Peace and Safety

"When men place peace above other considerations, they are unwilling to face up to anything which tells them that their dream is a futile one. They are ready then to compromise truth in order to gain peace, because they are weary of the struggle. But peace like happiness always eludes men when they make it a goal of human endeavor. Peace and happiness are by-products of other goals. We cannot make ourselves truly happy by deciding we need to be happy... What most People mean by peace is an attitude of, 'Leave me alone, and don't bother me with the problems of the world,' or, 'Do anything, but get rid of all these problems, and leave me to enjoy myself.' Peace in this sense is a retreat. It is more than that: it is a form of suicide, a surrender of life for a retirement to the sidelines of life. Unfortunately for these people, the world is now moving towards a radical confrontation of man by the basic issues and problems of life. All the posponed problems, the deferred and pressing debts of life, are beginning to fall due and are demanding attention. The luxury of indifference is fast waning. Church members who left the defense of the faith to their clergy are now finding that God is requiring them to defend their faith or to surrender it...The widespread apostasy of the clergy is forcing many of the laity out of their slumbers. If the faith is to be defended, they must do it. The result is a spreading revival of doctrinal concern, a re-awakening of faith, prayer and action, and a readiness to stand for the faith which did not exist twenty years ago. The old forms are curmbling, perhaps because they must. We live in a momentous and exciting era, a turning point in history. Before the healing rains come, the sky always darkens, and the thunder and lightning are very much in evidence. We are not in the winter-time of the world, but in its spring. Wise men will plant for the future." Rushdoony "The Roots of Reconstruction." pp. 806 & 807.