The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-10-08
NO CHURCH FOR JESUS

Answering the question, "What
church would Jesus join if he were in
New York;" the Rev. Charles A. Eat.
on told his congregation at the Madi.
son Avenue Baptist church. Madison
avenue, and Thirty-third street, that
he did not believe that Jesus would
join any. He said in part:
eff Jesus came here to New York,
which church would he join? I'm
afraid some of the churches wouIdn t
let him in. He wouldn't be orthodox,
and he would be sure to be too broad.
He might prefer going out % a street
corner and talking to 4 rewsbuy or
bartender or pickpOcneJ - speak
| ing from the pulpit of one of our fine
edifices. He'd be a most difficult
member to get along with in any
church, for he'd be too unconvention-
al
eve have elevated our rituals 20 a
place of first Importance. Even in
] the Baptist church, which is supposed
to be the freest, hymn misplaced
creates quite flutier. l do not he
lieve, if Jesus came to New York,
that he would care to join any Of cur
churches. He would say My church
consists of all,'"
While recognizing the Iarrowness
of some and the bigotry Of others, we
have no doubt but that Jesus, were
he to make his second appearance
upon the earth, would applaud all
churches, because he would know
that the men and women directing
them are only mortals, and are not
expected to be either saints or an
gels. However mistaken they are
along certain lines, he would know
that they are all conscientiously ell.
deavoring to follow in his footsteps,
and to that extent they would receive
his benediction.
And how about those outside the
pale of the churches?
We believe that he would apply the
same rule to those as to others. We
believe that he would apply to their
lives the same square and compass.
that he would have no favorites and
would show nc Partially. If those
outside the churches recognized the
'Fatherhood of God and the Brother
hood of Man." and carried their be-
lief into their daily living-if they
heard the cry of distress; if they fed
the hungry; if they clothed the poor;
if they neither cheated nor defraud-
ed. if they lent their name and in
fiuence to the upbuilding of the world
along better lines-we do not believe
that he would condemn them because
their names could not be found ON a
church roll, or because they stood
aloof and took no part in the discus
sion of sprinkling or immersion.
When he came to the case of Lo-
gan, the poor Indian chieftain, who
made this announcement: Il appeal
to any white man to say if he ever
entered Logan's cabin hungry and he
gave him not meat; if ever he came
cold and naked, and he clothed him
not" whatever Logan believed along
other lines Jesus would say to him:
Enter thou into the joys of thy
Lord"
We believe that he would sympa-
thize with Joaquin Miller when he
says: 81 belong to every sect. l SYM
pathize with all superstitions and
creeds, because there is really but
one religion-the seeming differences
are only a matter of definitions evolv-
ed by certain temperaments. l wor-
ship Joss, Jehovah, Jove, Jesus, Mary
the Blessed, Mahomet. A name is a
sound, a puff of air, but behind the
epiglotis, the eustachian tube, the
palate, the tongue and the roof Of the
mouth, is a thought sympathiZe
with that thought, even with error,
because error is the pathway to
truth, so error is a phase of truth"
Whose hearts are clean, whose con-
sciences are clear, we do not believe
will be condemned for no. believing
things thar they could not cOmprc-
bend, or for not seeing thilgs that
were invisible to them, bu5 in the
great procession they will be found
somewhere in the front ranGs along
SiI,, of pOoG Rem Adhem
Mr. Calvert Smith. who has been