Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-06-02
CHURCH. AND Politics.

III Utah anti-"NIormon' agitators'
have protested a holy horror of Church
members taking an interest in the aft
fairs of the community IN which they
live. Any utterance in public or pri-
waite by prominent Church members
or officials is branded as Church in
tarference in politics.. And SO per-
sistently has the cry against such q In y.
reference rent the air that many
,imid souls have been frightened to
vote for office hunters and grafters, so
as to be sure OF no Church interior.
fence. .39
4 1T is interesting. therefore. to read
what the Northwestern Christian Adj
tvocate thinks of church interference.
in politics. In its issue of May rs, that.
paper says:
80 long as citizens arc in the pelv
you cannot keep politics out Of the pull
pit. Interested persons and parties
may argue to the contrary; they may.
even cry aloud piously for the pulpit
to restrict itself to the simple gospel
but under the very charter Of the Eos-
pei they pretend to exalt. church
promote the welfare of the community
In which 1t is placed is fragrant and
outrageously recreant to the fifth. Good
citizenship is not to be identified with
partisan politics. though partisan poll
|,ticians are not above ignoring such a
distinction. Good citizenship is not inr
terested in lGt. san politics as such; II
Is interests ~ as partisan politics
make for 81 INST sound social COR
ditions in Immunity. Good citi-5
zenship IS u a to the work of max
ing clean / easier and Ill living
more difficult Il every member OF the
community. In which work good clti-
zenship and the gospel are interchange
able terms. A pastor. as the normal
and natural leader Of his people, has no
choice in the matter 1t Is part of his
commission from which he cannot be
released. In this day and generation,
when the Church has Just come to Il
renewed sense Of its social obligations,
fora pastor or Church member to
interpret the gospel, in terms OF per-
sonal privilege, is simply to read the
gospel out of the respect of decent
people and make it a byword among
r all classes of workers who seek earnest
~ the redemption of the world.
Speaking particularly of the duty of
the pastor TO the community in which
ne lives. the Advocate says:
"a Church should count 1t al honor
when the pastor is recognized by the
community as tho helper of every good
cause and the alert and unsparing
antagonist of every bad cause. Such
leadership should be a challenge toEthe
loyal and hearty support of every lover
OF God whether member of the
Church or not. To hold aloof because
it, DAN tyF al
With disa gresable conditions, especially
to hold aloot for material and sordid
gain, is the one unforgivable, because
irremediable, crime against the Church.
There is not the slightest virtue in APP
pearnE to be Mortified at the holy
man of God, soiiing himself in the.
dirty pool of politics That pool is
dirty because it is stagnant 1t needs
heroic treatment 10 bring its foul and
hidden depths to the cleansing OF light
and cir. Like the pool at Bethesda
there is healing only in tho troubled
waters. And the pastor must be the
angel of the troubling
The Advocate points out that the
Church exists for the purpose of bring
ing the kingdom OF God among men;
that il, must meet opposition with op-
position: that when II meets with in
nuendo,4lying, browbeating. backbiting,
Islander, deceit, tTeachery and murder.
1t has imperative need for the exercise
of the rougher virtues The article
closes as. follows:
The real policy of the community
IS the Church not the city constabulary.
Every saloon and every vile resort is a
challenge to the police power of the
f Church, a church whirf1=fails az ft,{sE