The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1912-12-28
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.QUIEET;
HOUR
CHURCH TO COMBAT
FORCES OF EVIL

- UR English exchanges report
Len G. Broughton as having
u made diagnosis of the arrest,
ed progress of the Nonconform-
list churches in Great Britain. His con-
clusion is that much of the trouble is
due to lack of proper emphasis upon
the Importance OF the church He
feels that instead Of spending time in
the discovery and criticism Of faults
In church organization and life we
should devote ourselves to the
strengthening Of organized Christian,
ity
While the denominations in America
have made larger proportionate
growth than they have done in Great
Britain during the last few years. con-
ditions here are by no means ideal.
We are compelled to face the fact of
lessened interest In the church on the
part OF Christian people. Only in ex-
ceptional cases is there the loyalty to
the church which marked the religious
life Of so years ago. This decadence
may be explained, in part, by the
growing devotion to pleasure; the mo-
tor-car and the golf links have not a
little to do with the decrease in at
tendance upon the services of the
house Of God. AS we have increased
In wealth and ability to supply our
selves with various forms of recrea-
ton, we seem to have decreased in
devotion to the great interests of the
human soul
Need for Return to Church.
Whatever other reasons there may
be, however, for the decrease In
church attendance, 1t seems clear that
the removal Of emphasis from the
church as an essential factor in the
work of the kingdom of God has had
not little to do with the change that
has taken place. For some years, now,
most OF US have been busy In max
ing 1t clear that salvation does not
hinge upon ecclesiastical relationship,
and that it is possible to serve the
cause Of Christ without using the
church as medium of expression. We
nave laid stress upon the immediacy
OF relationship between the believer
and his Lord. something which always
needs emphasis, and have measurably
neglected to set forth the necessity
for cooperative effort for the extern
sion of the kingdom of God. In our
nesire to promote the essential unity |
OF all the followers of Jesus Christ. |
we have, perhaps, unconsciously to
ourselves, conveyed the impression /
that the world would get along very |
well without Christian organization of
any kind. Those of us who believe
and teach that Jesus did not organize
church may have been understood as
polding that the organization is un-
pecessary.
Must Be Organized Work.
1t Is high time to open a campaign
Pm Dehalf OF the church; to undertake
tne task Of making it clear that life
must organize in some form of express
sion. The first thing to be done Is
not so much to convince people OF the
importance Of any particular form OF
cnurch organization. as to put beyond
question the necessity for organiza-
non. We as Baptists have our con-
slctioS< as to the proper constitution
g the church. At the present time the
ION seems to be not SO much as
= ~ specific form which the church
.au Fake, but whether or not we shall
lass church at all.
conversation with a young man
Ecs4ty who had just returned from 1
.1cpference of Christian young men, +,
"A aid that he had been impressed |
Ne indifference, not to say con- !
II, for organized Christianity man
ed by many Of those whom he
met. Beyond question, the Chris
FORCES OF this country must pre- I
an unbroken front In the conflict T
the forces OF evil. 1t will be
al, however. for US to injure
ganization and to depend upon ?
lila warfare. Independent and !.
ed activity on the part of the in .
bai cannot be depended upon to
nee the results which we desire.
pre- weak enough, at the best, and q
only IN associated effort that we {,
Nv be able to accomplish the tre-
pus tasks which are before us. A
ense Of the Importance OF the .
.snh1 AID a larger and more un- :,
~ devotion to its interests are
~ nfaeded In the religious life Of
Seys-T3he Standard. r