Arizona republican., 1902-08-14
For Gospel Preaching.

There ought to be q lesson for great many clergymen in the involuntary re-
 tirement of the Rev. William MacAfee from the pastorate of the First Metho- dist church of Evanston, H.. one of the most influential churches of that denomination in the northwest. AL
 though Mr. M2cAfee retires premature ly, because his resignation was asked
 for, he does not go out disgraced or
 under any shadow of suspicion. No one questions the profundity of his
 learning or the purity of his life. His sermons gave proof Of ripe scholarship
 in their originality of conception. as
 well as in their elegance of diction. But
 his people wanted gospel sermons and he did not meet that demand. The Chicago Inter Ocean speaks of his re- tirement as the result of Mr. Mac Afee's apparent conviction that religion should be sought anywhere and every where rather than in what his church believes to be the word of God"
 That may be harsh criticism. Good
 men honestly differ in their opinions as to what religion really is. Some ap-
 pear to think it consists mainly of pub lie worship of God one day in the week Others have no faith with q religion that does not stay with a man all the days in the week and operate as a si- lent regulator of his acts. But the great majority of church-going Chris | tians prefer to have more of religion l than Of literature in the sermons they hear. One of the influential members | Of the flock at Evanston says the church has suffered seriously because | of the retention of Mir. MacAfee. He l says that a large decrease in member- | ship. waning of interest in prayer meet
 inss, and marked slump in religious activities have been the direct result l He solemnly remarks that sermons
 upon sociological. literary and ethical topics were not to the taste of the peo- | pie. who preferred to take their religion | from the Bible. Another member. one
 of the officials who presented the re- | quest for resignation. says that Mr.
 MacAfee did not pay enough atten- | tion to the Bible; that he took up with
 new movement and rode all the fads
 of modern thought until it was har
 to tell whether he was minister of tn ,
 gospel or university professor. The | church. says this complainant. wanted
 more of the gospel of Jesus Christ. | There are congregations in many, if | not in all. cities that prefer the Mac
 Afee style of preaching. It is moro easy to find such Q congrega tion than i to chans-a the religious habits of the av7rage Methodist corgrega tion so rad
 ically that it's members will rot prefer
 sermons that show close relati to | beth the letter and spirit Of the Bible. ! It was gospel preaching. not literary display. that gave the Methodist church | itT original impetus. It has been Eos l pei preaching that has been the main
 stay of that church in it's wonderful
 career.
 There are sociological and political
 ions that are closely 7 lated to religion. It would be impossible tG
 draw q distinct line between religion
 ""d the various questions in the po- litical arena. Almost every question ] has it's moral aspects. But if tho
 rrnacher gets accustomed to handling these themes in his sermons. he is apt ' to give his ministrations much less of | the Bible flavor than the religious taste l of his people demands As the Inter Ocean admirably puts it. the normal
 man. concerned with his souls saliva l tion, prefers to the discourser upon