The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-04
PULPIT EDITORIALS.
Delivered Sy DR.. Frank Crane ~ Trinity
Charsh. Chicago. Preceding the Ussai
Sermon Sunday, April 8. 1898.
FAILURE OF THE CITY CHURCH.
Copyright. 1881

CllUlnB. vi TIE xtoiiuh SaehchS 1850
the city Is the stronghold. The latter
church. however, gets its strength
chiefly from its hold upon the foreign
element of the population. So that, as
far as our American people are con-
cerned, the entire city church bids fair
to be a failure. We have, to be sure,
thousands of church members and sup
porters, many fine buildings, many able
| ministers and officials. But that the
| church is extending it's grasp over the
| mass of men who live in cities is
proposition that, much as we wish IL
| were true, has never been satisfactor-
| lily proved. In the country, and more
| particularly in the smaller cities ana
| towns, the church steadily gains upon
| the community. There 1t Is a DOM
inantly increasing factor; here 1t is de-
| creasing.
Our strong city churches are Of
class. They follow that class whittier
1t goes They retreat toward the SUBJ
urbs with the people who support them.
Meanwhile the downtown districts are .
filled to suffocation with people who !
also possess souls, but who in some way
do not seem to be attracted to the sane |
tuary. On Sunday, If 1t Is pleasant, |
they go to the parks; in the evening TO
the theaters; or If not, they stay at
home. Who are these people? speak
not now of the slum districts, which
present their own peculiar problem, but
| of the respectable downtown districts,
filled with boarding houses, flats, fam
lily hotels and apartment houses. Those
who dwell there are not bad, not pau
pers, not rich. They are the very ma
terial out Of which church Is best
composed, the middle class; among
them are clerks on good salaries, small
tradesmen, students, families living In
the city temporarily for certain adj
Z | vantages. One common trait they
, have: they are all more or less tran
! silent: they constitute the better ele-
| ment of that vast procession OF which
the city Is becoming more and more
the highway.
The permanent success OF the church
in the city will be due to its ability to
g reach and utilize, to help and be helped
8 by this procession. Why does 1t ran?
l. The ready answer may be made, that
this class of folk are tickle, seeking ex-
~ citement rather than good, dazzled by
= the glare of the playhouses and all
y the tnseled allurements of city life.
10 But this Is begging the question. 1t Is
merely saying they have their weak
q nesses But the point is, why does not
N the church know how to deal with that
st weakness, why can 1t not adapt ltseii
It to the situation? 1t is in the world 10
IN save sinners; not a certain brand OF
q. sinners. those who live in residence
=, districts. but moving and restless sim
y ners as well. Why are not downtown
20 churches filed with their portion OF
u that enormous population which sur
rounds them. They are human beings
10 Can the church not touch their human
1 need?
tn One answer to this inquiry Is tina
IN the church is hindered by selfish neg
Mt lect of cooperation. The different de
nominations still sublimey ignore eaci
or other they cover the same ground
he waste nine-tenths Of their effort, AM
each. while theoretically Acknowledged
the others to be true churches
Christ, practically ignores them In II
actual operations. Church conserVat
gs ism Is appalling. The only real and per
he I manent force of church aggressivenes
is Is in form UNCONVENTIONAL more tina
Christian. score of organizations ar
ia ! irving to do work for the same maste
NJ. in the same field, each polite enoug
Go to the others, yet not at all uniting
- ] concerted action. The problem Oh III
10 city church will never be attacked !
ne earnest with any hope of success unit
me all the denominations shall get togethe
ng nc business concerns intrusted wit
Christ's work, map out the city, civ
an IN this church one field and to ths
re-. church another, divide the whole I'M
oo marshes and have but one organizatio
"a in each parish. OF course, we are NJ
ready for this yet. So much the wors
oiy We are working on at cross purpos
iiy and not trying to get ready for It. An
'ho even a sentimental, attempt to consoi
ons date the denominations into one DOC
Of workers for God is sure to
owe knocked in the head by the powerf
hen church leaders whose supremacy won
nen be gone IL their organization was
,eir any way minihed.
-: But the root cause OF the failure
the city church lies not In Its form
ies1 organization or in it's failure to ado
III some particular programme but In
inability to grasp the Importance OF
social opportunity. Salvation may
an individual affair, but the salvati
alls a church stands for and can effect
airy distinctly q social salvation. 1t Is
,rds reach the Individual through social I
can fort. 1t must lay it's hand upon so
nav ETY. and use the gregarious instinct
ar. men. This, in the downtown distric
go It does not. 1t cannot apprehend
oop idea of society except that of a soc
itch l Nu. 80 onncen,aI sn,rits. Hence.
that s.ra ,,sers move in and out of the ga
not NJ the city temple and are as those W
Il Of have heard a pleasant tune upon an
door strument.
his
g he If we turn to the small town we !
vorlr the church increasingly potent, just
= cause 1t does stand for social ord
It's revival meetings in the winter
serb the attention Of the whole pls
At other times II has entertainme
and socials and other church gath
my ings. So do city churches? Certain
| NJ Ai.a.o ia fhia difference. In