Clarence G. Newsome - "A Foundation of Truth" (July 21, 1974)

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-	Let us worship the Lord, our God.	0:02
	(church organ music)	0:06
	If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves	5:16
	and the truth is not in us.	5:20
	If we confess our sins, God is faithful to His promises,	5:24
	and will forgive and renew us.	5:29
	Let us pray.	5:32
	Oh God, we confess that we take with ease our situation,	5:35
	and know that for those of us who are privileged to study	5:40
	there are many who are more able and more obedient	5:45
	than we, who have to remain outside.	5:49
	We pray that we may be responsible	5:53
	to the opportunities offered to us.	5:56
	Oh God, you know our heart.	6:00
	You know our foolish pride,	6:03
	our inconsiderate selfishness,	6:06
	our mental laziness.	6:09
	Forgive us our daily sins, and be patient with us,	6:11
	that we may grow into the fullness of our being.	6:16
	We pray in the name of Jesus who came to give us life, amen.	6:21
	Let us in silence make our personal confession.	6:28
	Accept God's love and forgiveness	6:55
	and live as forgiven people, amen and amen.	6:58
	(church organ music)	7:07
	(soprano and organ music)	7:31
	Hear the reading from the Holy Scriptures,	10:03
	Old Testament lesson is taken from the 18th Psalm.	10:06
	I love thee, oh Lord, my strength.	10:12
	The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer.	10:15
	My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,	10:20
	my shield and the horn of my salvation and stronghold.	10:25
	I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised,	10:31
	and I am saved from my enemies.	10:35
	The New Testament lesson comes	10:45
	from second Timothy, the third chapter.	10:48
	But understand this, that in the last days	10:57
	there will come times of stress.	11:01
	For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money,	11:03
	proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents,	11:07
	ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderous,	11:12
	profligate, fierce, haters of good, treacherous,	11:17
	reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure	11:21
	rather than lovers of God.	11:25
	Holding to the forms of religion,	11:27
	but denying the power of it.	11:30
	Avoid such people.	11:33
	Thus endeth the reading.	11:36
	All praise be to God.	11:39
	(church organ music)	11:42
	From our faith, we are not alone.	12:25
	We live in God's world, we believe in God,	12:28
	who has created and is creating.	12:33
	Who has come in the true man Jesus	12:36
	to reconcile and make new.	12:39
	Who works in us and others by His spirit.	12:42
	We trust Him, He calls us to be in His church	12:46
	to celebrate His presence, to love and serve others,	12:51
	to seek justice and resist evil,	12:56
	to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen,	13:00
	our judge and our hope.	13:04
	In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.	13:06
	We are not alone, thanks be to God.	13:13
	The Lord be with you.	13:18
	(congregation replies)	13:20
	Let us pray.	13:22
	Almighty God, whose glory the whole world proclaims,	13:31
	and whose greatness all feeling,	13:37
	thinking creatures everywhere herald.	13:39
	To you belongs all glory, honor, might, greatness,	13:42
	and magnificence now and forever.	13:46
	We bow before you in awe and humility,	13:50
	and with thanksgiving.	13:54
	We praise you for the gift of life.	13:56
	For the incomprehensible network of being	13:59
	in which you have placed us.	14:02
	For the assurance that you, who created the whole universe,	14:05
	cares for us and all peoples.	14:09
	We give you thanks for Your church.	14:13
	For its nurture, its support,	14:15
	and its prophetic vision and leadership.	14:18
	We give you thanks for our minds,	14:21
	our senses, our bodies, our creativity.	14:23
	We give you thanks for loving concern	14:28
	shown to us through our family, our friends,	14:30
	and even through strangers.	14:35
	Oh God, hear our prayers of intercession.	14:38
	We pray for those persons who are hungry,	14:43
	homeless, jobless, lonely, so many of Your people suffer.	14:45
	Bring to fruition the work of those persons	14:53
	seeking to eradicate the life-destroying	14:55
	elements in our society.	14:59
	There are those who are sick whom we know.	15:03
	We pray for them and for people who care for them	15:06
	when they cannot care for themselves.	15:09
	And oh God, we are a nation which needs Your help.	15:13
	Purify us with the fire of Your truth.	15:18
	Bring forth of people who can with Your help	15:22
	save us and this world.	15:24
	And now, oh eternal God, we pray for ourselves.	15:28
	Liberate us from the narrow worlds	15:33
	which constrict our souls.	15:37
	Liberate us from the fear which blinds us	15:40
	to the newness of Your work.	15:43
