Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1875-09-30
Cnurchcs ssurdcne<I With DebL-Whai
Dr. Holland Thinks Of Them.

The way in which church ediiices are built
nova days really nccessitates new formula of
dedication. How would this read ? ave dedi-
cate this edilce to Thee, our Lord and Master ;
we give it to Thee and Thy canse and kingdom,
subject to a mortgage of one hundred and fifty
Thousand dollars (4l5D,0O0.) We begueath it
to our children and our chidren's children, az
the greatest boon we can confer on them (sub-
iect TO tue mortgage aforesadl and We trust
that they will have the grace and the money to
pay the interest and lift the mortgage. Pre-.
serve it from fire and foreclosure, wo pray Thee.
and make it abundantly useful to Thgself,--
subject OF course, to the aforesaid mortgage"
The offering OF 4 structure to the Almighty.as
the gift of an organization OF deyotees who
have not paid for it, and do not own it, strikes
the ordinary mind as very strange thing, yet
it is safe to say that not one chnrch in twenty
il built in America without incu,Ting debt,
larger or smaller. 4 moro cominodiGus and IL
moro elegant building s wanted. subscrip-
ton is made that will not more than half cover
its cost, and money enough Is borrowed to COM
plete it. The whole property is mortgaged for
all that it will carry. the financial authorities are
saddled with a floating debt which they can only
handle on their personal reaponsibIllty,and then
comes taxation for interest suiliciehtto keep the
church in distress. This sort OF church enter
prise is 80 common that il has become common
place. The children of this world do not build
railroads with capital stock paid in, but they
build them with bonds. The children Of light real
Iy do not seem to he less wise in their generation
in the way in which they build their churches.
Indeed, we think the latter cal give the former
several points and beat them; for the paying
success OF church depends upon moro contiii-
geuces than the success Of q railroad and itH
bonds really ought not to sell for more than
fifty cents on the dollar "ilat"
II we seem to make light OF this subject, it il
only for the purpose of showing how absurd q
position the churches have assumed in relation
to it. 1t is not light subject it is very grave
one, and one which demands the immediate and
persistent attention of all the churches until it
shall be properly disposed Of In the first place,
| it IS not exactly Christian act for body OF
men to contract a debt which they are not able
topay. 1t is hardly more Christian to refuse to
| pay debt which they know they are able to dis
| charge. 1t can hardly be regarded as gener-
vus deed to bequeath debt to succeeding gem
| erations. The very foundations of the church.
debt are rotten. They are rotten with poor
morality, poor financial policy, and personal and
aoat. tssn'
Z ese 3EIe,,siya and tlebt.ladeli chrfoies were
| erected simply for the honor OF the Master, and
| given TO Him, subjectto mortgage?
/, The results of building churches upon s,lch an
unsound basis are bad enough. The first result
| perhaps. il the extinguisbment Of all church be-
| Iieficence. The church.debt is the apology for
DENYING all appeals for aid. from all the greater
and smaller charities. A church sitting in the
shadow of a great debit ia mot Mt home to
callers. They do not pay the debt, but they owe
the money, and they are afraid they shall he
obliged to pay it. The hcatben must take care
Of themselves the starving must go without
bread, the widow and the fatherless must look
to the God Of tho widow and the fatherless, the
sick must pine and tho poor children grow uI
in vagabondsge, because of this awful church.
debt. All the meanness in church skulks be-
hind tho debt, OF which it intends to pay worry
little, while all the nobleness feels really poor,
because it is conscious that the debt is TO be
paid, il paid at all, by itself.
Again,a church debt is scarc-crow to all new
comers. A stranger, taking up his residence IL
any town, looks naturally for the church without
n debt. He has Il horror OF debt Of any sort
perhaps and as he had no responsibility for the
church debts he finds he does not propose vol
unfairly TO assume any. SO he stays away from
the debt.ridden church, and tho very meaus tina
| were adopted to make the ediiice attractive, be
come, naturally and inevitably, the agents of 70
pulsion Debt-ridleu churches with goot
nrescbere do no. nned to look beyond their debt
for the reason which prevents more frequen
and remunerative acGes5ions to their number.
| Still again, chursl-dabts are intolerable bur
dens to their ministers. They "draw,' in orde
that tho debt may be paid. IL they do no
Hdraw." they must leave, to make place for
man who will. The yearly deficit is an nwfi
thing for sensitive minister to contemplate
and puts him under constant and cruel spur
which, sometimes swiftly and sometimes slowly
wears out his life. The feverish desire, on tn
part OF churches for brilliant or sensations
preaching, is more frequently generated by til
debt than by any other cause. In many llstaii
ces the minister's is forced into being politician
a manager. an iptrguer, a society-hunter, ,rathe
than a souseeker. This latter point il pair
ful one, and we do not propose to dwell upon il
hut the Difference to the man of money, show
in some churches, is certainly very ptiIul, whe
J it7 cause is fully understood.
I Now, isn't it about time to make a new d'
A parture Isn't it about time for debto
churches to take mp their debts like men, an
: discharge them? lsntit about time to stop ded
0 eating church ediices to Jehovah. subject TO
mortgage of QUO hundred and fifty thousan
!, dollars? Isn't it about time that churches b
Q como sound iu their moraliiies as they rela
! to the contraction Of debt Which they. eith'
: will not, or cannot pay We say Eyes to
: of these questions. and we know that tho got
D., serse and Christian feeling OF the count
! will respond Amen. Let that Amen bs p'
}, into practical shape at once, SO that thon
g and churches, now groaniug under their deb
I may 60 into the next year with shoulders i'gll
u and hearts not only lighter, but ready for
u the good work that is going on around tleui
i Dr. j. G. Holland ScribHer for 0ci0'T.