Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-08-12
EARLY
EXTINCTION Of
CHURCHES
FAMOUS PREACHER TAKES
GLOOMY VIEW OF FUTURE

OUt DtCilllt III WGtiipEl SIilp
and Influence Due 10 Wrong
Methods,
Especial correspondence Morning. Journnii
New York. Aug For John y.
Rockefeller TO attack the conduct OF
the OH business or for John D. Jr, To
expatlate on uselessness Of Bible
CLASSES would be hardly more surpris-
ing than Tor the pastor of the ultra
conservative Rockefeller church Rev.
Charles +. Aked. 70 eritieise Chris
tiuHlty aa practiced IN the churches Of
today and Ca assert thai the churches
Themselves are doomed 10 extinction
unless tn, present course of events
changes Yet this Is exactly what has
happened and instead Of fepcuting his
raNhucsa the man Who has the dis.
tinetion of being religious pe%rceptor TO
the richest man IN the world proposes
10 follow ~ his FIRST attack which hp-
pears Ia Appletan's magazine by a
series or articles 70 continue for "a
year of more ia which he viii ten
other uncomfortable truths about the
failurc Of The churches and the need
81 Il decided change Ia their spirit and
methods il they would avoid being
completely wipe out by the attack OF
dry rot from which they are suffer
ms.
u didn't want to do IT, said Or.
Akpd when asked az 10 his reasons
for attacking the methods of existing
organizations for religious WORK and
thus laying himself open to the
charge of undertaking" the churches
81 have been more or less a storm
center ever since / entered the min
istry and / mad planned for quiet aud
rest. Besides It occurred to me b a
u might be- felt that my Amerieanism
was Of too recent an origin 20 eutltie
me 20 the ole IF critic. But-and the
gaze Of tho famous Fifth aVeuue
preacher wandered out of his study
window which Uvoriuols the EteenerS
and the giimmering AXE of Central
park from the top of a big apartment
hotcl-hut the word had 10 he spoken
and the opportunity to speak it In It
way that would reach q host of think
fftE NntN anu 0fIilAth AiAfif Af'Aaf 80
country came to me, ana So ! am try
ing to perform the task that seems
10 me absolutely necessary to ia" sal
wilton of Christianity" tie swept the
air with "a wide gesture indicating the
extent OF tho Hold 20 he covered n
paused Go see " he was undorstood.
The pause gave nm opportunity to
study this man who has startled the
religious conservatives out of their
comfortably somnolence on more than
one occasion since he came over from
England 20 take charge of the Flith
avenue Baptist chureh-thc church
which b. celebrated the country over
bv reason OF It's Rockefeller connec-
ton. through tht fact that John y h
lts most prominent member and some
times passes the plate OF a sunday
morning. aud that John y Jr,
nizod and conducts It's famous nibio
class. Or Aked as "A quiet, studious
individual "a lover Of books n a
thinker OF thoughts. rather thar a
mnn OF determined action. But when
he begins to speak the squarouess of
law reveals Itself more prominently
the nrm lips curve away from the well
set teeth aud the keen gray eyes hold
one with the tcnsity of their expires
elon. A. he moves about the slender
figure reveals the W,il-knit proper
tiona Of the man of athletic habit
There ia "a dynamic force behind the
u%ttcranccs that makes them strike
home. There Is something Roosevelt
ian about tho set aud action ut the
Jaw as IL cuts of the words u is
easy 20 understand his casual men
tion Of the fact that he has been "a
storm center during his pulpit
career Though q preacher ct the
gospel 81 reaes Dr Aktd IS a man of
rtrenuous thought and with the cour
arr Of his convictions aa is shown hN
hI ministerial record
"rne question ~ the d%vcreasiug
membership and waning influence of
ttIIfiuu-t h, churches is not "a de
-uuuIuatiouaf question continued ~
Ak,i "It is NOT q national question
It i- Il question aa Wide no. Christian
lty itself conditions in America are
broadly speaking thr same ss iu Eng
lsnI ana boo England as Doe tho rest of
Europe ,,u r,, 40, difference iu
tH.. country since ] FIRST visited thr
United states uno,u years q tn"
aane.r Be- NOT frum direct attack ou
u.Ie.nu The denltl OF belief that is
tr.I.u hH. spent it~ forrr What tbt
churches have fu fear la "a more 100
aIII.u. isur,r. indifference, The man
in tH. street slts D. church D.
II.. number Be- fryls that hr can
d. without Be-. o. sou ssE him whether
t. u.fiet.a bee EHi. iu the existence uf
au infinite power superior tu man the
chance. ar. That ha win SAY e but
,H.sf|.ur at dogma distinctions or
..." |t not Interest hIm and h, ro-
f.-. FL. concern himself tbrut thsm
OH. hss mad. uI aI. mind that Dol can
r.f along without r.Iiriau-that Be- re
..H 1s BE- haas been t2pouudst Co.
m Bot that ia.. aHf mean ute,
riV chat BE- Dr. .r|r,HFIHua
90 seems D. me that thir iutff,r
s.rr is more pronounced iu America
tHat iu England just as orthodoxy is
more strictly defined and more uu-
, siding over here And where ther,
o. Indifference 90 the church can
f.rm no other conclusion than that
iia church Itself o. Co blame Yet the
81 religion never has been great
Iu any age or country than ln this
lntry and in the day Ne live in
churches exist and preachers are
maintained 20 remind men and ma