Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-02-15

ed on some sort of new and liberalistic
faith and creedless humanitarianism
The editor of Harper's Weekly has fall
en- into this mistake, than which there
could not be a greater blunder. This
increment is orthodox to the core and
thoroughly evangelical in its spirit
Indeed, it would be difficult to conceive
or how liberalism could by any posi-
Dility supply an adequate motive for
missionary effort. Why should 1t car
ry to heather nations a Bible which IL
desecrates? Why should it proclaim in
pagan lands a Christ whose divinity IL
oenies, and whose atonement 1t re-
jects? If Jesus is no more than a
great teacher or a great martyr, the
heather nations may prefer teachers
and martyrs whom they think have
greater claims upon their reverence.
Liberalism denies that mankind needs
much of a salvation or much OF a Saw
iour, but this great missionary move
ment proceeds on the conviction that
the supreme need of the race is the
salvation which is IN Jesus Christ the
Lord. Liberalism has never revived
religion in a single community nor
turned so much as one small tribe
from worshipping dumb idols to serving
the living God; but this missionary
campaign proposes to evangelize the
world in this generation. For such a
mighty task liberalism has neither heart
nor power. One might as well propose
to irrigate the African desert with a
perfume spray from a dandy's dress
ing table as to propose to evangeiize
the earth with the atomizing processes
and dainty doings of liberalism. The
nn
conviction that the truth of Christian
ity is so absolutely certain and def
mite that there is no room in the whole
world for it and any rival religion; but
the central dogma of liberalism is that
anything may be true, which is tanta-
mount to affirming that everything
may be false.
No. no,-liberalism is too pulpy to bear
exporting. 1t can not stand shipping. IL
is too far-gone to be transported even In
it's own refrigerators. 1t is utterly unlike
this great missionary movement in botE
favour and substance.
The modern missionary movement
which is receiving such an impetus from
the rising up of the laymen to its sup
port will have as great and as benign an
effect upon our own land and people as
1t will have upon the pagan nations to
which the missionaries go with the gospel.
1t will lift the horizon and widen tho
vision of men 1t has been often observed
that a woman who becomes profoundly
interested in the work of foreign missions
loses all taste for the inanities of what
Is commonly called Society" A similar
result may be expected among the men
who have enlisted I'm this cause. A man
can not be a trifler in club-houses and
lighthouses once he gets vision Of a
world living in darkness which Jesus came
to save.
One of the great needs of our country
has been a cause big enough to engage
the vast resources and enlist the amazing
energies of the nation. They can not build
pyramids nor construct hanging-gardens
for pining princess. Nothing less than the
redemption OF the whole world Is great
enough work for the stupendous forces
of the Christian nations OF the present
day. In the unprecedented accumulations
OF these opulent peoples God seems to
have been storing up a commissary equal
to the needs of the sacramento army
which is to achieve the conquest of the
earth for Christ their King.