Arizona republican., 1911-07-31
IMPERIALISM DESTRUCTIVE.
 - @ To Highest Conception Of
 Christianity WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY"
Sermon by Clarence Spauld- ing Expounds Three Great Foundation Stones of The ological Doctrine Faith, Hope, Love.

Taking the text of his sermon from First Corinthians. MILE, But Now Abideth Faith, Hope, Love" Clarence SpauIding preached yesterday morning i'm the First Presbyterian church of this city.
 His theme, embracing the three ba- sic salient principles of Christianity as it stands embodied in the New res lament. demanded a scholarly under standing. and a religious conception ol the Apostle Paurs instruction concern ing the elments and necessities of Christian life. He said:
 some ten or eleven years years ago the Christian world was aroused by the publication of a book by one of the greatest theologians of the day. It was q book that appealed not only to the scholar but to the ordinary laYman as we'll. It dealt with the practical problems of life and sought to set them on q firmer foundation and to inter nret them in a reasonable and sane manner from a Christian point of view Tt is doubtful" said one critic, IT any book since the publication of Car dinal Newmans 'ApolOgia Pro Sua iVta has caused such a stir as Adolf Harnack's What Is Christianity IT filled q long felt want; it is weigh ing and balancing of the evidence for the reliability of the Christian religion and q plain exposition of the position occupied in the light of our present so- ciaI unrest and need. And because l think that you Ina e felt as l have telt at times that there is a curious want of harmony between our ordinary view of life and our conventional religion be- liefs. i. e.. because a good many ot us live our lives upon one set of assump- tions during six days of the week anu a ouite different set on Sunday and in church: for this reason l want that vou and I should face this same ques- tjon this a. m.: What Is Christianity! And while Harneck treated the supJecl from the historical and theological point of view, I want that you and should look at it from the individual and personal point of view, What Is Christianity
 ..The Presbyterian church has never demanded that its lay members should definately subscribe to any ser Iorh of theological creed or dogma, and we have always insisted (so far as l am able to understanO, that the religious experience which came to mankind III Jesus Christ is enough for all oul needs And with this in mind l think we cannot go far wrong in seeking ar answer to the question, What I' Christianity" in the passage of scrip ture we have read as our teXt-noW abideth Faith. Hope, Love-thes' three.
 As I was working out this sermon and came to about this point in it' development, I was sitting at my desl facing a blank. bare, plastered wall It was d position of my own choosing And 6ot until I had moved my position and looked out of the window to the green trees and waving grass and t' the living. moving objects without di' I gain inspiration enough to go or with the sermon. Christianity IS blank. bare, plastered wall to manl people because of their own choosing They get nothing out of it becaus' they put nothing into it. It bring
 
 soul. nohelp or inspiration over tn hard, rough places of life Becaus' there is nothing abiding in it-It is onl! a blank, bare obstruction to some O their base sensual desires. And mari you. Christianity of that kind IS m more lasting than the wall itself. l only takes a little of time and rougl contact with material objects to caus it to crumble and fall. Likewise witt Christianity; it only takes a few jar ring collisions between selfish desire and conventional restrictions, and tn breach is made. Christianity crum bles because it is a materialistic Chris tianity, and will never mean anythin more to them until they change thei position to see the beauty Of Chris in Faith and Hope and Love. No' abideth-Faith and Hope and Love these three
 'St Paul was writing to perhaps on of worldliest churches of New Testa ment times. Corinth was a great com mcrcial center on the highway of trav' between Rome and the east It was
 church. moreover, that was torn b factionaI strife and this had heen tol Paul. for he says at the beginning ( the Epistle: Tt hath been signified me-by them which are of the house hold of Chloe that there are conter tions among you. Now. I mean thi that each one Of you saith, I am Pau and of Apollos. and of Cephas, and