Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-05-04
a4th CONFERENCE or THE
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
CONTINUED from Page Three.o

ligion! So theology IS upoi 'no
matte trend. becoming less metaphysi
cal and more practical as uie wo'iu
draws nearer to the Christ. heceh.is "a
clerical friend speaking of hilnseii saiu,
IT have no theology: preach pfae'iea .
sermons." Now i have theology ye.
I trust that | preach practical seri,ons
but nv theology is practicai .n y.
ANY theology that is not WI 49,,
TO me meaningless CHRIST 'n.os.
was intensely practical, wroueh. ii'o
every fibre of his life ana eApieSeeu
in every relation of his actlNi'ies'
IN ,,nes sens, there is nothing ne" III
theology. The modern thought IS ne"
only in it's wide acceptance ana III
creasine apulication to the problems Oh
present dav life. This involves a new
religious evaluation, cio.e' 81 ,
nrochenent between Religion anu
sociology. 1t may be that 'he IN ,1'ia"
ethic needs reinterpretatloh. 'ne Chii'
tan renunciatory virtues-sei- denial
sacrifice, humility, meekness' sen
abasement-are good ideals 10 urge up
on the rich and the strong ana the
a arrogant and the proud; they are
rather gratuitous when applied to the
noverty-stricken and the timid and the
down trodden and the oppressed.
do not mean that there is one gos-
mel for the rich and another for the
poor: but that the application OF the
gospel must take some account OF
social differences and varying IN
diyidual needs. So also it must read
lust itself to the ever developing and
expanding life of the world. new
civilization needs not new gospel. but
it may need some shifting of emphasis.
Thus in the matter OF happiness,
traditional Christianity has over-em-
phasised the gospel of deferred bless
ings. This is the long view and has It's
proper place in religion; but the near
view needs our closer attention. The
horc of heavenly bliss is no longer
strong enough to compensate men Tor
a meagre, half starved ill-conditioned,
poverty-bound life upon this earth.
Christianity has gone too far in its alb
solute divorce of happiness and content
ment from material conditions. There
is an inter. dependence between matter
and spirit which declares itself in the
circumstances of life. 1t is not by ac-
cident that the great middle class" or
pcople is the most virtuous and the
most happy The very rich are sur
feited with excess: the very poor are
devitalizcd by want. Happiness is not
the chief end OF life, but it plays
large part in life's efficienciss. The
chemically unhappy are undesirable cit
liens either of earth or of Heaven.
Our phycholodsy of earth and of
Heaven has been strangely confused.
Tho traditional Christian ideal of HeaV-
en- is of a place of blessedness, of rest
and of peace, of the satisfaction or all
desires. OF this condition would be
good i'll Heaven why not little more
OF it on earth in the amelioratlon OF
hand conditions wherever they exist,
and the setting free of men for the
higher saticfactions?
Call it vision or call it visionary, this
is certainly the problem whose difficult
solution the world is going to undertake
in earnest in the immediate future.
What isms' may be involved l do not
know, perhaps none; but an evolution so
subtle, a change so facile, that before
We realize it, the thing will be done.
In fact the new civilization is already
manifest in the new spirit of social
hopefuiness.
The 18th century with all it's wonder
tul inventions and material progress
br, d idespread pessimism. 1t was
partly religious, partly scientific, partly
social. The undermining of creeds, the
persistence of poverty, the continuance
Of crime made progress seem mockery
ana darkened the glow of the century's
material triunphs with the
gloom of spiritual defeat. Mr.. Brooks
Adams, writing l.. or 20 years ago on
THE Law of Civilization and Decay"
epitomized the last century's pessimism
in gloomy forcbodings of the future.
The goth century is more hopeful In
the fresh morning air of a new era we
are breathing III the life Of new spir-
it. which dares to believe in mans ca
pac!ty fer continued improvement under
the providence of God.
There is nothing so futile as a shall
low optimism; there is nothing SO force
full as an optinlism that is cognizant of
all the worlds evil but confident of the
ult'mate triumph Ct the good-on earth.
Traditional Christianity like Buddh-
ism is pessimistic in it's conception of
this life. Even the Bible inclines to this
view. The prophets frankly dispair of
their times while in the Gospel of
John the great Greek word 'Kosmos''-
The world-order, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS a
synonym for sin. Ha
There is little hope for this world,
the glory is postponed until the next.
'rhe Book of Revelation is more opti
mistic; the Holy City. the New Jerusa-
lem is t" be set up on earth.
But the heavenly city in the vision of
the apocalypse will not be set up on
earth by angel hands. Gods spirit in
deed works with us. yet we must work
out own redemption
And so in the new civilization the
church has its proper place and func-
ton. IF true to it's mission it will not
only adjust itself to the changed cond-
tons of thought and life, but inspire
that thought and life with a new Vi
sion of the divinity in humanity. and
increasingly seek to materialize it's ideal
spirit in the practical utilities of Justice
and love and brotherhood. There will
be nc church for the rich, there will be
no church for the poor, but church for
humanity. The gospel of Christ knows
no distinctions.
If faithful to its founder the church
will be the heart of the new ciyiliZa