Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-07
PROBLEM IN MISSIONS
ADDRESS BY DIR. E. M. WHERRY
OF INDIA.

1.-The Moslem Problem in Missions was
York Avenue Presbyterian Church by Rev.
DR.. E. NJ. Wherry of India, who is in this
city guest of Rev. DR.. Wallace Rad
cliffe, pastor of the New York Avenue
Church. DR.. Wherry Is regarded as an au-
thority on Mohammedanism, having writ
ten several books on the subject and stud
led 1t for the past forty years.
1.-TWO lines of Semitic descent are appar-
ent in the Scriptures he said in his ser
mon yesterday. "One is that of Isaac the
Son of Abraham by Sarah. The other Is
that of Ishmael. the son of Abraham by
Hager. They are both the heirs of promise
Gen. xvii;1-2D. Both were predestined to
be the fathers of mighty nations-the full
fl. ment of the promise to Isaac. worked out
through the Israelitish nation, of whom
was born the Messiah. a light to the Cen
tiles and the hope of Israel. eliminating in
the Christian Church, the spiritual Israel of
the world today Galatians iii:7-0.
Fulfllment of Promise.
1.-The fudillment OF the promise to Ishmael
has been developed in the histo- y of his
children, the Arab race Early in their his
tory they secured a leading influence among
the Semitic peoples descended from Alb
ralam by Keturah, the descendants of Lot
Arabian prophet Mohammed, the founder of
Islam. This religion was Mohammeds in
depreciation of the religion of Abraham
and carries with it much of the history and
tradition of that great patriarch. In reality
1t represents what we call Gentle Judaism
recognizing the claims of Jesus to be
prophet of God, and, according to him.
sinless character which belongs to no other
prophet, believing him to have been caught
up to heaven, where he is alive today. Mo-
manned lies in his tomb at Medina. Just
beside him is the empty tomb of Jesus!
''These two great religious forces, Chris
tianity and Islam, dominate the world
today. They comprehend the entire
monothesm Of the world today. Chris
tianity is the spiritual Judaism Of the Gen
tile nation, while Islam represents and COM
prises the formal and carnal Judaism of
the Gentle world.
1.-THE points Of agreement and difference
may be made apparent to the Christian by
a statement of the main points of modern
belief. Faith in one God, faith in the
prophets Of God, faith in angels as the
messengers of God. in the Book OF Divine
Revelation (the Bible and the Quran), in
the eternal DEGREES and the resurrection
and Judgment day, wherein rewards and
punishment will be bestowed according to
the deeds done in the present life The five
the rigid ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS on for faith
in God as one and in Mohammed as the
apostle of God; prayer five times day;
fasting thirty days In the month of Ramad-
han; pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a
lifetime, If able to do SO, and the giving
of aims for the support Of the poor and the
cause of religion. Islam has no way OF
salvation except that OF works-no way
pardoner Of sin; no present intercessor
with God. and therefor no restful hope OF
present salvation and reconciled
Heavenly Father. The Moslem. like the
scribes, Pharisees and hypocrites of Juda-
ism, plumes himself upon his being a
Moslem son OF Abraham. and therefor, an
heir to the heavenly paradise.
Missionary Religions.
Both Christianity and Islam are mis-
sionary religions. Christ commanded His
disciples to disciple all nations-Mohammed
commanded his followers to conquer all
nations and convert them to his religion.
THE agencies to be used by Christians
were moral and spiritual and the church of
Christ was established amid persecution
and trial and death by the early apostles
and missionaries of the cross. But the
agencies to be used by Moslems were first
the sword. Mohammed's command was
that first Of all there should be a great
slaughter. and then If the infidels should
submit themselves they might live under
Moslem protection so long as they would
pay tribute and preserve the peace.
God used Islam to punish an apostate
church and to destroy idolatry. just as the
Ishmaelites were used in the olden times to
punish apostate and idolatrous Israel
islam never came in contact with a pure
Christianity until the nineteenth century of
the tenth era. The Protestant Church has
begun q work of Moslem evangelization and
considerable good has already followed The
Bible has been translated into all modern
languages In India many Moslems have
been converted and now not less than 200
are pastors. evangelists and workers in
| connection with the Indian churches