The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-01-26
INTHE RELIGIOUS WORLD
What the Church Folk Are Thinking About and
Doing. Religious News From
Elsewhere
SUNDAYS SCHOOL LESSON. CHIIDRENS TOPIC
LESSON. CHILDREN'S TOPIC

knovIedge of them. that they had
been with Jesus" That IS a phrase
often heard in prayer meetings why
yelled ana they took knowledge or
pater and John? Because of Their
badness, 1t was when they beheld
the bo!dness OF Peter and john, ana
had perceived that they were I'M
learned and ignorant men, they mar
yelled andthey took knowledge OF
them hat they had been with Jesus
Those words "unlearned and ignorant
men might be freely and correctly
INTERPRETED. 'u~nordained laymen-
the noint is that these men were not
trained rabbis, but plain men from
Lyitbout he schools. 1t still remains
true that when the unprofessional
disciple of Christ, the layman who is
now coming into a place OF power,
stands 10 to utter a clear note of testl-
monv. the world stops and listens.
The boldness of the disciples is q
characteristic of his book. 1t may
he called the mark of the Lord Jesus.
Neither the Sanhcdrin nor the world
since would take knowledge of weak
kneed disciples that they have been
with Jesus. \ trait of those close 10
| Christ IS their utter IearlessneSS IN
| vitness-bearing. 1t still confounds
| opposition, even as it did in the case
! OF the SdlllltNI IA. 1OoIt - 49,
prisoners. and the presence OF the
healed man, brought the persecution
to a standstill. The Sanhedrin made
/ overtures for a compromise, but Peter
and John would not capitulate. They
demanded freedom without conditions.
To the request that they keep silence
when freed. the answer promptly
came, whether it is right in the sight
of God to hearken unto you rather
than unto God, judge ye; for We can
not but speak the things which we
saw. and heard" Isn't that an ut
terance to put iron into the blood OF
every timorous immortal?
The Present Need
According to this narrative, the first
, recorded prayer of the Christian
! Church was a prayer of bOldness il
; bearing witness. Hard on the heels
of the petition is written the answer
And when they had prayed. the place
: was shaken wherein they were gath,
, cred together; and they were al
filled with the Holy Spirit, and the!
spake the word of God with boldness.
; That still is the greatest need of thu
Christian Church today. She doe:
not speak up with boldncss concern
l ing the things which she cherishe.
t most dearly. The cry of the hour j
IOl d NllIICSStIiS tlluItll. w ny /
{ Christian sentiment overridden in pub
j lie life? Because the Christian com
munity does not speak cut boldly con
corning its convictions. Why is tn,
majestic march of the Kingdom o
| Heaven not recorded in the publ,
press? Simply because the member
of that Kingdom do not assert thei
desire and their right, If the ordi
nary Christian We're to get a grasp o
| the truth that it is his duty to bea
witness against whatever IN publ
print or public life initiates agains
righteousness, and in behalf of al
things true and whole, there would b.
at once transformed Christian senti
meEt.
There is ominOuS significance in tn,
fact that just now the one city in tn
United States which has perhaps
larger religious constituency than an
other city in the States is in the throe
OF an investigation of shameful graf
conditions. Why is it that corrup
politicians and corrupt business me,
Jointly rule so many States and com
munities? Does il mean that tn
apostolic power of protest and wit
n~ess-bearinG has gone from tn
church? can it be that. 50 far from
gong to jail for their faith, moderI
CHRISTIANS viii not even go TO the baI
lot box, or to the letter box, or to tn.
pubIlc meeting of protest? AssuredIv
there is no hope for the real clearing
up OF any community. eXcept through
such a militant Righteousness as was
displayed by Peter and John before
the vested interests of their day ano
/ time