The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-02-22
DR, JONES ON
SENsATIONAL|SM
New Methodist Minister Not
a Believer in Sidesh0W
Religious Work.

|
odist church, declared himself opposed
| to anything savoring of sensationalism
| in church work in the sermon delivered
| by him in his pulpit yesterday morning,
sermon in which he enumerated the
principles of the Methodist church. In
his opinion the work of the church is
| reached high plane prior to the estab-
| lishment of Christianity; the mission
| of the church is not to interest and
amuse, because in competition with
| worldly institutions the church has lit
tie to offer along these lines, while the
experience has been that when sensa
tionaism is employed to attract, the
church has lost in efficiency more than
it has gained in attendance.
1t is not the mission of the church, he
said, to NEEDLE in civic affairs nor take
time to work for civic reforms or en-
forcement of reform laws, but the
work of the church should be ''to help
Jesus save the world.
DR.. Jones took as his text Isaiah
52:10-''All the ends of the earth shall
''The word church is an ambiguous
term. 1t may refer to one of several
4 things. 1t may have reference to a
building set apart and consecrated for
\
Christian worship; or to a body of be
levers, worshiping in one place, under
the same minister, or with the same
form of worship, or distinct section
or division of of Christians under
l'certain form. Thus we speak of the
Greek, the Latin, the Roman Catholic,
the Presbyterian, the Congregational
ist, and the Methodist churches; or the
/ ord church may have reference to
the whole body of Christians collec-
lively. In our discussion of this theme
We shall notice the Christian church
in general and the Methodist Episco-
pal church in particular.
"The mission of the church is not
to educate, if we limit that term to
the cultivation of purely the intellec-
tual nature. For it is evident that
previous to the formation of the
Christian church., man had attained a
high degree of intellectual culture.
Epic and dramatic poets had thrilled
the hearts of the people with their
classic productions. Homer, Aeschylus,
Sophocles and Euripides, to whom the
scholastic world turns today with
keenest interest, lived, flourished and
gained renown before the Son of God
appeared on earth to preach his mar
velous, poetic sermon delivered on the
mount. Praxiteles and Phidias, with
1 mallet and chisel, had carved out some
| of the most perfect statues, so perfect
| that they seemed to breathe; Scion
| had formulated his wonderful system
| of laws; Socrates and Plato and Arts
totle had studied the phenomenon of
| life, and evolved systems of instrae-
| ton that have excited the keenest in.
terest of the most profound students
: of modern times; Demosthenes had
: achieved fame as an orator In his eff
forts to arouse the Athenians against
King Phillip and won for oratory y
place in the curriculum of college and
university in all subsequent time; al
these wonderful intellectual achieve
ments had been wrought before the
fishermen and common people who ac
cepted Christ as their personal Savior
had been commissioned to 90 int
all the world and make disciples of al
nations. In spite of our wonderful
| strides in science, philosophy, art ant
literature, the ancients surpassed US il
many things For example, there i
not glass-maker today but would Civ
all he possesses for the secret under
stood by the ancients of making a non
brittle glass; there is not painte
but longs for the secret of the fadeles
color of the ancient Italian schools
not a sculptor but would be fattere
if he were told his works reminded on
of Phidias; not a poet but would
delighted if he could incorporate int
his lines some of the music of Home
Most of the bright Irish sayings of OF
modern wit columns can be found
y the writings of the Greeks, and OF
m children play games that were playe
- by the children of the Egyptians 400
= and 5000 years ago Thus we see tn;
b the Christian church was not needle
b TO educate mankind, neither was it d
signed for that purpose, although
may greatly stimulate a desire for g
intellectual education, and has great
benefited the world by founding al
maintaining educational institutions
cit is not the mission of the chur,
to entertain and amuse people. 1t
d impossible for the church cope wi
y the world in affording amuseme
~ for people. The world resorts
- means to excite and infatuate men tn
would be beneath the dignity of +