The Detroit times., 1911-10-10
CANDY AT CHRISTMAS
PICNIC IN THE SUMMER
NOT REAL CHURCH LIFE
--REv. Jos. a. VANCE
Men and Religion Movement
Gives Definite Work To Indi-
vidual, Says Pastor.
WILL PURIFY POLITICS.
Real Saint Not Bead and Tinsel
Affair. But Virile Man With
Passion for Right"
WILL PURIFY POLITICS.
--REv. JOS. A. yANcH.

Movement was the predominating
theme In the opening meeting OF the
, Pastors union for the season. In the
Y. M G. A. building. Monday morn.
Ing. Plans were made whereby the
members Of the union will give the
movement every aid possible. and an
inspiring address on the project was
delivered by the Rev. Joseph A. Vance.
pastor OF the First Presbyterian
church. He said In part:
The preachers OF Detroit are not
only deeply concerned in this men and
religion movement, but am sure that
every one OF US Is eager TO do all he
can to make II success. The preach
ers need consecrated men In their
churches as never before. The church
es simply cannot do the work set be-
fore them In the world without great
body Of consecrated men, who are
leaders In business and professional
life. In the rank and file OF their mem
bership. The men and boys out in
tho world, ruled by low ethical ideas
and living an irreligious life, simply
cannot be won TO Christ and high,
moral ideals unless consecrated, Cody
men. whom they respect for their bust.
ness and professional standing. 60
after them.
The homes Of our city need this
movement. and the parents who have
founded them, to save their children
from the NAV of commercial greed,
and life given to selfshness II not
TO sensuality.
THE business world needs this
movement, and certainly. II recent in
vestigations can be at all relied on, the
political life of Detroit can be ire
mendously uplifted by work along
these lines.
Several things are worthy of our
special consideration In respect to
this work. The first is that men are
back OF this movement, and that God
Is back Of IT, II IL no new organiza-
ton invented by some schemer at his
Office desk, little more red tape
wound round the feet of men, who
are already tremendously pushed to
keep the ecclesiastical machinery In
motion, but il Is a stupendous move
ment on the part of consecrated lay.
men. who are concerned about the ir.
religious men and boys that swarm
through our land without God or with.
ont hope In the world to come. Such
a concern for humanity is diyinely
born, and the fact that not only God
is back OF 1t, but that He Is moving
through men who are not emasculated
fnystics, but leaders In the great
movements OF modern life Ii enough
to stir our hearts with the sure hope
OF Its being success.
THE second thing to give us heart
In the movement is the conception
OF religion which We are able to hold
up before men today. and to which
we are to win them. We are able to
preach today a religion that makes
its devotee. not less of man, but
more of a man; religion which does
not impoverish life, but tremendously
enriches It. There was time when
self-mortifcation was the method by
which men were to attain sainthood.
When We had Topped of every useful
member, moderated every great am
milton OF the soul. marred every manly
virtue of strong, red-blooded man,
crucified not only the selfish but the
manly ambition to make something
out OF himself, we told him he could
hold up the dismantled trunk of his
individuality before the Almighty with
some hope of his being accept
able In the divine sight. But
today we have come to see that
the Christian religion IL simply the
normal, sane life for any man to live,
that self-mastery Is simply the way
to self-usefulness for high ends; that
a man who IL merely good is good for
nothing In the sight of God as truly
as In the sight Of men; that saint.
mood must reveal itself In service for
good as well as In separation from
sin.
The third thing is the type OF SER
vice to which we invite men today.
We cannot ask man to come into
the church Of Jesus Christ, simply to
be pew-holder and help support a
preacher. or merely to attend a Bible
school and get pound of candy at
Christmas time and free picnic in
the summer. We can invite man
to come into the church OF Jesus
Christ today to take part In some OF
the great movements that are making
for the uplift of the human race. the
redemption OF mankind from the curse
OF dissipation and sensuality.
VIC CdH leil HAL IOudy InAl the
real saint IL not one OF those bead
and tlnsel affairs, dressed up for an
gelic fights into future world, but
a real virile man concerned more with
the passion of doing right on earth
than with the hunger OF going to
heaven. We can point him to the
sphere OF business life and send him
forth to be real martyr, II neces-
sary, In establishing high ideals or
honesty as well as OF sobriety and
thrift. We can even send him out into
the hotbed OF corrupt politics with
the message OF Christ ringing in his
ears. and call him to redeem even
the political world from the reign OF
greed. and self-seeking and bribery,
and make Il a school Of virtue and
the training ground OF honest men
Another word about something
which we must take to heart. For a
generation, we have been placing ire
mendous emphasis on church work.
We have ransacked newspapers and
encyclopedias for illustrations and
figures, and uttered emotional appeals
to stir men TO do something for the
Lord, but In many cases after our
hysteria has done it's work, and men
come to us and say, Preacher, what
shall we dor We have no definite
task to give them. Now, this Men
and Religion movement puts In our
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