The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-04-13
Millions Of Laymen Arising in America in Great
Movement Christianize World this

menace to its very life and reproach to their
Christianity, they have suddenly aroused and un-
dertaken with amazing enthusiasm and determine
ton great world movement-the biggest possible
world movement-nothing less than the evangelical
ton OF the world IN THIS GENERA ION
When the laymen of DID, the crusaders OF the
middle ages organized for the invasion OF the Holy
Land to wrest it from the wretched rule OF heather
powers, they undertook great thing. AS they
marched sometimes more than a million strong, be-
meath the banners of the cross, the world trembled
under their tread; when their brave knights met in
desperate combat with the fanatical followers of
Mohammed the world echoed with the dreadful din
of battle though their schemes of conquest failed
these ancient crusaders made the world different
world and Influenced it's civilization as nothing else
since the time of Christ himself.
Yet great We're these crusades OF DID, this new
crusade of Christian laymen is vastly greater in
purpose and scope-greater even than the greatest
dreams OF Christian conquest OF medieval times Its
means regeneration OF countless more
people than now acknowledge Christianity; it means
transformation OF nations from center to clrcunl-
ference, and the establishment of an entirely new
order of things in vast non-Christian empires
1t is not easy to grasp the full meaning OF this
undertaking. 1t becomes bit more ineligible
when consider that there are in the world today
more than billion human beings whose lives have
not been touched by Christianity, or only remotely
There in the United States and Canada, where
the movement had its inception and Great Britain.
which has joined in it. something like 33,ooOooo
men, women and children who hold membership in
Protestant churches. OF these 35,0OO000 there
probably than 100000 adult males who
may be counted as part of the modern laymens
IL.
not more than 100000 strong. planning to
Christianize billion nonChrstian peoples IN THIS
GENERATIoN-wihn the span of their own lives
1t rests with every man of them to carry or send
the gospel to nearly two hundred benighted souls
The Magnitude of the Undertaking
g OMETHINC more of the magnitude of the under
~ taking may be gained when we consider the prog
that has been made in the past century and a
half of foreign mission work 1t took hundred years
the missionary forces OF Protestant churches to
secure their first million converts. To convert a bill
lion this rate would take hundred thousand years
But fortunately for the world, the second million OF
converts secured in twelve while in the past
two or three years they have been secured at the
rate of million every six years. And yet even at
this increased the billion nonChristians could
not converted in 5000 years. nor several times
that, for more nonChristians are born every ter
lays than are converted in a year by all the ms
sonary forces now at work
OF course the evangelizaton of the world does
it's complete conversion, but the carrying
of the gospel to every person in the world. Even
then is an almost incomprehensble task, and yet,
in spite of this it has aroused amazing enthusiasm
among aymen throughout America and in its very
short life the movement has assumed enormous
proportions
1t all began less than four years ago, when little
company OF seventy-fve men. representing many
different Protestant denominations, met in the Fifth
Avenue Presbyterian church in New York City. on
the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the
beginning of the American foreign mission move
ment They from various parts OF the coun
try in response to "A Call To Prayer; among them
we're Samuel b. Capen of Boston, for many years a
leader among laymen IN the Wofk OF the American
Board of Missons j. Campbell White, former
NJ. C. A. secretary. and others of their prominence
They met in the afternoon for prayer and informa
talk about religious work They met again in the
evening for more prayer and talk.
The burden of their discussion was the failure OF
laymen interest themselves in missions and t6
live up the opportunities for service presented te
them. Though much had been achieved in foreign
fields, the results represented the efforts OF only
small minority of church members. Not more thar
a fourth making any Offering to foreign mis-
sons worthy of the rs it not pitiable, salt
Samuel b. Capen of the situation, nineteen cen
turtles the of Christ for us to be obliged
to acknowledge that we are giving on an average