Times-promoter., 1908-09-18
SOME OF THE MISTAKES
Of the Laymen's Missionary Movement
at Chattanooga.

only about 100000 who are communi
cants of any church. From this mum
Der We will deduct 10000, 900 Catholics
which will leave less than 100000,
Protestants. As Protestant and /:
Methodist, am constrained to ask my
self the question, why have We MOI
accomplished morei"
l turn to our Bible to learn if l car
get there any light on the subject.
find that Christ's command was to begir
at Jerusalem and TO carry the gospe
to the uttermost parts of the earth
which means, first, Home Missions, and
then Foreign Missions.
Then, in what manner are we to
spread this gospel? Should we adopt
every means used by our Savior or
shall we use just such parts as would
seem most expedient to us? l am per-
suaded and fully believe that our Savior
lived life here, the example of which,
if we but follow in our effort to evan
gelize the world, will draw the great
masses of mankind unto Him.
The four gospels tell us much of the
life and character of our Savior, but
st. Matthew, in one verse, goes right
to the very core of his life when hs
| says, And Jesus went about all Cali
lee, teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the Kingdom and
healing all manner of sickness and all
manner of disease among the people,"
Let us divide this verse into two para
graphs. In the first, we. have teaching
and preaching, and in the second, he is
performing philanthropic work.
AS church we have been doing the
teaching and the preaching, but we have
not been doing enough philanthropic
work. We have but one weapon with
which to bring the world to Christ, and
that weapon is Love, and it should be
used for all it is worth.
Orphanages, hospitals and rescue mis-
sions stand for practical religion. We
are our brothers keeper, and we must
demonstrate to him that Jesus loves
him and that we love him. If we look
for great results we must practice what
we teach and preach.
When our Laymen's Conference at
Chattanooga last April turned down the
resolution offered for building a Metho-
dist hospital in each of the leading
cities of our Southland, by refusing to
recommend an appropriation for same,
they made a most deplorable mistake.
The Roman Catholic Church saw the
wisdom of philanthropic work, and
belted the earth with their hospitals
and orphanages centuries ago, and it
has done more than anything else to |
promote the influence and popularity of
that church today.
Statistics show that financially the |
M. Z. Church, South, is the strongest
religious denomination in the South.
Then why should we sit idle and let
Others not so strong pave out the way
for us?
am at loss to understand why our
General Conference, or our Laymen's
Conference, the great majority of whom
will agree with me on this proposition,
will continue to turn it down when
brought before them.
AS business proposition, we cannot
extend foreign missions at the cost of
home missions.
We have six hospitals in the foreign
fields and onl y one at home. If we
would do great things in foreign fields
we must have live spiritual church at
nome.
There is great following in our
,hurch who will not entrust their money
to us to send abroad until we demon
strate more at home.
Teaching and preaching alone are not
enough to bring the world to Christ
Our bodies are the temples of Gods
Holy Spirit, and ON account of the dis
,ased conditions of these bodies they are
calling for help.
Our great Church, which is Christ's
representative on earth, is not properly
leeding these cries, but like the Pharisee
If old, on his way from Jerusalem to
Jericho, passes by the sufferer.
l would not say do less for foreign
but more for home missions.
f our General Board of Missions has
he right to establish and maintain hos
oitals in foreign fields, why have they
lot the right to do the same at home?
$ it possible they can not see the neces-
ity for it? Or is it that they are
Waiting for the great body of the church
0 rise up and request it of them?
call attention to two of our hospi-
ais in the foreign fields. The one at
donterey, Mexico, treated last year
bout 10000 patients, and financially
las more than sustained itself.
The one at Soochow, China, treated
O,000, and is self-sustaining. These in !