Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1908-10-14
POLITICS IN THE PULP|TS
OF GEORGIA ON SUNDAY
Rev. BaSCOm Anthony Says it is the Right Sort of
Genuine Religion
CANNOT AGREE WITH VIEWS OF REV. FRANCIS A. BROWN OF CHRIST
CHURCH. SAVANNAHDUTY TO STIR UP MEN TO Apply CHRISTIAN
PRINCIPLES TO CORRECTION OF PUBLIC EVILS

1T is important to make good
laws; it is important to make pure
states, but it is more important to make
good men and women, and the func-
ton of the church is only indirectly
to secure good laws, to make good
cities, to make good states. It's func-
ton is primarily to make good men
and women, through whom good cit
les and good states ana good laws
will be secured.
This is the specific function of the
church: Not to make new laws or
new states not to enforce the laws
that already exist. but to make good
men and women, who will abide by
and observe the existing laws and
will make good laws.
There should be no discussion of
politics in this church on Sunday.
Men will always differ in politics and
Sunday should be given them to get
away from the harrassing differences
of the political situation.
when a man goes to church and
hears discussion of politics, he is
again reminded of the very things
which harrassed him through the
week. OF course, some will agree
with the speaker, while others will
disagree, and hence the overburden-
ing differences in political opinions
arise on the day when a man should
enjoy freedom from these worries
which troubled him during the
week"
The above are extracts from a
sermon by Rev. Francis Alan Brown,
of Christ Episcopal Church, Savan-
nah, on last Sunday They repres-
ent the tenor of the address, which
was somewhat in the nature of a
general protest against the introduce
ton of political arguments in the
pulpit.
The Methodist pastors of Savannah
have been quite frequently guilty of
discussing in their pulpits questions OF
moral nature that had a distinct poll
teal bearing at the time. Rev. Bas-
com Anthony, now pastor of the
Americas Methodist Church. was
prone to this during his several
pastorates in that city, as also have
been Rev. A. NJ. Williams and the
present DIR. Ainsworth. 1t was
accordingly not inappropriate to
discuss the question raised by Rev.
Mr.. Brown with Mr.. Anthony.
Only Partly Right, Says Mr.. Anthony
Mr.. Brown is partly right and
partly wrong, as l view it, said Mr..
Anthony yesterday, after reading the
Savannah News report on the SER
mon in question 1T is true that it
is the primal duty of Che church
to make good men and woman, to
bring them spiritual utilization with
God. But it is also the duty of the
church, as we Methodists construe
duty, to lead and direct, to guide by
suggestion and influence, to bring
them to apply to the important af-
fairs of every day life the underlying
principles of their faith. We agree
with Mr. Brown that the church
should strive, not only on Sunday
but every other day in the week, to
make good men, to redeem men
from their sins and faults and lift
them to a higher plane of life, but
we maintain that the church has
fallen short of its full duty to man
and to God if it stops just there. We
believe in bringing into play the
great law of suggestion of which
one hears so much these Gays in re-
gard to physical as well as moral
health. The pulpit should and must
create in the public mind the right
kind of sentiment on public ques-
lions. on political questions which
ir,,oI,,o tho moral interests, the
moral lives, of the people. 1t is not
the business of the pulpit to discuss
the tariff, a purely economic ques-
ton. but it is the duty of the pulpit
to discuss openly, straightforwardly
manfully. without fear and regard
less as to what offense it may give,
such vital questions as prohibition,
the suppression of vice, the divorce
evil. the abuse of public trust, the
business and pleasure seeking desc
Grafton of the Sabbath. These ques-
lions are more or less mix
ed up with politics, as
things are now constituted, but
it is the duty of the ministry to
speak out boldly upon them, to de-
nounce the evils that exist and to
seek to bring the people under their
charge to a right view of their polit-
ical duty so far as the removal of
these evils is concerned.
Must Unite Against Evils
Mr.. Brown is right, but he does
not go far enough. 1t is unfortun-
,a+ plPF-