The Apostle Paul makes an unexpected stop during one of his trips.  Whereas certain adversarial Jews from Thessalonica were stirring up trouble for Paul in the town of Berea, he was conducted on ahead by the saints to Athens, Greec"e, and there, he awaited he two friends, Silas and Timothy.


Paul waited for them at a place called the "Areopagus" = "The Rock of Ares" a Greek deity of war.  The marketplace or "agora" was the place Paul always chose to take his message.  Dr. Luke states,  "For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spend their time in nother else but either to tell or to hear some new thing." (Acts 17:21)

As much as things have changed, they have remained the same.  Today, our world is literally on the precipice of something huge, eternal.  We, as a global community are coming face to face with a monumental paradiagm shift.  I envision that our world maps, and many other things may look quite different in the next decade or two.


I once heard Mr. Bill O'Reilly say, "There is a silence in the pulpits of America."  I believe Mr. "O" was issuing a challenge to the preachers of our country.


There are two reasons for the perceived "silence"  as I see it.  I will present my reasons, attempt to offer facts in support of my thesis, and then hopefully offer some solutions,

                1.    Stereo-types Are Hard To Overcome  The left-wing, media has succeeded in engraving the ridiculous images of preachers, christians, and people of faith.  These range from the fanatical, out of touch iamge of Flanders on "The Simpsons", to the money grubbing, info-mercial, tel-evangelist.  Say the word "evangelical Christian" and many have the mental image of a gay hating, card carrying member of the N.R.A.  Couple that with those who the media constantly turns to for comments at points of crisis, Jerry Fallwell, Pat Robertson, Al Sharpton, & Jesse Jackson.  Once in a while if they want a true answer they'll call on Billy or Fanklin Graham.  But for the most part, they turn to the most outspoken and extreme to respresent the large tent called "Christendom".  Haven't we always been taught that prejudice and ignorance is wrong.  Perhaps, the church has done a little bit of reaping some of the superficial judgment we have been sowing.


                  2.   Fear of Retaliation - History has shown us that those who would step to the center and grapple with the issues of their day will always encounter opposition.  There is a price to be paid for speaking the truth.  Few are willing to make themselves vulnerable, or to lose their place in ministry, or in their career.  The opponents of truth can be relentless, ruthless, and cruel in their attacks.  We know that they frequently leave the issue on the table and search for some "skeleton in the closet" which will marginalize the messanger.  Yet, who among us is perfect.  Here is the great enigma:  "A Perfect God has prepared a perfect message and has entrusted it to be delivered and shared by imperfect, weak, vulnerable men!"

Paul did not shrink from the intellectual, theological, or moral issues of his day - neither should we.  The Town Hall is a great "Aeropagus"  a place for the free exchange of ideas.  It is my hope and prayer to begin to add the voice of my pen in order to add a little noice to the "Sound of Silence." 



"And the Silence says the words of the Prophets are written on the subway walls,
and tennement halls,
Echos the Sound of Silence!"
Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel




Charles Robert Zierle

      Have you ever stood at the entrance of a cave, lifted your voice, and let go a bellowing yell? You stand there and listen as your own voice returns to you in waves. For a moment, the sound is amusing, and at times can be humorous, as you might try different sounds. But, if you're like me, it soon becomes tiresome, and, if continued, downright annoying. And, once you stop, the cave once again becomes silent. The cave has no voice of it's own.

     In the days just before Christ stepped onto the world's scene, his fore-runner stood and bellowed these words into the cave of human existence, "REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND!" And the Scriptures then tell us that, "This is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, `The VOICE of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'"

     Recently, as I was listening to a nationally syndicated conservative talk-show host, I was becoming irritated and bored as I heard him echoing words which I have heard many of his contemporaries speak earlier in the day, the day prior, and pretty much any time I choose to turn on any such broadcast at random.

     Today, as we look out over the landscape there are scores of echoes coming at us from every side, and from every area of society. With the exception of a select few, such as Dr. Michael Savage, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt, a gentleman named Jerry Doyle, and a couple of others, many conservative pundits are carbon copies of one another. To be fair, there would have to be some degree of conformity and agreement due to the fact that they are covering the same subject matter, and there would need to be some conformity of thought. But there are times when the cadence of the echoes merge together and the personalities loose their individuality.

     If you listen long enough, however, you will hear times when their echo simply does not fit into the situation or discussion they are having, and at that time, their echo begins to sound like the voice in the cave - annoying! These are the times when the host departs from using their own common sense or speaking their own minds, but insists on carrying the party line no matter what the cost. It is at these times when they reveal whether they are genuine and faithful to their own consciences, or just another voice echoing their version of the same theme song.

     In the movie industry, we are seeing the recent trend in re-making films from the past. Not long ago we were treated (or so we'd been promised) to the re-make of the classic, "The War of the Worlds". I don't know about you, but I believe that there are some things that are better left alone. But it again points to the "echo chamber" of our society.

     Today, there are few talented musicians and bands that are truly creating new music or lyrics, but we hear cover after cover after cover. Listen, if I want to hear "The Dark Side of the Moon" I'd rather sit down with a mint condition, half-speed master spinning on a quality phonograph, and hear the original Pink Floyd play than hear some new pop band play their rendition of it.

     Politicians are the masters of the echo. Where is the candidate who, on his own accord, without checking polls and what his peers think, will stand and make a statement based in his or her core beliefs and principles, rather than wait to hear what the party line is and then repeat that line when all is safe?

