Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1912-12-12
SEEKING FOR UNITY
Writer Would Combine the
Churches in a Unified Pro-
gram of Advance.

q has to do with the frontier. but
| modern home missions" as
men are now tackling the job, is
no longer a question of geography
| 1t is a matter of problems, no matter
where they may be found; and so,
while these agencies are still tre-
mendously concerned about the In
dian and the Alaskan, the Spanish
American and the mountain white,
they are studying scientifically the
question of the immigrant, the prob
lem of the slum and the tenement, of
women and children in industry, the
saloon and temperance reform, the
loss of population in the rural dis
tricts. the rush of the people to the
city, the social movements among the
masses, and not the least of the ques-
tion that they are working out is how
the church may advance with unified
program SO as to do away with over
tapping and competition, and SO that
the entire work may be done with the
greatest efficiency, writes Charles
Stelzle in the Standard.
For years evangelists have been
telling us that the world is ready for
another great revival. They have been
prophesying that soon we shall see
great awakening" But these pro-
phets have seen only part of the
future glory of the church. in this
awakening there will be much of the
so-called evangelistic preaching, but
great emphasis will be placed upon
the social gospel for which the church
has been SO long preparing This Cos
pei will have to do not SO much with
a spectacular philanthropy, which is
supposed to express the kindness of
the well-favored toward the poor, but
it. will also demand justice and right
dealing toward all men. 1t will deal
fearlessly with the question of the
exploitation of little children, of help
less women, and of downtrodden men.
1t will demand that mems bodies shall
be saved as well as their souls It will
not say less about heaven and it's
glory, but it will say more about earth
and its duty. 1t will seek to convert
men socially as we'll as spiritually. 1t
will destroy forever that miserably
false conception that Christian man
may practice unchristian principles in
his business life simply because his
unchristian competitors find it more
irritable to do so. 1t will insist that
every community composed of Chris
tan people must also be a Christian
community.
Cooperation Needed.
The future victories of the church
will be won largely because of its CO.
operation with the men who in other
fields and through other methods have
been largely laboring in the spirit of
Jesus to reach the same goal toward
which the church has been struggling.
Not always known as Christians, and
sometimes spurned by those who
thought they had monopoly of the
Christian religion, nevertheless they
have been controlled by the spirit of
Jesus, which, after all, is the truest
test of genuine Christianity. Already
these men and women have won vic
tories of which the church might well
be proud,
ern social movement realize that
theirs is religious movement They
are sometimes puzzled and ofttimes
distressed because they cannot har-
monte their Technology with that
of the church, but they are conscious
that somewhere there must be a mex
us. Leaders in the church the world
over are convinced that the church
must soon become the leader in a
new social propaganda. They are un-
willing that the church should surren-
der to the INSCRIPTIONS agitator the
place which it has made for itself in
the social and the economic world be-
cause of it's teachings throughout
many generations With deep con-
Germ they are searching for the rock
foundation upon which they may build
a far-reaching social program for the
church
Some day the leaders in both the
church and the social movement will
see their way as clear as the sun.
That day will witness the coming of
1.-The times of refreshing long
expected revival will be at hand, and
the church of Christ will enter upon
the completion of the task which it so
long ago began, and upon which it has
long been laboring, even though some
times it saw only "as through glass
darkly.'