East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-01-01
CHURCH STRONGER
TODAY THAN EVER
Presbyterian Minister f. j. Mines
Takes "Chrlstlan Church. for His
Theme, says the Church Makes
Greater Growth Than the Nation.

Takes "Chrlstlan Church. for His
Theme, says the Church Makes
Greater Growth Than the Nation.
i am to speak to you tonight upon
the last theme announced in our Sc
ries Of evening studies, THE Christian
Church" And when / say Christian"
church, of course l use the term in its
true generic sense with no reference
to the sectarian conception by which
one domination appropriates the term
exclus vely to itself. 1 am speaking
of the Christian church, including all
its branches, whether Wesleyan, Cal
whist, or Campbellite. / am speak
ing of the Holy Catholic Church with
out any reference to the specific Ro-
man Church which ambiguously calls
itself the Catholic Church. The
word, catholic, means universal, and
am speaking of the Universal
Church But here, again, 1 do not
refer to the specific sectarian sense
Of the term by which another denom-
ination has appropriated the name,
Universal" 1 am speaking of the
Universal Christian Church. Many
specific denominations have appro-
priated generic names. thus failing to
differentiate themselves and causing
confusion. The Christian church has
many branches each of which should
nave its own specific name SO that we
could refer to it and be understood.
/ Now, it is not my prerogative to say
what name any church shall choose
to assume, but as long as specific de-
nominations choose generic names
which apply equally to other church.
es besides themselves, one finds him
self under the necessity of making
defin tions and explanations whenever
he speaks upon this theme, if he
wishes to be understood. To be un-
derstood is one of the most difficult
tasks in the life of every public man
at best, ard without a definition of
terms it is an impossibility.
Now l think We are ready for
consideration of this most beautiful
theme, The Christian Church. In the
New Testament there are just two
figures of supreme importance: Jesus
Christ and His bride, the Church. st.
Paul bankrupts language in his effort
to find epithets which would ade-
| quately symbolic the Christian
church. He conceives of il as "a
family" a household of faith" "a
temple" the very Shrine of the eter-
nal" pillar and ground of the
, TRUTH l. e.. that by which the truth
is supported, perpetuated and made
current in the world. Finally he pro-
| jects his vision into the future. looks
down the vista of the centuries and
| beholds the church standing erect
adorned like beautiful woman wait
| ing her bridegroom. John, too, sees
| the church as a city, the New Jerusa-
lem, coming down from God out of
heaven prepared as bride in the
hour of her most fascinating lowell
ness. But when we come out of the
| New Testament into the atmosphere
of some magazines and newspapers
and some of the conversations OF
men, we find the church held in diff
ferent esteem. What is the use OF
the church," men say, cannot man
be a good Christian and remain out
of the church?" Is it not enough to
live the Sermon on the Mount and
put those principles INTO practice? y
| Some men believe in the church as a
moral police force to keep society
clean and decent but are unwilling to
become policemen themselves. Others
look upon the church as sort OF
kindergarten intended for the devel-
| ment of the young, the ignorant, and
the poor, but not for men of full
orbed character. Still others speaB
of the church only in snears and sar-
casm. To them it is only breeding
place for hypocrites and bigots, an
institution passed its usefulness, a
mere vistage of a bygone age.
In reply to this 1 emphatically as
sert that there never was time
when the church was SO powerful and
necessary, so influential in money
membership and in moral deals as IL
is today, and l challenge the world to
produce facts to the contrary. Why
the church has grown during the past
| generator faster than the population
| of the United States, Notwithstanding
the enormous influx of the social
scum of Europe during that period,
| few of whom are any help to the
church numerically or morally. How
do YOU like this statement, Mr.. Critic
Will you kindly trot out your figures
to the contrary? According to the
census of religious bodies, 1906, the
latest available the increase in
church membership between 1890 and
1906 was GA per cent larger than the
increase in our country's population
during the same period.
So much for the membership, now
| how about the wealth? Approx
mately the wealth of the nation has
doubled every seventeen years. II
the church had failed to keep step
with this unparalleled prosperity. it
need not be considered surprising or
as an evidence of stagnation. If ii
had increased its wealth. half as fast
as the nation it would be evidence of
| remarkable vitality. But, please take
notice, the church has far outran the
nation in the increase of its prosper
| itv Tho Sip0la itaD, pf Of