The Individual Or The Group

History Is A Realm In Which Human Freedom And Natural Necessity Are Curiously Intermingled.

A Wise Architect Observed That You Could Break The Laws Of Architec75tural Art Provided You Had Mastered Them First. That Would Apply To Religion As Well As To Art. Ignorance Of The Past Does Not Guarantee Freedom From Its Imperfections.

Nothing That Is Worth Doing Can Be Achieved In Our Lifetime; Therefore We Must Be Saved By Hope. Nothing Which Is True Or Beautiful Or Good Makes Complete Sense In Any Immediate Context Of History; Therefore We Must Be Saved By Faith. Nothing We Do, However Virtuous, Can Be Accomplished Alone; Therefore We Must Be Saved By Love. No Virtuous Act Is Quite As Virtuous From The Standpoint Of Our Friend Or Foe As It Is From Our Standpoint. Therefore We Must Be Saved By The Final Form Of Love Which Is Forgiveness.

Nothing Which Is True Or Beautiful Or Good Makes Complete Sense In Any Immediate Context Of History; Therefore We Must Be Saved By Faith.

Perhapsthemost Sublimeinsights Ofthejewishprophets And The Christian Gospel Is The Knowledge That Since Perfection Is Love, The Apprehension Of Perfection Is At Once The Means Of Seeing One's Imperfections And The Consoling Assurance Of Grace Which Makes This Realization Bearable. This Ultimate Paradox Of High Religion Is Not An Invention Of Theologians Or Priests. It Is Constantly Validated By The Most Searching Experiences Of Life.