The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-11
TIKI: RELIGIOUS CONVENTION.

The convention of the Men and
Religion Forward Movement which
will occupy the attention of the pub
lie i'm this city this week. is II OF
tho units i'm the greatest Protestant
movement since the eforlnation-if
II does not even that far
reaching religious upheaNal. But the
present is not one of creed
or dogma OF doctrine. 1t is not an ef-
fort to reduce religion to business. but
TO apply business methods to the
propagation and p~erpetuation OF re-
ligious activities. Perhaps 1t would be
Il, tier to SAY it is a movement to bring
the agencies of religion down to pres
emit day methods.
When the Carpenter of Nazareth be-
gam the work of establishing the
church upon earth. he used the %
.liiions as they existed in the land
chosen of God as the place for the
ministry of his Son. He who laid the
eternal truths of the new testament
in the hearts of men. %journeyed on
foot. save one one instance. among
the hills and valleys of Palestine. He
saw no costly edif1ces with their
spires reaching into the clouds. ex-
ccpt tina from which He drove the
money changers in fury. lie preach
ed by the sea. from Il lishermans
boat. and sat beneath the shade of
the trees ON the hillside while He ut
tered the greatest sermon the world
has ever heard. He knew no manse
nor parsonage save the ieafy branches
of the trees as His covering and the
grass and flowers as His pallet. He
sat at the table of the wealthy, dined
with the sister ot the scorned woman
or ate the kernels of the plucked
heads of barley as the opportunity af-
forded. Those whom he chose to car
ry forward the work of redemption
considered not the salary of the po-
sition nor the cost of living. They
dedicated themselves or rather they
we're dedicated to the WORK. and they
Went forth without either script or
purse, carrying the message to- heath
on lands and Establishes for all time
the master religion of the world.
Such was the environment in which
the christian religion had its incep-
ton. To trace its adoption through
the nineteen centuries of it's existence
would be to write the history of all
churches. all denominations. all faiths.
all creeds in detail. Sometimes Its
PROGRESS has been far in advance of
the conditions by which it was Sur
rounded. Rome burned the adher-
ents of the strange faith at the stake.
threw them to the wild beasts in the
arena and set the high mark OF hui
man atrocity on her conduct because
she was not as far advanced as was
the religion she sought to stamp out
The religious heroism of Luther, the
fervor of Wesley, the fiery zeal of
Knox, the fidelity of Roger Williams.
all seem today as We look backward
over the pages Of history to have
been In advance of h conditions
which governed the religious world in
their respective days. They were the
forerunners of what would be. just as
the christians who died as martyrs
in Rome and Athens were the fore
nner Of what came after them. The
point We make is that religious prog
ress has not always been in exact
time with religious conditions. Some
times the one. sometimes the other
has held the lead.
Had Rome been sufficiently far ad-
vanced. the thousands of christian
martyrs need not have 80 died; had
religion advanced to the view point
of some of h great leaders. their
efforts would have brought the covet-
ed reward sooner. Hence, it is easy
to conclude that when the activities
which perpetuate the universal church
are in accord with the times and con-
ditions, the results of the laborers in
the church are greatest. The purpose
Of the Men I'M Religion Forward
movement is to get the church and
It's various activities strictly in har-
mony with the business conditions Of
today: to induce men to engage in
church work with the same masterful