
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, May 3, 1993                   TAG: 9305030289
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

GIVE CHURCHES CREDIT FOR CHANGING LIVES

PLEASE accept my thanks for your April 13 front-page article, "Churches answering prayers in LA." I hope it will broaden the perspective of those who think of the church only in terms of corrupted clergy and denominational disputes.

I recently attended a worship service where a dozen young men spoke of their alcohol and drug addiction and how they had been rehabilitated. They came from all backgrounds; many were high-school dropouts. One got his drugs from his parents, another ended up in a coma from an overdose. The amazing thing we learned was that the program has a very high success rate. A survey of graduates showed that 86 percent were still clean after seven years. Each one of them attributed the success of the program not to discipline or counseling, but to the power of turning their lives over to Jesus Christ.

What a shame when our secular world denies the power of religion. I wonder why the columnists who bemoan the lack of money for government rehabilitation programs seldom mention their success rates. With approximately one-half of the population attending church at least twice a month, why is the effect of religion on our lives so frequently relegated to the religion page once a week?

KENNETH ROBERTSON\ BLACKSBURG

by CNB