ATLANTA (BP)–“Crime is out of control!” said Michael Bowers, “and we can’t go on like this much longer.” The longtime Georgia attorney general was keynote speaker at the annual meeting of The Lord’s Day Alliance of the United States Feb. 5-6 in Atlanta.
“Something must be done,” said Bowers, a United Methodist. “How do we avoid this going on and on?” He said the nation faces a crisis that ultimately can be solved only by what is done in the home.
Bowers cited statistics from Atlanta crime records to show the increase in lawlessness, noting similar statistics could be found for any major metropolitan area. In 1960, the city of Atlanta reported 67 murders, 44 rapes and 308 robberies; 35 years later, in 1995, the crime report listed 184 murders, 441 rapes and 5,260 robberies. During the same time period, the population of the city had actually dropped from 485,000 to 404,000.
In order to reverse that trend, Bowers said the nation must start with children, challenging the Lord’s Day Alliance board of managers: “If you want a project, figure out some way to get involved with little children. If we don’t intervene, the little children who are 4 and 5 years old today will be criminals in another 10 years. Someone needs to hug them, and tell them you love them.”
Bowers praised groups like the Big Brothers that adopts at-risk children. He also noted the government needed to take some hard measures like ending welfare support that has encouraged unwed mothers to have illegitimate children, as well as taking away children from abusive parents when they would be better off in an orphanage.
Praising America as “a land beyond belief,” Bowers noted his own childhood poverty and said he was proud to be in a country where the son of a poor truck driver could grow up to attend West Point and become a state attorney general.
“We are a product of Western Christian civilization and we should not forget that,” Bowers said. While stating Americans must respect other civilizations, he was emphatic in stating this particular civilization had contributed significantly to the world as its leading civilization and that the nation’s citizens should be proud of their heritage.
In particular, Bowers recounted five things that make America great, in his opinion: 1) democracy, 2) guaranteed civil liberties, 3) equality, 4) the rule of law and 5) the fundamental goodness of the American people. “This country is too good for us not to perfect,” he said.
He noted the Lord’s Day Alliance was supporting one particular component of what is at stake in remembering the nation’s heritage and promoting a day for families to be together: “What you do is important and reinforces who we are, and it helps to stop the deterioration of home life and family values.”
Prior to Bowers’ speech, the Lord’s Day Alliance honored Broadus R. Littlejohn III of Spartanburg, S.C., for his efforts in closing his chain of grocery stores on Sundays. Littlejohn was presented the James P. Wesberry Award for individuals or organizations who make significant contribution to furthering the proper observance of the Lord’s Day.
In accepting the award, Littlejohn expressed appreciation to his family and for the 1,100 employees who were affected by the decision. “Ten percent of our business has disappeared and this has required a lot of belt-tightening and sacrifice,” Littlejohn said, “but I believe in the fourth commandment and I need to be as faithful as I can be.”
Littlejohn noted he was somewhat surprised at the quality of the people he has been able to hire since the decision was made to close on Sundays. And he stated it was more important to leave his children a legacy of Christian character and godliness than to increase profits for a financial inheritance.
The Wesberry Award was presented by board of manager member Truett Cathy, founder and owner of Chick-fil-A, who is himself known for his stand on Sunday closings. Cathy gave his own testimony, saying, “… you have to consider what’s important in life and who we need to serve.”
Cathy said he asked his boys’ Sunday school class what they would think about him if their teacher opened his restaurants on Sundays.
“We would think you were a hypocrite!” one boy replied.
“We’re still in business after 50 years,” Cathy said, “and others seem to respect our decision and convictions about staying closed.” He noted, for example, that Delta Air Lines has started serving Chick-fil-A
on their flights, but only six days a week!
In other business:
— The LDA presented a plaque of appreciation to Truett Gannon, pastor of Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, Ga., for his assistance and the hospitality of the church in hosting the dinner meeting for LDA during the past 20 years. Gannon is retiring this summer after 21 years as pastor of Smoke Rise.
— The board of managers voted to initiate a new program to reach theological students studying in the 200 seminaries across the United States. It was felt that future ministers of the gospel need to have a better understanding of the importance of Sunday observance and need to be made aware of the ministry of the Lord’s Day Alliance as a resource center. Several pilot projects will be tried to determine how best to reach seminarians before spreading the program nationwide. David Key, chairman of the theological task force, said the LDA will work through theological associations and consortiums.
— Rodney Peterson, director of the Boston Theological Institute, was elected to serve on the board of managers. This institute includes the major theological schools in the Boston area.
— The board voted to continue to encourage youth in grades six, seven and eight to enter the national essay contest, while exploring ways to enlarge the contest to include other age groups.
— Congratulations were expressed to The Atlanta Journal/Constitution for its new Faith and Values section that appears in the Saturday edition; appreciation was expressed to both President Clinton and J.C. Watts for their emphasis on family values in both the State of the Union Address and the Republican response; and appreciation was expressed to Christian Century magazine for the article it printed by Dorothy C. Bass, “Keeping Sabbath: Reviving a Christian Practice,” which appeared in the Jan. 1-8, 1997, issue.
Executive Director Jack P. Lowndes reported an increase in the number of churches participating in the Lord’s Day Observance Sunday promotion this year, as judged by the number of requests for bulletin inserts and other materials. Those materials were made available in Spanish this year for the first time.
Julius Poppinga, board member from New Jersey, reported an action that took place at the 1996 General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church USA which could lead to a renewed emphasis on the Lord’s Day. The measure must first be passed by 51 percent of local synods.
President Paul Craven noted this year’s February meeting attracted the board’s best attendance in many years. He announced the fall meeting will be Oct. 1-2 in Granville, N.Y.
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