South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-10-26
METHOISTS ARE
NOT ASHAMED Of
CHURCH HISTORY
Rev. Henry L. Davis Tells What
1t Has Done For Humanity.
Church is Not Necessary for
Salvation.

AT the First Methodist church sun
day. Rev. Henry l.. Davis took for his
theme 1.-The Church Of God and
MethOdism's Place in It. His ser
mon follows:
Perhaps there is no one tenet of
the Christian creed against which
more objections are made, and more
things can be said than the one Il be-
ileve in the holy Catholic church
And while we do not believe that
the objections made against the
church are fundamental and unan4
swerable, yet they are sufficient -
keep thousands of men and women
out Of the church, thousands who are
honest and consider their objections
valid reasons and these objections
cannot be ignored
First there are those who believe
in Cod and in his Son. who is the
revelation Of God and the Holy Spirit,
who is an emanatiOn from God, who
refuses to believe in the church as
the church of the living Cod They
accept the records OF the New Tesla
uient concerning Jesus Christ; they
believe in the Kingdom of God and
the work that was wrought by the
early disciples. but either refuse TO
accept the teachings or do not know
the teachings Of the people and the
letters OF Paul concerning the church
OF God
at the opening OF Christ's minis
try little was said concerning the
church. 1t was not yet organized.
Jesus had not yet welded together
those men who were to form the
church which was TO convey His
message TO all the ages. But later on
we hear him declare the purpose Of
founding a church against which the
gates OF hell should not prevail.
Deals With Church.
Again as we come to the acts of
the apostles and the letters of Paul
we shall find that the entire New
Testament had TO do with the church.
The acts telling how and under what
conditions the church was organized,
while Pauls letters are chiefly adj
dressed 10 the churches scattered
throughout Europe. one to the
church at Rome. another 10 that OF
COrinth, still another to Thessalonica
and others to various parts OF the
then known world.
I'm these letters we find the apostle
finding fault with the members. He
charges them with idOlatry, fornica-
ton, schism, strife and many other
sins but in no place does ne despair
of the church. 1t existed in his Wis
ion as a divine institution; as the pill
lar OF truth as a holy temple of which
Jesus himself was the chief corner
stone. So he who finds in the church
Of today faults does not discover a
new thing. Paul pointed then out
1000 years ago, but not that he
might destroy the church, but that he
might save It from sin and present it
an institution which was without
fault before the throne of God. Let
no man think that to find fault with
the church he thereby has given good
cause from abstaining from its wOr-
ship or from entering its work.
us IL necessary for one TO unite
with the church in order 20 be saved
Some answer yes. We reply on the
negative. The church is a divine: the
church IS a necessary institution but
not an institution outside OF which no
salvation may come. IL will make
salvation easier because il affords to
its members that encOura cement and
protection from those trials which
human flesh is heir. It Is necessary
because only by an organized militant
body can the great ideas for which
the church stands be made reguant in
the world.
"But we are asked what church
shall we unite ourselves. We answer
TO the church Of Christ. But some
say. which is the church of Christ?
And at this pOnt more than at any
other is there a great misuuder-
standing. both within and without the
church. One SAYS the Protestant
church. We ask which? The Luth-
eran, the Church Of England or some
one OF the Rsany Protestant churches.
such as the Presbyterian. Baptist
CONGREGATIONAL. Disciples, Methodist.
Another says the Catholic church
But which are the Greek or the PO-
man Catholic churches And so we
think we are in utter confusion.
Problem UnsOlycd.
But how shall we solve this prob
lem? One says by having one church
subject TO one head. We reply that
is impossible. The time Will never
come when men can be so united
That was tried. The early church tax
ing its cue from the Caesars sought
TO make uniform church through
out the world. IL came TO Italy and
succeeded, then 90 France and sue
ceeded; 20 Spain and the attempt met
with success. But when il came to
Germany. Germany rebClled. To Hol-
land, Holland refused To England
England said wcll have none OF it,
Nor can today IL be said that those
countries over which uniform
church for a while succeeded be said
longer TO accept the rule. italy and
France are half infidel Spain is a
blind and an effete civilization.
Now can any church force its uni
formity upon the world and compel
obeisance To its doctrines and it's
leaders? What we need today is a
entity in church. not uniformity. Is
agreement upon fundamentals not a
disagreement upon nOn-esSentials2'
This union is now characteri-ing
every progressive church of Chris.en-
dom. The Protestant churches are
today presenting q solid phal1nN
against all organized wrong. You
cannot enter a single church i'm south
Bend today and hear an average ser