Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-08-08
SAVING OF YOUNG MEN
is OBJECT OF YIN 6 A
Neither Church or Reading
Room.
influence for Good is
Not Le:send by Gifts
of Non-Religious
(By OrVille r. Haryey.)

Association, on the grounds that in as
much as the Association has solicited
and secured gifts of money from non
religious men, that the Association
cannot continue to consistently main
tain its evangelistic policy
| Carried further, the implication it
throws out that because of this fact
the Association has been following the
policy of minimizing the religious
work, at the same time emphasizing
the other features, viz: educational,
social, physical, etc.
The association is not a gymna-
SUM, swimming pool, or a game
room; it is not reading table or a
library; it is not a Sunday afternoon
mems meeting or Bible class;
neither is it another church
1t is an association of young men
| Its purpose is the development in
every member of physical soundness,
mental alertness. moral health and
/ spiritual life. Its aim is the bringing
of every young man and boy in the
community within its influence It's
spirit is one where service is domi-
nant Its activities range from a
Bible class to baseball game.
Early in the life of the Young
Mems Christian Association those re-
Isponsible for its growth and conduct
recognized the imperative necessity
of establishing some standard by
which to Judge and be judged by each
Iother. Hence, at the International
convention held 1T Portland, Me, in
1869, the follq@ing resolution was
adopted:
Resolved, J'rhat as these associa-
tons bear TIE name of Christian, and
profess to/be engaged directly in the
Saviof's~ service, so it is clearly their
iNdItT to maintain the control and
management in the hands of those
lwho profess to love and publicly avow
their faith in Jesus, the Redeemer, as
Divine, and who testify their faith by
becoming and remaining members of
churches held to be evangelical.
And we hold those churches to be
evangelical which, maintaining the
Holy Scriptures to be the only infalli-
BILE rule of faith and practice, do be-
lieve in the Lord Jesus Christ (the
only begotten of the Father, King OF
Kings and Lord Of Lords, in whom
dwelleth the fulIness of the Godhead
bodily, and who was made sin for us
though knowing no sin, bearing Oul
sins in His own body on the tree), as
the only name under heaven giver
among men whereby we must be
saved from everlasting punishment
and to life eternal
Representation in all convention;
and conferences is made conditiona
upon the faithful acceptance of this
test" And it is this test which the
Ieditor Of the interior" in a recent is
sue calls upon the associations tt
abandon in favor of broader" on'
that will admit to the management
|
be orthodox and evangelical This fo1
the reasons stated in the opening.
This we hold to be without founda
ton and reason. The simple fact of ;
Christian man securing from a non
Christian man gift Of money will
which to do religious work does not
according to our process of reason
ing, make it incumbent upon tha
Christian men to repudiate his re
ligious views.
On the contrary, the gift of money
or investment in humanity, by tn
non-Christian not only evidences hfs
confidence in the cause and the MAJ
WAC thus represents it to him, but i!
an expression of the latent good tina
may be found in every man. And W,
l fu: ttermore hold that in the act Q
2 irdvcing that man to make sucE
ion-investment- do tha
man a distinct service.
We're this charge based on an.
foundation of fact there is no depart
ment Of the association activities
/ where it would be more necessary t.
minimize the distinctly evangelistiC
} policy than in the railroad and indus
trial branches of the work. On th
other aand, there IS perhaps Nd fea
tlue + tie wora there the eyangaiis
tic poi,-y comes in for greater stress
and in face of this fact al average o
thirty--ve per cent OF the running eX
penses Il these dep4l tments is regu
lariy contributed b. these same rail
roads fnd other ''sOulless" corpora
! tiOns,
If rhe'e has been auy disposition b!
any Of the associa ole to temporiZt
in the matter of distinctly evangel
ism, it is not particularly surprising
in as much as the membership il
composed of the various churche
many of whom, while not boldl,
Blasting at the Rock of Ages" a.
Howard Bolce puts it, are never rthe
less as surely undermining it by thei
selfish indifference to the vital affair
who have been lulled to sleep by tn
theological platitudes and oratorica
nothingness.
/ In reply to the current popular aca
, demic attacks on the basic tenets o
the religions of our fathers, which w
have been taught from infancy to 1olC
priceless and sacred, John Temple
t Graves, one of the most eloquent an,
progressive men the South has pro