The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-08-29
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A SERMON G%SE g
81 TFE REV. NTsg
1AW!HENDEeS0NWa
Subject: The Church at Home and the
Foreigner.

Brooklyn, N. Y.-PreachiEg on the
theme, The Church at Home and
the Foreigner" at the Irving Square
Presbyterian Church, Hamburg ave-
nue. and VERIFIED street, the Rev.
Ira WemmelI Henderson, pastor, took
as his texts Ps. 96:3, "Declare His
glory among the heather, His won
ders among all people, - and Mark
1915, Preach the gospel to every
creature" He said:
: The foreign duty Of the Church OF
Jesus Christ in America is most in
sistent. The<call to the service Of
those who are not native to the land
is mandatory. Whether we look about
us or abroad we find the foreigner
our mightiest problem and the sat
isfaction of the needs of the alien
our greatest care. From many clImes
the multitudes have herded to our
shores. Sheep they are that seek
competent shepherding. They look
to the land Of their adoption for the
best that the world holds dear. To
US they come expecting a larger Wis
ion and a larger life. Their hero
ism is magnificent. Their hope is
inspiring. Their courage should be
augmented by the power of our as
sistance.. Their faith should be JUS
titled by the character Of our leader
ship. We have men to make; the
destinies of nation to determine.
For the fate of the foreigner is the
future of America. The welfare Of
the alien is the concern Of the coun-
try.
The duty of the church of America
to 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
titles. Abroad they are unnumbered.
The foreign duty Of American Chris
tianity is largest because, there
fore, it is most numerous.
The Christians, influential and
considerable though they are, COM
prise minority of the religious peo-
pie of the world. A massive horde
of Mohammedans and Buddhists,
Confucianists and followers of hum
dred 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
souls. The followers of philosophers
and priests and sages over all the
earth are our special field to whom
In the providence and under the di-
rection of the living Christ I'VE must
declare the glory of the ore 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 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 sinsTs the faireSt flower
OF the universal church of Christ.
Nowhere else is there more open
mfndedness and less of self-compla-
ceney. To be sure, we may find
much of intellectual arrogance, of
spiritual narrowness, but taking it
in all its branches, is the freest and
most vigorous production OF Chris
tian experience, eDdeavor 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 hui
manity was a more glorious occupa-
tion 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
iy. 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 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
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
fca is likewise educational. 1t is
not enough to inspire. 1t is not
enough to enthuse. 1t is not enough
to kindle the fine fame of religious
devotion. We must give inspiration,
wisdom. We must direct enthu-
isiasm. We must guard the fame of
devotion and control it's fire. Insplr-
alton run RIOT spells fanaticism. En-
.thusiasm without direction may in
!vite excess. The unmatched flames
may cause a religious confagration.
And nowhere is undirected or mis-
directed enthusiasm and fervor moro
6oDoorouc than in matters religious.