The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1909-09-02
NOTABLE MAGAZINE ARTICLES.
Much Needed Truths About 'For-
eign Missions as Conducted
by Modern Churches.

Magazine, political, secular publica-
ton printed by Mr. Thos. E. Watson
at Atlanta, Georgia, that we wish
could be read by every Christian in
the world. 1t began, we believe,
with the May number and has been
followed up in June and July num-
bers.
Mr.. Watson takes the strong
ground that the fundamental theory
of foreign missions as they are con-
Quoted by the modern church is alb
solutely unscriptural and unwise from
every standpoint. He points out that
they have undertaken to BUY the
conversion of the millions of heathen-
dom BY THE USE OF COLD DOL
LARS AND CENTS that rightfully
belong to our own country and it's
needs. For instance, at great cost
the churches have erected and are
erecting for the heather and free to
them, mere secular training schools,
where they are simply taught gram
mar, arithmetic, bookkeeping and
modern arts and sciences, with the
hope of thereby inducing, buying the
heather people to become Christians.
He points out that our great "FOr-
01Su Nl1SSlOn ACduSlo dCCuo1ly u1 50
us to pay for and maintain such
schools in Japan in competition with
the government schools of Japan.
That is to say, that in their efforts to
buy thee heathens of Japan to Chris
tianity, they are maintaining schools
which for splendor and furnishings
and opportunities fairly compete with
what the Japanese government can
do in this line.
The churches actually pay for the
board and clothes of many heather
children whose parents hate Christi
anity so much that they will not con-
tribute even board and clothes for
their children to go to the church
schools to learn how to read and
write, etc.
Some of these foreign mission"
schools teach Gymnastics and kim
dred things.
With a trenchant pen Mr.. Watson
contrasts this with the methods and
messages of St. Paul and the early
Church missionaries, and defies any
one to imagine Paul, or Peter, or
John teaching the heather Gymnas-
tics or any other secular matters with
the timid far-fetched hope of gaining
them to Christianity!
He declares Gas this preacher has
done for years. that no inducement
whatever ought to be held out to any
body to become a Christian except
the benefits of the Gospel itself.
What sort of Christian is man
or boy likely to make when induced
to profess Christianity by the tempt
ing offer of a "free scholarship" to
some school or other?-or by any
other mere appeal to the self-inter-
est? And yet this is the very founda-
ton principle upon which the mil
lions of money of American Chris
tians is being spent in foreign lands,
in free schools, free hospitals, free
medicines" free board and free
clothes, ETC., etc.
At the present rate of converts, and
in view of the millions of heathen-
dom, how much money is it going to
take to "convert'' heathendOm?
Now, with Mr. Watson's political
economics (wishing merely to keep
all this money at home, etc. we have
little interest But what we lament
is that millions of money is being
wasted in unscriptural efforts, which
if paid for the support of actual, fire.
baptized missionary preachers would
absolutely finish the great commission
within a year!
1t positively is not the business of