The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-06-05
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR. CURTIS LEE LAWS.
Theme: Men i'm the Church.

bTOOhiyu, y. 1.-DT. 1uTtlS Lee
Laws, the new pastor OF the Greene
Avenue Baptist Church, Sunday night
preached special sermon TO men.
The service was held under the
auspices of the Mems League of the
church. In the course of his address
he said some very strong things. The
subject was why There Are More
Women Than Men in the Church. ="
He took no text. but at once vigorous
ly took up his theme. He said:
1t is not fact that our churches
are not reaching men in our day and
In our city. We are reaching men:
we are reaching men in large num-
bers and men from all classes of So
ciety. But IL is a fact that we are not
reaching men in the same proportion
and TO the same number as We are
reaching women. This Is fact. and
II Is a fact 10 which We cannot be in
nocently Indifferent. We must meet
the situation fairly, and il the fault
Is in the church We must remove IL.
Here are facts which no one will
dispute. Fully two-thirds OF the
church members OF our country are
women and more than two-thirds of
the people in the church congregation
are women. doubt very much IL We
have in Brooklyn a single church with
more than thirty-three per cent. OF
men In its membership. This is q
startling fact when We come 10 con-
slider II, and IL becomes more start
ling still II church membership bears
any relation TO the question OF saliva
ton. Few will claim that man must
be member of some church TO be
saved, but all will agree that the
church is the place for saved men,
and that, generally speaking, saved
men are in the church.
Why, then, is il, that with all our
equipment and zeal, we are not able
TO reach men in the same proportion
as we reach women? Why is It that
only third of our membership are
men, and that, relatively speaking,
We have so few men in our congrega-
tions? Personally / love men. | re-
joice in their society and fellowship,
and | do my best 10 interest them in
Christianity and the church, and yet,
broadly speaking, we have the same
conditions in our church that prevail
everywhere else. ! come TO the study
of this question with a great deal Of
personal interest and after great
deal Of thought
IL Is claimed by specialists who
have studied this question that the
reason why men are not attracted TO
the church in larger numbers is that
the ministry of the modern church is
not strong enough intellectually to
satisfy men OF culture and education.
This is practically the ground taken
by a writer in a famous article pub
lishe1 in one of our magazines. After
talking with hundreds of young men
the writer came 10 the conclusion that
THE modern pulpit is sluggish and
stagnant." and that young men alb
sent themselves from church simply
because the average minister is dull
and heavy and behind the times.
Are the men who do no. attend
church hrainier, more intelligent or
more cultured than the men who do
attend church? | would like to see
TIE men who do not attend church
placed upon the south side of one OF
our streets and tho men who Go at
te~t church paced upon the north
SIDE of the same street. Then | would
like 10 drive slowly along the street
between these two groups that |
night study their faces. on which
side do YOU think | would find the
brains and the culture. and the re-
Tn n9ment and the character?
Again, vnen going msn
rra.e aDout the uBirteresting preach
ers, | always feel that they are cast
iEg needless Insults into the teeth OF
tfeir mothers and daughters and
wives and sWestho carts Women read
more than men, and except aDou, 20
lltic6l ard commercial questions they
are better informed than men. Not
withstanding tn cir higher culture and
their greater refinement, the women
90 not find the sermons Of the average
preacher dull and inconsequential.
Again, it is claimed that the
churches don't seek the mel. nor well
come them TO the services as they
sloula. Now, personally, do not be-
lieve a word of this. have been for
years very closely identified with the
church life of a great city, and | have
been In close personal relations with
g.eath many o. our ministers, and |
tell YOU that the whole Christian
church is making mighty effort TO
reach the unchurched men of the city.
And wanting them as much as we do,
IL is nonsense TO talk about not well
coming them. have heard that in a
certain section OF Maine lnSTe Is
church which has out in the vestibule
a nickel-in-the-slot machine. All that
a stranger has TO do Is 10 walk in and
crop n his nickel and out from the
machine comes a hand 20 grasp his in
cordial welcome. We do not have
anything like that here. but we can
beat that in our church. for here
many stranger gets a hearty hand
grasp and goes away with his nickel
in his pocket.
tell you that men are welcome In
our churches; men, irrespective OF the
accident Of fine clothing; men. how
ever dressed and however wicked;
they are all welcome In ninp-tenths
of the churches: and what IS more,
they know quite we'll they will not
only be welcome, but that We are
praying that they may come. Let us
glance row at some OF the real rea-
sons why men 60 not come 10 our
churches and into our churches, as
their sisters do.