Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-01
WHAT'S HCHURCH
Question Answered by Rev. Nathaniel
McGiffin, D. d.
CHIEF FAULT LACK OF HERO1sM
Prehchers Want Courage, Enterprise,
ProEressivenesS-Laymen Tend
Toward D%isIoyaIty to
Christ's Principles.

Woo unto them who are at ease in Zion
Amos 6:1.
on that passage as a text Rev, Nathaniel
McGiffin. ID, D., pastor OF Lowe Avenue
Presbyterian church, Fortieth and Nicholas
streets. preached Sunday the first OF a
series Of three sermons on the general
subject of the church and It's mission. His
subject yesterday was What is the Matter
With the Preachers and LaymenP"
What is the church," asked the
preacher. '"The church is the child OF God
and the bride of Christ. The church Is the
organized army of the Lord for combating
the forces Of sin. for presenting to the
world the truths of salvation.
And what is the matter with the church?
Nothing. Nothing is the matter with the
child Of God and the bride Of Christ. 1t
is all right and the word of God is all
right; there's nothing the matter with It.
1t is the living gospel Of a living Saviour,
not a dead one. The matter is not with
the church, but its agencies. And who
are It's agencies? You and me. The lay
men and the preachers.
What's of the PreachersF
VIVA is the matter with the preachers7
Too many Of us lack the courage Of our
convictions. We are too tlmid to preach
the gospel as we know it ought to be
preached and too ready to say the soft.
nice thing when the hard. sharp word is
needed. We preachers need organization
and too many of us lack progressiveness
and business enterprise. 1 mean prog
ressiveness in church management, for the
policy of a church comes back after all
very much to its pastor. 1 would just as
soon preach to myself as to you. 1 know
l often come short of the glory of God and
l want to turn the searchlight OF criticism
into my own heart and find out what is
the matter with me-. This is an honest.
looking -into-the-heart criticism, not a
scolding.
What is the matter with the laymen?
The text answers that; they are too easy
In Zion. And that is the answer to the
whole question. What is the, matter with
the church?' After all It is too comfort
able. The church is taking things too easy,
too well satisfied to poke along in the
old, indifferent way and not reach out and
do things.
The real matter with the layman is his
tendency toward disloyalty to the prfn-
ciples Of Christian living and the ideals Of
the church."
Then DR.. McGiffin suggested that some
forms of public amusements might have
something to do with the laymen's indiffer-
ence toward the church.
If So, Dismiss 1t.
1T is not necessary for me to name these
forms of public amusements; you can do
that for yourself" he said. But j want
to urge you that If any of these things is
standing between you and your duty In
the church dismiss this thing from your
life."
He then spoke of the "debasing in
fluence'' of some theaters and declared
that 1t was time for parents to inquire into
this question Of public amusement and to see
for themselves IL IL was deterring the moral
and spiritual development Of their chill
dren. He named no theaters or plays, but
denounced the example and Influence Of
those that displayed immoral limitations to
the public, young and old, as one serious
drawback and hindrance to any work of
progressive reform.
There is another thing that Is the
matter with church. 1t is too lax in
matters of finance. Its people don't give
to the management Of the church that
keen sagacious interest and ability they
give to their private business. Therefore
the church suffers from u~ndignity before
the world because of this laxity.
But after all what the church., pulpit
and pew, lacks most of all today is
heroism, the spirit that will make it dare
to do big things, dare to stand out In the
open and give Christ a militant church TO
carry and preach his militant gospel TO
every creature"
Next Sunday DR.. McGiffin will a as
his topic, what is the Matter With the
People Outside the Church? ?"