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THE CLUSTER, MAY 24, 1990-PAGE 3 News Maranatha Just Forgiveness By JASON CARDWELL The Bible contains more than 31.000 verses. Out of all of this however, the “standard” ones arc still among the first that come to mind whenever a specific topic is considered. Among the handful of familiar verses concer ning repentance, I John 1:9 is a favorite for us to claim in the midst of conviction. “If we confess our sos. he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. “ The faithful part is easy to understand; God has promised to forgive us. and He will keep His promise. But how can it be just for God to forgive us? Doesn’t Romans 6:23 teach that justice demands our death, but that life is a gift of God. having nothing to do with justice? A woman went before Napoleon once, pleading that her son. who had been convicted of a crime, be spared. “But he has been con victed. and must be punished,” "Please.'* she cried. “I beg you for mercy.” “But he does not deserve mercy." said Napoleon. She answered. “If he deserved it, it would not be mer cy” How. then, could God be just in forgiving us? The answer can be found in the next few verses in 1 John. Jesus Christ is the “propitia tion" for our sings in the King James Version, the "expiration” in the Revised Standard Version. The Greek word is hiiasmos, and it means that Christ won God's favor Berger-Samaha Join PAs Raymond Berger and Ahmed have been selected as new Peer Advocates for next year. They w »ll be joining Richard Barry, Susan Cheak, Chanda Hurt and Tracey Miles, who are returning from this year. Berger, a junior, is majoring in finance and philosophy, while S*m*ha is a sophomore with history and education majors. Heath Named Director Continued from page 1 ti Baptist campus minister for ’** North Georgia area from 1977 through 1911, where he was responsible for die student work on h**r campuses and besed at North G*«rgia College in • Dahloncga Prior to that, he was supervisor of >he State Baptist Student Union Drama Team during the summers ®f 1980 and 1981. He also has •utved as director of a Georgia Mercer In History for us by paying the penalty that was required. In other words. God was just when He saw that sin was answered on Calvary, and it is because of this event that He is able and willing to forgive us today. There is nothing left, then, for us to do to merit this forgiveness, because Christ merited it for us! We don't have to suffer a certain amount of chastisement. We don't have to pray so hard for so long. We only have to confess our sins. Wc must admit that the actions, thoughts, or attitudes in question fall under Calvary's jurisdiction. They arc not to be excused, defend ed, or oncealcd. because we must acknowledge that God's justice is required. Only then can we claim the justice that was meted out on the cross. Only then can we claim just forgiveness. One morffnote: God says He will cleanse \us from all unrighteousness. Take that serious ly. Don’t rob lourself (and God) of the frilov»ship\Uutf could be yours were it not fon a sin that you feel too guilty about to ask for forgiveness. God forgave Abraham of dcceitftilncss. He forgave Moses of murder. He forgave David of adultery . And He forgave Paul of persecuting His own people, kill ing some, imprisoning others. No matter what your sin. if you con fess it. He is faithful and just to forgive it. and to cleanse you from it forever. —Mararuuhd' Peer Advocates work with the Department of Studcni Develop ment to provide workshops on study skills, relationships and other issues of concern to students. They have sponsored activities to heighten awareness on such issues as substance abuse, rape and AIDS, as well as being involved in the Mercer First All-School Service Project. Baptist Student Union summer mis sions team and as a youth worker in Baptist churches in Tifton. Macon and Forsyth. “I'm really excited about BSU next year and the new thing we re going to do with the program." said Dcana Usher. BSU President. 'We rc really sad that Larry's leaving, hut we have to be positive about ihc future and wc think that Neil Heath is an excellent choice for the job. By CHRIS CARROLLTON Almost 20 years ago. an enter ing Freshman or "Frosh" at Mercer who wished to pledge a fraternity or sorority had to "pro mise" a Greek organization. There was no such thing as instant pledg ing. Under this Promisee System of pledging, a prospect had to achieve an overall G.P.A. of above 2.0 for two quarters before he or she could be allowed to become a pledge Unfortunately for the designers of this plan, it was discovered that • grades had not significantly im proved. while the social scene was . thriving. If you were not interested in ' Greek organizations, there were plenty of controversies to keep the activist-minded student busy. In 1967. 200 students staged a sit-in dcmonstralfon in the library to pro test its closing the Saturday and Sunday before finals. A student committee on Library Affairs was hastily thrown together and its recommendations resulted in longer library hours during finals. Indeed, it seemed that during this time period the entire lifestyle of the students was being jeopardri - ed. Due to a "pattern of irrespon sible behavior" which was becom ing "evident on Tuesday even ings" a special committee was organized to study the problems with Wonderful Wednesday And wc all know what happened to this illustrious day many years later For music enthusiasts. Mercer provided a harmony of excellent entertainers. From Gladys Knight and the Pips whose hit. "1 heard it Through the Grapevine" filled the air of Willingham, to the heavy metal of Lynard Skynyrd in, believe it or not, the snack bar. The early 70's Drought some of the big gest names of the time to Mercer for its Insight Series. One could go to Willingham and hear a young Jane Fonda speaking out against the Vietnam war. hear columnist Jack Anderson attack Federal spending, absorb Ralph Nader’s call for con sumer protection or listcn*as Roger Mudd criticized the U S. govern ment. Indeed, ih's was a period of change at Mercer ^s starkly clad, bearded "hippies' mixed with "normal" students. Vercer Presi dent Ruffus Harris. »peaking to Houston Avenue Chnsti in Church, called for tolerance. "Middle-Aged America has a high obligation to listen to what the students are saying. Respectable people arc so repelled by the out ward forms of student protest, the unkempt hair, the solid clothes, the beards, that they fail to sec the substance of valid protest below Anti-war protests on campus in cluded a prayer vigil for the four students killed by National Guard troops at Kent State and a demonstration by over 100 students carry ing placards and chanting anti war slogans at ROTC's Honor Day festivities. It was the year that what is today Ryals Hall, but was then the Harley Langdalc Law Library , caught fire and destroyed over 10,000 volumes of law books. Students, however. helped officials save thousands of books by forming a “book brigade" which tunneled books out of the burning building until it became increasingly unsafe to do so. There were some good things that happened in the early 70’s also. In 1970 Mercer's debate program reached a highwatcr mark. The duo of BiirCragg and Bill Dodson were ranked as the number one debating team in the U S. after winning the national debate competition at In diana State University. It was also a good year for the Mercer Cluster which for the first time won the Ga Press Association’s Best Campus Coverage award outvying such traditional powerhouses as Univer sity of Georgia and Georgia Tech. Thus, the Vicinam era at Mercer was a mixture of good and bad. of conflict and triumph But no mat ter what happened. Mercer always seemed to bounce back like a true champion. Join us for lunch or dinner!