The age-herald., 1897-12-25
THE NEW PASSION" OF CHRIST.

By Pres't. Geo. A. Gates, of Iowa College
 The world is moved by passion. The d- rection of the movement is down or up as the passion is base or holy--that is, the line of selflshness service History has not been made by men railying around a proposition. however true or important. New theories of government will not save us. Our nation will not be redeemed by protection or free trade, nor can it be ruined by either. America can be great and prosperous, even rich, on either a gold basis silver. We can neither be drag ged to any very profound depth of ruin nor be rescued from any very grave dan ger by the republican party nor the demo- cratic party nor any other party. Prohibit tion cannot save us. Even nihilsm cannot damn us All these may help or hinder much. They are all important issues; none of them is vital. Only one thing can pre- ciptate the doom of this last and greatest attempt of people to govern themselves under republic-apathy. One thing can save us--the passion of moral earnestness.
 Some forms of government may proceed smoothly independently of what the peo- pie feel or think. An apathetic republic is q contradiction in terms. republic must be attended to. Ultimately there Is no. one to attend to it but all the people. Let alone. 1t is sure to fall into the hands of those who find 1t profitable to exploit it in their own private interests. The people have permitted themselves to be exploited by the pOntlclanS m the interests or party power. which in it's turn is used for plu- tocratic ends. It is not so near the truth to say that in danger of becoming a plutocracy or even tending in that di- recton, as it is to say that we are already a plutocracy. All this. not because we have as a nation made this deliberate choice; rather we have alphabetically drift ed thither.
 What can arouse the nation to safety and possible service? Nothing short of that which moved Him whose name marks the Christmas season. That was passion. The ologians have taken possession of the word passion" and applied it in its strict Latin meaning of suffering to the death of Jesus at the hands of church and state, on the cross English usage has moved the rI'an- ing of the word away from this sgnif- canoe, so that it has come to mean the pain of impulse toward action rather than the mere result of action. Why not theo- logically and practically take over the word into this new significance for the world? If the church could know the passion of Jesus for righteousness-that impulse that drove Him to all His misson and finally to that other "passion' Of the cross the great social and industrial movements for which the world so hungrily watts might come along with divine rapidity.
 It Is the active rather than the passive "passion of Christi of which the Christian church has sorest need in this age. The tragedy of 2,000 years ago cannot save the world of the twentieth century unless that which inherod in that tragedy can be in- carnated in men today. If the church is to be the savior in this age, 1t must get itself on fire with this modern .passion of Jesus."
 This call to the church Is a call to share the consuming passion of His love for men, passion for right by which alone society as well as individuals can in any wise be saved. The church must hear and obey this call or the world will soon Hook for another" whereby it may be saved. Not another man, but another organization in the name and spirit of the Son of Man, which shall more effectualy do the work He left for his followers to do. This work will at last be done in His name, under whatever form.
 There are signs rapidly increasing in number and intensity that such new birth up into consuming passion for more com pletely salutary service is at hand. Not only the church. but far beyond it men and women are beginning to reach out into the world in social redemptive life, doing literally what Jesus did. as never before. Far enough, however. are we from that fire of passion which is sufficiently intense to drive the engines of our political and so- cial machines right.
 Redemption from impending national perils will be certain and swift If Chris tian citizens will do their citizenship with that passion which moved Jesus to save the world. In this direction is the most hopeful sign of 'The Larger Christmas" The ''passon of Jesus' needs new mean ing and new direction and new applica- tion of power. This alone can save us from fatal apathy.
 Grimwell, Ia.