The record-union., 1899-05-07
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought Of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.


though he has had the wisdom to coun-
teract some of the worst results of their
policy" SAYS the New York Church
man. Up. Ed 1.-The new Pope will be
either frankly of them or will bring
the strength of more vigorous years
| against them If the Conclave goes
wrong when the approaching choice is
! forced upon it, it is hard to see how
the Roman Church can maintain itself
| in Southern Europe, still less how II
can extend it's conception of Catholiclty
| and it's spiritual influence And in this
we are all interested. For, however
much we may believe that the coming
church. the church that is to dominate
the future, will be that which exercises
| a controlling influence over the English
speaking races and those they dominate
and that that church will be Anglican
| in spirit, not in any narrow sense but
in the blending of individual liberty
with Catholic unity, yet, for the coming
generation, with the tremendous stress
of its material life and the social prob
lens that press threateningly for solu-
ton or dissolution it is Of immense i'm
port that every agency that makes for
the ideal life should be at its best and
at it's strongest. That the Roman
Church, at it's coming climacteric crisis.
may be it's best and do its best is OF
the NEST immediate Importance to the
spiritual life of a great section of man
/ kind
eve do not doubt" says the Watch
MAN. (Bapt) of Boston, that there is
a great deal of truth in what Governor
Rollins of New Hampshire says about
the decline of religion in his State, and
what he says about New Hampshire
might be extended to embrace the en-
tire country But, while such state
ments are measurably true, it is also
right to say that probably there never
was a time in the history of the coun-
try when infidelity was so small fac
tor in the life of the people as it is to-
day. 1t is rather difficult to find an
| out-and-out unbeliever in Christianity
among the descendants of the American
| stock. which still form the backbone of
the population of such States as New
Hampshire Our people generally be-
lieve in God, in the rewards Of right
eousness and the penalties of sin, in the
| divinity if not in the deity Of Christ.
and in the outstanding features of the
Christian revelation. There is a vast
number of those who are believers In
this large and general sense-and many
of them seek to conform their lives to
| the Christian standards-and are not
connected with the Christian churches.
Indeed, many of them are only coca
sional attendants Various influences
have contributed to bring about this
| state of things The churches them
selves have not always been true to the
highest ethical standards. Sometimes
in prescribing doctrinal tests they have
been SO narrow and intolerant as to
travesty the breadth and freedom Of
the New Testament Ministers too Of
ten have been out of sympathy with the
| life and needs of the time"
|
AN attentive study of statistics, COW
| ering the country as whole, proves
| that the Christian religion and the
churches, so far from declining, are
making steady and gratifying prog
ress," says the New York Christian
Intelligencer'' (Ref.). "Dr. Daniel Dor
| chester, in his thorough history of
Christianity in the United States fur
nishes the following comparative ex-f
hibit of the relative growth of commu-
nicants in the evangelical churches. In
| lCOO THERE W DIS Oll0 COIIIIl LII
14.50 inhabitants, in 1850 one in 6.57,
in 1870 one in 5.1S, in 1880 one in ) and
in 1890 one in 4.53 AS compared with
the growth of population, from 1900 to
1890 the population increased lis fold,
the communicates 31.9. In 1894 the
evangelical Protestant communicates
numbered 1921, 94S. or about one-fifth
Of the entire population. With these
ti-fi fr,11x +In oi,,iA Of
those who have made the most thor
| ough study of the religious situation.
Their conclusions are directly the oppo
site of those expressed in the proclama-
ton of the New Hampshire Governor
Evil is indeed rampant and aggressive
and it needs to be zealously and stead
lily fought, but the agencies for good
are on the alert. are active and potent.
The churches and the cause of true re-
ligion are not waging losing battle.
They work indeed more quietly, but
not less effectively
people who have ever felt that they
had souls to be saved are not being
driven from religion in this day and
generation because there is too much
dogma, says the Living Church" P.
/
too little. In much of the Christianity
that is preached there is a sad lack of
power. 1t has been emasculated of the
elements which gave it power. That
all men are sinners, and that they are
responsible and must one day give an
account; that they were made for God,
but are kept from God by sin; that
there is no other name given under
heaven whereby they may be saved.
save the name Of Jesus Christ-such are
the themes of a truly Christian pulpit.
To adapt ourselves to the age is not
to preach what people want but what
they need. and the needs of humanity
are at bottom the same in every age.
Repentance, conversion, faith, are not
out of date, nor viii ever be. 1t is true
enough that if the church. sends out
preachers of this type they will seldom
be popular, for they must say much
which people-many people-do not like
to hear. 1t is only here and there that
a man of commanding personality and
genius can, under such circumstances,
win the popular ear. The rank and
file of faithful men, just because they
are faithful, will remain poor, and will
have to approve themselves as minis
| ters of God in much patience, in neces-
sites and in distresses."
1.-The decline of faith has been sub
ject of observation and remark ever
since faith was recognized as an ele-
ment of power in human life says the
Christian Register Unit) of Boston.