Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-22
DUTIES OF THE PARISH.
Rev. George Hodges Points Out a Few
of the Right Things to Do.
MAKING THE CHURCH ATTRACTIVE.
Folk Who Go to Worship Without Speak
ing to Their Neighbors.
FACTS ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTIONS
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH. J

|
ought to have a church of their own, at
which they attend service two times every
Sunday, and with which they are thoroughly
identified. Any other condition of living is
altogether abnormal and unnatural. 1t is
true that there are a good many Christians
who are not in any parish. 1t is also true
that there are good many persons who are
not in any family. Some people live in
hotels; some people live in lodging houses;
some people live in the street. Neverthe-
less the ideal social life is lived in the fam
lily, and the ideal religious life is lived in
their larger family which we call the parish.
Every Christian ought to be in parish.
Wherever you find Christian who is not
in parish, you may be sure that something
is the matter either with the parish or with
the Christian.
Very often the fault is with the parish.
| There are some parishes in which the front
door OF the parish church is SO constructed
that it will admit only a certain peculiar
kind of people. The front door is built
down so low that only the very short people
can get in; or else it is made so exceedingly
narrow that only the thin people can get in;
only the very tall people can climb in over
| the threshold.
All Things to All Men.
| That is to say, there are some churches
that seem to be managed on the principle of
keeping out as many people as possible.
Whereas, the ideal church ought to be big
enough to take in all the people. And the
ideal house of worship ought to be set four
square with three doors on every side, as in
the vision of the Revelation. The ideal of
every minister of parish ought to be to
accomplish that feat which st. Paul was
always desiring to accomplish in his own
ministry. st. Paul said that there was
nothing to be desired more than to be able
to carry water on both shoulders. That is
what every parish priest ought to try to do,
to be 'tall things to all men" so that in
some way he may gain some. There ought
to be place in the parish church for every
honest man and woman in the world.
Sometimes, however, the FAULT is in the
man; the Christian has something the matter
with him. DR.. Parkhurst, who is taking
that place in New York City to-day which
was filed in old Jerusalem by these grand
preachers, the prophets, by Isaiah and
Jeremiah, said the other day that there are
just two possible explanations OF the failure
of the municipal authorities of New York
to cope with the wickedness of that city
they are either corrupt or they are incom-
petent. Now, when the fault is in the
Christian and is not in the parish, there is
either one or the other of two explanations
the Christian is either UNIV orthy or he is
ignorant
The Christian Who Is Selfish.
Sometimes the Christian is unworthy.
c.L IL
thinks of nobody but himself, and has no
desire except to get whatever spiritual good
he can fer his own soul. If he can get that
in solitude, so much the better. He has no
interest in any Christian plans set on foot
that require the cooperation OF a great
many people. Or perhaps the Christian is
ashamed or afraid. He may be living that |
kind of life which he recognizes as incon-
sistent with the Christian profession and |
does not dare to go into the parish. In |
either of which cases the Christian is no |
Christian at all
Or else the Christian is ignorant. That is |
to say, he is ignorant of Christianity.
There are great many people who have |
exceedingly false ideas about Christianity.
Some people imagine they have departed
from Christianity when they have departed
from some kind of ritual that is in vogue
among a certain class of Christian people,
or believe themselves unable to accept a
certain metaphysical statement which is
alleged to be Christian doctrine. The truth
is, however, that no good man, and no good
W oman, has rejected Christianity from the
to this day. There are those
who have turned away from some caricature
of Christ, there are those who have turned
away from some representation of Christ
wholly inadequate, no more like the Christ
L. Il n 1,1o 81 IL |
Christ in chancel window. But no good man
or woman has turned away from Christianity.
Because that means turning away from
Christ, and means calling darkness light,
and light darkness 1t means turning away
from God. Every man who desires to live
q good lite, every honest man who wants to
know the truth about God, should have a
place in Christian parish.
Duty Of Those in the Church.
However my concern at present is not so
much with the Christian who is not IN
parish as the Christian who is in q parish
already. What shall the Christian in the
parish do?
The Christian in the parish will take his
'hare in the parish worship and in the par
sh work. 1t is not my purpose to speak at
INV length on the duty Of church attend
lnce. The duty of church attendance is
me of the most dangerous OF doctrines be-
,ause it tends to obscure the real meaning ,
If Christianity. 1t would be most unfor-
unate and mistaken idea if anybody should .
hink that going to church is even large :
,art of the Christian religion. Why, in ,
he New Testament, with one possible ex- ,
eption, there is actually no command laid |
lpon the Christian to attend church at all. {
The New Testament fills up the space which 6
night have been taken up with that kind OF :
Injunction with exhortations to better iiv- I
ng. Church attendance is the least part of S
he Christian religion. Christianity is a I
ite Moreover, the way to get church at
enhance is not by telling people that they
ught to go to church. That is beginning
t the wrong end. That is good deal like !
citing somebody down in chair and say =
ng, Now, 1 want you to talk to me in the
nost interesting way you can. That +
Tould dry up all the springs of inspira- q
ion. Nobody would be able to converse +
nder these condit The way to get .
onversation out of people is to get them t
nd them. The way to get people to church f
to make the church attractive. What e
oes that mean? I
Everybody Wants to Be Better. i
Does it mean operatic singing in the choir r
nd sensational preaching in the pulpiH I p
ave too much confidence in the good sense
nd the good conscience of the people ever v
} believe that. Every man and every 81
oman in this world wants to be better, and r
herever there is Christian parish which Il
xerts itself to teach people to be better, a
ven in a small way, there you will find the b
eople. The parish whose services are
,und to help will have no need to send out L
thing men With long, sharp sticks to drive p