	Liberate us from the preoccupation with the trivial	15:46
	and uneasiness with the great.	15:50
	Liberate us into Your kingdom	15:54
	and when the hurt in our souls is deep,	15:58
	when we feel weak at the beginning of a mighty task,	16:02
	when we are parched for the water of life	16:06
	and hungry for the bread of life,	16:09
	when we are guilty with a guilt	16:12
	that will not leave us in peace,	16:14
	then, oh Lord, heal us, strengthen us, feed us,	16:17
	forgive us, and bring us through birth and rebirth.	16:25
	Through giving and forgiving.	16:30
	Through loving and loving kindness.	16:33
	Through using us and preparing us for use.	16:38
	Through judgment and grace.	16:42
	And to a citizenship of Your kingdom	16:44
	where all are equal, yet all are unique.	16:46
	All are sinners, yet all are accepted.	16:51
	All are judged, yet all find mercy.	16:54
	All are limited, yet all are ministers.	16:59
	Grateful citizens, loving children of Your kingdom.	17:03
	And now, oh Lord, hear us as we pray the prayer	17:08
	your son taught us.	17:11
	Our father, who art in Heaven,	17:14
	hallowed be thy name.	17:18
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	17:20
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	17:23
	Give us this day our daily bread,	17:26
	and forgive us our trespasses	17:29
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	17:31
	And lead us not into temptation,	17:35
	but deliver us from evil	17:38
	for Thine is the kingdom, and the power,	17:40
	and the glory forever and ever, amen.	17:43
-	I welcome this opportunity to come before you.	18:00
	Having graduated from Duke University	18:07
	I often had occasion to participate in service	18:09
	here in the chapel, but most often as lector.	18:12
	And this being my first opportunity to deliver a sermon	18:17
	I'm most appreciative as this opportunity	18:20
	does not come to many people my age.	18:23
	It's a great honor for me.	18:29
	And I promise to be as short as I can.	18:32
	I can't help but say this, throughout the time	18:36
	I was preparing the sermon,	18:39
	my wife kept emphasizing the need for me to be short.	18:40
	As I entered the chapel this morning,	18:45
	I thought about the similarity between the young preacher	18:46
	and the old preacher.	18:49
	The young preacher feeling that he has so much to say.	18:51
	And the old preacher feeling that he	18:55
	doesn't have much time left to say anything.	18:58
	So I promise to be as brief as I can.	19:02
	As I speak to the subject, "A Foundation of Truth,"	19:06
	you will notice in your bulletin	19:10
	that the title of the sermon is listed "But as for Us."	19:12
	But you know, sometimes you can't speak	19:16
	what you think, but what you feel.	19:22
	And my experience as Acting Dean of Black Affairs this year	19:26
	has brought me a certain feeling	19:30
	and I want to relay this to you this morning my thoughts.	19:33
	A foundation of truth.	19:37
	It's been almost seven years now	19:41
	since I first arrived at Duke University.	19:43
	I recall very vividly the trip from my small hometown	19:47
	in northeastern North Carolina to this,	19:51
	a larger town in central Piedmont, North Carolina.	19:54
	I recall the anxiety, the eager anticipation	19:59
	of beginning my college years	20:03
	in preparation for the future.	20:06
	And as I look back on those years	20:09
	with regard to the years of study that I still have ahead,	20:12
	I know that it's altogether true that time seems	20:17
	much shorter in retrospect than it does in prospect.	20:20
	Nonetheless, however so short those years may seem to me,	20:27
	they've been years full of frustration,	20:32
	years full of expectation.	20:36
	Years full of pessimism, years full of optimism.	20:40
	Years full of sadness, years full of happiness.	20:45
	Years full of worry, years full of bliss.	20:48
	Years full of life, years full of growth.	20:51
	A period of time as Reynolds Price,	20:58
	distinguished professor of English here has written	21:00
	in the Duke University bulletin for prospective students,	21:02
	"a period of time when one draws out of himself	21:05
	"the innate and acquired qualities of character and skill,	21:09
	"and draws out of his teachers and friends and books	21:15
	"the strengths he will need to live his life."	21:20
	So I have grown.	21:22
	And for those of you who have known me	21:25
	since I first came to Duke, and I see some of you out there,	21:27
	if there is any doubt in your mind about my spiritual growth	21:30
	or my growth of character, then there can be no doubt	21:34
	in your mind about my physical growth,	21:36
	for I've grown in that way I suppose	21:38
	to the extent that I'm no longer growing up, but spreading.	21:41
	However I assure you that I have grown	21:46
	in more ways than that.	21:50
	And not only have I witnessed my growth,	21:53
	but I have witnessed the growth of this institution.	21:55
