The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-11-05
Comments on Some Objectionable
Methods Of the EvangeIiStS

fore they did IL that these very criti-
cisms would be made against them.
The merchants must have realized that
many Of the people upon whom they
i depend for a living would resent the
interference OF the business men.
/ Though they realized these things
the merchants protested and, to The
Silent Partners way of thinking, this
proves their exceptional courage.
Intelligent men and women by
thousands, nay men and women within
the very fold of the churches, have
secretly deplored the holding of re-
f, vival meetings, but have not dared to
lift their voices against them.
The revival meeting as it is con-
Quoted by Billy Sunday, Reuben A.
Torrey and other professional reviv-
/ alists, is disgrace to our modern CIV
4 ilization.
Billy Sunday and others may hon
estly believe that they are doing a
work that is pleasing to God and that
is important to their fellowmen. In
other words, we are not interested
now in the motive that leads men to
become professional revivalists and we
do not question the sincerity of those
who, as heads OF churches, are instru-
mental in arranging the big revivals
But we may and do question the
intelligence of those supposed leaders
of their fellow men, who can believe
that anything good can follow the
emotional debauch that they cali a re-
vival.
In Cleveland few years ago The
Silent Partner was an observer of a
very successful" Torrey- Alexander
crusade against the world, the flesh
and the devil. The meetings were ar
ranged for by an energetic group of
ministers in the city, Yet though there
OF the whole number of evangelical
mlisters in the city. Yet though there
were dozens of clergymen who dues-
toned the propriety and probable
profit Of the meetings, there were NOT
more than one or two who had the
courage to. say so, and the courage to
refuse to lend apparent approval hv
their presence on the platform.
And among those energetic preach
ers who started the whole thing there
were many who would not have dared
&c preach from their own pulpits the
doctrines OF an everlasting and fiery
hell and of an implacable Diety that
were preached by the professional re-
vivalist.
Here is the point. A revival il suc-
cessful In the proportion that the re-
Vivalist is able to dethrone the reason
OF his audience and substitute for the
time being an emotional lag. THE
most powerful emotion, and the noost
removed from the influence OF reason
IS the emotion Of fear. So that il iust
the one that the professional reyivaIlst |
arouses, and to arouse it to it's utmost
he picks out the most terrible thing
the mind OF man has ever conceived
the eternal wrath Of God.
Nobody has ever known Of a sue- |
cessful revival that was brought about |
by simply preaching the gentle Christ |
and His Golden Rule. Nobody ever
saw q revival in which the awful Je- |
hovah OF the ancient Jews was not the
chief subject, and In which Jesus. the |
lover Of man, was not entirely inciden-
tai IL He were mentioned at all
Intelligent ministers of the gosneI |
have questioned repeatedly whether or |
not revivaIs did not do more harm
than good by bringing into the
churches a class OF weak need ana
weak minded people who promptly be- /
come baeksliders.
II has become proverbial that q very
large part OF revivalist audiences are
people who periodically get religion
and periodically get over IL.
Only very few weeks after the
Torrey meetings In Cleveland. IL he /
gan to be whispered about that OF the
hundreds or people who had been an
parently directed safely into the fold.
the few that remained steadfast were
50 ridtculously small that 1t set peo-
pie VINO had been enthusiastic about
the revival to asking whether or not
the price paid was not entirely wasted.
Mankind has struggled for ages to
attain d religion that would be ac-
ceptable to all men, and the utmost
efforts OF the church today are being
devoted to the task of satisfying
reasoning men and women. Rational
Ism has compelled the church to mod
ify Its theology This Is only another
way OF saying that the most intelligent
part Of mankind has brought the less