Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-13
MISUSE THE PULPIT.
SHOULD CURRENT EVENTS BE SUB
,JECTs OF SERMONs'
PAPER SAYS NO..
The Southern Churchman. Edited by
Rev. VIM. Meade Clark, DepIoreS
the Prevailing Fnshion-Few Are
Competent to Discuss Timely
Topics.

The Rev William Meade Clark. rector OF
st. James Episcopal church. IN the cur
rent issue of the Churchman has an edit
torial on Misuse of the Pulpit. IN which
he depIoreS the present fashion OF minis
tiers speaking from the pulpit on current
events and timely topics, he says III
part:
"One of the unfortunat e fashions which
seems to be growing is the misuse of the
pulpit--the using OF it for other purposes
than the preaching of the Gospel Inc
evidences of this growing evil may be
found in almost any Saturdays paper.
with its list of subjects on which alleged
sermons are to be preached on the iol-
lowing day and additional and stronger
evidence may be found in the Mondays
papers, with their startling headlines,
telling of the timely topics and the cur
rent events which have engaged the at
tention Of many preachers. 70 the eXciti-
sion Of the Gospel.
For q long time it was our happy
boast thai our Church was free from this
unhappy invasion, and that this type OF
preaching was not heard from her
pulpits But unhappily. this comforting
assertion can no longer be made. and
current questions are no longer tor
egrl TO her pulpits.
For many reasons. this seems an un-
fortunate state of affairs. Such sub
jects however interesting they may be
ar the time can never be OF Such I'M
portance as TO displace. even Temporal
riy the one great theme Of the preache'
of the Gospel. Such 4 man. II he ssaid
for anything ought to stand as the at.-
yocate for the greatest divine teaching
as the impartial friend Of all. as one wnc
can go to and sympathize with every
tyne and class OF men. and when he be
gins TO discuss current questions ne IS
almost sure to raan TO some class or SIDE
or party and SO lose his position CT
leader of all. He is to go 10 men, not
with a solution of their problems but
with q remedy for their ills, and this
remedy not one of his discovery or in
vention but the one great divine remedy
once for all made known TO humanity
in the person and WORK Oh QUE Lore
Jesus Christ.
There were complex and painful cur
rent questions in the time of Christ and
Ills apcstles-such profound and far
reaching problems that the world has
never seen sreater-profouno questions OF
wealth and poverty, of capital and labor
of power and weakness, of freedom and
slavery But to not one o all these and
The many more did the inspired teachers
address them specifically. In every case
they contented themselves with preach
ing to all alike the Lord Jesus Christ and
Him crucitied as the one all sufficient
remedy for all the ills that hesh is heir
10. 1t certainly cannot be pleaded that
'.tmclr topics did not exist. nor that
the prea cheers were not capable of treat
ing them But the noble, self-restrained
and magnificent silence speaks more of
lessons to us than hundreds OF sermons
could do.
And again, without shadow of disre-
spect. we say few preachers are capable
of speaking with authority on these cur
rent questions that face our nation.
These questions are OF far-reaching ma
ture and profound and complex charac-
ter, and only q specialist. after long years
of study. is equipped to speak on them
with authority. The superficial thinker
does until harm by bringing himself. bis
theme and his Office into contempt. He
is set as a spiritual guide and leader.
and when men find him superficial and
unreliable in enc point, they distrust him
in all :
May the day be far distant when this
! misuse OF the pulpit shall make any
marked headway in this church,