Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-12-19
THE PREACHER IN POLITICS.

To the Editor Of the Daily Eagle:
May | be permitted to follow your recent
remarks on politics and the Pulpit" with a
short contribution on the same subject.
shall confne myself to the discussion of this
question, viz: What should be the attitude
of ministers of the gospel in their pulpit
ministrations on Sunday on political ques.
tions-how far may they ventiiate their pri-
yate opinions on questions that are pending
the tribunal of the ballot-box:
The encroachments Of the church upon
the state have been regarded with great
jealousy by the people of this country
Having no established religion and possess
ing the right TO enjoy any religious belief
one chooses, or no belief at all, the approach
of anv of our numerous religious denomina-
tons toward position of undue influence
in settling strictly political questions is
looked upon with suspicion, and justly so,
for any control of state affairs by religious
body is contrary not only TO the genius OF
our political institutions but in direct oppo-
sition 10 the teachings Of the New Tesla
ment.
The membership of our churches is COM
posed of men of all political parties, Re
publican may be, probably is, as good a
Christian as a Democrat. SO an anti-prohi-
bitionist NAV serve and love his God and his
fellow-men as sincerely and faithfully as the
strietest prohibitionist. \ free trader may
be rs righteous and virtuous as tariff man.
Now. if the minister takes advantage of his
position in his Sunday services to assist or
favor a measure advocated or opposed by
one of the above. or by any other political
party, he must inevitably offend more or less
of the members of his church and ferment
trouble.
Ministers are usually employed to teach
spiritual things, matters about which there
ought to be no legislation. 1t is generally
understood that they are to coniine them
selves to the PRONUNCIATION of the gospel of
Jesus Christ, and it cannot be ad-
misted that they are TO be the sole judges of
what may or may not be taught from the
pulpits they occupy. Usually large lati-
tude is given them in this direction, and it
is SD to say that some have greatly abused
their privilege. There is always tacit and
implied, if not expressed. understanding,
that they shall adhere to the incubation of
the principles of the gospel, and not trench
upon the domain of the state.
And il seems to me that the line of divis-
ion between church and state is not so indis-
tinct as not to be usually seen by those who
wish 10 see it. Our Lord and his apostles
discerned clearly what pertained to the
province of the church, and in no instance
that can recall did any of them attempt to
interfere with matters that strictly belonged
TO the state or that were TO be decided by
the governing power. They confined them
selves to teaching man how to live toward
God, and toward each other irrespective of
TIE government under which they reside.
or the condition they were in. That form
might be a monarchy, a republic or des-
potism. Their followers might be free men
or slaves, but in all circumstances they
were TO carry out in their lives the princi-
piles of Christianity.
Our Lord and his apostles denounced sin
in all IFS myriad manifestations as an offence
TO God and injurious to man. They held up
all the Christian virtues and graces as pleas
ures to our Heavenly Father and beneficial
to the race. They endeavored 20 develop
the consciences of men and so to instruct
Them how to live that no legal enactments
would be necessary either 20 restrain them
from wrong-doing or 10 stimulate them 10
right conduct.
There was undoubtedly much in the He
brew commonwealth which, in the judgment
Of our Lord, was wrong and in need of cor
rection, but he never inierfered with any
matters pertaining to the stste. His Ian
guage was, "Render unto Caesar the things
that are Caesars and to God the things that
are Gods" Crime and wrongdoing and the
authors of them he unsparingly denounced
and constantly exhorted his disciples TO shun
even the appearance of evil.
To Paul, while in the cities of Ephesus,
Corinth and Antioch, came in contact with
many things in every way pernicious to the
welfare of the people and that nigh. be
remedied by wholesome laws, but instead of
heading crusade against real evil in the
state his exhortation uniformly was '.Render
obedience to the government and homage tc
those in authority" and this was the prac-
tice and teachings of the highest ministry in
the church, as all the epistles testify. There
seems to have been studied effor- to keep
the church entirely separate from the state
Perhaps specific example viii best illus
tra;e what We mean. There is no doubt but
that drunkenness prevailed among the ma
tons Of Asia Minor and Syria to an alarm
ing exten; in the early days of Christianity.
Its repeated Pronunciation by the apostles es-
tablish this fact. But Paul did not organ
ize a total abstinence society in the
churches az the best means of suppressing
the svil. BE didn't come out In philipPics