be like the dust of the
earth, and you shall spread
abroad to the west and to the
I east and to the north and to the
south; and by you and your de
? scendants shall all the families
of the earth bless themselves.
1 15 Behold, I am with you and
will keep you wherever you go.
1 and will bring you back to this
land; for I will not leave you
until I have done that of which
X have spoken to you." 16 Then
Jacob awoke from his sleep and
said, "Surely the Lord is In this
place; and I did not know it"
17 And he was afraid, and said,
"How awesome is this placet
This is none other than the
house of God, and this is the
gate of heaven."
Genesis 46:1-3
1 So Israel took his journey
with all that he had, and came
to Beersheba, and offered sac
rifices to the God of his father
Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel
in visions of the night, and said,
"Jacob, Jacob." And he said,
"Here am I." 3 Then he said,
"I am God, the God of your
father; do not be afraid to go
down to Egypt; for I will there
make of you a great nation."
Memory Selection: Unless one
is born anew, he cannot see
the kingdom of God.
? John 3:3
Exploring The Questions
Two preliminary but import
ant questions one should always
ask in a study of the Bible are
these: \ 1) What is the source
of the material for the study,
(2) What is the purpose of the
author or authors in telling it?
How does it fit into the scheme
of ccvenant-promise religion?
The biblical story suggests
that the fugitive Jacob was de
pressed, remorseful, and lonely.
What he had desired and, by
collusion with his mother, had
obtained must have seemed all
in vain. He had coveted and
won Esau's birthright and hie
father's benediction. But he bad
also received his brother's ven
geful animosity. What good was
the birthright and Its promises
of privilege if Jacob were far
removed from the inheritance?
What value was his father's re
ligion if the God of his father
the illegitimate parents as well. This is slow murder. They
should think of the first law of nature, food, shelter and
clothing. One should think of his child as flesh of his flesh,
bones of his hones and blood of his blood. One should not
eat and support himself and allow his children to suffer.
This should include education, recreation, religion and
obeying the laws of the court. The child cannot do it un
less the parents set an example.
and the Promised Land were
left behind?
A person of our culture may
think it strange to take a stone
and use it as a pillow for one's
head. Is there any significance
to Jacob's action in doing this?
Does the Scripture intend to
say that Jacob bargained with
God? According to Genesis 38:
20-22, after his ladder vision,
Jacob made a vow to this ef
fect: "If God will be with me
and preserve me, giving me food
and clothes, and bring me back
to my father's house in peace
(no small wish!) then I shall
serve the Lord as my God and
give back a tenth of all I shall
receive to his service." Does
this story justify generous gifts
to the service of God promised
on condition that God shall ren
der some blessing in return?
On his return home, before
he met Esau, Jacob encountered
the Lord, or an angel, and
wrestled with him. The struggle
of that experience resulted in
a changt of name from Jacob
to Israel. What is the meaning
of this encounter? What is the
significance of the new name
God gave to Jacob?
Finding Help
With Year Questions
Genesis 28:10 connects direct
ly with Genesis 27:45, and the
account is basically from the
Yahwist's document. Some sig
nificant details from the E
source are cleverly inserted and
interwoven with the Yahwist's
story. For example, verses 12,
17-18, and 20-21*, 22 of Genesis
28 are surely from the E tra
dition. This blending of J (Yah
wist) and E traditions accounts
for some of the repetitious and
the alternation of "God" and
"the Lord" (Yahweh) in ref
erence to deity.
Note also that "God" speaks
to Jacob by means of a dream
and angels and that "the Lord"
stands beside Jacob and speaks
to him directly. The former
mode of communication from
deity to mortals is common to
E; the latter, to J.
Flight to Hutn
In the epic drama o 1 the Yah
wist (J author), Jacob's Journey
to Haran was an essential part
of the divine plan for the ful
fillment of the covenant prom
ises to Abraham. Jacob, like
many individuals, did not recog
nize that his life was proceed
ing according to God's will and
under divine protection and
control. But the reader sees that
Jacob's safety and future ware
vitally related to the religion
the Lord had initiated with bis
grandfather and confirmed in
his father. His life was part at
God's design for creation.
Desolate and homeless, Jacob
was overwhelmed by his sordid
past The future looked bleak
with uncertainty. That he had
not even food and clothing for
the simplest existence is evident
from Jacob's response to the
Bethel vision. In essence, be
said, "Let God protest me on
this Journey (it was extremely
dangerous to travel alone, on
foot, over wilderness and desert)
and give me bread to eat and
clothing to wear (these were
the two necessary and legal la
sues made to slaves and serr
ants)." (See Genesis 28:20.)
Thus it was out of the depths
(Continued on Page 3)