THE JURY DECIDES chapter 100

HAPPY 4th! Good morning, Clyde. . . I hope you are spending the day with family. I really think this shoulder thing is something you just dreamed up to keep us all in suspense about the outcome of the Saskatoon debate!  On the other hand I don't think you would really do that.  .  . Please get well soon as your audience is waiting!

ED RESPONSE: I wish it were just a ploy. I love any opportunity to build a little suspense; I regret that I was in too much pain to think about it. Look for future faked illnesses at key moments.

UPDATE: The problem was a strained ligament in my left should. I have almost full use now with the exception of weight. Can’t hold much yet. It will come. For now, I will continue to use it as an excuse for not doing anything I don’t want to do.

There was a great deal of debate around the office about what to do if the outcome of the trial was that one could not tell if a person, especially me, was a Christian. There were even three parental phone calls asking that there not be a decision. One was from an elder. It was great fun while we did it, but it would be terrible if the prosecution one, or so the thought seemed to be.

I confess to becoming nervous myself. While the trial was going on there was terrific interest. I have long since lost track of how many people crowded into our classroom room. We were on the second floor of the new education wing. We occupied three or four rooms at the back. I know there were a few youth I had never seen before who popped in. There was always an elder or two and some board members, mostly parents. My own tension was developing over concern for my job. What would happen to me if they could not tell if I was a Christian? There were a few jokes along that line — at least I thought they were jokes.

I had a serious discussion about the possible length of the class on the final Sunday of the trial. Each side would present their summation and it would then go to the jury for debate. I did not want to cut off the discussion. I wanted the jury decision to run its course. I could not see any way the class would end on time for the beginning of the Church service. Rev. Boldt agreed and decided that if the class ended before the sermon, they should slip quietly into the service, but if the sermon had already begun, I should keep them until the normal ending time of church.

I prepared my own summation remarks for either decision. In essence, they were the same remarks. Personally I did not (still don’t) believe you could ever really know what is in the heart of man. What does sin in a Christian really mean?  Are they no longer a believer id they sin? The whole issue of eternal salvation was clearly presented.

There was a strong argument that many people are good and many do the right thing and even have the right beliefs, but have never committed themselves to Christ. Does that make them a Christian? By their works you shall know them. Really?

Both sides used proof texts extremely well. Was the fruit of the Spirit present?  What affects did my temper and out bursts have on my faith? While I was embarrassed to have my explosiveness hotly debated, it could have been much worse. I was still too new in the church to have my whole life laid bare. They did not know my past and did not talk to anyone who did know it. There was one area I hoped and prayed would not be discovered. Della and I were beginning to have difficulty in our relationship. Had that come out it might have ended our relationship. I could not manage my time with her well. I was trying to prove something at the church and she was on the losing end.

The summations were short. So were the jury deliberations. We allowed each person to vote by ballot and the judge and other adult guides counted the ballots. I think I was the only one a little tense. The class was laughing and smiling. I was not sure how either decision might be perceived. How important was it to the church that I be seen as a Christian.

“Will the bailiff please read the verdict?" He read, “In the matter of the people verses Clyde Sylvester Walker, by a vote of 32-29 (not exactly sure of the tally, but not all voted for me as a Christian), we find that his life does reflect that he is a Christian.”

I was acquitted. It took the whole hour but we did not go into the service time. I asked the class what they thought of the decision and gave the 29 who voted to against me a fun, but sarcastically hard time. They loved the experience.

I was not on the platform that Sunday so the pastor had to wait until the service was over to hear the decision. All he said was, “I guess I’ll keep you>” I think he was joking?

I saved my comments for the next Sunday. I wanted to address the heart of man. What do we really know about the heart of another person?

I do not know what really happened in the thinking of the teens, but I faced my own legalism. My college experiences with legalism had not made me immune to attempts to control lives and make them fit in my own mold. One would have hoped that cow was dead, but way too much of my personal expectations were woven into my leadership. There were times it was still my hay or the highway. In reflection, I hate that was there.