The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-04-09
HAS RAISED A STIR
REV. GRIFFITH SPEAKS HIS MIND
ABOUT PULPIT AND POLITICS.

and Hence Has No Place in .ise Pulpit
temperance is Different and Can b.
advocated With Absolute Propriety-
Matter is Causing Considerable Com
ment in Church Circles.
Yesterday Rev. Bruce Griffith of tn.
Brown Memorial church read a papel
before the Ministerial Association tha
is causing a good deal of discussion
pro and con among the ministers and
people who are closely identified witt
church work. The point in the paper
iast is attacked and defended with the
most vigor is the sentiment expressed
concerning the discussion of prohibi.
aon IN the pulpit. Mr. Griffith takes
the ground that prohibition is a politi
raj subject and hence is not a leciti
mate pulpit theme. He admits. how.
ever that temperance is a moral sub.
tect ana Is legitimate pulpit theme
out he draws a we'll defined line be-
tween temperance and prohibition and
other political subject His paper
entitled Politics and the Pulpit" is
as follows:
In order to the better understanding
bt this discussion, il Will, perhaus, be
better 10 state what we understand TO
ne the end that the church has in view
IN IT'S Wc;a among men. Is the church
ss institution calculated primarily for
tne moral reformation of the world ,
81 so It is its prerogative and duty TO
20 out into all the avenues of life and
organize efforts Of any kind for the re-
formation of the social order of things:
W get men to join hands and take hiI-
IN n tot
Wfl,ch the race is commonly addicted
ana by combination compel men to re-
irain from wrong doing If the world
Is 20 oe reformed on its own plane then
ruch IS clearly the duty of the church.
SUE if the divine institution. the
thurch OF Jesus y, is calculated to lift
the world to a higher plane through
uiVlne grace then such a course as the
ore above suggested is not the sphere
~ the ministry The question stands,
the church to so to the world or is
the world to be drawn to the church :?
IS Christianity 10 pc popularized or is
me bopuiace to be Christanized? Is
the high and holy to be lowered and de-
graded or is the lower order to be ele-
Nated and purified by higher power?
we are ready to admit that there is
no small proportion of every commu-
nifty that Will ever be ready to land
the minister that caters to the demands
"L tne So-called popular preaching"
VINO stoopS to the consideration of pol
ttcdl or other popular topics and takes
MS place in the rough-and- tumble of
the political arena on the ground that
he Is the advocate of some great moral
principle which may be involved. But
The pulpit is not merely human in
stitution- There is no relation in the
deepest sense, between ii and the "
ceum bureau of the public roStrum
no Init &c tna
revelation Of Gods love to lost man
knid. 1T is the ambassador of a great
ADlg speaking His words to an erring
people and pleading for their return
The great theme is Jesus, the Christ,
the Son of God, the brother of man, the
victim for sin, and the victor over sin
for everyone that belieYeth 1t calls
man to come TO the great fountain Of
spiritual healing and promises the
grace of life-not temporal welfare not
freedom from bodily ills. not, in partic-
nlar any of the so-called blessings of
the natural man-it promises life and
life eternal
1t is a. well known fact that Christ re-
FUSED to permit himself to be drawn
INTO making discrimination in a civil
question concerning the dividing of an
inheritance between two contending
brothers In like manner he refused
TO be made an authority in the political
question as to the duty of the Hebrew
10 pay tribute to the Roman govern
ment. Nevertheless he admitted the
validity OF the two provinces of duty on
the part of man, at the same time draw
ing marked distinction between the
two; He recognized a kingdom among
men, a kingdom Of civil power. a gov
eminent Of Caesar, the state. He, how
ever. was the exponent of "A Kingdom
not Of this world Theo ne is an earth
II l. 4 h.
heavily, spiritual, eternal kingdom in
the hearts of believers, the body of
Christ, the church. AS the exponent of
all that is true in the ministry we of
course look to this Masters precepts
and examples for the highest author
lily in this question.
Looking at the ministry then in the
light of his example, with party poll
tics, as such, the ministry has nothing
ut all to do. Political parties are based
upon difference of views of public eN-
pediency. nothing more. These views.
in the individual. are influenced by
birth. education, degrees of intelligence
and other circumstances. They exist
upon an entirely different plane from
that of divine revelation. DIR. Howard
Crosby says that there Is nothing more
common between the two than be-
tween patriotism and arithmetic. When
The minister becomes no longer a her
aid of salvation and a teacher of spirit !
lial and moral truth but seeks to be- |
come, as a minister from the pulpit. |
an arbiter or instructor in the teach !
ings of political parity doctrines. no |
matter what these teachings be or how |
commendable from a moral point OF |
view, he is abandoning his highest |
divineiy appointed plane and stepping 4
down into the midst of the common /
thrOng where he speaks merely with |
fNf 8 !
Nidual. \ congregation thus minister |
ed to may grow in numbers but in true |
religious life il will lose power.
Now 1 presume there are those pres
ent who will ask this question-hence |
/ anticipate: Suppose in political |
there is a great moral pT'in-
Ciple at stake. such as temperance, Is !
il not the duty of the pulpit to throw
all its weight into the campaign" We
answer that all moral principles are
treated in the Scriptures. Ii is the
duty Of the misnitry to teach these
moral truths. 10 impress them as the
law and word of God and to endeavor
to cover the entire ground of moral law
leaving no part untouched. But We
have never known a political contest
to be based on a question of pure NOR
ality. All political parties Of which |
have any knowledge are based upon the
same moral principles But when a
moral principle Is involved In 2 polit-
,al campaign. if you Will consider for a
moment, l think that ii Will be readily
pparent. that il is not the moral prin-
ciple that is at stake but il is the appii-
,ation of the principle 10 A particular
'aSe. All political parties are based on
he moral principles of honesty in gov
eminent. but they differ on the question
II the method OF the application of
principles. There is no one in this as
ISOLATION that is a more honest adVO-