"We are imbeciles in the heart, and morons in the spirit"
Dear friends,
I came across this absolutely stunning article from the June 18, 1951 edition of The New York Times, and I just had to share it with you for several reasons:
It’s message is timely and incisive.
It shows us that it wasn’t all that long ago when spokespeople for Christ had something of meaning and value to offer the public, and would be quoted in a publication like The New York Times speaking to the moment without catering to the moment.
It shows us that Christianity has something to offer the public today, right now.
Here is the full text of the article, and I read the full article on this morning’s episode of The Morning Five:
The New York Times — June 18, 1951
CHRIST IS DECLARED ALWAYS WITH MAN; He Confronts Conscience All Through Life, Dr. B.E. Mays Says in Riverside Sermon
For nineteen centuries the world has been unsuccessfully “trying to get rid of Jesus,” the Rev. Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, president of Morehouse College, Atlanta, said yesterday in a sermon at Riverside Church.
According to Dr. Mays, Pontius Pilate was unable to “wash his hands” of Christ, others have tried to deny Him by arguing that he is “out of date” or reducing Him to the role of a “better than average man,” and still others have attempted to avoid Him by “building costly churches and by praising His holy name.”
Despite these efforts, the noted Negro theologian-educator declared, “everywhere we turn we meet this man Jesus.”
“Jesus will not let my conscience be at ease,” he said. “When we take advantage of the poor, the weak and the helpless just because they are poor, weak and helpless, we meet Jesus. He speaks softly but convincingly to us, telling us that when we take advantage of the helpless we take advantage of God, that when we hurt man we hurt god, that when we rob man we rob God, that when we kill man we kill God.”
“When we are inclined to exercise our prejudice against a member of another race, we meet Jesus there. He tells us that a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves; and that it was a member of another race who came to his rescue, setting forth the eternal fact that he who responds helpfully to human needs is your neighbor.”
People today, he said, are confused and baffled “not because we do not know the right path, not because we are imbeciles in the mind or morons in the head, but because we are imbeciles in the heart and morons in the spirit.”
“Never before in the history of the world,” he went on, “have we developed so many brilliant minds, never before have we unearthed so many vital scientific facts, never before have we made so many physical improvements and brought so much material convenience to the world; yet we are more bewildered today than at any time in the history of the world—primarily because we lack the moral courage to do with our hearts and hands that which we see with our minds.”
“It isn’t more light we need, it isn’t more truth, and it isn’t more scientific data. It is more Christ, more courage, more spiritual insight to act on the light we have.”