The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-03-07
AN ABLE SERMON
BYREV. v. N. PADEN
Delivers a Splendid Discourse
On Laymen'S Missionary
Movement.
PURPOSES ARE OUTLINED
CITES SEVERAL TRUTHS WHICH
PROVE HIS ARGUMENT.
PURPOSES ARE OUTLINED

Rev. W. NJ. Paden preached at the First
presbyterian church Sunday morning on
the Layman's Missionary movement. He
TOOK Tor his text. Let men say among
the nations. the Lord reigns." In part
Arnold says of Gray. a man of great
poetic ability but whose poetic output
was slight. He never spake out His
resources, in so far as we are concerned
We're buried with him. There are Chris
tlanS who never speak out They do not
count for what they are worth. They
lack self-expression. Often their gifts
simply await the touch Of the Master A
revival OF religion may bring forth the
treasures of darkness, as the spring sun
brings out the flowers. Sometimes a
crisis may be necessary. Crises reveal
patriotism, heroism, affection, religious
Faith.
Let men speak out; let them speak out
among the nations. The nations then
meant the world. the heather world. The
Jews were to bear witness to the Cen
tiles: we Christians are to speak out TO
non-Christlans; not only those who are
next door, but to the strangers and for
eigners; not only to those of our own
land and race. but TO those of all lands
and races. If Christianity means any
thing, it means the universal diffusion
of Christ's kind of light and life. Did
lHe not say, am the light of the world.
j am come that ye may have life and
mat We may have IL more abundantly.
Freely We have received, freely give In
This was the love of God manifested. So
must it continue to be made manifest.
The light OF nature is not enough. We
heed, and the world needs, the light which
is in the face. the love which is in the
heart of Christ Jesus.
Let men say among the nations
what? Something indefinite? On the con-
trary, let them say the Lord reigns
Grown Him Lord of all. This means the
enUhronement of God manifest in the
flesh; it means not that God shall rule
Int i. - Il t.
row, provincial program. 1t is not talk
about the ultimate destiny of America, or
of the English speaking peoples, or even
of the civilized nations. We dare not say
any one or all these powers shall rule
over and in the world. We are not called
to do so. But the text says, Let men say
TO the occidental and oriental the Lord
Is King, and to Him we must bow in love
-or break.
Respond to Call.
This is the rallying call of the Lay
mans Missionary movement. and the way
men are responding to the call indicates
that the men of Christendom still have
ears to hear and willingness to devote
themselves. We hear so much about re-
ligious indifference that some notice of
facts is worth the while We hear much
about the decline of interest in the Chris
tan church. Here are some statistics for
January 1910. The census shows that the
Various churches which bear the Chris |
some thirty-thTee to thirty-four and a
half millions of members. OF these per-
haps twelve millions are Catholics This
leaves a Protestant constituency of TWEEN
ty-two millions. Last year shows an in
crease of 100000 in the Protestant |
churches. All the larger church families
show an increase. The Unitarians show
q decrease That body has only 279S more
members than it had nineteen years ago.
The Christian Scientists have given no
statistics since 1906, and have probably
reached their zenith of increase.
so we hear that the men have lost in
terest in the Christian church. and ex-
aggerated reports are f1Oated about their
fewness in our church households. Here
are the statistics for January. 1919 The
census shows that of the thirty-four mil
lions who are reported by our Christian
churches. 4S per cent are male, 81 per
cent female. In the Catholic church the
sexes are about equally divided. The
Christian Scientist church shows the lar
gest proportion of women, about % per
cent. The Congregationalists next. about
g. per cent. All the other larger denom-
tnations show a less than two to one ratio.
But the men are not active. Well, most
of the ministers. church officers, Sunday
school superintendents and a fair proper
ton of the Sunday school teachers and
active workers in our devotional meetings
are men. More men teach SUNDAY school
than in the day schools. The places in
which women outnumber and Guido the
men is in attendance and missionary en-
Thusiasln.
THE Layman's Missionary movement is
meant to remedy this deficiency. II
seems 10 have been suggested by the zeal
of the Student Volunteers. Their devo-
ton said to one man: IF we at home
were as ready to propagate what We
release for service. The organization
called the Layman's Missionary commit |
tes was the outcome and this winter
conventions. each lasting for three DAYS.