	Such signs of obvious growth, for example	21:59
	the Gross Chemistry Building.	22:02
	The addition to Perkins library.	22:04
	The new wing of the divinity school, and there are more.	22:07
	But the University has also grown	22:12
	in more ways than physical ways, too.	22:15
	Academically it is now well-known fact	22:19
	that Duke University has ascended to great heights.	22:21
	A significant increase in the number	22:26
	of outstanding scholars,	22:27
	a significant increase in the number	22:29
	of research grants awarded the institution,	22:31
	and an increase in the number of high-caliber students	22:34
	that Duke University is attracting reflects this.	22:37
	So much so that John Eagerton, freelance education writer	22:41
	and author of an article on Duke University	22:45
	entitled "The Rise of the Southern Star",	22:48
	referred this year to Duke's move	22:51
	for a place in the academic inner circle.	22:53
	Citing such current statistics	22:57
	as an applicant pool close to 8,000	22:59
	for approximately 1,100 places in the freshman class	23:02
	and a median SAT score that exceeds 1300.	23:06
	A faculty to student ratio of approximately eight to one,	23:11
	and a library containing approximately 2.4 million volumes.	23:15
	Then also there's the growth of the institution	23:22
	as a more democratic community.	23:27
	The mission of universities as ideal democratic communities	23:31
	according to James A. Perkins,	23:35
	editor of a report for the Carnegie Commission	23:38
	on Higher Education entitled	23:40
	"The University as an Organization"	23:42
	has been recently added	23:45
	as a fourth function of universities.	23:46
	The other three being those naturally	23:49
	of teaching, research, and public service.	23:51
	Now I like to think that becoming ideal democratic	23:53
	communities has always been a mission of universities	23:57
	but at any rate, there has been some progress	24:02
	in this area at Duke.	24:04
	And whether or not there's agreement	24:07
	that student participation in the governing processes	24:09
	of this institution has been too little or too much,	24:12
	it cannot be denied that student participation	24:16
	signifies growth of the institution	24:19
	as a more democratic community.	24:23
	Now this notion of the university as a democratic community	24:27
	is important to me because it relates directly	24:32
	to an area where I feel that the significance	24:36
	of growth is greater.	24:39
	And that is the institution's visible display of growth	24:43
	in the area of moral sensitivity,	24:47
	awareness, obligation, and duty	24:52
	however little it may be relative to the extent	24:55
	to which it must further grow.	24:58
	And at this point I think that it is appropriate	25:01
	for me to say that when I refer to the institution,	25:06
	I refer to each individual associated with the institution.	25:12
	For empirically the university as I perceive it	25:16
	is but an aggregate of individuals	25:21
	who form and participate in a community	25:24
	prescribed by scholarship in the pursuit of truth.	25:26
	So when I say that the institution has displayed	25:32
	signs of growth at least visibly	25:34
	in the area of moral obligation,	25:38
	I say that the individuals who comprise	25:40
	this institution have grown some.	25:43
	Faculty, students, administrators,	25:46
	non-academic employees alike.	25:49
	And there are some visible indications of growth.	25:53
	Just a little over a decade ago,	25:58
	the atmosphere at Duke University,	26:01
	like most predominantly white universities,	26:03
	was not conducive for the presence of black students	26:07
	and professors or American Indians,	26:10
	or many women professors and administrators.	26:12
	And although after a decade out of about 9,000 graduates	26:17
	and undergraduates, there are only approximately	26:21
	250 black undergraduates, including the 87 black students	26:24
	in this year's freshman class,	26:28
	approximately 135 black graduate students,	26:30
	10 black professors, approximately seven American Indians,	26:34
	and a mild increase in the number	26:39
	of women professors and administrators,	26:41
	some progress, it must be said, has been made.	26:43
	Admittedly all of it has not been made	26:48
	without some friction and tension.	26:51
	As a matter of fact, it is often the case	26:54
	that tension is a catalyst for growth.	26:56
	Drawing on my own personal experience,	27:01
	to interject a light note here,	27:04
	I had a very memorable experience my first day at Duke.	27:08
	I received a scholarship to play football here.	27:13
	And when I first came, it was the policy	27:16
	of the coaching staff, former coaching staff,	27:18
	to use the freshman players to help prepare	27:23
	the varsity players for their games.	27:25
	Freshmen were what you might call human dummies.	27:29
