The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-12-08

not always we'll directed.
Emotional impression requires q
definite made of expression in order
to be effective. All of this enthusiasm
engendered during the past three
days would amount to nothing unless
given a definite expression through
some specific channel
The Place Of the Church.
The speaker referred to the place
of the church in the Men and Religion
Forward Movement. Every man who
processes to be Christian should
not only belong to a church, but
should be active in it. There are
great many men who boast that
they have religion, only that it is
in their wives name. The wives
may in the end enter the pearly gates
for their husbands as we'll as them.
selves, leaving their husbands on the
outside. The church has a definite
place in the life of the non-members,
and the latter have definite place
in the church. Christ was the definite
agent for the salvation of the world
and this is why every man should be
a church member
II Christ had not done more than
preach for three years he could not
have become the Saviour of the
world. He did something else, by
which he did or might become the
Saviour of the world. Christ did
not write a line ofthe Bible. Some
Of the greatest successes of the
church were made hundreds of years
before the New Testament was writ
ten. The New Testament was written
to the new churches already in exist
ence. Churchmen, who had been
vitalized by the power of Christ,
wrote the book for the benefit of
the churches already there. 1t was
300 years after Christ died before
the New Testament was determined
to be what it was found finally to be.
Christ breathed into and placed
upon twelve ordinary men something
by which salvation might be brought
down to u.s. In the two great sacra-
ments-the Lords supper and bap-
tism-He extends to men the means
of salvation. This is the reason why
men should not only be in the church.
but should work in it. 1t is the
channel by which men can do effect
i've service and there is no other
way to save the world. 1t is Christ's
own ordained agency for saving the
world. BY the church, no particular
denomination was meant by the
speaker.
Some time ago it was the popular
thing to lambast the church for not
doing the things that it was claimed
it should be doing, and which other
agencies were doing. Investigation
showed that three-fourths of the
work done by these secondary agen-
cies was done by the church men
and with money furnished by the
church. The church was foolish to
furnish the men and the money for
doing the things that it should have
done itself. These men are beginning
to come back and acknowledge their
mistake.
When you men go back to your
home towns, wake up, put the same
sagacity into the church work that
you do in your business. Make the
church the great, throbbing center
of the community.
There is goodly company of
men calling themselves Christians,
who remain outside and criticize the
church. That is little short of treason.
How can a man be loyal to a king
and not be a part of the kingdom?
How can the blessings of God flow
to us except through the church? It
is the only means of salvation, the
only thing that He has blessed as
the way to eternal life.
Mission of the Church.
The mission of the church is
sociological as well as religious Inc
delegates can go home and make this
movement of great benefit to their
neighbors, sociologically. Many men
have thought that religion was a
thing to be secured for themselves
and locked up in an ice box instead
of to be distributed. The first word
of the the Lords Paryer, "Our," is
sociological. We have been praying,
my Lord which art in Heaven, give
me this day my daily bread" Men
OF this kind are starving their fellow
men and have no right to repeat the
Lords Prayer The religion of Christ
is sociological and not individual, as
we have been taught so long. The
PioyCi says lOl Give uS Jul olHS,
and that means the sins of the whole
world, which is a beautiful thing.
The prayer says deliver us from
temptation" not deliver me from
temptation
The mission of the church is civic
as well as sociological. The church
man should not refrain from politics
because it is so dirty-he should
help clean politics of it's filth. The
churches should pay their bills
promptly. 1t is left for the women
to raise money by giving oyster
suppers. Having raised a little money
in such picayune ways as that, the
minister is left to go without his
pay, small as it is. Some of the
financial doings of the church or
CARNATIONS are disgraceful Numerous
so-called Christian churches are rails
ing money in ways at least repre-
hensible and in ways to injure the
community, and expect the pastors
to get UP Sunday mornings and tell
the "glad tidings." The only regret
able thing of the present age is the
smallness of the men of today-and
yet it is the most hopeful of the ages,
and the time is ready for a big move
ment.
We might as we'll pray, God, give
us men," as to pray for our daily
bread and then sit with folded hands
and make no effort to 60 out and