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Dear Father Paul

Dear Father Paul: I have several friends who claim to be "Christians." They are always after me to "follow Christ," etc. but they live a very wild lifestyle doing things even I don't do. I thought Christians were supposed to be different.

— Danny, Fayetteville.

Dear Danny: Christians ARE supposed to be different, but sadly, far too many are not! From as far back as the ancient Israelites, God's purpose has been to have a "separate" people, wholly dedicated to him. That's why the Israelites were totally different from the other peoples of the earth — or at least they were supposed to be. After Jesus came, the New Testament cautions us to be "in" the world, but not "of" the world. The apostle Peter says in I Peter 2 that Christians are, "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, (so) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." A little later in the same chapter, Peter says, "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul." Unfortunately most of us know that all too many Christians are NOT different. Recent surveys, for instance, have shown that the divorce rate and abortion rate is about the same for Christians as for non-Christians. How sad.

Having said that, it is urgently important to note that Christians are not recognizable by what the don’t do, but by what they do! Jesus said in John 13: "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." One of the best ways to tell a "real" Christian is whether he or she loves God and loves his neighbor.

Ghandi, the Hindu leader of over 1 billion Indians, lived in the (Christian) West for a number of years. Late in his life an interviewer asked him, "Mr. Ghandi, you lived in the West for many years, how is it you never became a Christian?" Ghandi answered, "I would have become a Christian if I'd have ever met a Christian." Wow! We are supposed to be different, no question about it, and our influence (or lack of it) can have more effect than we can ever imagine.

Dear Father Paul: What do you think about the proposal by a Republican leader of the Georgia Legislature reported in the Atlanta paper a couple of days ago to (by law) not allow children of illegal aliens to attend Georgia public colleges and universities?

— Blair, Fayetteville.

Dear Blair: I saw the same article. At the risk of being called a "liberal," which I decidedly am not, I think that this is one of the dumbest ideas to ever come out of the Legislature. Yes, we have a huge illegal alien problem in this state — over 350,000 at last count. Sneaking into this country is against the law and people who do it are lawbreakers, no question about it; although, if we are completely honest, most of us would agree that we'd do the same thing if we ourselves were living in Latin American poverty. Punishing the children of these people is not the answer, however. The simple truth is that these kids are not lawbreakers. They were brought here by their parents with no choice in the matter. Many of them have studied and worked hard in Georgia schools, made good grades and now want to get an education so they can support themselves. That's the "American Way," isn't it? It's seems to me immoral to deny them that opportunity because of what their parents did. To keep them from going to a Georgia college or university so some politician can brag that he is "doing something" about the problem begs the question. All that will result will be more and more people in poverty. Is that what we want? I don't have the answer to the illegal alien question, but I know this is not it! I hope sounder heads in the Georgia Legislature will consign this idea where it belongs — in file 13.

The sermon at Church Of The Holy Cross for Sunday, Sept. 25, will be from Jeremiah 29. "God's Wish For You."

Father Paul Massey will answer your question in the newspaper. Write him at P.O. Box 510, Fayetteville, GA 30214 or paulmassey@earthlink.net.

[Father Paul Massey is vicar of Church Of The Holy Cross, Episcopal, C.E.C. in Fayetteville. The church meets Sundays at 10:30 a.m. for a charismatic Mass including prayers for the sick. Services are held in the Chapel of the Church Of God Of Prophecy at 1000 Ga. Highway 54 west (one block west on the left past the Eckerd at Gingercake Road). All are cordially invited. For more information call 678-457-3050 or visit www.chccec.org.]