The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-10-09

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The duty of the church Of America
10 the foreigners is most insistent
because it is her largest duty. At
home they are fast out-numbering
The native born in not a few local.
tiles. Abroad they are unnumbered.
T.e foreign duty Of American Chris
.ianity is largest because, there
fore, it is most numerous.
The Christians, influential and
considerable. though they are, COM
prise a minority Of the religious peo-
pie Of the world. A massive horde
Of Mohammedans and Buddhists,
Confucianists and followers of a hun
bred sects, have yet to learn the
beauty Of the unrestricted truth Of
God as it is revealed to men, and to
us, in Jesus Christ. The Jews, here
and abroad, are a burden on our
souls. The followers Of philosophers
ind priests and sages over all the
Earth are our special field to whom
N the providence and under the d.
.ection of the living Christ we must
ieclare the glory Of the L true God
and the saving value of His gospel.
We shall sub-divide our duty to
the foreigners, as Christians and as
heathens, at home and abroad.
God has sent to our midst a null
titude of Christian foreigners, men
who know Christ, men who yearn to
understand Him MORE. To these and
to the Christian brethren of other
lands the church Of America has a
duty to fulfill And that duty is
both inspirational and educational.
The church in America - both
Catholic and Protestant-in spite Of
shortcomings and in spite Of her
apparent Sins-is the fairest flower
of the universal church of Christ.
Nowhere else is there more open
mindedness and less Of self-compla-
cency. To be sure, we may find
much of intellectual arrogance, Of
spiritual narrowness, but taking it
by and large the church in America,
in all it's branches, Is the freest and
most vigorous production Of Chris
tian experience, endeavor and Of
Christian fervor that the world has
seen. The duty of that church,
standing as it does at the zenith OF
religious progress, is to be an inspir.
alton to the Christian churches Of
the earth. Since the days of Christ
the world has not seen the time
when to be an inspiration to hu-
mainly was a more glorious occupa-
ton or when the role of prophetic
leader was more divine.
Seldom has there been an epoch
reader to respond to the call of in
spired leadership than is ours. Rare
ly has inspiration been more neces-
sary or more certain to enter into
its reward. And the church abroad
needs the uplift of the example OF the
church at home as much as any
foreign institution in the world. The
Greek church is anything but a credit
to Christianity. The church of Rome
in the United States is the salt that
savors Catholicism whenever the
mass is said or sung. Much Of Euro
pean Professionalism needs a Luther.
The duty of the American Church of
Christ is to inspire the multitudes
that are rushing westward to our
shores to enthuse the soul OF the
church abroad by such an example of
fidelity to Christ and of obedience to
His spirit as shall make them all to
feel and to know that the enduring
truth of God is still %invincible, that
the power of the personality Of the
risen Jesus is still supreme.
The duty of the church of Amer
lea is likewise educational. 1t is
not enough to inspire. 1t is not
enough to enthuse. 1t is not enough
to kindle the fine flame of religious
devotion. We must give inspiration,
wisdom. We must. direct enthu-
siasm. We must guard the fame Of
devotion and control it's fire. Inspir-
alton run riot spells fanaticism. En-
thusiasm without direction may in
vite excess. The unmatched flames
may cause a religious conf1agration.
And nowhere is undirected or mis-
directed enthusiasm and fervor more
dangerous than in matters religious.
The pages Of authentic history reek
with the record of the crimes Of re-
ligious arrogancy and Of ill-directed
spiritual exaltation. Many a CHASTITY
deed has been done in the name Of
the Prince of Peace. Many an in
tellectual and spiritual Stiffness has
been propounded and propagated by
unbridled zeal. The church in Amer
lea, fragrant with the sanity and Wis
ion of the Saviour, ought to give
direction and education to the aims
and efforts of the church abroad.
AS with the church abroad, so
with the Christian foreigners who are
our n%eighbors. To eradicate false
notions and to supply e ideals; to
purge the foreign mind of all that is
less than noblest and to saffuse it
with vitalizing and superb wisdom;
to take the raw material Of other
nations and to fashion it into sub
lime temples for the abode of the
Spirit of God, is the opportunity and
duty of the church at home.
Not otherwise is the duty Of the
church at home to the heather who
are here and in the corners of the
earth. The civilization that is most
modern is co-terminous with the pro-
sress and the influence Of Christian
ity.
Modern civilization as we under
stand that term is the product Of
Christian lands and Of the genius
of Christian peoples. To the heather
both at home and abroad modern
civilization and Christianity are SYN
opymous. To him the folloWhI of