     In the pulpits of America, the echo factor may be the loudest, and most annoying. Preachers and teachers deliver messages that, many times are not designed to creat conviction and a change of heart, but rather to speak to the lowest common denominator. Many preachers are afraid to speak the un-adulterated truth. The reasons for such a fear of man are many, but the result is the same.

The Prophet Jeremiah spoke to this issue and indicated that one of the characteristics of a false prophet or a hireling is the lack of delivering an authentic, fresh, clear Word from the heart of God to His people. He states, "How long shall there be lies in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another? ,,,,,Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another!" (Jeremiah 23:26, 27 & 30) This authentic, prophet of God is stating that the Lord also detested the preachers of his day that were "borrowing" messages from one another. No genuine word! Nothing authentic, nothing new! Just parroting the same old dribble time after time after time.

     As a Christian believer in this Godless and spiritually dark society it is becoming more and more frustrating as we are all being painted with one wide, sweeping brush-stroke by the left and liberal elements of our society. One of the reasons this can be done so readily is the constant echo of those religious leaders who enjoy the spot light in our country. The Jerry Fallwell's & Pat Robertson's who are perceived or promoted as speaking on behalf of the great big umbrella called Christendom. Many of these are parroting the same messages, and so, we are all lumped together - and many times, marginalized because of what is being echoed.

     Yet, there are few true "Voices crying in the wilderness!" and I believe there is a great need for them. When Jesus and John the Baptist came forth speaking their authentic and authoritative Word, the people responded and recognized that here were men who were not spiritual plagiarists. No! These men were different, they were cut from a genuine bolt of cloth. Their message was not the same old dribble which was being spoken by the scribes and Pharisees of the day, but they spoke with an authority and power that their contemporaries did not possess!

     Oh, that there would come forth those in these days who would step away from the crowd and stop being a part of the deafening echo and would become a resounding VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS!

     I believe that one of the formost reasons for the lack of such voices in our day has to do with the cost that is associated with being a true "voice". Remember, it wasn't because he spoken sweet things to King Herod that caused the tyrant to have John's head brought on a platter!  No, No! John had spoken too truthfully, too publickly, for too long.  Nor was Jeremiah  treated to the best his kingdom had to offer in appreciation for his message of truth. Rather an all expense paid vacation which included sleeping up to his arm-pits in slime at the bottom of a well. The truth is as we study history, both secular and sacred, we find that those who choose to be a voice and to be faithful to speak the truth they have been given to speak usually pay a hefty price - ranging from rejection and mockery to prison, torture, and many times, death.

     The truth is that though the idea of having such voices around is given much lip service in many circles, there few folks who actually want such a voice speaking into their lives. The reasons are many. For the sake of this discussion I will mention two. First, TRUTH IS NO RESPECTOR OF PERSONS!    truth has the ability to cut through all coverings, charades, and masks and get to the bone marrow of any issue. Few of us are comfortable with that type of intimate disclosure of our selves. We have never    truly  met  anyone who is un-conditionally committed to us no matter what they learn about us. We do not trust anyone with that type of information about us. And so, when someone gets even relatively close, we usually find a way to cut them off in the interest of self preservation. The second reason is closely related to the first - "TRUTH DEMANDS A RESPONSE!   We can not remain in a nuetral corner anymore, but are faced with a decision. For example, smoking is harmful to our physical life. Those who smoke know deep within themselves that they are involved in something that is self-destructive. We know we should stop, and make ourselves every promise to do so. However, we are even more disgusted with someone who would speak to us and encourage us to quit. Few things get under a smokers crawl than some do-gooder reminding him of the "dangers of smoking". The words are true and they are the same words we have spoken to ourselves/ But, we have only ourselves to deal with when we are speaking with ourselves. But when the doctor speaks to us, or a loving relative we are called to account and to a decision. Unfortunately, many times we are neither prepared nor inclined to make the brutal change that needs to be made.

     The truth calls for a response in us - and there is always a response in us. Sometimes, the response is to continue to live in self deception - no change at all, but even that is a response. The reason in America that we really do not want a true "voice crying out" is because we really do not want to make the changes in society that are necessary in order to rid our culture of many of the problems we now face.

     For instance, AIDS. The answer is actually very simple. AIDS would all but die off and go away if those who practice the life-styles that are at high risk for contracting the virus would cease from living those life-styles. But, "that's too narrow", "how can you be so small minded", and then the best, "we can beat this thing" (self pride). No, our society is in no mood to hear the clear, unvarnished truth - nor has any society in the history of the world. Look what happened to Jesus Christ - He was the clearest voice in the history of the world - and that was the problem. Everyone understood quite clearly what He was claiming and teaching. They, many of them, were not ready nor willing to make the changes needed in order to come under the authority of His teachings. But, here we are 2000 years later and we are still groping with His message. It was W.C.Fields who said, "It's not the parts of the Bible I don't understand that I have a problem with; it's the parts I do understand that trouble me." And isn't he right. It's not the heavy theological themes of the Bible that most struyggle with on any everyday living level, but simple truths, such as, "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou shalt not commit adultery" that most people struggle with.

     We are living in a cave of echos - the echos are coming wave after wave. The noise in these days is deafening. What we are needing, looking for and soon will hear, is a clarion call, a voice that cuts through all of the noise and din of a materialistic, hedonistic society and says to those who are groping in the darkness, "This Is The Way - Walk Right Here."


"Laboring In The Harvest,,,"

Charles Robert Zierle