The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1897-12-10
RELIGIOUS JOURNALISM.
DR.. Talmage Talks on the Mission
of Religious Newspapers.
of America-OppOrtunitle and Re-
wards of UndenOminatiOnaI
Journalism.

| of America-OppOrtunit and Re-
wards of UndenOminatiOnaI
| Journalism.
Having in previous discourse spoken
of the opportunities of the secular
press, Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage in the
following tells of the mission of reli
| gious newspapers. His text is:
Then turned, and lifted up mine eyes, anC
looked, and beholda a flying gron-zechariahv, L
In a dream the prophet saw some
thing rolled up advancing through the
| Heavens. 1t contained Divine mes
sage. 1t moved swiftly, as on wings.
1t had much to do with the destiny Of
nations. But if you will look up you
will see many flying rolls. They come
with great speed and have messages fOl
all the earth. The flying rolls of this
century are the newspapers. They
carry messages human and Divine.
| They will decide the destiny of the
hemispheres.
There are in the United States about
20, 900 newspapers. The religious
newspaper of which ] am the editor
was born 19 years ago, but born again
seven years ago. Our country was
blest with many religious journals,
| edited by consecrated men, while their
contributors were the ablest and best
of all professions and occupations.
Some of those journals for half CEN
tury had been dropping their benedic-
tions upon the nation, and they live
on, and will continue to live on until
there will be no more use for their
missions, the world itself having be-
come flying roll on the tempests of
the last day, gonig out of existence.
There will be no more use for such
agencies when the world ceases, be-
cause, in the spiritual state, we shall
have such velocity that we can gather
for ourselves all the news of Heaven,
or, seeing some world in cOnfagratiOn,
may go ourselves in an instant to ex-
anime personally the scene of disaster.
Was there room for another religious
journal in this land, already favored
with the highest style of religious
journalism? Oh, yes, if undenomina-
tional, plenty of room. Nothing can
ever take the placeof the denominations
al newspaper. When the millennium
comes in, it will find as many denomi-
nations as there are now. People, ac-
cording to their temperaments, will al
ways prefer this or that form of church
government, this or that style of wor-
ship. You might as well ask us all to
worship in one house as to ask US all
to worship in one denomination, o. to
abolish the regiments of an army in
order to make them one great host.
But then. there are great movements
in which all denominations wish to
Join, and we want more undenOmina-
tional newspapers to marshal and ad-
vance and inspire such movements.
Undenominational journalism is abso-
lutely necessary to demonstrate the
unity of the Christian world. Wide
and desperate attempt is made to show
that the religion of Jesus Christ is only
a battle-ground of sects; and the cry
has been: IF you want US to accept
your religion, agree, gentlemen, as to
what the religion really is. This de-
nomination says few drops of water
dripping from the end of the fingers is
baptism, and another demands the
submergence of the entire body. This
one prays with books, and that one
The rector of one delivers his SER
mon in a gown, while the back woods
preacher of another sect addresses the
people in his shirt-sleeves. Some of
your denominations have the majestic
dominant in the service, and others,
spontaneity. Some of you think that
from all eternity some were predes-
tinated to be saved, and that from all
eternity others were doomed" Now,
it is the business of Young Mems
Christian associations and tract
societies and Sunday-School unions
and pronounced undenominational
journals, to show the falsity of the
charge that we are fighting among
ourselves, by gathering all Christian
denominations on one platform or
launching the unite sentiment of all
ChrIstendom from one style of religious
printing press.
But we have in all our denominations
got tired of trying to make other peo-,
pie think as we do on all points. The
heresy-hunters in all denominations
are nearly all dead, thank God, and we
are learning that when men get wrong
in their faith, instead of martyrizing
them by arraignment, we do better to
wait for the natural roll of years to re-
move them. Men die, but the truth
lives on. We may not all agree as to
the number of teeth in the iawb bone
with which Samson slew the Philis-
tines, or agree as to what tie exact
color of the foxes which he set on fire
to burn up the corn shocks; but, on the
vitals of religion we all agree.
If we could call into one great con-
vention the Gas, 500 Episcopalians, the
l, 420. 9O5 Lutherans, the 1, 400, 346 Pres
byterians, the 4,153. S57 Baptists, the
5,65S, 2sa Methodists, putting unto them
the following question: we would get
unanimous answer in the affirmative:
Do you believe in a God, good, holy,
just, omnipotent? Do you believe in
Jesus Christ as a Saviour? Do you be-
lieve N the convicting, converting and
sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost?
DO you believe that the Gospel is going
to conquer all nations? If you should
put these questions to those assembled
millions on millions, while there would
not be solitary negative, there would
be an ayeI ayeI loud enough to max.
the foundations of the earth trembie
and the arches of the heavens resound.
Let there be platforms, let there be
great occasions, let there be undenom-
national print ting presses to thunder
forth the unity all Christendom. One
Lord. One faith. One baptism. One
God and Father. One Jesus Christ.
One cross. One Heaven.
So also there is room for a religious
journal that stands for liberty against
all oppression. No authority, political