The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-23
In THE RELIGIOUS WORLD
What the Church Folk Are Thinking About and
Doing. Religious News From
Elsewhere
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON. CHILDREN'S TOPIC

| n made the two parties simply mel
and h
When DOdie Invaded New York.
A careful reading Of this narratiV,
shows that the missionary movement
Of the Christians made a general i'm
preston upon both Jerusalem and Sa-
maria. Possibly. it may be Iikened tt
John Alexander Dowie's invasion O
New York a few ears ago by hi:
Restoration Host" Then Dowieisn
was the most talked of topic of tn
day. 1t created a sensation. SO dit
the Christian movement n Samaria
There is justification in this New Tes
lament history for the modern method
OF city religious campaigns. The pres
eht tendency to do things in the large
n to create a general cOmmotion il
a community, is good Christian strate
gy.
Up in Samaria people straightwa,
believed. An Immediate impression
was made, with direct results. It il
Christianity, that whenever the Gospe
story is told, there things happen
Even n telling to a pagan has beer
known to win him to allegiance t
Christ. Usually, of course, successful
evangelism is also educational anC
cumulative. Always, though, it mus
be Fundamentally what went to Sa
naria-the repetition of the story O
| the Life.
\ star Eclipscd.
Deacon Philip found up IN Samaris
one Simon, a sorcerer, who was quite
the vogue; or, as u present colo.
qLialism has it, he was "an the rage
There was abroad at the time a gen
eral expectation of a coming Messiah
These people satisfied themselves will
a lesser one, in the person of Simon
They were not discerning enough tt
perceive that Simon invalidated hi.
high claims by the very fact that h,
1aaded himself. He was a forerunne,
OF the modern evangelist who employ
press agents to fill the Will
tales of his own greatness. Discree
men and women wisely enough lool
askance at the preacher with a per
sonal press agent A worthy bearel
OF the Message aliases himself, bu
nXa1ts his News and his Saviour. H
cries with Paul, Not 1, but Christ
When Philip am working wonders
Simon gave up. He knew he wa:
eclipsed. SO he. joined the populal
movement. No one understood better
than he the g~enuineneSS Of Philips
work. The unthinking crowd Nigh
compare his achievements with Phil
ip's, but he himself realized which
was true n which was false. Presi
dent G.. Stanley Hall recently said il
q magazine article hat the genuine
ness of the claims of all psychic me.
dinmS must be tested by men who arr
familiar with all the arts of sleigh
of hand, and with the tricks Of thu
professions Of clairvoyance. Presiden
Hall himself possesses this knowledge
and he declares that this is the eaSoI
why he has not been Impressed or con.
WINGED by much that moves other men
From this standpoint, the value O
Simon's testimony to the miracle:
49,. 81 ~, IDl;lf,, iC 1O,Li -:~x~; g
can't. Simon was SO deeply convinced
as to give intellectual assent to Phil.
fps propaganda.
Religion Not For Sale.
The Jerusalem leaders had gone
down to Samaria to aid Philip in his
new propaganda. The strong were
Interested IN, the weak. The apostles
We're not so engroSsed in the Jerusa-
lem parish that they lost their vision
or sense of responsibility for the whole
cause. We look in vain for any mar
row parochialism in hat early church
Peter and john went to Samaria anG
: laid their hands upon the new beliey-
ers, who then received h Holy Spirit
Simon saw this performance. HI
had the business mans intuitiVe dis.
cernment of g. distant dollar. Perceiv-
ing. the profit that could be mad o.
this gift of laying on of hands for the
importation Of the wonderful Spirit
he coveted the anne power. He was
an example of the not unfamiliar type
Of the man who ever has his eye oper
for the main chance. So. awaiting
a convenient opportunity. he sought
an interview with Peter and John, anC
offered them money if they woulc
teach him this gift.
Peters answer, as rendered in the
Twentieth Century New Testament, in.
dicates that there is sometimes. jnstifi-
| cation for very strong speech: TAKE
your money to pefdition with YOU
eter exclaimed The occasion justl-
fed the language: 1t was a grea'
wickedness that Simon the %sorcere
attempted; and equally great, as 7
1rears IT'S head in our modern church
| life. Whoever attempts to inject mer-
| cenarY methods into spiritual religion