The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-10-06
PLYMOUTH PASTOR IN INTER-
ESTING ADDRESS SAYS THAT
CHRISTIANITY WILL CON-
QUER THE WORLD.
However, if Christianity is Going to
Lift Men, She Must First Gre
ate World for That
Life.


1--WE are injured to the spirit OF
progress. All thought and sentiments
concerning 1t are common place. We
have grown tired making time upon
it, until we have been carried so far
we have lost its prospective.
1--WE awaken ever and anon with a
shock as we discover to what unpar.
alleled heights we have gone and over
what distances we have come. Men
tell us that our civilization has reach
ed the world level, that its history re-
cords the conquest of nations and
races, but that now ii stands before
the open field of the world.
eve stop to take our bearings and
find that we have advanced to the
place where history registers two
great civilizations. One is oriental
the other occidental. One has been
marching towards the setting sun and
now lays claim to the dawn of anoth-
er day and the coming in of a new
era. One is progressive, active, ac-
similative, and destructive; the other
is old passive, degenerate and effete.
One comes with an irresistible i'm
pact upon the other producing a stu
alton which has never appeared in
the history of the world.
"When we examine the current
which sweeps us on we find every
reason 10 believe that the world is ad-
vancing towards one great civiliza-
ton, with one great commercial life,
one common political life, one CON-
mon moral life and one common f.
nancial life.
"Indeed, the conviction is gaining
ground that the hour has struck for
a universal religion, that the advance
of humanity as a whole requires that
we move hence forth under one spirit
ual leadership in the worship OF one
God and the practice of one religion.
''This impact of the Western upon
the Eastern civilization has produced
crisis in the religious world. For
the genius of the religion of the west
is that Of universalism. It's prop
uganda has always been for ''The
God OF all the earth.'It is now face
to face with its final movement of
world conquest. 1t is under the Ill
innate inevitable of conquoring or
perishing. As Harnack declares,
From the very beginning Christian
ity came forward with a spirit of
universalism She will prevail, for
she is under this strange inevitable
she must conquer. This is strange
compulsion, but conquest has brought
her to it. No other religion for faith
and courage as she faces it. She
must conquerl Therefore she will
conquer! She has tried her power
on the individual, the family, the
city. the nation, the continents, the
races and when a civilization stands
between her and universal dominion
her genius will flush her channels of
power with the spirit of conquest.
eve believe that Christianity will
prevail as the only and final religion
because she stands for three funda-
mental doctrines which are the high
est expression of the modern mind.
(lst), The Fatherhood of One God.
(2nd), The Brotherhood of Man,
(3rd). The Saviorhood Of Jesus
Christ. These three doctrines COM
mand the respect of thinking men
and are the highest expression of
truths for this western civilization.
Christianity will work the con-
quest of the world by her doctrine of
one God.
"The Western world has come to
the place where we believe i'm one
God or none.
'In over one half of the world
one God has displaced the many.
1.-TWO thousand years ago the peo-
pies of the Western world were
divided into many little nations and
we're bowling at the affairs of gods
AS the number of the
lations has decreased the number of
heir gods has diminished. Now
with the score of nations that live
N the Western hemisphere there is
Dut one supreme God. One God has
displaced all W others.
But the displacement of the many |
~ the one finally produces a crisis.
When the many are reduced to the
'ew. when the field is cleared with
he exception of the strongest who
inter into league against the common
oe. then the final struggle is on the
|eath. There will be nOcompromises,
10 cessation of hostilities, until one
r. the other surrenders the field.
This means the world test of re-
lgion. Some of us would think that
he world test will issue in the sup
remacy of the one God, or of the
oany gods. But that is not the issue
I is to be either the one God or
one. For the world can never 90
ack to the many gods, of animistic
eathenism. The issue is really be-
xeen the supremacy of a superna-
lral religion with one God and a
eligion which is of the earth and
pn of the mind of man.
The conflictions are on. We are in
le heat of the last battle. When the