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AN
UNDIVIDED CHURCH?
An
undivided church might be the most potent instrumentality in the
safeguarding of the world against future war. The trouble is
that the church is broken up into so many factions that it is
impossible to bring its united force to bear on any endeavor,
however worthy.
Is
such thing as a united church impossible? There are those who
believe so and there are also those who believe that it would be
stupid to think that the time will ever come when the peace of
the world will be permanently establisht.
There are those outside the church who think that the church
should keep its hands off from such matters and there are those
inside the church who think it the part of wisdom that the
church confine itself to study of the Scriptures. Some who have
very little information as to the progress of the armies of
Petain, Haig and Pershing still find absorbing interest in the
movement of the army of the Philistines. Why? Because the story
of the army of the Philistines is related in the Book of God and
this naturally gives rise to the question:
If
the story of the Philistines is God's story, whose story is
being written in France now? Where did God go after the closing
of the last chapter and where is God today? If God ran the
affairs of men in the days of old, who is conducting them now?
If God talked to Moses, who talked to Abraham Lincoln in the
critical hours of sixty‑three and who is talking to Woodrow
Wilson today?
Is
my day today or yesterday? If the church of today fails to take
its part in the affairs of today, other agencies will rise to
take its place and the church will be left to study the affairs
of yesterday.
I
cannot agree with those who believe that the church will fail to
see and to avail itself of the unparalleled opportunity which
this world cataclysm presents of re‑establishing itself as the
greatest living influence. I am milling to admit that the result
cannot be obtained thru nursing petty differences, worshiping
forms and ceremonies, nor in self indulgence.
It
may be necessary for the church of the future to spend as much
money for humanity outside of the church as for humanity inside
of the church; in charities as well as superb edifices. It may
even prove to be the case that ministers under new regulations
will be able to take charge of larger pastorates and that some
would be thus forced out of active service elsewhere. Man power
is in great demand and in these days of conservation, forces
should not be wasted.
There are six ministers and as many churches in my little suburb
of three thousand inhabitants ‑ noble, upright and as a rule,
useful men. This does not impress us as being very strange. We
would resent the charge of being minister ridden. We are a
Protestant community and I am not quite sure that we would not
consider ourselves priest ridden, were there six Catholic
churches and six priests in our midst instead of what we have.
In
any event, it will, I think, be difficult to maintain that the
conduct of religious affairs in our community is the most
efficient. It costs a great deal of money to maintain six
splendid churches. It would not be remarkable if it should prove
to be the case that there will be little surplus money or energy
for activities elsewhere.
I
believe that religion is a broad, wide, deep current and not a
stagnant pool and that there exists in the minds of most men a
desire for it.
This should be religion's great day and it does certainly seem
to me to be religion's own particular task to make permanent the
application of its own doctrine represented in the words “Peace
on Earth, Good Will toward all men". |
