Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-10
THEOLOGY DEFICIENT
4 Minister Should Know Also the
Age in Which he Lives.
4 LEADER In CHRISTIAN WORK.
Religious Training of the Young, One of the
First Essentials.
NEWS OF INTEREST FROM CHURCHES

The Rev. Dr. Charles II. Richards, Of
Madison, Wis, who recently accepted a call
to the pastorate Of the Central Cougrega-
tlonal Church, Philadelphia, at his installa-
tion, read a paper on christian Thought
and Service in Our Day." which is more
than usually replete with valuable sugges-
tions to ministers who are anxious that they
may be successful in their calling. Among
other things be said:
"a minister should not merely know the
ology, he should know the world OF his day,
that he may be prepared to meet its peculiar
needs. he should not merely be a student
of Gods revelation in the Bible, he should
be equally student Of Gods providence in
human life, that he may adapt his efforts to
the particular perils and opportunities of
the time. He should bring his methods
down to date, and not think he is fighting a
real battle when he is only rehearsing again
some finished combat Of two centuries ago.
II the enemy has changed his point Of attack
he should know how to change front to meet
him, without changing his base.
~ do not by any means hold that the main
tenor of a minister's preaching should be
Rpologetic that he should be always defending
the faith or attacking the various forms of
error that are dIsputing its progress. hold
that truth is its own best defense; that the best
way to dIspel darkness is just to let the light
shine, and the most effective method of meet
tug the Haunting falsehoods of unbelief is by
the clear strong and earnest presentation of
great truths. The main staple of preac hing
should be those great fundamental facts and
spiritual verities which have alread been re-
ferred to as the common possession of the
Christian world. The great problems which
disturb faith should be fairly met by religious
teachers.
1T is the duty Of ministers to frankly face
and thoroughly understand these urgent
doubts and fully equip himself to meet them.
He should be a student of science, not as cap
tious critic, but as one who means to be famil-
far with modern knowledge. Our knowledge is
partial. one-sided and misleading if it does not
include the facts and laws of the spiritual
realm well the physical The way to un-
dermine materialism is to give men a vivid and
distinct perception of the higher realm Of real
ity which We call the spiritual realm. 1t is
the inestimable privilege of the religious teach
er to widen the thought of men, SO that these
paralyzing doubts shall be dissolved, and these
critical questions of the age find just solu-
tion.
"But in adapting himself to the needs Of the
times Christian leader must not consider SIM
ply the intellectual and speculative questions
that confront him, but must also prepare him
self to deal with the great practical questions
OF Christian service. Ours is pre-eminently an
age of marvellous gospel opportunity. The
changes that have transformed the world in
new advances of the gospel. such as have been
possible In no other period of Christian history.
Old methods of church work have had to give
way to new ones better suited to the urgent
needs of the new period
The minister of today must set himself to
the task Of securing results such as will glorify
God and advance His kingdom, not by servile
copying of the past, but by the bold and ener-
getic use of modern methods. He must win
men to Christ and seek to build them up into |
robust and symmetrical Christian character,
letting the gospel light shine through them as |
intensely as possible over the community, the |
State the nation and the world.
at is while minds and characters are still |
plastic and easily nodded that they should be |
brought under the power of the best Christian |
influences and be taught the great fundamental |
truths of life They are the hope of the future, |
and will be the power in the Church in the next |
generation. They must be recruited into its i
ranks and enlisted in its active service early
possible. The Sunday school should not |
mgTGlg hR for the gounE- ii should be a great 1
Bible school for the whole oongTeqatiun=a
place where fathers and mothers and children |
should come together TO study the word of life |
and learn about that law of God which is of |
equal authority over all members OF the family |
I'VE must secure the interested attendance |
of children and youth in the church at its regu-
lar services, more than has been in many places |
the custom. The service must be made helpful /
and attractive for them. The line of distinc- |
tion has been run too sharply between young |
people and old people in our churches and they |
need to be brought together into the stronger |
unitv of onerreat bousehold of faith