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ican business practices found that a per–
son's religion or lack of it seemed to
have no bearing on bis business ethics.
No wonder a leading German theo–
logian, Walter Kasper, at an inter–
natíonal theological conference in Bnis–
sels, viewed Christianity as being in
an "extremely precarious situation."
The congress president Dutch Catholic
Edward Schillebeeck described the situa–
tion in the churches as having "reached
a crisis."
Falling Down on the Job
Conservative Rabbi Joseph H. Wag–
ner, in an address before hís congrega–
tion
in
Hollywood, concluded that
organized religion is to blame for the
mess the world is in - because it has
failed to do its job properly. He
asserted that if "religious people would
put into practice the tenets they affirm
on Sabbath in their temples and syna–
gogues, or on Sundays in their churches,
they could revolutionize society."
Danísh Minister
J.
V. Sorensen echoed
the same thought: "Even from people
who regularly attend church, complaints
are heard that they do not get anything
out of going to church."
Part of the reason is that many minis-·
ters are themselves theologically con–
fused. Today, it is a common view to
consider much of the basic textbook of
Christianity - the Bible
to be myth.
Just how much is myth is hotly de–
bated. Theologians are divided also on
whether the Ten Commandments are
"relevant" in our modern age.
Certainly with such confusion con–
cerning the very basic undergirdings of
Christianity or Judaism, is it any won–
der pastors are confused to the point
that one minister preaching in the
pulpit asked himself: "What am I
doing here anyway ?" Yet, a vast major–
ity of ministers' disillusionment with
the ministry revolves around the atti–
tudes of their flocks.
People Problems
Both sides have a point. Congrega–
tions claim they are not stimulated by
their worship services. Pastors indig–
nantly reply that if they did really
challenge their flocks and try to stir
them up, they would soon be preaching
to empty pews or looking for another
pulpit. In the words of Presbyterian