Read Mark 12:28-34, 1984 in Review

Before addressing this passage, our studies on the Greatest Commandment are from a New Year’s sermon preached Dec. 30, 1984.  I frequently did my own review of the past year before preaching sermons for the New Year.  Perhaps this will be an interesting reminder and will provide a backdrop for our study.

·        North Caroline Court denied parents the right to educate their children at home for purely religious reasons.

·        US established relations with the Vatican.

·        The Boise, ID. ACLU sued to stop the Gideons from passing out Bibles in public schools.

·        A woman in Tulsa, OK. Was granted $390,000 in a suit after being publicly disfellowshiped by a church.

·        The Supreme Court approved having nativity scenes on government property.

·        The Senate defeated a school prayer amendment.

·        Nebraska passed a bill easing regulations of private church-related schools.

·        A California court revived a suit (filed by the parents) against a pastor (John MacArthur) who had counseled a boy who eventually committed suicide.

·        The abortion issue (still over 1.5 million/year) received more attention than ever from evangelicals.  An evangelical publisher, pressured by evangelicals, removed a book that was less than decisive in dealing with abortion.

·        Billy Graham, with Luis Palau, spoke to over 1.25 million in England during the summer, with 10% reportedly making commitments to Christ.

·        Evangelicals were saddened by the death of Francis Schaeffer.  The author, lecturer, philosopher, missionary to intellectuals, lost a long battle with cancer.

·        The United Methodist Church banned active homosexuals from ordination, giving in to pressure from conservative Bible-believing members.

·        The Southern Baptist Convention again elected a conservative pastor (Charles F. Stanley) as its president.

·        The predominantly Christian Miskito Indians of Nicaragua fled en masse from persecution by Sandinistas in that leftist nation.

·        Also Christians were harassed in Morocco and in the usual communist nations, including an increase in the USSR and the destruction of the largest protestant church building in Yugoslavia.

·        The Church continued to grow in many places world-wide, including new rapid growth in leftist Mozambique, and in India.

·        Missionaries responded to drought/famine in N. Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh.

·        Wycliffe Translators’ Mexico office was bombed by a Mexican radical group.

·        11,000 volunteers helped take the gospel to Olympic athletes from all nations gathered in Los Angeles.

·        Gallup Poll saw increases both in faith (religious interest) and in immorality.