	A little to my dismay, I was placed in front of a guy	27:35
	who, five inches taller than I and 60 pounds heavier,	27:38
	stood six feet seven and a half inches tall	27:43
	and weighed 270 pounds.	27:45
	Stood in front of me chewing tobacco,	27:48
	spitting it at my feet.	27:50
	A little intimidated by the sight of someone larger than I,	27:54
	I was a little slow to move off the ball	27:57
	on the first play of scrimmage.	27:59
	And subsequently was delivered a blow to my head	28:01
	the like of which I had never received before.	28:04
	Needless to say I grew up immediately.	28:08
	And determined myself to charge off the line	28:11
	the next play, to help him grow up some.	28:14
	Seriously, tension often serves as impetus for growth.	28:21
	And it is here that in thinking retrospectively	28:26
	about the progress that Duke has made in society,	28:29
	about the progress that has been made in society at large,	28:33
	and at Duke particularly during the past decade,	28:36
	as result of pressure for social reform	28:40
	that I ponder the prospects for the future,	28:45
	now that the demand for reform is no longer	28:49
	as intense as it once was.	28:52
	Herein I focus on the foundation upon which	28:56
	progress has been made at Duke.	28:59
	And why Duke, you ask.	29:01
	Why Duke?	29:04
	As a university, Duke, like other universities,	29:08
	is society in microcosm.	29:12
	And although legally Duke, like other universities,	29:15
	was created by society theoretically,	29:19
	it nonetheless stands quite apart from society in many ways.	29:22
	And is shielded to a considerable degree	29:28
	from external interference with the teaching	29:31
	and learning process, and for reason.	29:34
	For the reason of being a model for the rest of society	29:40
	by striving to be an ideal community.	29:43
	A community that encompasses all the aspects of society	29:50
	in microcosm, including work associated	29:53
	as well as social and recreational aspects.	29:57
	And then finally as an institution that has grown	30:02
	to be a leader among institutions of higher learning,	30:04
	it is necessary that I focus on the foundation	30:07
	upon which this institution has progressed.	30:11
	And to be more specific, the foundation	30:14
	upon which the individuals who as a collective unit	30:18
	form the institution have progressed	30:23
	in terms of fulfilling moral obligations.	30:25
	In so doing I recall the parable	30:33
	of the wise and foolish builders	30:36
	in Matthew seventh chapter, 24 through 27 verses.	30:38
	Here Jesus is portrayed as rendering a concluding parable	30:45
	to the first discourse found in Matthew,	30:50
	in which the new law, a law designed for the community	30:54
	whose members will inherit the kingdom, is recorded.	30:58
	Concluding the discourse, Jesus was reported as having said	31:04
	"Everyone then who hears these words of mine	31:10
	"and does them will be like a wise man	31:13
	"who built his house upon the rock.	31:16
	"And the rain fell and the floods came.	31:20
	"And the winds blew and beat upon that house	31:23
	"but it did not fall,	31:25
	"because it had been founded on the rock.	31:28
	"And everyone who hears these words of mine	31:33
	"and does not do them will be like a foolish man	31:35
	"who builds his house upon the sand.	31:38
	"And the rain fell and the floods came	31:42
	"and the winds blew and beat against that house	31:44
	"and it fell, and great was the fall of it."	31:47
	The analogy that Jesus uses here is quite clear.	31:55
	The man who in building his house on a dry water course	32:00
	digs deep to build upon solid rock,	32:03
	builds a house that will withstand	32:07
	the calamities of nature and time.	32:09
	While the man who builds upon the sand will see his house	32:13
	destroyed at the instant of a flash flood.	32:16
	I feel compelled to have us look at ourselves	32:24
	this morning, briefly.	32:30
	We who comprise this institution,	32:35
	we whose collective characters	32:37
	form the character of the university,	32:39
	a character which like a house can be no greater	32:45
	or more secure than the foundation upon which it is built.	32:48
	Unless we strive as individuals to build our character	32:56
	upon a foundation of truth,	33:00
	then the little progress that this institution	33:05
	has realized over the past decade	33:07
	will not withstand the currents of time.	33:11
	And then left with nothing to build upon further,	33:18
	we might conclude that what was boastfully	33:20
	pointed to as visible progress	33:22
	was actually systematic game of self-deception.	33:25
	How can we tell that we have truly made progress thus far?	33:31
	Well, common sense tells me that	33:38
	it has not all been progress,	33:42
	but only time will indicate	33:45
	whether or not we have ventured	33:50
	along the long road of progress	33:53
	or an illusory voyage altogether.	33:57
