The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-01-24
The Mission of the Modern Christian Church
Address given at Methodist brotherhood banquet
Wednesday evening, January II
BY w. D. STERLING
BY w. D. STERLING

thoroughly we'll informed writer,
wrote a series of articles appearing in
the American" known as the "Spir-
itual Unrest in the Churches" In
this series of articles he noted, pre-
sumably after careful Investigation,
the present apathy and stagnatfon OF
the church, and its apparent failure
to keep pace with the general pro-
gress Of the world. In fact, the pro-
portional increase in membership OF
the church has fallen far below the
increase in population.
These statements met with no gen.
eral denial so far as my observation
has extended and it is my opinion that
this is a concensus of opinion among
church men themselves.
In the same magazine of last May
appeared an article by Bishop Chas.
Williams of the Episcopal church
giving practical assent to the conten-
ton of Baker, but drawing somewhat
different conclusions from the same
hypothesis. /,
For the purposes Of this article
will quote briefly from Bishop VIII
lams:
1.-THE Trouble with the Church.
She holds fast to ancient forms OF
dogmas which are too smH u TO nold
the new spirit Of religion-that IS
conflict between a religion which is
fresh inspiration from the spirit
Of God brooding over the living pres
snt world, and church which is
largely a capitalization out of the ex-
perience and mind of a dead past
We cannot put the new wine INTO
the old skins. To put it plainly, the
church has carried down the ages the
teachings and the spirit Of the pro-
phets and apostles of old and above
all of her Divine Master, the Christ.
Today those teachings and that spirit
are finding issue and expression IN
mighty impulses of scientific and phi
losophical research, political right
eousness, social service, economic
Justice, commercial honesty and in
dustrial equity The church does not
recognize these movements as essen
TALLY religious. They seem to her
secular, outside her province. She
does not know her own children.
Again there are multitudes of men
and women today longing and seek
ing after frst-hand experience of the
Gospel as the power of God unto
Salvation" They want a religion
alive with the sense of a living and
present God and therefore efficient in
dealing with physical and moral evil,
disease and sin.
But they do not get what they seek
in the average church. 1t seems u
have lost the faith which gives d.
rect contact with God and to have
preserved only a languid and artificial
faith in a faith that once lived ard
availed.
Therefore, in the face Of physical
evil. disease and suffering, religion
runs off into irrational extravaSences
While I believe Bishop Williams
has rightly censured the church for
lack of present vital spiritual power,
do not at all agree with the infer
ence that the church is derelict be-
cause she fails to satisfy the demands
of those who seek miraculous healing
of physical disease at her hands
Neither do I agree with his charge
that she fails to recognize her own
children in social service, economic
Justice, commercial honesty, etc. She
recognizes her children and proudly
owns them, but does not and ough:
not to usurp what they properly and
rightfully should perform.
The church inspires and incites to
countless services to civilization
which she herself cannot perform
Here is a mightier conquest, a ho-
lier service.
The world was never as good as il
Is today. Society was never so thought
full and sympathetic. There was new
er before SO many homes for the I'M
fortunate, hospitals and asylums. II
is true that the religious spirit-the
Christian spirit has overfowed the
church walls and found altruistic
service in science, in society, in indus
try and in politics. Hence better
knowledge of wise living, hygiene and
sanitation. The cruel knife. once the
instrument of warfare and death has
become the handmade Of surgery.
France sent de Lesseps to construct
a Panama canal. Laborers died like
sheep and millions were spent in
graft and stupendous and ignomin-
ious was the failure. But less than
a half century later science, the
handmaiden of Christianity has with
humanitarian forethought inaugural
ed proper sanitation and thus Ameri-
cas- son, Geo. Goethal, has accom-
plished the seemingly impossible and
challenged the admiration of the
world. This is Christianity at work.
I have intimated that the church
has no obligation or function as a
healer Of physical disease, and, as
I believe, there is no scriptural war
rant for such an assumption
1t is perfectly apparent to any in
telligent mind that the physical uni
verse was conceived by an intelligent
Will and has always been under the
control of that viii. and that Will is
law, universal, unvarying law.
The law of gravity always acts, and
always acts in the same way. Mer
have come to depend upon 1t. Every
mechanical device or appliance in
vented by man has been arranged
with reference to this law. Heat eX-
pands. Cold contracts. Fore burns
Water extinguishes fire. The plan
cts traversing infinite space make
their orbits on schedule time. The
earth does not linger overtime in
either her winter or summer sol