Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-06-14

S siice lnere was a nation
worldwide anarchy.-Daniel 12I.
churohianity Not Christianity,
with the awakening of true Chris.
uahlty-heart Christaniy-has come
a substitute; namely, Churchianity
For years Christian faith has been
gradually declining, under the attacks
OF Higher Criticism, Evolution and un.
der the neutralizing influence of the
love Of pleasure, Gradually one Bible
doctrine after another has been quietly
dropped, while Churchianity has been
brought to the front more and more AS
a form of godliness, but wholly desti-
tute of its power.
conditions in Great Britain and
America are serious indeed, yet not to
oe compared with the conditions Of the
Germanic and Latin nations. In
France probably not more than two per
cent of the population have any real
faith, in Germany probably less than
ten per cent In America probably not
more than twenty per cent, and in
Great Britain probably not more than
thirty per cent. still trust in the living
God, and still smaller per cent. re-
gard the Bible as His inspired Message,
and seek to be guided thereby. How
short a distance the world has to 60 to
ignore 1t entirely!
Are the Masses Not Christians2
To the question, the Pastor said, two
answers might be given: one answer
might be that all civilized people claim
to be Christians. In other words, the
term Christianity has been substituted
for civilization in the minds of the peO-
pie. AS one gentleman replied to this
question: 1--WE are certainly not Jews,
nor heathens, reckon therefore we
must be Christians"
The other answer to the question.
the Pastor said, was that a Christian
is one who processes to believe the
teachings of Jesus and His Apostles,
and who processes conservation, in his
daily life following those teachings and
the example which illustrated them.
This, the Masters view Of Christian
ity, and the Apostolic view, the Pastor
declared to be his own view. Let us
see, he said, to what extent the teach
ings Of Christ and the teachings Of the
Bible are still believed.
How few believe that Jesus existed
as spirit being before He was born
Of a virgin in order TO become the
Man Christ Jesus"-in order to be
qualified to give His life a Ransom,
price for the forfeited life of Adam
How few believe that He really did
die at all! What the majority believe
on the subject seems to be that He
merely appeared to die on the cross
but really was as much alive as evel
in some spiritual sense. How few be
lieve that He really arose on the third
day-the majority seemingly believing
that in some way the Bible account Il
untrue; and that if Jesus arose at all
He experienced that resurrection oI
the cross!-Luke 24:46; Acts 10:40.
Or coming down to the effect o
Christ's death as respects the forgive
ness Of sins, said the Pastor, how few
have any serious conviction that the,
need a Savior, or that they could no
come to God. If they wished to, withou
a Redeemer. without a sacrifice, with
out an Advocate with the Father! l
would appear as though the attempt o
the last fifty years to ignore doctrines
instead Of correcting the doctrines o
the past in the present light ON the 81
BILE has been a great mistake, which
now bearing Its injurious fruit in tina
very few Christian people know def
nitely what they believe or what tn
Bible teaches on any subject.
The effect of all this on the risin
generation is disastrous. They see tn
doctrines Of all denominations discret
tied in pulpit and pew. and especiall
in the colleges. They perceive that tn
Bible Is Chased with the creeds. and
claimed to be their foundation. Thl
is the alarming mistake. The soone
we get rid Of the creeds Of the Oar
Ages, the better for us. But If W
lose the Bible, are we not in danger {
losing all that has tended to stead
our civllization-th foundation Of a
our faith and hope beyond the preser
life?
The Loss Is Greater to Some.
The majority Of mankind, wit
strong animal tendencies which nee
to be curbed. require an incentive Il
that curbIng. Such an incentive Il
Bible gives in Its promise Of everlas
ing life. But the misstatement Of OF
creeds Is, that all have eternal life wit
out the Life.giver, and that the que
ton merely Is whether we will speT
that eternal life in Joy or In misery.
This proposition has become so tran
parently illogical that It Is generally r
pudated. Human justice fails to a
preciate as justice at all an arrang
ment which would create race wi
the foreknowledge and foreintentlC
| that nearly all Of that race would 81
fer torture throughout eternity. In pr
portion as that theory advocated in Il
creeds Of the Dark Ages is still pr
claimed, In that same proportion int,
ligent minds repudlate everything, al
denounce all religious teachings
| priestcraft.
The average man needs the Messa
Of life and hope which the GosT
holds out for him In the future In {
der to make the trials, the discoural