The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-01
Rev. Anna H. Shaw Answered
the Question in Morn
ing Sermon.
FOLLOWING AFTER A VISION "
Agnostic Definition of Christianity
Accepted and Visionists
Justified.

street Methodist Episcopal Church yester-
day morning, discussed the question,
'sWhat is it to be Christian" taking
her text from the chapter in Acts which
relates Pauls defense before Agrippa. Her
line of thought and many of her express
sions were identical with those of D. l..
Moody, the celebrated evangelist, when
! speak king from the same text. Toward the
close of the sermon, however, she branched
out into almost startling originality, and,
apparently accepting the agnostic defni-
| ton of Christians-those who follow after
a vision-maintained eloquently that no
one had ever succeeded in life who had not
a vision before his eyes.
| Before the sermon proper Miss Shaw re-
| ferred briefly to the work in connection
with which, rather than as an ordained
minister, her name is most widely known.
| She said:
The work OF women has been largely along
| lines OF reform. These reforms help the gospel
| cause. If we did not believe that SO many of
US would not be king in them. The con-
| verse is also true, and as won ans work tends
| to the elevation OF mankind the opening of the
| churches to this work is eminently proper.
| Everything that tends to good citizenship has
| its proper place in the church, for no man is
| fit TO be citizen of the kingdom of God who is
not good citizen of the country in which God
| has placed him upon the earth.
| Miss Shaw referred to the theological
problems which are of interest at the
| present time. People are not SO much
! questioning what is above or beyond, but
what is here and now-what is in man.
| Therefore practical theology of the present
day resolves itself to the question, "What
is Christianity"
| This question was being answered in
| many different ways. Some believed that
| they were Christians because they lived in
q so-called Christian land. They had
prided themselves upon it for so long that
| they had come to believe it, though
everybody knew that one might be born in
Christian home and live all his life among
| Christian people yet never feel one throh
of genuine Christianity.
I Others held that membership in a Chris
tan church o. belief in the doctrines oil
the church were the necessary requisition
Yet Christianity was a life. The belief
the action and the feeling were necessary
but one might have all these and be the
| variest hypocrite on earth. More wa;
needed. The difference between the mere
religionist and the true Christian was pre-
cisely the difference between Saul ano
Tarsus, the religious bigot, prosecuting
even unto death those who did rot believe
with him, and Paul, the Apostle, who
when in chains before Agrippa, would not
have his enemies suffer the bonds he him
self wore.
Miss Shaw then told a story of Cape
Cod agnostic whom she had known. Al
his funeral she offered a prayer and ther
listened while selection airing his view:
was read. It called Christians follower:
after vision" and said that they must bt
weak minded, since the guide to strong
mind must be reason. Said Miss Shaw:
There never yet was q strong man, and there
never Will be g strong one who has no
followed after vision. 1t is SO in th'
material world. The boy on the seashort
watches the ships pass by, then PAGES the shor,
proudly, seeing in vision himself the maste
of gallant craft. He goes to sea, and the in
| spiration of that vision enables him to bea
the hardships of his trade and rise through
the various grades till his vision is realized,
A lady once met tiny urchin who boosted
of being in business. He was offce-boy to
lawyer and made 81 30 week. He though
that great deal of money, but when asked
he intended to remain an office-boy he scorn
fully replied in the negative and announces
that he would be Judge. He had had his Wis
ion and in ii he saw courtroom and on tn
| bench Judge whose face was his.
The difference between the boy who goes T.
sea a cook and dies captain and the one VIII
| dies sailor before the mast-between the DO
who starts an office-boy and dies Judge ant
| the one who dies a janitor-is the differenc
between the one who follows vision and tn
one who does not.
Getting back to her text once more, Mis-
Shaw stated that Christianity was tn
Christ-likeness acquired by constant inter
course with the character of Christ. Sh
illustrated it by speaking of her father ant
mother, who had lived together sixt
years. Physically they were unlike, We
| TO those who knew them they looked alik
| because their souls had grown aiik
through the years of constant association