	But one thing is for certain.	34:04
	If each of us as components of the whole	34:08
	strives to build our foundation upon truth,	34:11
	we can be reasonably sure that we at Duke University	34:16
	have progressed and are making way	34:22
	for progress in the future.	34:27
	And how is this truth made manifest	34:31
	in a university setting such as this?	34:33
	I'm going to say it, and I'm going to say it quickly	34:37
	because I think it's fairly obvious.	34:38
	It is made manifest by people in decision-making positions	34:42
	evincing a deep and abiding sense	34:45
	of moral fortitude and integrity.	34:49
	By the creation of policies and curricula	34:57
	that meet the needs of a heterogeneous	34:59
	student and faculty population.	35:01
	By humane regulations that govern non-academic employees.	35:06
	By students and faculty alike, whose sincere intent	35:13
	is to live the truth that they are charged to pursue.	35:18
	Little wonder that Socrates spoke	35:24
	of education as a divine process.	35:25
	For the truth that scholars are charged to pursue	35:30
	is the truth that recognizes the ominous power of God	35:33
	and the human worth of each individual.	35:38
	Truth that human justice has a mandate to uphold.	35:44
	It is upon this truth that I stand in harmony	35:52
	with God, man, and nature,	35:54
	as an integral component of an organic unity.	35:58
	It is this truth than enables me to stand	36:05
	and sing a song of thanksgiving as the song	36:08
	is sung of old.	36:10
	I love thee, oh Lord my strength, my rock,	36:13
	my fortress, and my deliverer,	36:17
	in whom I take refuge.	36:21
	And it is this truth that enables me	36:25
	to express my faith amid many trials and tests.	36:29
	As Paul expressed to Timothy	36:35
	when in writing of his persecutions, his trials,	36:37
	in writing of the last days, he says to Timothy:	36:42
	But as for you, continue in what you have learned	36:45
	and have firmly believed.	36:49
	Having from whom, knowing from whom you have learned it.	36:53
	And how from childhood you have been acquainted	36:58
	with the sacred writings which are able	37:00
	to instruct you for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.	37:04
	The same truth that enables me	37:11
	to attest to the glory of God's amazing grace	37:16
	for how sweet it sounds,	37:20
	Grace that saved a wretch like me.	37:25
	And great God that same truth that enables me	37:30
	to see the tide of time not eroding my foundation	37:35
	but as peace like a river attending my soul.	37:40
	It is upon this truth	37:52
	that I call each member of this academic community	37:56
	to build his character.	38:03
	So that upon a foundation of truth	38:08
	this institution will stand	38:10
	and upon truth, it will grow.	38:15
	God bless you and may Heaven smile upon you.	38:22
	(church organ music)	38:32
	(organ and soprano music)	44:32
	(church organ music)	47:10
-	Oh Lord, our God, send down upon us	48:40
	Your holy spirit, we beseech You	48:43
	to cleanse our hearts, hallow our gifts,	48:45
	and to perfect the offering of ourselves to thee.	48:49
	Use these gifts, we pray, for the furtherance	48:53
	of Your work in this world, amen.	48:57
	(church organ music)	49:02
	Sanctify, oh Lord, both our coming in and our going forth.	52:15
	And grant that when we leave Your house	52:20
	we will not leave Your presence,	52:23
	but be ever near us and keep us aware of You.	52:26
	Go in peace, and may God our creator,	52:32
	redeemer, and sustainer, keep us this day	52:35
	and evermore, amen.	52:40
	(church bells ring)	52:44
	(church organ music)	53:03

Item Info

Title:

Clarence G. Newsome - "A Foundation of Truth" (July 21, 1974)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 18:00. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 38:27.
The preacher, member of Duke University community, offers a testimony of his own growth and issues a challenge for each members of the Duke community to build their foundation upon truth of the gospel. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: If each of us as components of the whole strives to build our foundation upon truth, we can be reasonably sure that we at Duke University have progressed and are making way for progress in the future.

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4639kk4z

Date:

July 21, 1974

Speaker:

Newsome, Clarence G. (Clarence Geno), 1950-

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-0717
ref6633_muq
uachapelsermaud
duke:320553
dcrau001807
ark:/87924/r4639kk4z
60ceb96d-b504-442f-8b2f-b129c4f9fb2c

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Related Resources:

See below

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

Rights:

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Clarence G. Newsome - "A Foundation of Truth" (July 21, 1974)

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