Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-09-05
The Churches and the Retornlers

For some time there has been preva-
lent a disposition upon the part of a
certain class of reformers to lecture the
churches for neglect OF duty and for lack
of courage. 1t Is a notable fact that
these men, who imagine themselves so
superior in conscience and courage to the
christian people who compose the
churches that they are qualified to lecture
the members OF all the bodies of or
ganized christianity, are men of LIBERAL
istic creeds, or of no faith at all They
seem to be conscious of having lost their
faith, although unwilling to acknowledge
that its loss has ill-affected their charac-
ters. Hence they lecture the churches
in order TO prove to themselves and to
others that their infidelity is a positively
virtuous thing. which has made them bet
ter than the orthodox christians. They
seek thus to- disguise the hoIlowness Of
their lives with the pretentious Phari-
saism OF unbelief, as the professors OF
which, they delight to say to the MEM
bers or the Christian Churches. I'VE are
more virtuous than you are, and If yCG
would rise to the sublime heights of our
goodness, you must lose your faith, as
We have done.
One Of these Pharisees OF doubt wrote
me the other day that the church had
never led a reform movement in all its
history, and asked ne to give him the
proof to refute the charge. If could.
Just what this benighted and self-satis-
fed creature has been reading which has
led him to such a preposterous conclu-
sion, 1 know not; but certainly he has
not been reading history to- any purpose.
II he had read even one such work as
"Gesta Christi by Loring Brace, he
would have been ashamed OF writing such
stun to an intelligent man, unless his
ignorance is Of that shallow and shame
less sort which frequently characterizes
the men of his class.
In view of the prevalence of such talk
alive Pharisaism of doubt 1t seems timely
to revert to some OF the fundamental
principles of Christ's method of reform,
which the churches have followed most
wisely and faithfully In all the centuries
Of christian history.
1t was a conspicuous fact that Jesus
passed by the radical and revolutionary
reform of mere social institutions. and
laid his hand upon the regeneration of
the individual The atmosphere of the
age in which He appeared among men
was palpitating with the hope of the
coming in Israeli of a political Messiah
who should break the bonds of Roman
oppression. as Moses had broken the
shackIes of Egyptian bondage. and set
the nation free. The twelve apostles.
whom He chose to be with Him during
His earthly ministry and to set up the
Christian Church after His ascension,
got rid Of this false notion with great
difficulty. Their persistent attachment to
the idea displeased and disappointed Him
on more than one occasion. They looked
always for an earthly and carnal king
dom of mere outward reformation; but
He said The kingdom of God is within
you. 1t cometh not with observation. Go
not after the shallow and spurious re-
formers who cry, 'Lo here is the king
dom, or Lo there is the kingdom - He
sent them out to make a new society
and new world BY saving the individual
soul. The supreme reform to which they
were to give themselves was the removal
ton OF personal character. Like Him
self they were sent ito seek and to save
that which is lost. But the outcome of
their ministry wherever they went was
the most wonderful reformation of socie-
ty that men had ever seen. Polygamy,
RIGHTEOUSNESS, fdolatrys and every form
of vile social custom and institution
yielded to the power Of the gospel which
they proclaimed. Even the amusements
by them; the gladiatorial shows. for ex-
ample, went down before their doctrine
of human brotherhood and divine love.
From apostolic times until now the
real reformers of the world-the faithful
followers of Christ-have followed the
same Christly method with the same
blessed results. There can be no more
radical reformation than that proposed
by this programme of Christ and His
Church. There is no such thing as
cutting under it, getting below it, ris-
ing above it, or going ahead of IL. 1t
offers the only sound and permanent
basis for the reformation of society.
Years ago one of the greatest editors
whom America ever produced rebuked
some of the noisy reformers Of his day,
who were attacking the churches then
just as their Pharisaic successors are
doing now, in these words; IF they had
a little of the philosophy of which they
believe themselves to possess a great
deal, they would see that no system
of religion can die which holds within
itself the only philiosohical basis Of re-
form. A system of religion which car
ries motives within it for the transla-
tion of bad or imperfect character into
a form and quality as divine as any
thing we can conceive, and which relies
upon this translation for the improve
ment of social and political institu-
tions, is a system which bears it's ere
dentials of authority. craven upon the
palms of it's hands. There can be moth
ing better. Nothing can take the place
of 1t. Until all sorts of reformers are
reformed by it, they are
only pretendeYs or mountebanks. They
are all at work. upon the surface. deal
ing with matters that are noS radical.