Omaha daily bee., 1907-10-28
DEDICATED FREE OF DEBT
Members Of First Christian Church
Subscribed $4,000 Yesterday.
GEN. SWEENEY LED CAMPAIGN
New Church EdiRce at Twenty-sixth
and HRrney IL the Scene of
BeautifuI Conservation
Services.

| Services.
Assisted by prominent churchmen, mem
bers Of the First Christian church and
| heir pastor, DR.. S. D. butcher, dedicated
| heir beautiful new edihce at Twenty-sixth
and Harney streets Sunday morning and
subscribed 81, 700 payable. in ten semi an
nual installments, which more than pays
for completing the church.
| General u. T. Sweeney OF Columbus, IND,
preached the dedicatory sermon. performed
the simple service, which consecrated the
church. for Christian worship, then Sc
cured the $4,000 in subscriptions. II re-
qured just thirty minutes to secure the
promises of members to pay the large
amount of money. General Sweeney said
| that $4,000 was needed TO complete the
payments on the church, and he asked
| those present to give $4,000. Responses
came about as fast as the general could
write them down, and just before the half
hour was up he announced that $4,000 had
been given, which is one of the largest
subscriptions ever secured at one church
meeting in the city OF Omaah.
The new building of the First Christian
| church, which was dedicated practically
free from debt is a model of churchly
rich. The lofty walls with their facaded
columns are pure white. The woodwork
and pews are mahogany
| Chancellor w. p. Aylesworth of the uni
versity at Bethany, offered prayer and w.
A. Balwin pronounced the benediction.
Rev. Mr. butcher presided at the service.
Gods Great Remedy.
| General Sweeney took his text from
pei of Christ; for it is the power of God to
him that believeth" From this General
Sweeney preached a sermon broad in scope
and convincing in the argument that the
gospel of Christ is the one great leavening
power in the world.
THE gospel Is Gods infallabbe remedy
for ignorance. superstition and barbarism."
he said. THE strongest proof of the di-
vinity Of the gospel is that it has gone out
and grasped all that good in the world
and given it to man; and It is equally true
that it Is the foe of all that degrades, de-
files AMI makes beasts of men.
You will ransack the worlds history in
vain for an example of some lasting good
that has come from anything other than
Christianity. Today political. Industrial
and social freedom in the various countries
of the earth varies as the gospel OF Christ
has been preached and practlsed in those
countries Consider the status of Europe
before the time Of Christ. Think of that
wild land overrup by hordes of barbarous
men. Look at 1t now weighted and frelghted
with the fruits OF civilization, that is, of
Christianity Look at the magnificent ca
thedrals raising their mighty spires to
lheaveni the art galleries and museuns
where the honey of learning and genius
has prafb Fnr 1,f.-
are some of the material evidences OF Chris
tianity
ChriHt'E influence in Homes.
The status of the home throughout the
world varies as the gospel of Christ hse
been incorporated with the national life of
the people. And the status Of society ir
general varies likewise 1t was said CEN
turies ago that Might makes right. An6
a great scientist evolved the theory Of tho
survival Of the fittest.' But Jesus Christ
was the first man to ennunciate the doc
trine. 'Ye who are strong should bear the
infirmities of the weak It was He who
said The meek shall inherit the earth And
touay that very thing has some to pass
Today It is not the strongest who survive
Today the so-called strongest who would
attempt to overrun the weak would not be
considered by any means the fltest' To-
day Christian races provide hospitals asy-
lums, fresh air funds and every conceiv-
able kind Of help for the weak. Christian
nations give $15O,OOOOO0 annually TO bear
the infirmities of the weak Savage ma
tions are infidels stick othe doctrine Of
the survival of the fittest and are frutal-
lied by their very adherence to It.
ut is Christ who raised the nations to
what they are. Not one great movement
to political liberty in the last 1900 years
that has not been inspired by the gospel.
Think of the sturdy Scotch Covenanters,
with their big fists, big noses and big
hearts fighting all day and praying all
night; think OF the mighty soldiery OF GUS
tavus Adolphus of Sweden praying before
entering battle here in America think of
the Puritans. the Quakers. the Hugenots
and the other stern, sturdy. religious people.
The classic Adams himself is on record as
saying the colonists would never have won
the revolution had it not been for the
preaching Of the iron men who occupied the
pulpts in that day.
Lawmakers Acknowledge Debt.
Take the two great lawmakers of this
country, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas
Jefferson. The first said he got his ideas
Of government from the Presbyterian
church; the second acknowledged himself
indebted TO the Baptist church for his
While savage nations exist in their idol
itry and while infidels scott and sneer and
make no move of any sort to bettering the
race the people Of Christ are marching on.
, This is a beautiful church, but Christians
, in the United States erect church every
hour of every day"
A fellowship service was held in the aft
ernoon. w. A. DeBord presiding. The
Omaha pastors spoke words of commenda-
tion. Rev DR.. L. o. Baird brought the
} greetings of the Omaha Ministerial union
p and the pastor responded.
3 The evening was devoted TO a praise serv-
ice at which the work OF the large aud ex-
cellently trained choir was especially ap-
e parent DR.. Sweeney preached the sermon
ll also in the evening