The herald., 1898-10-24
As truth IS IN JESUS
REV. c. J, 4. JONES' SUBJECT AT
CHURCH OF THE UNITY
CHRISTIANITY IS IN THE LIFE
Raformatiou Of Criminals-A Call to
service-Sunday Sermons From
City Pulpits

City Pulpits
"As truth is in Jesus" Eph. iv:2l, was the
text selected by Rev. G. j. X. Jones at tne
Church of the Unity
A. Truth e 1.-The reading OF the
in Jesus text" said the speak
er, 'is that given in
the revised version. The old version gives
Il. sAs the truth is in Jesus and this latter
reading is one of several texts that have been
distorted into teaching that aside from what
Jesus taught there is no reliable or valld
religious truth. Everything that is stated
in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelations,
is held to be in some wise related to this
truth as it is in Jesus. As the student OF
the history of Christianity reads through
the records of the strife, hate, bloodshcd
and destruction which has followed IT'S
progress for nearly 1000 years, he serionsly
questions whether historical Chrlstianit!
has not done more harm than good.
"No other faith has been SO capable OF fos-
tering the highest civilization as has Chris
tianity. And this, too, with all its lmper-
fections of the crude ideas of superstition
and tradition which in some measure still
cling to it. Historical Christianity has been
the long and persistent foe OF freedom OF
intellect and is today, to the extent it dares
to exercise its assumptions. 1t assumes TO
possess the tradition of special and DIS
tinct form of truth. 1t will not yield 10
any facts of science or arguments paseo
thereon until compelled to do so by the
overwhelming force of numbers. BY a
timely and wise recognition Of all truth
wherever found, the church of today could
have stood in the front rank of all moral and
intellectual progress.
"Jesus' life and teachings lend no counte-
nance to any theory of church organization
or to any set scheme of the operations OF
the human mind. Jesus was moral genius
filled with the finest spirit of the noblest
and most lofty-minded of the Hebrew
prophets and their traditions. lie was
therefore moral hero, religious enthusl,
asst, possessed of clairvoyant faith IN God
and in man. 1t was the universal element
in this personal sympathy the common hui
manity in his teachings that won the devo-
tion Of the Greeks, Romans and northern
nations. i.
when we profess ourselves followers OF
Jesus we are not necessarily espouslng or
Endorsing any dogma or historical creeds.
We are simply expressing our faith in
Jesus moral and spiritual teachings. he
is the representative of what is highest IN
religious outlook and faith. Jesus appeals
to us because he has brought near to us the
sense of supreme heart OF sympathy ana
love that shares in the joys ana sorrows
of our individual lives"
Rev. A. A. Rice spoke yesterday on The
Reform of Criminals" it being Prison
Sunday" Text, Math.
The Reform i-2l: 1T is he that
of Criminals shall save his people
from their SINS" He
said in brief:
The moral publication of the world is the
paramount object of Jesus and the purport
from his being. This puriication is accom-
plished in two ways, viz: BY the reform of
such individuals as have acquired ten
dency to do wrong, and by an education
which shall prevent the acquiring OF such
evil tendency. In other words, Christianity
is to rid the world of evil both by keeping
people out of sin and by keeping sin out OF
the people.
BY an accident in human economy men ac-
quire sinful habits and become criminals.
Christianity demands that we reform the
prisons, that these criminals may be re-
formed. Christian nations are obeying this
command, for while there is much advance
ment yet to be made, they are fast abolish
ing the pagan idea of punishment and bring
ing into vogue that which reforms and cures
its object. The new Penology embraces
all reformatory methods of education.
Grades being established whereby evil in
fluence upon the younger inmates Of prisons
is cut off; trades are taught as well as COM
mon school studies; rewards are given for
good conduct, and those who are most faith
full are paroled. Asa result of this system
in one of oru most advanced prisons 82k
per cent of the inmates have been reformed,
and Christianity may be credited with keep
ing that per cent of sinners out of sin.
Should not such good work in our prisons
eventually reform the world? In spite of
this, statistics tell lis that crime and crmi-
nails are increasing ten-fold faster than the
population of our country. From this fact
we deduce another, that Christianity has
yet to deal with the sources that create the
tendency to do wrong. From the reform
of the output of evil institutions we must
turn to the institutions themselves. From
the effects we must turn to the causes of
crime.
Experts in penal science tell us that chief
among these causes are poverty, ignorance,
hereditv, environment, and last, but not
least. alcoholism. 1t is these and the in
stitutions which are set to perpetuate them
that we are called on to combat These
sources are more or less related. and depend
upon each other for their continuance but
the last is the cause of causes on which all
the others depend
David Walk, in the Church of Christ on
Eighth street near Central avenue, read the
sixth chapter of
A Call to Isaiah, and an
Service nounced as the sub
.r, ject OF his sermon
The Divine Call to Christian Service"
Isaiah was at once poet, prophet and
preacher. Courty, cultivated and eloquent
though he was, his preaching made but lit.
tie impression upon goddess and ease-lov-
ing people; vision of God was needed. and
along with the vision, the deep, spiritual
insight came which was his true ordination,
He saw himself as he was seen of God. The
preacher, awe-stricken and trembling, felt