The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-10-05

ADDRESS given ON Wednesday evening, Sep
TENDER 25, at Illinois Conventional
Omitting the word "true" from the
subject and we might answer that the
'attractiveness' of the modern church
is sometimes the preacher, sometimes
the choir, sometimes the name, size or
popularity of the church, and occa-
sionally it is Jesus of Nazarath and
the message he bore from God
to man. But as long as the attractive
ness of the church is in the preacher,
the choir or the name and size of the
church, so long is its work temporary
and of uncertain value from the true
church standpoint. We must not un-
derestimate the value of preacher,
music and the gathering of numbers;
yet we must not pin our faith to these,
for the preacher may be called by
louder salary, singers may quarrel
and numbers will flock to new stand
ard that chances to bid higher for
popular favor. External attractive
ness is popular now, but it is transient
and tickle as the wind. Progress and
permanency flow through ideas and
principles of an enduring nature. He
who would build for the ages must
build upon the Rock of Ages, and
not upon the shifting sands Of the
popular applause.
The word "true" in our theme is
the word to which our thought nat
urally turns. We all know that a
costly choir, wealthy and influential
congregation, genius in the pulpit
will attract wonderfully. But we
want the "True Attractiveness," on
which to build permanently an or
ganization that shall be in the van
guard of progress, leading and
moulding the thoughts of the age.
Here let me remark in passing that
there can be only three church ideas.
Q.) The Catholic idea that the
church is of divine origin and hence
infallible. (2) The opposite extreme
of the so-called free-church idea,
that the church should be nothing
but platform for free discussion of
all subjects. 81 The third idea is
that the church is of human origin,
and mans highest organic effort to
interpret life, duty, destiny, and to
work out the highest good of man.
The first church idea will build a
powerful organization from the stand
point of numbers, but it will not be
thought-moulding church. 1t will be
a conservative body, that must be
towed up stream by the smaller tugs
of progress. 1t will be popular,
wealthy, influential, but not leader
of thought and progress. Logically
all churches that assume to be ortho-
dox or evangelical stand on the
church idea of infallibility. If they
are the embodiment of Gods truth
they are infallible, for truth is always
infallible. If they are not infallible
they are neither orthodox nor evan
gelical in the sense that they are the
true Interpreters of Gods will and
purpose and his truth. Under this
idea, the true attractiveness of the
church is the church itself, with its
divine gift of knowledge and power
to determine mans duty and destiny.
Thus the church itself is its redeem
ing agency, and therein lies its true
attractiveness. The Universalist
Church cannot build under that idea.
The second idea that the church is
only platform has no particular
charm for me, or value for the world,
unless a genius like Parker, Beecher
or Swing stands on that platform,
with ability and standing enough to
command the attention and serious
thought of the world. Here the
speaker is the true attractiveness.
He is the creed, bible, organization,
and without him there is nothing.
The tendency is to crowd men off
from all platforms, and so individual
ize them that no two will ever pull
together unless they are trying to pull
some one else down. Of course plat
form work has a value and if you
wish such a church then the true at
Effectiveness is the preacher, or the
essays and controversies that appear
upon the platform.
The third idea is the one on which
Universalists must stand if they de-
sire to build church that will hold
together, and remain powerful lead
ing and moulding influence in hui
man thought and progress. Under
this idea the church is of human
origin, and represents mans highest
organic effort to interpret life, duty,
destiny and to work out the highest