The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-04-15
Whv Churches Sometimes Are Failures
Johns Episcopal Church Yesterday Morning
By the Rector Rev. p X. Edwards
What is that to thee. follow thou

What is that to thee, follow thou
me-
Churches ought to drop their harsh
criticisms of others and go ahead do
inc faithfully the work which God has
given them to do, cooperating as fan
as they can without compromising
vital principles, leaving the Judgment
of one another TO God himself
church full of narrowness and
sectarian pride is never house oil
prayer.
Some times churches are failures as
houses of prayer because the members
use their religion as Il cloak for then
wickedness and the church as Il means
to further their evil aims. perhaps
after the manner described by Judge
Beast and the Jungle" But such cases
are few and far between.
Some times again churches suffer be
cause their members have Il tendency
to make them religious clubs to min.
lister to their aesthetic tastes and re
lioiolls emotions. instead of trying to
make them institutions for making
men and women drawer and better. in
stitutions for spreading the kingdom
of God among men. Churches where
there is no missionary spirit. where
there is the atmosphere of cold, eN-
elusive selfshness are never houses OF
prayer.
The most fruitful cause of the fail
IRE of churches TO he houses OF prayer
is that they often become purely
money making institutions. Their litt
is one continual round OF fairs ant
suppers. of entertainments and various
schemes for making money, so that
the spirit OF commercialsm drives ont
the spirit of prayer.
| do not mean to say that churches
should never give suppers and fairs
Those activities to Il certain extent
have their place in parish life. The
working together 1T such things bring
people closer to one another. But i
is shameful diseraceful. that churches
should depend for their support os
such things.
When St Paul was writing TO thu
Corinthians about church work he die
not say Let the women's guild oiv'
Il fancy work sale and Il supper" nor
let the young people give an enter
tainment OF singing and dancing
Neither did he say, Go to the mer
chants even if they are not mem
hers Of Your church and hold them up
they want yom trade, they won't re
fuse" But he said. Upon the frs
dav of the week let every one OF yoi
lay by him in store as God hatl
prospered him" He meant that ever.
church member should regularly pla1
to give Il certain amount according +
his income. to the cause of Chris;
That is the apostolic way OF support
ing and carrying on church work.
If our church members would onl
learn to do that. to make even II l.ttl
sacrifice for Christ every week, tn
problem of church finances would dis
d appear anu the cliUIclitS Nbilu
saved all this resorting to undignifie
and religion destroying ways OF get
ting money.
We little realize what an etfec
these things have on the churches lif'
especially in regard to their standin
in the community.
have had it impressed rattle
strongly upon my mind several time
of late. have been working a
advertising scheme fol raising som
extra money for the church 1t is I'll
first time ever tried anything {
thai kind and it is the last In sci
ING space | talked frankly with SON
of the merchants about this subieC
and | was surprised at the extent
which they are literally held up by IL
churches. Every merchant is expecte
. apparently to help support not onl
his own church but also every clnrc
in town. They come with one schen
after another for separating him fro
lit lc money. He wants their traC
and GOOD will and so he falls a vi
tim. 1t is n regular hOldup gam
) Sometimes such men lose respect fl
, the churches That ought to be sto