The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-04-02
AMONG THE CHURCHES
Items Of Interest Cleaned from Pull
pit and Sanctuary.
At Central M. E.

The beautiful spring day of Sun
day brought out a large audience at
the Central M. +. church and many
notable townspeople were seen in the
congregation After the anthem by
the choir and vocal solo my Re-
dcemer" by Mr. Claire ID. Gordon,
DR.. Eugene Allen preached strong
and VICIOUS discourse, which was
given the undivided attention OF an
interested audience.
The theme of the sermon was Soul
Conflict" with the text from st. Mat
thew II, II. And from the days Of
John the Baptist until now the King
dom of Heaven suffereth violence
and the violent take it by force.
I The sermon was in fact an analysis
of conditions existing today and a
pointing OUT OF resultant relations.
The activities appear like clashes
but In effect they are harmonious
striving for the unifying OF Christian
effort. Christianity is made to en-
dure stress and conflict and the King
dom comes by violence. Everything
in this age is on the move. Religion
included. The world tends toward
higher spirituality. The Kingdom of
Heaven is a universal, not a narrow
partisan thing. But in this age of
broadening analysis a careful dis
tinction is necessary between the Cos
pei and the ethics of Christ, but al
ways in the sense of their correlation.
A man must be ethical to be a Chris
tian, but that is only the foundation
of his development. Each age pre-
sents it's graphing point and the fight
continues. The conflict may be of a
personal nature, but in being personal
1t becomes national in scope. The
hope of our land lies In the Christian
life of the country and the adaptable
Iity of Christianity to circumstances.
4 At the close of the sermon an APP.
lportunity was given for the people
to identify themselves with the Home
! Department of the Sunday school.
This comprises those who are for any
reason deprived of attending the reg.
ular session of the Sunday school,a
! yet are willing to study the lesson
= at home. This introduces a system
attic bible study among people who
might otherwise be deprived of it.
: About sixty people indicated a choice
in this direction and this brings the
total number now up to over 100.
No meeting of the Epworth Leogue
was held on account of the union ser.
vice of the Young Peoples Union at
the United Presbyterian church.
The evening service at 1880 was
greeted by another large congregation
! which overlooked into the Sunday
school room. The choir rendered an
attractive anthem and DIR. Allen spoke
S on the subject of THE Sin of Vain
j. Thinking" taking his text from Jer
emiah ALA. 1t was, in all, strong
t appeal to an error which is perhaps
2 common among people. Idle thinking
:, or vain thoughts which do no good
and achieve no purpose in life. A
life of higher ideals was plainly
: pointed out and the people were urg
; ed to devote their time and their lives
: to some high and noble purpose.
Presbyterian Church.
Rev. McFerran took for his morn
ing theme the text Eye believe in
God, believe also in me- He lait
5 down the broad principle that almost
: all men believe IN God, yet mans sim
5 pie belief in God does not seem to be
all that man needs. Ancient peoples
l. believed in God, and offered up theil
5 own children as sacrifice to God
n This horrible and revolving practice
e was displaced in the times of Moses
/. by offering up the lower animals in
d stead of human beings. Yes, mer
believed in God, and put their fellow
u men through all manner of tortures
# eyen burned them at the stake The
t Puritans believed in God, yet witch
5 craft was punished by death. Jesu!
h Christ said: I'VE believe in God, be
II lieve also in Me-" The believing ir
|. Jesus Christ, the doing of the thing.
!. that He did, the feeding the needy
healing the sick, lifting up the faller
, one,-this is the one additional thing
: needed to the belief in God
God has, as it were. numanizeC
|, Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ. /
!, men really believe in Jesus Christ
. they will do the things that Chris
), did, This is the burden of Rev. Nc
!, Ferrans efforts at all times, that oul
religion shall be practical; that il
, does not consist in the observance o
!, forms, the following out of ritual
/, but rather in the doing good, the
showing of the milk of human kind
ness to otr fellow men.
The evening sermon was founded
: on the 73d Pslam. Large congrega
= tions attended both the morning ant
evening services.
ERE
Christian Church.
ii nh rf hn "A Il