The herald., 1897-07-18
SUNDAY JULY IS, 1907
HOW TO FILL THE CHURCHES

Is the church responsible for the fall
Ing Off in attendance at divine service,
which for several years has challenged
public attention? In circum describing
her pulpit teachings too closely within
the lines of spirituality and orthodox
dogma, and prohibiting wide and liberal
discussion by her ministers of questions
of state, scieDce, art or sociology, has
she erred to her own detriment? Are
not the limitations directly or tacitly
prescribed for pulpit discourses often
not only hindrance to the moral use
fulness of scholarly and public-spirited
preachers, but the near or remote cause
OF emptying pews and thinning the
ranks Of church-goers?
These questions are worthy the serious
attention of the church-and we use the
word church in its broad sense as en-
bracing all Christian sects and denom-
nations In our day. when the tenets of
Christianity have been strengthened
rather than shaken by the revelations CT
science, when the practical progress in
all directions is abroad. and the minds
of men are continually reaching out
after further instruction in all depart
ments Of knowledge, the ancient notion
that ministers of the gospel must in
their sermons keep strictly within the
narrow field of ghostly ethics, nor med
die, but in very restrictive sense, with
mundane affairs, is rather homogeneous
and out of date.
1t may be broadly asserted that there
Is no body Of educated men in the United
States better equipped for the work Of
popular instruction than the ministers
of the church Trained teachers and
professional instructors Of men, sup
posed to be more imbued by a sense Of
duty THAI by expectation of reward, the.
clergy are peculiarly fitted to admins
ter not only spiritual comfort but in
struction in all things appertaining TO
the welfare of mankind That men thus
equipped should be hampered in their
pulpit utterances lest they manifest
IL
members of society than as members of
the church, constitutes discordant note
In the symphony of modern common
sense.
Not that our clergymen should be less
spiritually inclined, less devoted to the
interests of the church per Sc, or less
concerned touching the salvation of the
souls Of believing or pagan men, but
that they should give more largely OF
their intellectual wealth to man as a
worker and bread-winner in this world
be more in touch with the men and
women who live in houses made with
hands. If the church would manifest a
greater interest in the temporal we'll
being of the people it need not bate, one
jot or title of its insistence upon the
acceptance of spiritual and churchly
pleted pews. The people crave instruc-
ton in many directions; why not give
them opportunities of receiving it from
lips that all believe to be disinterested
anu Iuduy reverence dIIUOSt as inspired
What is there in strictly mundane af.
fairs incompatible with the vocation Of
preaching? Why should not instruction
in the duties of citizenship. in the virtues
Of sanitation and hygiene, in the rea-
tionship of an orderly, sweet and pure
home life to Christian perfection OF
faith" come from the pulpit? 1t would
be a narrow Interpretation of the phi
losophy of Christianity that would see
in it rules of action appertaining exclu-
sively to the preparation of mortal TO,
an immortal existence.
The divine founder of the Christian
faith was eminently practical Not al
the cunning hypocrisy invoked could en-
trap him into any overt act or even in
culpating expression in conflict with
his allegiance as a Roman citizen or his
obligations to the Jewish law. The
trend of his teaching was not only heav-
enwise but in the direction Of good citi-
zenship as well. Give unto Caesar the