Rotary's Power for World Peace

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".