Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1914-06-11
Doesn't Agree With
The Modern Idea
Literary Digest.

If the kingdom of God was to be
taken by violence in times past, the
idea is not thoroughly discarded to-
day. But its capture now is "a duty
of basket ball teams notes The Bib
lical World. When these fail, we
still hope to introduce religion surrep-
titiously between "stereopticon slides
and to deepen foreign mission enthus-
iasm by p~ageants." If entertainment
is the real function OF the church, it
goes on to declare. then the church
is already o~utgrown": for "it can not
compete with commercialized amuse-
ments or with municipal Fairgrounds"
And il will be "rightfully outgrown"
too, for lit will have ceased to do the
thing which as a church it ought 10
do: bring men and God together"
These questions are kenly debated to
day in both religious and lay journals.
| The opposite view stated by Mr.. Geo.
Creal appeared in our issue of May
Is. in which he advocated putting
the church on full time" and giving
into its charge nearly all the secular
activities of the community. The po-
sition taken by The Biblical World
is thus enlarged:
1T Is amazing how mad our mod
ern world is after amusement. The
feudal lord kept his tool, who was
anything but a simpleton. but our
modern world is content with moth
ing that is not highly spiced with en-
tertainment- Our preachers must
have their stories. u professors
must be clever as we'll as learned,
and our e~vangeIists lGod forgive us)
must be vulgar before our attention
IS much attracted.
is it any wonder that our world has
lost a M OF reverence?
PLAY is a legitimate right OF chill
dren, but any person who thinks that.
a child's needs are satisfied on the
playground simply does not know chill.
dren. Quite as truly that man has
much to learn who thinks that sturdi-
ness OF character. adherence of SEN
saaf:ty, heroism that scorns delicate.
living and welcomes sacrifice can be
produced without listening to the He
brew prophet and the English Puritan
THE world in which we live is not
good natured. We have not as yet
quenched the lust for war, or abol-
ishsd sin, or ended death. A religion
that overlooks mems sins, mems sui.
ferings, and mems death is only a
diversion. 1t does not save men-it
hardly keeps them out Of mischief.
*The sensuousness of our day win
NOT be driven out by amusement The
only message of salvation that will
cut into our s~elfshness and reckless
ness is u that makes US morally un-
| comfortable; that does not distract
our attention from sin; that makes us
feel the doom impending upon lives
and social orders which have taught
themselves to believe that We live in
a go~od-natured universe, and are re
sponsiple to a good-aatured God.
"A minister should not speak com
fortably to comfortable people. He
ought TO make such folk morally I'M
comfortable.
One reason why men prefer golf to
fchurch is because they have drifted
onto the notion that golf and church
going belong to the game general class
OF interests. Truth need o be dead
ened In order that It may find ones
c~on1cience, but a church crowded
with people who want TO be enter
tanned is a poor recruiting ground
for the army of the Lord.
Seriousness and g%entleness, candor
and fraternity, solace and inspiration
these are some of the Characters
tics OF a genuine religion. TO doubt
their power and TO seek crowds by
Itaiolery, by appeal to that which is
frivolous. ~hys.erieaf. cheap, and yul-
gar, Is to publish a lack Of faith in
the gospel Of the kingdom thai is love,
JOY. ana peace in the Holy Spirit"
Il &n@at7-aErN HrH &ea-5