The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-15
ARE TOO MANY CHURCHES
RECONSTRUCTION Is DISCUSSED BY
THE REV. j. CUMMING SMITH.
Snowy Methods ResOrted to i'm an Eff
fort to Increase the Revenue
The Religious Age.

Rev. j. Cumming Smith preached most
interesting sermon yesterday morning at
the Tabernacle Church, taking for his
theme 1.-THE Reconstruction Of the Church
Some Suggestions" In part he said: "To
every discerning man there seems re-
markable meeting OF Christ and the world
in our time. Up from the depths of ocean,
after travelling long distances. there rises
volume of submarine water to the surface
that by some strange law corresponds in
its temperature with the upper climate
which it meets. The world has struggled
thus many billowy centuries. and by school
and church and home, and even by the
harsh law of competition, which forces men
up to a certain sort of altruism, a large
illumination has come and is coming more
and more. A church deaf to the growing
voice Of the world is a traitor to its own
truth. But that growing demand for the
best ideas at once points up to the Christ.
with His healing and satisfying ideals. His
views and the worlds views are beginning
TO chord. Hence when the world feels, not
in croaking or carping way. what the
best heads in the church feel, that the
church Is not altogether measuring up TO
her possibilities, it Is because the church
has forgotten, in some essentials, her Mas
ter, and so far forfeited her charter. The
mind of the Master is our constitutional
law. He founded, not church, but an
empire OF truth and kingdom OF spiritual
principles. He simply bequeathed these
everlasting veritieS and allowed them by
q law Of nature to find outward forces to
suit every situation. Any church form is
inspired that does the work of the one
head. His original principles involved
three vast ideas. The first was truth. The
church must voice and revoice the laws of
xa6 ha yn1n ion nf 70 I'D nf
to man and man to self. The second was
benevolence. of the scientific and sympa-
thetic study of the under classes that are
ever to be. The third is missions, the law
of circulation, without which the world
would stagnate.
MESSAGE OF INCARNATION.
''These three comprehend the message of
the incarnation. The church to I'LL the bill
must so crystalline into outward form as
to let these three find their full scope. AS
a sheath to the sword, as glove to the
hand, as shell to the kernel, the church
must fit the truth. or it only cramps and
chokes the truth. Now, this large, original
and supremely authoritative message is the
deepest philosophy. The trend of our best
current thought lies close to this message
Men in their sane moods cropping their
Way to this luminous message. The ques-
ton is whether the world has not out-paced
not clouded the primal message of eternal
love that swamps all creeds; whether, i'm
short, our churches have not narrowed
down to mere preaching-houses. 1 grant a
large stream sets out silently from
churches for missions, and another Gulf
stream, still and deep. sets out from
churches toward the problem of pauper-
ISM but the fact remains that these
streams are relatively so shallow that the
men or the world see the stress laid on
self-support and not altruism, which is
the genius of the kingdom of God, or there
is none.
There are too many churches taxing
the people for salaries; too many dollars
sunk In bricks. .Ninety-five per cent of
churches, even those that wear look
OF stately dignity, are on the brink of star
walton or nervous prostration. All sorts
OF snowy or hysterical methods are re-
sorted to to swell the stinted revenues If
these money-raising devices were for al
truism l would not object so much But
they are for our own cupboard. The crime
against altruism is not worse than the
waster Of force. In an age that tends to
specialization in every art, or trade, or
profession the church. on the present basis,
sets up man who must have universal
faculty or be bowled down. He must be
equal to ten or twenty specialists. Then
these mastery and munificent men, each
combining the orator, and organizer. and
visitor, and student, and general, and serv-
ant I'm that one miracle of clay. that are
polyglot of projections, are set up to out
talk one another. 1t almost looks as IL
the eternal wisdom dropped for moment
and launched a scheme TO signaliZe preach
ers. The humor of the situation has
struck the saner part of the world. Manly
rivalry in preaching is desirable and makes
better pulpits. The preachers will equal
in excellence. in ardor and equipment any
other great profession. But as a supreme
art preaching is not the supreme function
Of che church Salvation is not a fire es-
cape, but high culture in high service
a IN "a h 10 f.afKr s.C
quickening interpretations of the great
est thoughts Of God and inspirations to
loving development to men, What about
the beehive of benevolence? Has the world
silly stolen it from the church? Have re-
forms sprung up outside the church to
throttle the vices the church should crush t?
VIII our hard-pressed church trustees al
low many benevolent collections when ex-
chequers are perilously low? What about
mission liberalities? Are not church boards
groaning and Travelling together i'm pain
10 make agonizing retrenchments? Are not
heroic missionaries, like equally heroic
school teachers, miserably uEderpaid at
best and breast-deep In debt at worst?
GREAT RELIGIOUS AGE
81 am an optimst and believe this is
the greatest religious age of the world
I only claim that the near dawn OF a
new century, fraught with vast schemes
for human progress, that the glorious
tumult of generous sciences and prayers
and the tides of sincere desire for a true
evangelism now sweeping through the age
call loudly upon the church to broaden
out her policy i believe in churches gath
cred by the law of affinity. Some people
want believing sermons and some people
want sermons weighted with crushing tom
nages Ct thought and some people want
sermons lurid with fire. Let like go with
like. But let no church be pat -DRized whlch
cannot hope TO match the threeio;d re-
Quirement of the Christ. In short try this
rule: My ideal church is one which passes
the collection plate on one Sunday for self
support, passes the plate the second Sun
day for benevolent objects. passes the
plate the third Sunday for the missionary
enterprises. This simple law, wisely urged
would compel larger organizations. would
produce a more statesmanlike simplicity in
our modern chaos OF causes, would call
more ministers into the service congenial
with their talents and would win more
brainy men OF the world weary OF con-
slant sermons with a suspected dearth Of
high and corresponding action in the back
ground. l appeal TO skeptics TO ply us with
their criticisms. i appeal TO thoughtful
men who. too often, claim TO be too broad
10 join the church, TO come in and help TO
broaden out her platform and readjust
the methods 20 the modern conception OF
no longer be "A mere sign post at corners
TO point the way, but manufacturing
enterprise I'm close touch with the best OF
modern motive and turning out the very
staple articles Of the kingdom OF God on