Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-07-27
" WORLD.

- OF WORLD.
Nv Rev. Junios B. Remensnyder.
III hon drew near unto Him all the
al leans and sinners for to hear linn.
luke IS: /.
g. the church and the world are
c.fno further apart is a common re-
aark. t.
T. do not believe that the schlsm IS
eide as many think, nor do we pc
FL . that is is growing. The church,
I<<4 ond all denial, is exert1ng pro-
A5s nd influence upon the age, and the
rId is no slower to-day than ever TO
oc+ religion that bears the marks
Dit sincerity.
Nevertheless, it is too true that there
Far more of such an alienation tnan
zsS 70 ehouId be. Our text shows that
n case was not such with the found
s.. If the Christian religion. Ihere
&c nothing in His manner or words
s. life that repealed the multitude. But,
81 the inspired historian, Then drew
.so INTO Him all the publicans ana
*sbners for to hear Him. And these
,vere. the very ones who most needed
III divine counsels. Let us ask, then,
= If is that the church too often
- 10 fail in getting into such Iv-
III touch with the world as to trans
fnyn. II as it should.
First, because of the attempt to sec
~, ,izn ifs message. This is the device
ii pulpit charlatans and sensational
leas In order to draw the world they
81 40 off all the distinctive marks OF the
shrrch They withdraw the claim OF
Al inc authority for it's teachings. They
re1udiate the supernatural in its origin
IA Il history. They square all it's tenets
- narrow reason, so that there is
A. no sphere for the larger exercise OF
Ritb, If the world wants anything IL
~aDts the real gospel, the word OF life.
Il Another reason, no doubt, is the fall-
r. Of church members to illustrate the
reIfgton they profess. Very true, the
world is too exacting here. 1t fOrgets
Nat church people have many 1ncon-
sstencies and in many respects snow
h. same weaknesses as others and yet
BE- sincerely pious.
Still, religion must radically change
HE nature. 1t must make one new
creature. 1t must give one new mas
Eer motive And when the church does
hot show itself a nursing mother OF the
traces of love and humility and unself-
lsEness and brotherhood the world has
/ right to question its claims.
4 third and chief reason for too fire.
ruent alterations is an incorrect and
b. inst presentation of religion. To
nany spheres of life which the world
lightly regards as innocent the church
Is often made to take a hostile attitude.
chasm is forced between piety and
he ordinary ways O., life. Temperance
Is COMPOUNDED with abstinence. Liberty
Is labeled with the tag of license. The
suiritual life is divorced from the nat
lyral To come to the church men are
asked to deny what is justified by their
common sense One-sided religionists
overlook the fact that a man can legiti-
,nately love and enjoy life, art, beauty,
pleasure, without loving God the less,
but only the more.
Nor do these austere notions truly
represent the historic church. In her
true. worldwide character she has al
ways been characterized by broad, lib
eral, rational and joyous conceptions
Nf that piety which is pleasing to God,
who is love, and who as a Father re
jo.ccs in the happiness of His children.
Let then. "the children Of light be
wise in their generation" toward the
worldly and unsaved. And let the world
abandon its misconceptions and preju-
djces as to genuine piety and, the world
and the church meeting together, relig-
Jon will prove to be that benign power
for righteousness, joy and sonship of
God which it was meant to be by the
eternal Author.