The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-09-07
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

preached today in the Academy of Mu-
sic, our largest Auditorium. the Tab
ernacle" being Of insufficient capacity.
He had a very attentive hearing.
The were many Hebrews in tie
large audience. He said in part
Coming events cast their shadows
before" Startling shadows are all
about US. A great change in the af-
fairs of men is indicated and acknowl-
edged by all thoughtful. intelligent
people. The worlds pace during the
past fifty years astonishes everybody.
New conditions meet us on every hand.
The majority of books written half
century ago along scientific lines are
considered rubbish today. Rules and
customs and theories of the past, sup
posed to be immovable and absolute.
are abandoned as worthless-in chem
istry. in manufactures. in art, in
finance and commerce. All these
changes necessitate new view of So
Cldl anu VI
the relationship of religion and the
Bible to man and his conditions, as
seen from the present viewpoint. The
business and social world have been
compelled to keep pace with the steps
Of progress, some of them gladly and
some of them reluctantly. But reli-
gionists have been placed in most
awkward position. Religion and NOR
al sense constitute the backbone and
fiber of the best progress in civiliza-
ton. The perplexity of religious
thought. and its manifest inability to
adjust itself to the changed conditions,
is working a serious disadvantage to
all disposed to look to the Almighty
for guidance in life's affairs.
The increase in worldly wisdom. the
vancement along scientific lines in ma
terial prosperity have turned many of
the worlds brightest intellects away
from God and from the Bible. Many
Of these still processing Christianity
in an outward. formal manner have
really abandoned it in favor Of a theO-
~ of "civilization." They have wan
dered from the Divine Revelation, the
Bible, into paths Of speculation-their
own and other mems. They have cogi-
tated that the reverse of the Bible
statements is the Truth-that instead
of man falling from the image Of God
into sin and death. he is rising from a
brute or monkey plane upward, grad
ually, to Divine heights. Instead of
looking for great Deliverer, Messiah.
Savior. LifeGiver, they are hoping to
be let alone by any outside influence,
that certain fancicd laws of Evolution
might help them upward and onward
to glory, honor and immortality.
The result is that religious thought
today everywhere and in all denomina-
lions is chaotic The whole of Chris
tendon has practically become Agnos-
tic-admittiug that they do not know
the Truth nor how to adjust their rea-
soning faculties to present consecra-
ton. They are in an expectant atti-
tude-seeking It. Nevertheless many
fear the light l., st it shall make mani
fest cherished errors or selfish hopes
and ambitious which must be abandon
ed. But they are still pretending tC
know many things which we and they
know that they do not know. But
daily the strain becomes more intense
Gradually everybody is recognizing
that there is q great crisis along every
line-that the people are awakening
and thinking and will no longer re
ceive their errors.
Converting the World to God.
Fifty years ago Christian people. full
of faith in the Bible which they seri
ously misunderstood and read will
sectarian spectacles Of various colors
were fully agreed that God had givel
his Church the commission to CONVEX
the whole world and to establish Mes
siahs Kingdom. when the nation
would learn war no more. but bea
their swords into plowshares and thei
spears into pruning hooks. Zealou
Christian people urged that the hea
then were going down to hell O
eternal torment at the rate of ninet
thousand every twentyfour hours
And noble men and women sacrifice,
their earthly interests for the assist
ance of the heathen-tO prevent tina
awful catastrophe. to help thwart tn
very program Of God which som
other Christian people of an earle
day had declared was predestinate
and foreordained as unalterable. Goo
was certainly attempted. We trus
that some good was accomplished. W
know that some harm was done. i
that fallacious conceptions of the cha
acter and plan of the Creator wer
promulgated amongst the heather
which have hardened and embttere
some of them.
But by and by practical peopl
sought for statistics. and now kno'
that there are twice as many heather
in the world as there were a centur
ago. Of course there are unthinkin
and unstatistical people who refus
knowledge and who are today CLAIM
ing with commendable zeal. but
reprehensible ignorance. that large col
tributions of money would enab
them to capture the whole world II
God Nevertheless. the masses 1
longer see r1n matter as they did. an