Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1910-04-22
Sh'akeup Among
Church Members
Jhrllnae Discourse On Doctrine Of SasctlfI.
cstiea Shows tho Extent 10 Which Chris.
Hans MhoIo h Worldly Pleasure Sad
/, Spectacle Would Make Archanqels
Bssh Time to Cal a Halt.

Spectacle Would Make Archangels
Blush Time to Cal a Halt.
Among the many practical and strong
sermons delivered by the Rev. DR.. A.
Clayton Powell since becoming pastor
Of the Abyssin;an Baptist church in
West Fortieth street, New York, none
has been more practical, timely and
stirring than the one recently deliv-
cred on 1.-THE Doctrine of Sanctifca-
ton" The discourse was founded
upon Romans XII, 2, BE not conformed
to this world, but be We transformed
by the renewing Of your mind, that ye
may prove what Is that good and ac-
ccptable and perfect will Of Cod" and
/ Thessalonians iy, 8, "And this Is the
will OF God. even your sanctification."
DIR. Powell said in part:
1.-THE words 'sanctify,' 'sanctified'
and .sanctification' are derived from
the Greek word 'hagios, which means
to set apart for God The word Oc-
ours in the Bible more than 100 times.
1t is applied to animals and other
things as well as to persons, but
whether 'sanctification' Is used in ref
erence to persons or things 1t invari-
ably means set apart for God. When
applied to persons the word has two
meanings-first, personal purity IN
heart and life: second, the setting
apart of all Of our faculties and pow
ers TO the service Of God. And all Of
this implies nonconformity to the
world. Pauls exhortation Be not con-
formed to this world is very much
needed in our day. 1t is continually
affirmed and with shocking degree
Of truth that there is no difference be-
tween the majority of church members
and the nonchurch members. Go to
the public balls and you will find the
church members there dancing with
the world until a. m. A young man
said to me little while ago when
speaking of certain ball that he did
not get chance to dance because of
the Christians. Go to the card and
wine parties and you will find some of
the leading church members there con-
forming to the world. Go to the pub
lie bars and you will find the baptized
drinking with the unbaptized. Go to
the cheap playhouses where vile wom-
en- are half dressed and some scarcely
dressed at all doing the high kicking
act or other stunts that would make
The archangels blush and you will find
church members there smiling, laugh
ing and applauding, enjoying the pleas
ures Of sin for season. Go to the
buffet fats where liquor is sold In
defiance OF the law and where splen-
did young men and innocent young
women read their first lesson OF ruina-
ton from the front pages Of the black
book Of damnation and you will find
church members there, and, alas, 1t Is
said that some Of these places are run
by people with church connections.
AThe Detroit (AIich) Informer had
this to say the other day in an edi-
torial:
:. From the number Of cheap theaters
and other shows that are always well
patronized on Sunday, from the in
creasing number Of Christian church
people who give or attend public balls,
from the large number Of leading citi-
zens who simply seem to close their
eyes to crooke dness and grating In
public officials, from the scandalously
large number Of male society leaders
who publicly consort with members OF
the demimonde and the seemingly
ever increasing number Of people who
become intoxicated at social gather
iags it would indeed seem that the
great mass Of people were hell bent
in search Of questionable pleasure
'sThis editor links the sinful leaders
Of society and prominent church mem
bers together and declares that they
are hell bent and hell bound and lead
ing the masses with them. Remember
that the Informer is not a religious
paper. 1t is run to give the news and
to make money, and If the editor OF
a secular paper is crying aloud against
the sins Of the church people it Is
certainly time that the preacher Of
righteousness should lift up his voice
and spare not, even though his bread
and butter come from the class Of.
people that are here described. .S
81 am reliably Informed that at some
Of the card and wine parties given by
society leaders and prominent church
members many Of our best women sit
with their feet on chairs and smoke
cigarettes. What a spectacle! What a
defilement Of pure womanhood! What
a Dissertation Of sacred motherhood!
What a damnation Of childhood! Think
Of mother with babe hanging on her
breast and a cigarette in her mouth!
Poor little thing, born into the world
with poison In its veins and drawing
poison into its stomach! The mental,
moral and physical weaklings born OF
cigarette smoking mothers, handicap
ped and doomed at the start, is pic
ture too sickening and too awful to
contemplate. The apology for this lat
est fiendish fad among some Of our
women is that the white women on
Fifth avenue smoke cigarettes. Well,
the white people can afford to go to
hell. They have done enough for civ
flization to commit suicide and give
other races a chance. Their achieve
ments stretch back through centuries,
but we have just begun to make
small contribution to human progress