The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-01-08
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WILMINGTON, n. r
TUESDAY, JUNUARY ,o,
IL IflS ooh Ls3NITYp

by request we puUI n tho fo1louipo
article from the New York Sun on me
conditions of CHI A~e4ia,i+v o,d the
MANNER i" "hl'h The Christian work
VI 'ne tnuicne 4 is conducted in the
city OF New \ .ealk. We know nothing
ABOUT the a fairs of the churches of
'haC citS' &e know little about them
s0nel"hS throughout the whole coun-
try' out We cannot bring ourself to be-
4re'e Rat the structures of Rev. DR..
1h"'i Rn c. Peters are applicable 70
INC generality of churches or of Chris
u al denominations throughout the land
Acre he correct in his position on this
Euestion the churches and the Chris
tian religion would long ago have
lost all their influence for good, in
stead of it's increasing daily. The
New York Sun has this to say Of Mr.
Peters movement to use a theatre in
stead Of a church as the place for hold
ing religious services:
The Rev. DIR. Madison c.. Peters
preached his farewell sermon last
evening as pastor Of the Epiphany
Baptist church. Next Sunday morningI
he will begin his peoples meetings7l
in The Majestic Theater, and become,1
as he puts it, q minister for all Who'll
may nee0 his services, regardless of
race or creed, instead Of a ~privatel
cha plain. DIR. Peters said:
Every one who knows the ernpti-l
ness of the peWs in nearly all the Pro-
testants churches in New York knowsI
that SO far as ProteStants are conf
EprnpG. Npu- Workers. have sod tnl
be a church-goins people. The faiiurel
of the church to reach the people isl
not only a numerical failure-numbersI
90 not always represent power and in-I
fluence--but It is d ailur Of quality
as we'll as quantity; by far the vast
majority of the people of this ethyl
never enter a Protestant church ex-
cept possibly, to attend a funeral orr
witness q wedding.
Among those outside of theI
churches are a class of men and VOL
men who type and embody the higherI
forces which are working for good orI
evil in American society. The uni
churcheQ masses are not antagonistict
to religion, and they often set a good
example to professors themselves.
. Some years ago at a great labor meet
ing in Cooper Union the name Of thel
church was Kissed, while that of Jesus!
was cheered. ei
The religious world outside of thel
ISCoSitIZfS GIHS ldCl lIht the!
traditions of the church and the teach-l
1ngs of Jesus are not in unison. Bel
yOnd the mere Superfices, Christianity
has not as Yet been taught in thel
churches. and therefore it cannot bel
truthfuily said that Christianity in Newt
York is a failure, because it has neVerI
been given a fair trial. Ch~riStianity,l
in its last analysis is a social ideal;l
Jesus seldom spoke about the church,
but he spoke constantly of the king
dom: the object of His mission was
not so much to assure us of a Sweet
by-and-5y'' as to establish a decent
nOW-and-noW
Il am not leaving the church; ami
simply seeking to accomplish the mis-I
sion of Jesus. and l believe, as coIdi-i
tions exist in New York today, l canl
do SO better outside a church buildingl
than in one. In the theater I havel
leased there Will be a common meet:ngI
ground for all the people irrespectivel
of poverty or riches.
In the church the preacher is ex-i
pected to conserve the heritage of thei
past: l eliev the preacher should bel
a prophet. not a parrot, and should
contribute, both with pen and voice,l
TO the molding of the future. Chris
tianity is animated by a social spirit ,
but it is a fact of history that thet
churches for full 1900 years as al
whole have been the allies of theI ,
classes.
Il believe. with Carroll d. Wright
that the adoption Of the philosophy Of I
the religion of Christ as a PRACTICAL ,
creed will be the surest and speediesti
solution of the difficulties which ex-l
cite the minds of men. :
"A enter upon my new work becauSel
I long for "A freedom which no man can|
ENJOY in a pulpit where Il few men payI c
ms salary and practically dictate what
ne snail! say. The pulpit of America,l
with mere and there a notable cxcep-i
Iion. Is a ward castle. / will bel \
Tree II independent, and with nv penl :
and platform work ! can! if necessarv.l -
preach for the love of it. j.
y emphaucally say that there will "
never oe in any pulpit a free ~expres-I I
sion Of honest opinion as long as the| I.
cOnScienceS Of the preachers are heidi :"
in bondage and thraldom by lheI s
80 +,