John Gibson Paton was a Presbyterian missionary to a location in the Pacific. Here he laments the mistreatment of women, which included beatings and carrying burdens. He once tried to intervene when he saw a man beating his wife, and was disappointed no one else thought to interfere.
He saw as a job of a missionary, as a human, to intervene. Does today’s religion make us less likely to respond to such an inner instinct?
How can you respond?
William Jay was a Congregationalist minister in England. Here he speaks of conscience. He says that this process of remembering past deeds is not always a bad thing, but it would be for the “unfeeling wretch”. There are no kind offices for it to do, no fond memories to bring up, which are like feasts to the brain. It only smites.
How can you give your conscience some positive material to work with in the future?
Martin Luther was a Lutheran pastor. Here he argues for the support of clergy by the people. He says that peasants, citizens, and nobility, all deal stingily with their pastors. In so doing they are like ill-bred children.
Is pastoral pay the one place where it is acceptable to agitate for fairer wages, over the mutually-agreed-upon contract?
How can you give to the ministry as you should?
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Greg Johnson