The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-01-18
great expense, open the doors, employ
a splendid preacher and invite com
mon ,,ncopvartod man IF tbo ,,or,-;ro

great expense, open the doors, employ
a splendid preacher and invite com
mon unconverted man of the working
class to come to church. He says:
mo, indeed; not me, that church is
too rich for my blood. All they care
for is style. They care nothing for
me- Every evidence of wealth that
he sees in the church reminds him of
some rich man he hates for apparently
just reasons
Recognized agnosticism in our state
and Independent universities threatens
the spiritual life of the churches. 1t
is reported on good authority that only
five graduates out of large class of
one of our largest universities in 1907
were protesting Christians, twenty
were avowed agnostics, twenty-five
materialists, and over forty secret
skeptics. This is something for us to
think about.
Mormonism is menace to the
church. Truly we agree on this. But
progressive polygamy made possible
by loose divorce laws of our states
Mormonism. In the middle west one
marriage out of every seven results in
a divorce and in the nation the aver
age is one out of every ten; and they
all have legal right under our state
laws to remarry contrary to Gods law.
We all know it is time to wake up on
these things.
immigration is a peril to the church.
How are we to care for the teaming
millions who land on our shores every
year? We have our hands full try
ing to christianize the young Ameri-
cans They will all the more heathen-
ize this nation ii we in some way do
not prevail upon them TO accept Jesus
Christ. The national births of Ameri-
cans are larger in number than the
actual number of spiritual births into
the kingdom of God. and to this addeo
the large number of unconverted i'm
migrants and we have a peril bis
enough to give us much concertn.
A.heistic anarchistic, socialism =
becoming more and more threatening
to the church, 1t makes war upon the
church As part of what is to them a
despised system. 1t uses the Lords
day for hosting the red flag They dc
! it secretly but it is done. They re-
fuse to fight the worst enemy of the
common people-the saloon. Blindly
/ they are making progress In one dl
] rection and just as blindly our million
/ aire senators are making progress ii
another direction. The church tina,
1 fails to get both parties converted be
4 fore they meet in deadly bloody con
I flict will have to pay a large penalty
So far as the common people are con
cerncd right hangs upon the gallows o
/ judicial red tape. while sleeping jua
| tice sits upon the throne OF politica
corruption. Frankly, some day up Ii
the air we will wake up to the fac
that we are living today over a smolo
ering social volcano.
The prevailing Indifference concer1.
4 ing religion is peril to the church
We see it's effects every day and es
pecially on Sunday How to reach tn
Indifferent who never enter churcl
is one Of our large problems.
/ We will now consider some internG
evils which threaten the church. Her
we enter upon sacred ground and pra
for a spirit OF true reverence for tn
church of Christ, while we conside
these evils.
At the head Of the LIST we are con
: PEELED to put that tremendous wore
!, Indifference. That the church Shout
be Indifferent about the salvation
souls for whom Christ died is astonisf
/ ing. But it is true that SO many c
our so-called leading churches are COZ
!, tent with fine hose OF worsh,l
| splendid equipment, artistic music, an
. scholarly minister, and then sit dow
with folded hands to be entertained
J Some church members would be frigh
, ened and call special meeting of tn
: church officials to deal with the sit
, alton il some penitent sinner woul
4 bow at the altar of prayer during som
regular service. Jesus commissions
His disciples to evangelize-"to preac
t the gospel to every creature but
the Acts of the Apostles He measure
e the progress of the church by the nur
s Der of conversions. God help us
# lose sight of scholarship, dollars ar
h ecclesiastical finery sufficiently to {
t the sane thing. 1t is well for US
d consider these words of G. Campbs
e Morgan: THE chief thought of Il
church in Sardis had been that of pc
5 ularity. of having name. There ms
s be fiourishing finances, large humble
e attending the services, varied and ev
It increasing organizations, correct G