Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-05-20

forms of violation of their churchly
codes as the most dreadful of sins.
Similarly, they emphasize conformity
to definite regulations as the sum Of
righteousness. Now II the New Tes-
lament makes anything clear 1t is
that the Gospel of Jesus Is not cata-
logue of detailed practices, but new
spirit of life. Christ is not barrier,
but door. He Is not limitation,
but way. Whose follows Him close.
ly cannot walk man-made paths but
finds himself led out into newness nf
liberty and breadth of horizon AMI
largeness of soul.
A study of the present-day Oriental
Christian church reveals a surprising
number of Occidentalisms that have
crept into our church life, and with
which the Oriental Is inclined to dis
pense. We put the converts from
heathendom under serious handicap
by trying to make them conform 70
our western order Thus we have
church steeples in China, Northern
Presbyterians in South China,-where
they have the haziest notions of
America at all, and know nothing
about the unfortunate division be-
tween north and south In many such
ways we have been inclined to per-
petuate the provincialisms of our
western churches in these alien lands.
We are of the school of Judaizing
Christians who feel that the Gentle
believer must conform to the whole
law of Moses.
Champions of Liberty.
There Is milk-andwater type of
Christianity which decries contro-
versy. Lacking spine and spirit, it
would manifest only in supine affabil-
ity and in gelatinous submission to all
opposition That kind Of religion Is
not learned from the New Testament.
There is no scriptural warrant for con-
ceiving Of Christians as sugar. The
Bible bids them be salt, and salt bites
and stfngs. The Founder of Chris
tianity was master controversialist.
His apostles followed in his train
That is altogether false concep-
ton of liberality which would sur
render without contest the dearest
convictions and heritages of life. We
owe most Of what we possess Of liber-
ty and tolerance and intellectual life
to the stout spirits who dared to do
battle for the truth. Let us not now
decry them. Paul and Barnabas met
the narrowing separatism of the Phar-
isaical sect Of Jerusalem Christians
with a fiinty front. They championed
freedom in Antioch itself, and then
made the three hundred mile journey
to Jerusalem to continue the debate
in the council of the apostles and
elders. This first great heresy of the
infant church was fought out in the
presence of the whole church, and the
day was won for broad-guage con-
ception of the Kingdom of Christ
Working by the Way.
Fighting is always bad when it
causes men to quit work. Christian
controversy is good when it inspires
men to activity. The trouble with
most differences Of opinion in church
circles is that persons become so busy
about disputation that they forget to
do the first works. The example Of
the early church is worth studying
here Paul and Barnabas were fight
ing like good soldiers for what they
believed to be the pure teaching of
Jesus. Withal they kept to their first
L I'LL AiIloSll luCy WCiC
conveyed on their way, by the church,
after the delightful Oriental fashion,
which SO beautifully personifies fell
lowship; and as they went they con-
tinued preaching.
We cannot imagine Paul and Barn
abas, like modern men with griev
ance, button-holing everybody they
met with story of their side of the
quarrel They had better news to
tell So they brought Joy to all the
brethren along the way as they re-
ported the conversion of the Gentiles
and the triumphs of the Gospel.
When they got into the assembly at
Jerusalem, the sparks did not begin to
fly. The first discussion was not Of
the controverted points at issue. Aft
er the salutations of peace and the
fraternal greetings, Paul and Barna-
bas "rehearsed all things that God
had done with them" The story of
the Gospels triumphs is better worth
telling than any factional plea of argn-
ment. We need have no fear for
Christian debates if they are preced-
ed by a common rejoicing over the
progress of the Kingdom Let the
church get together on the broad plat
form of world evangelization, and 1t
will not fall very far apart on any
points Of doctrine or policy.
A Great Debate.
He Is a fortunate man who has
heard a great ecclesiastical debate,
conducted on high plane by master
minds. Several such l treasure as
memories, but I would give them all
to have heard an hour Of that mighty
disputation before the first council at
Jerusalem. What orators there were
Paul and Barnabas and Peter and
James. Luke charitably refrains
from mentioning the names of the ad-
vocates Of narrow-gauge gospel.
They seem to have been utterly ami
hilated in the discussion. After their
first presentation of their case, we
hear nothing from them.
The debate went all one way, prov.
ed by the teaching Of experience, and
proved by the very Old Testament tt
self The Jerusalem church put it
self squarely on record in favor of a
world-embracing Gospel. The mar
rowness of Judaism was given a death
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