The Tupelo journal., 1910-03-04
A Religious
Movement Which
Changed History
TO EVENT in human history

s34cM as the life OF Jesus Of Naz-
Gyf areth. That a baby OF poor
w. parents, born Ia a stable
In a little village in an OBJ
scure corner of the Roman empire. Is
a token of the divine energy In what
we call Christianity. When we think
that this has been secured In spite
OF poverty, the enmity Of his con-
t~emporaries, the Indifference Of the
political powers under which he lived.
and the humble origin Of his first fol-
lowers, the wonder of the result grows.
When we also remember that this
reality has come to pass not by de-
pendence upon the forces upon which
world movements have relied, such as
arms, wealth, intellectual powers, and
social prestige. but purely through the
inherent might Of Jesus religious
ideals, the marvel reaches its maxi
mum.
To produce this result. two great en-
vironments had to be affected. Jul
daism's venerable system Of piety al
ready fixed In Journalism and legalism
had to be displaced by a religion OF
vitalities which substituted love
for law, and allowed love to use
its own forms of self-expression.
Heathenism, which was lacking in
ethical content, had to be permeated
by visions of living righteousness
which would virtually create a pure
code of morals, and lead the great
world outside of Judaism to the knowl-
edge of a hitherto unknown God who
is holy and loving.
A Superb Dream Made Real.
No citizen of the world ever had
such q dream as filed the heart of
Jesus. He saw the kingdom of Cod
that social condition of humanity in
which all men should live as ons Of
the heavenly Father, and therefore as
brothers with one another. This ideal
was to express itself, not in churches
or ecclesiastical organizations, but in
all social life. The realms of industry,
the home, the parlor, government, and
all other organizations in which man.
kind expresses its social instincts,
were to be the spheres In which this
superb dream was to be made a liv-
ing reality. So far as Jesus thought
of churches, they were to be. not
Noah's arks into which a few of the
elect we're to be brought to save them
from impending disaster, while the
rest of mankind was committed to
the food, but social energies COM
posed of those who shared his match
less dream, and who were to work
to make actual his unique vision,
every individual of them in the realms
in which he lived.
This great achievement was to be
realized, not by legislation, nor by
mechanical and political means, but
by the Transforming power of human
lives made over again SO that they
could themselves see and enter into
this kingdom. The children of the
kingdom were the good seed In the
field Of the world. No n before him
had ever dared to imagine that hui
mainly could be transformed by the
simple power of such goodness as was
due to a sincere flial relation to God.
incarnated in the lives Of men. He
rested the entire future Of his work in
the hearts of q few disciples, and be-
lieved that they. and others in sue
cessive generations, would SO live
what he himself had stood for, that
at last every human being would enter
into his kingdom. and thus his hope
should be realized.
Faith the Means Of Conquest.
No less striking is the ear upon
which he relied to accomplish this
vision. He called for simple faith in
himself. In doing SO. he leaned upon
the most commonplace, the most en-
ergizing and the most rational power
which we know. All men have conf
dence in some others, or some things.
Every man knows that faith is the
most vital thing In the world, for
nothing comes to pass unless some n
believes that it is possible. 1t is the
most rational thing that humanity
knows, for it begins with the child
on the mothers breast, and contin-
ues through all the relations Of life,
and thus has the sanction Of universal
experience to vindicate its reasonable
ness. This faith does in religion what
1t does everywhere else. First. it gives
us the vision of an ideal. 1t yields
conviction of the reality Of unseen
things. and gives substance to things
hoped for. The man of faith sees as
concrete what is only a vision. Again,
faith opens the life to all outside in
1uences that can assist 1t in realizing
this vision. To this, witness the child
In the school, and all forms Of our
communication with others, and the
whole story of education and com
merce. Faith in the realm of religion
opens mems souls to the power OF
God that pours itself through count
less channels into every heart that
has the hospitality born OF confidence.
Again. faith stirs ell energies within
us. All things are possible to him who
believes. Faith stimulates our intel
lects to devise, moves our feelings and
enthusiasm to vitalize, and stirs u
wills to act. When Jesus, therefore,
declared that his matchless vision was
to come to pass first of all In each
personal heart by faith. and then in
all social life BY faith, he made the
most daring experiment the world has
ever known. and began q miracle
which will not be completed until his
dream is fully realized.
Inspired Vision OF Jesus.
This is the secret of Jesus work.
He saw q transformed humanity in