The morning journal-courier., 1908-03-30

urdingly, l would point out to you
 ne injustice of confusing socialism
 ith such other doctrines as com-
 lunism, or anarcnism. Communism
 leans equality of possessions. Social
 Sm does not mean that: it means only
 equality of opportunity, something
 quite different. Anarchy and social
 ism, instead of being alike as many
 suppose, are exactly opposite. The
 TWO doctrines stand at the zenith and
 nadir or political economy. The daily
 press IS largely responsible for these
 urfent misconceptions in regard to
 socialism. If We could exchange some
 If the heat engendered by discussion
 cf this subJect--if we could exchange
 some of the heat for light, great gain
 would result. 1 venture the opinion
 that those who have given least inves-
 tigation to the subject of socialism are
 often those who most bitterly oppose
 1t. In talking with such people one is
 reminded of the incident of the man
 who inquired of a friend concerning
 another man-"Does he know any,
 thing Know anything" was the
 answer, "he does not even suspect
 anything"
 The single thought that I am en-
 deaVorlng to bring out as preparatory
 to my comparison of Christianity and
 socialism is the thought that each
 may be mistaken in its attitude tow
 ards the other, that it is quite possi-
 ble there is no inherent antagonism
 between the two systems The stor-
 ies often told of socialists hissing the
 mention of the church but applaud
 ing the name of Christ Is at least sug- 1 gestive of this-there was a recogni-
 tion that Jesus stood for ideals that
 were not alien to their purposes. This
 is why have taken for my subject
 Socialism and the Religion of Jesus.
 As Leasing pointed out it may be nec- i essary to draw distinction between our organized Christianity and the religion of Jesus. It may be neces- l sary to call the church of this age back to it's ancient ideals, compel 1t
 to review the teachings of the Master
 Ministers of the gospel should not hastily commit themselves against so- cialism because they have encountered attack from that quarter. Socialists should not conclude that all the forces of organized religion are against them because some churches seem indiffer- ent, even antagonstic, to their aims. There should be a sincere endeavor to go back of all misconceptions and misrepresentation to that which is fundamental in both the Christian and socialist movements. This brings us straight up to the application of our text for the evening
 The time is fulfilled" said Jesus, and the kingdom of God Is at hand. According to the best scholarship of the New Testament Jesus certainly preached a new social order that would displace the old. It is no long CT possible to believe that when He used the phrase Kingdom of heaven and Kingdom of God he was think ing of the next world, or thinking wholly of an internal state of charac- ter He was thinking, primarily, of certain things he had read in the old prophets. We say that the word 'so- clalism" came into use near the mid de of the last century; that the move ment toward socialism is compara- lively modern. The first Is true; the second is not Socialism Is an old movement in history We go back to Christ and we find 1t in the New Tes- lament; we go back as far again and We find it in the old Testament. Read the prophets and you will see how there grew up the ideal of the king dom of God on earth. These prophets stood for certain definite way of looking at things socially Out of this sense of God they formulated the doctrine of the brotherhood mot of the race. perhaps, but Of a large brotherhood at least. Jesus took up their doctrines and gave them univer- sal application. God was the father not alone of the Jews, but of all men Accordingly, all men were brothers. He went everywhere preaching the Kingdom of heaven. Liberty equality 1 fraternity-the realities back of these words throbbed In the message of Jesus. 1 believe the world has never known another such emphasis upon the great truth that all the forces of righteousness are working together towards the establishment upon earth | of a social order that shall be indeed a kingdom of heaven.
 And now we come to something 1 that seems to me the hinge of this l whole discussion, II Is found in those | last words of the text The time Is ! fulfilled" said Jesus. and the king dom of God is at hand" Here was i the incisive statement of a new social | ideal, You may say that His ideal | did not correspond with modern su- cialism, or you may say that it did. I | care not My thought lies in another | direction. It Is brought out In these | said The time is fulfilled and the | kingdom of God is at hand He goes | on to say. Repent ye, and believe | the gospel" To hold up the ideal is one thing, but the practical question is | By what road are we to climb towards ! it? By what method are we to | achieve it? Jesus says. by the road ' of individual character. by every man | repenting that is, turning about. | walking the other way. Jesus great | secret was simply this. the only hope | for just and equitable order is to he i found in the character of the individ- | ual. It seems to me of immense sig nificance that he put these two things | together-the social ideal and indirid- | al righteousness. Unquestionably the | dream of Jesus passed beyond the | saved individual to the saved state. But while he kept his eye on the .