Evening journal., 1901-04-30
CHURCH MUST
BE A TEACHER
Moral Principle Comes to Re.
IigiOn for Support
THE CHURCH And POLITICS
Subject Of Stirring Sermon Preached
by the Rev. J. D. Turner,
Of Dover
THE CHURCH and POLITICS

Church and Politics, preached by the
Rev. Joseph Brown Turner, the we'll
known Dover minister:
Philippians, j, q: "Only let your
conversation be as it becometh the
Gospel of Christ"
The word conversation in the text is,
as you all know, translation of the
Greek word "politenesthe, from which
we derive our word politics. The
American revisers render the SEN
tence Behave as citizens worthily."
The requirement Is that the lives of
men. in their relations to civil govern
ment. shall be according to the Gospel
Upon the church rests the duty of en-
phasizing and enforcing this precept.
Fifty, therefore. the theme for consid-
Grafton this evening is 'The Church
and Politics." The conjunction OF
these words may not be musical TO the
ears of some Of us. The oder of sane
tity and the odOr Of politics is a combi-
nation which to many is not pleasing
Some very good people insist that the
church should have nothing to do with
politics. Men who are not in sympa-
thy with the church, political parties
which uphold or condone practices OBJ
nOxiOus to sound morals. say to us:
Hands on. This is not your prov
ince. The clergy must not soil their
robes. Let the church attend to her
own business. and leave the affairs of
the State and the nation to us" Timid
people in the church yield to this
clamor and say: Politics are corrupt
and disreputable, il does no good to
meddle with them, and it may create
unhappy frictions in the church" A
prominent pastor in an Eastern city
recently brought the whole weight Of
his influence to bear against a move
ment for clean city government, be-
cause, as he said: 1T causes some oil
our good men to grieve7 II the
church is in the world to be ministered
unto and not to minister. this is a very
good working theory. But the church
was put into the world, not TO save her
own life. but to reform and save the
world. She is bound to deal directly
with all questions that involve the
moral welfare OF men. She is bound by
the example and teachings of her
founder to wage uncompromising war
against any practice or policy that de-
bases manhood or subverts justice. or
denies the truth. It is q strange theory
of the mission of the church which
holds that it must stand aside in 81
lence when politics are corrupt and
oorrupting. while it conserves its own
narrowed life. and looks after coolest
astical interests alone. Politics are
not necessarily cOntaminating. They
are not evil per Sc. AS / understand
the word we mean by politics. First,
the interests Of the people as these are
represented in law and government;
second, the principles which govern the
life of the State; third, all measures
and combinations necessary to make
these principles permanently benefit
cial to the people. Are the interests
Of government and the principles
which belong to the life of the State.
and all that belongs to the application
of these principles, wholly foreign to
the purpose of the church? Webster
defines politics as 'eThe science of gov
ernment; that part of ethics which has
TO do with the regulation and govern
ment of nation or State, the preser-
vatlOn of its safety, peace and prosper
ity; the protection of its citizens in
their rights, with the preservation and
improvement of their morals. In a
bad sense. artful or dishonest manage
ment to obtain the success of political
measures or party schemes; political
trickery." He defines a politician as,
first, "a man versed in the science of
government; second, "a man of aIti-
fee and deep contrivance." Now ii
would seem that the church ought to
have some interest in that most impor-
tant branch of ethics which relates to
the safety. peace and prosperity of the
State, the protection of the citizens in
their rights, and the preservation and
improvement of their morals" And If
politics are degraded. and
become system of art
full and dishonest management
to obtain the success Of party schemes
by political trickery; If men of arti-
fice and deep cOntrivance" control the
affairs Of the people, and subvert the
true principles which govern the
life of the State. it would still seem to
be, not only quite proper, but Of the
first consequence, that the church
should not be uncOncerned. No. The
church cannot regard all this as out
side of her purview The kingdoms OF
this world are TO become the kingdoms
of Christ He purposes the regenera-
ticn. not of the individual only, but o1
the State. The State is as truly divine
as the church. The two are not ri.
walls, nor antagonists. The church is {
live for humanity. the State is to legis-
late for humanity, and the two are mu
tiially dependent. II is satan's politics
and q false Christianity that divide,
life into two departments, the sacred