The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1908-12-10
MODERN PREACHING.

There was time In the history of
the church when 1t was considered
very undignifed or worse for min
listers to discuss practical problems
of life other than in the abstract.
They might preach of the original
sin" IL they confined themselves to
that and did not venture to touch
upon the particular sins of members
of their congregations. So strict
were the limitations set upon the pas
tor that at one time it was a subject
of common comment that shepherds
Of wealthy fiocks could speak of
covetousness and the accumulation of
riches only at the peril of their Off
eial positions. Perhaps, in some sec
tions of the country and in isolated
instances elsewhere, this condition is
yet to be found, but in the great
majority of cases the ministers of to-
day preach TO and FOR their congre-
cations and not over their heads.
This spells at least part of the word
progress" The entire word Will be
spelled when ministers get off their
coats, as some of them are doing to-
day, and spend the time that is not
required of them in the pulpit fight
ing, actively and in person, the mani
fest manifold evils of the time.
There is more than one Satan.
Since the days of Bible writing the
troublesome gentleman appears to
have married and raised a consider
able family. His influence extends
into every line of human endeavor.
He has representatives in the coat
pockets of the robe of sanctity that
many men don on the Sabbath and
put aside on the other six days of the
week. Some of these little devils
are worse than others-that is, they
do more aggregate damage-and the
propagation of the species has de-
veloped to the point where one
day plunge in the waters of moral
Of the pestiferous little chaps. One
of the needs of the hour is some very
plain talk regarding the wrongs of
the hour. Religion, to reach the
great mass of the people, must be
presented in a manner that will ap-
peal to the people. Lectures in the
abstract will not do, because the
evils are far from abstract. The sue
cessful minister must know a great
deal about the economic and social
systems and he must be sufficiently
clear-headed to see the wrongs of
those systems.
Every newspaper has many readers
who do not subscribe to any creed
some, perhaps, who repudiate all re-
ligion. But we do not believe that
the number of those who are unwilling
TO credit the church, as an abstract
proposition, with great influence for
good is material. Whether man-made
creeds are right or wrong is question
for the individual to solve, but we shall
ali be interested in seeing the church
interest itself in practical affairs of
life because we are certain from the
outset that its attitude will be right
attitude. Ministers are just beginning
&c realize their power. They are be-
ginning to come down out of the pull
pits and participate in the everyday
life of the common people. They have
been somewhat late in doing this, but
there is every reason for believing that,
once having discovered what may be
thus accomplished, they will ultimately
force the church itself into seVen-day
organization. Heretofore it has labor
ed under the same disadvantage as the
layman-its religion has been a Sab
hath affair