The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-09-08
Politics In the Pulpit.

SO at the cost of the disgust of
right-thinking men"
l believe this indictment to be ner-
fectly right
A minister, as a citizen, has a per-
feet right to hold such political,
economic, or sociological views as
commend themselves to him; as a
citizen he has right to discuss his
views, but for three reasons. | af-
firm, that he has no right to air his
opinion on such subjects in his pull
pit.
Three Adverse Reasons.
The first reason is that he has
been appointed to preach the gospel.
The second is that he is taking
advantage of those who differ from
him, and have right so to do. He
knows that many persons before him
would join issue with him if they
only dared to speak their own views
in the church as freely as he has
l spoken his. He breaches with scanty
knowledge or none and with no au-
thority or commandment behind him.
! PrOpriety requires that the hearer
remain silent, no matter how illogi-
cal, how destructive Of statistical
facts and how grossly minisformed
the minister may be; and that such
grave defects as these have char
acteriZed deliverances on these sub
jects by certain ministers is noto-
riOus fact; for, because of their pull
pit statements, they have been sum-
mOned before grand juries and COM
missions and with shame and blame
! have confessed that they did not
know the things asserted, but caught
them as current rumors, though they
! spoke of them at the first as facts.
| The third reason is that the min
lister, unless he be an expert, is not
| capable of discussing these subjects.
! The average minister, if he be faith
| full to his flock, lacks the time to in
| form himself, and his immature,
dashed-Off deliverances cannot COM
| pare in value with the editorials of
a first-class newspaper, nor with the
| thOught-Out communications found
in the popular magazines of the day.
Thoughtful men detect fallacy in
the reasoning, lack of information
on the general subject, and, accord
ing to my friend at the bar associa-
ton, are "disgusted!"
The minister who persists in sub
shutting these topics for the gospel
in a little while will be asking the
question: why men do not attend
church," Why, indeed? Why should
they? They can stay at home and
read the opinions of able experts and
the views of men whose speciality in
colleges and universities is the teach
ing of these subjects.
Churches Deserted the People"
Ministers sometimes complain that
the people have deserted the church
es, when the truth is, they have de-
serted the people, they have deserted
them at points in their souls and
characters where their need is the
sorest; and of some ministers a soul
longing for the gospel, It's peace, its
inspiration and comfort, might truly
say, as Mary did, They have taken
away my Lord, and l know not
where they have laid Him"
There is talk in the world of the
church losing it's hold on the people;
much of this charge is false, but if it
be at all true is not the ministry to
be blamed for Transforming the pull
pit into forum where everything is
expounded except the very thing for
which they were called? 1t is not
that the people have deserted the
church, but that the church has de-
serted the people.
All such questions as l have al
luded to the world hears six days
out of the seven, and the ministry
is to be blamed if it shall lose its
opportunity on the seventh day to
try to help men bear their burdens,
to comfort them in their sorrows, to
point them to a Savior who can pluck
the sting from an accusing con-
science. Then as to the minister's
announcing his theories in the pull
pit and coming down into the practi-
cal operation of politics; of this what
shall I say? / cannot say that such
condition does not exist. 1t does.
1t was once confined to one section
of our country. We, in the south,
were happily free of it. The 'po-
litical parson" we knew of, but we
did not know him He was an I'M
known quantity so far as / know in
Virginia, certainly in Richmond.
How this city in the old days was
blessed! Prominent among the Pres
byterians were Plummer, Moore,
Preston, Read and Hoge. Among
the Baptists were Jeter and Burrows;