America is a land in which sometimes it seems that there are

few moral heroes, a country lacking men and women who in-

spire others to walk in righteous paths. Even saying this

sounds dated. That is how much has been lost in this country.

Where may one turn for moral example? These are times, sad

to say, when many Americans bestow their admiration not on

the quiet exemplars who labor patiently attending to matters of

the soul, but on those who attain material success, those who

command the attention of the media. Glitz and glitter are the

order of the day.

Once religion could be counted on to produce exemplars

whose deeds filled others with hope and inspiration, people who

caused the spirits of others to soar and, by example, invited

emulation. In some places on earth that still can happen. In

South Africa, Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu stood as a tower of

strength against apartheid. In East Germany, a few Protestant

ministers provided much of the moral resistance in the late

1980s for the revolt that finally led to the collapse of a totalitar-

ian regime. And even in Romania it was ultimately the pastor

of a provincial church who became an unlikely hero in the over-

throw of a hated dictator.