The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-11-12
rhE CHURCH or TODAY.

the Democratic party and the brewers
has recently stirred up a hornets nest
by severely criticising the churches
/ He is quoted as saying that the
churches were TOO anxious TO turn
over to the state the conduct, growth
and morals Of the State. He is also
quoted as follows:
The ministers ask why men stay
out Of the church. Why, when the
average man joins the church Of today
all he gets is a chance to help pay the
salary Of the preacher and listen TO
two sermons on Sunday, and some OF
{ them not very good The average
: church, when compared TO the old,
I fashioned church, does not possess
any more religion than most secret
societies. When the average man
Joins church Mrs. Millionaire looks at
I him and says, He cannot sit in my
pew; he does not belong to my set.
When the average woman joins
church her standing in the church de-
pends on the cut of her gown or the
style of her hat. If the church of the
living God would get back to when
every man and every woman was a
brother or a sister the churches of
this State would soon be filled with
communicates"
Now it will hardly be denied that
the modern church is not what 1t
ought to be- The church militant is
organized and directed by men; it Is
not therefore infallible. It's errors
are numerous. 1t is just what its
members make it. Unfortunately
there are no perfect men, therefore
the church is not a perfect organiza-
ton. It's short comings are manifold
1t does not always follow the golden
rule, but it is not deserving of the
structures of Gov. Marshall.
1t is favorite method of those who
do not agree with modern ideas and
modern methods to attempt compari-
sons of things as they now exist with
what they were in the good old
times" We hear much of this kind
of talk from the chronic kickers, the
dyspeptics and the pessimists. No
man has read history correctly who
will insist that the world is not better
TODAY than it was yesterday Social
W morally, mentally man has i'm
proved every day for the past i've
centuries. His institutions and organ
izations have developed and improved
with his development and progress.
The church is broader, more tolerant,
more charitable, more religious today
than it has ever been. 1t will be
better organization at the dawn of the
twenty-frst century than it is now.
If the average man who joins the
church today gets no more out OF 1t
than a chance to help pay the salary
of the preacher" it is his own fault
The church is certainly not to blame
Some men simply will not take adj
vantage of their opportunities and no
human power can force them to do so.
If a church member does not benefit
from the association with Cody men,
if he is not inspired and lifted UP
the ministrations of its min
listers. if he does not find any satisfac-
ton in the salvation of immortal
souls. if he is too little and narrow
and contracted to have any concern
except for his own affairs, the church
is certainly not at fault. There are
plenty of men and women IN
the church who have never
been able to contribute much
in material things to its support who
have found it their greatest pleasure
in life and their only consolation in
The hour of death.
It is not true that the standing OF a
woman in church depends upon the
cut of her gown There is probably
lot a church in Indiana, there is GER
.ainly not one in Tennessee where
any such rule applies Merit ana
character and conduct find their
,urest reward in the church of God.
The great leaders in church work, the
moving factors in the direction of its
yreat interests, have been men ana
from the middle classes. There
s not a church in Tennessee where
he man or woman of character, OF
of the duties and obliga-
ionse of church membership and OF
to its interests, will not
De welcomed, honored and admired
10 matter what his or her financial
standing may be. If Gov. Marshall
would go to church oftener he would
find that he and not the
church is at fault.