The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1911-05-02
DR.. ]. ". LYh0y
TO YOUNG MEN
Delivered SirsHg Sermsa Sunday
Night 4 First Baplisl
nnrnrnnr Ar nm III laInn, \
PRESENCE Of GOD N WORLD
Taking As HIS Subject 4Quest fer
God" Or ~Evolutiou " RelIgIsn.r ?
Tails AbIs Pastor Discussed Theme
That Brought Out sahy Views Con.
corning Christianity.

Declaring that the old conception ol
heaven a. place above the skies
where God sat upon a great white
throne, was all wrong. and that Il
was only recently that we had redis-
covered the presence OF God In the
world, DR.. J. w. Lynch preached a
powerful sermon filled with modern
conceptions OF Divinity and advanced
theology that profoundly impressed a
large body Of young men who gath
cred at the First Baptist church Sun
day evening at special service
The object OF the sermon by Dir.
Lynch was the Quest for God" or the
Evolution OF Religion" He chose
az his text Job 23;3. "0h that might
know where 10 find him"
-Four great hungers there are In
the life OF man: The hunger for
food. the hunger for sex. the hunger
for power and the hunger for God.
These four hungers have filed man
with the ressiessness OF the seas. They
have made all history. When Job
spoke. Oh that | might know where
20 fnd him. be spoke not only for
hiwself. but for all the generations OF
mankind thas have lived upon the
earth. To find God men have nsde
lsborions excursions into science. into
philosophy. ino metaphysics and Into
msrtyrdom. Compared with this
search for God all other undertakings
fade Into Insigniflcsnce. The search
OF Columbus for unknown lands
across unknown seas. the search for
the Holy Grail. celebrated In song and
story: she excursions into the frozen
north ia search of the pole. all are AS
chiid's play 60 this world-old search
Of man for God.
-There have always been two pre-
yaIiinK ideas OF reliEicn---the objec-
tive and the subjective. according as
the franEeendence or imminence OF
God Is recognised The transcendency
OF God means his existence above and
apart from the world. The immlnence
cf God means his presence In and
through the world, as the salt is in the
sca. as he sap "a In the vine. The Old
Testament idea OF God was the tran
scendcnt idea. Gradually the later
prophets began 10 realize the pres
ence OF God IN the world. and this idea
found some little expression In their
writings, This idea grew until Christ
brought God hack into his world"
Dr. Lynch reviewed the his'ory %
the development OF the Christian re-
ligion through the dark ages. and
told how many supcrstitious dogmas
and theories sprung up from misIn-
terprc,atlon of the Bible. especially
the book Of Revelations. He declared
that many OF these superstiio
dogmas rxlst today.
"The investigations OF science have
helped Us 20 get God back into bis
world. Science has taught Us that the
unknown is greater than the known.
"fet Us see what conclusions can
b. dfaxn from the presence Of God In
the world. The frBi conclusion Is that
n God IA present In all things, all
things and places are sacred All
honorable work IL Gsd's service. The
second resnI, OF the doctrine Of the
presence Of God In the world Is that
Il reconcIles science and religion. The
pulpit and lhe laboratory are gettine
closer iore her Both are being Inn
PEELED BY the recognition Of the pres
encc Of God. The third result is that
Il places religion IN the Inner con.
seriousness Of man. Ask Moham-
mcdIan where God IA and be will
answer at Mecca Ask Catholic
where God Is and he will tell you n
Rome. Ask the Christian where God
Is and he will answer. IN the words
of Christ, The kingdom Of heaven \
within you
Young men. there Is divinity IN
you. wans to ask you TO get in touch
with God and his regeneraiing power
and LEI him Taxe you.