Bad Company

Donna Barclay finishes her chores and heads for the door, only to be stopped by her mother's question: where is she going? The answer is the mall, and the person waiting for her there is Rachel Woodworth. Mrs. Barclay has never liked the friendship. She has heard that Rachel spends more time in the principal's office than in class, and she thinks the girl is rude and a troublemaker. Donna insists that the rumors are not true and that Rachel has been her friend for a long time. Her mother lets her go, but only until five o'clock. Afterward, Mrs. Barclay admits to her husband that she has nothing to go on but an uneasy feeling, and she has been hoping that the more Donna gets involved at church, the less she will want to run around with Rachel. Mr. Barclay believes they have raised their daughter to choose her friends well.

Across town, Connie Kendall stops by John Avery Whittaker's house to check on him. Whit has come down with the flu that has been going around, and he has eaten so much chicken soup that he jokes he may start sprouting feathers. Connie mentions that she is on her way to a Bible study - not at the church, but an independent group a friend from school invited her to. She does not know who teaches it or anything about his background, and she cannot see why that would matter. Whit warns her that a Bible study is not automatically a good Bible study, any more than a building with the word church on it is automatically a good church. Connie promises a full report and goes anyway.

At the mall, Rachel makes it clear what she thinks of parents, rules, and church, all of which she calls typical garbage. Donna surprises her by saying she goes to church because she wants to, and even invites Rachel along. Rachel refuses. When they pass a sale on earrings, neither girl has any money, and Donna wanders off toward the blouses while Rachel lingers behind.

Meanwhile, Connie sits in on Mr. Grayson's study. He tells the group that the disciples were confused, that Jesus never claimed to be God, and that God is simply in everyone. When Connie asks whether that is really what they believe, Grayson reaches not for a Bible but for a book by a Dr. Victor Rutledge. The Bible, he tells her, can mean anything a person wants it to mean.

Back at the mall, a security officer named Carter Braxton asks the girls to open their purses. He has been watching them for a while. Donna gives him her name and cooperates; Rachel argues, demands a search warrant, and then, when the officer finds stolen earrings in her purse, bolts, shouting at Donna to run. Donna stays exactly where she is and spends the next half hour being questioned.

Connie returns to Whit's house thoroughly shaken. Grayson had an answer for everything, made her feel foolish for not being able to defend her faith, and now she says she does not know what she believes. Whit tells her plainly that Grayson is wrong, that the Bible is God's Word and Jesus is God, and that a young Christian cannot be expected to have every argument ready. He reminds her of Paul's warning that bad company corrupts good morals, and then offers something better: bring the friends from school to his shop, and he will teach the study himself.

Donna finds Rachel at the bowling alley, bragging about her escape. Donna asks her to return the earrings and explains that she promised the detective she would pay for them herself if Rachel would not. Rachel refuses and walks off to join another group, and Donna quietly says goodbye. That evening her mother finds her staring at a television show she does not even like. Donna admits she feels sorry for Rachel, and her mother gently points out that as Jesus becomes more important to Donna, staying close to some old friends will grow harder. Mrs. Barclay hands her a Bible and asks her to read Psalm 1 aloud - the promise that those who refuse to walk in bad advice are like trees planted by a river, bearing fruit in season, their leaves never withering.