Saturday, September 26, 1998

In midst of Clinton-Lewinsky mess, preachers examine sin and forgiveness

By Tom Schaefer

Knight Ridder Newspapers

I wonder a lot lately -- about the fate of the president, about the effect of the sordid Clinton-Lewinsky mess on our children and about the resiliency of our nation.

Wonder along with me:

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Martin Marty, professor of history and interpreter of religion in America, offered these observations based on reports from journalists in five cities who listened to sermons last Sunday about the Clinton debacle. His comments were reported by the Public Religion Project in Chicago.

The preachers included male and female clerics of different races and different theological traditions, though for the most part they had had regular dealings with the White House, Marty noted.

Among Marty's observations:

1. Only a few preachers were "hard core Clinton-haters." "Most others spent as much time examining the state of sin and forgiveness in their own and their congregation's hearts as they did heaping on the president," he said.

2. Many avoided the subject of Clinton because of months of overload on the subject, Marty said. Instead, they preached about the meanings of sin and forgiveness.

3. Others focused on biblical texts regularly appointed for the Sunday, looking beyond political matters.

"Such preaching does not make headlines," Marty said of the latter group of preachers, "but it helps form meaningful heartlines that often go overlooked by sensation seekers."

So, I wonder: What did you hear from the pulpit last weekend? What do you think will be the sermon's focus this weekend?

And preachers: What do you think your congregation needs to hear?

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During these politically troubling times, I wonder if any minister or rabbi has preached on the biblical text 2 Samuel 11:1-12:23. For the curious, it's the story of King David committing adultery with Bathsheba.

What conclusions, if any, are inferred from and applied to the current situation with the president? Are they insightful and relevant or specious and self-serving? (Limited biblical knowledge is a dangerous thing.) Just wondering.

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Let's shift gears, ever so slightly:

A survey of almost 3,000 teachers -- many of whom have been teaching for 10 years or more -- reports that they generally give poor marks to parents.

Teachers polled by "Who's Who Among America's Teachers" said in an issue of Parenting magazine earlier this year that today's parents are: less demanding of their kids (41 percent of teachers say), more self-centered (53 percent), less involved with their children's school lives (63 percent), less ethical/moral (69 percent) and less willing or able to spend time with their kids (73 percent).

While that's one side of the educational coin, I'm quite sure that on the other side are some parents who would have some tough comments about teachers, if they were polled.

Rather than be a defensive parent or teacher, take a minute to ask yourself: How do I help shape the character, behavior and beliefs of children with whom I interact? What example do I set? Remember: Stay focused on yourself. It's easier to blame others than critically examine ourselves.

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Speaking of character, Michael Josephson, whose foundation in California is devoted to teaching ethics, is ready to announce his latest findings on teen-agers and ethics, according to Cox News Service.

In a survey of 10,000 high school students, young people are said to be lying, cheating and stealing more often than they were two years ago.

Although the exact figures won't be released for two weeks, Josephson said this year's survey shows a significant rise from 1996, when "39 percent admitted they stole from a store in the last year, 63 percent said they had cheated on an exam in the last year and 25 percent said they lied to get or keep a job."

"There's a hole in the moral ozone," Josephson concluded, "and it's getting bigger."

Why is that so? Keep asking -- and wondering.

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To bring us full circle, I offer these healing words of David Augsburger:

"Since nothing we intend is ever faultless, and nothing we attempt ever without error, and nothing we achieve without some measure of finitude and fallibility we call humanness, we are saved by forgiveness."

I wonder how many know that -- and practice it.

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(Tom Schaefer writes about religion and ethics for the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle. Write to him at the Wichita Eagle, P.O. Box 820, Wichita, KS 67201, or send e-mail to tschaefer(at)wichitaeagle.com )

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(c) 1998, The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.).

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