Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1914-11-09
CHRISTIANITY NOT
failure PASTOR SAYS
DR.. Dole Says Charity is
Needed to Save World
From War
SAYS CHURCH MUST
FACE THE FACTS

Rev. Geo. Henry Dole preached on
the subject, Us Christianity a Fail
ure." His text was Ez. XII, %, "The
days are prolonged, and every vision
faileth."
Briefly reported, Dr. Dole said:
Surely the day of universal good
will is prolonged. and all the visions
OF perpetual peace have disastrously
failed! Doubtless as never before
Christian faith is being tried The
great Christian nations. the nations
of churches and the Bible, the ma
tons that have sent missionaries TO
the heather. the nations that boast
of surprising civilization. and that
on Christmas all around the earth
ring out with. the song, On earth
peace good will to men, are Crap
pied in mortal combat The tender
feelings of humanity have quiesced
before the maelstrom of brutal pas
sions which have broken loose in
unsurpassed fury and cruelty.
What means this condition of the
Christian world? Where is the pow
er OF the Christian religion whose
watchwords are love and peace?
Where is the evidence of civilization
and Christianity when all these ma
tions at war, with Internal engines Of
death assault one another, and pray
to the same God of righteousness for
the destruction of the other and to
give the victory TO their own arms?
rs it strange that people are ask
ing Is our civilization collapsing? Is
the church with its message of peace
and good will a mockery? Is Chris
tianity a failure?
There are external causes of pre-
sent conditions. and also internal or
spiritual causes. which are one in
essence II becomes the church 10
inquire into and to understand the
interior causes. Argue as we will
there is no retreat from the fact that
the war of nations arises from the
state Of the Christian world for
which the church is responsible. Why
did not the church. by which is
meant Christian influences. prevent
the war? II was not In the hearts
of Christian peoples so to do. Ma
tons fell from grace, became embit-
tered, and with vows of everlasting
destruction to their neighbours
plunged maddened into the awful
cataclysm. The church must be
honest enough to face the facts. and
to confess its sins, that through re-
pentance the evil may be removed
and the church increased in Chris
tian power and influence. The war
is a judgment upon the church, be-
cause IL has separated faith and
charity, truth and love. II has
taught that salvation can be obtained
by believing a theory. that the Lord
can save one though he does not stoI
shining; that because man cannot
stop SHINING, the Lord came to beai
the penalty for mans sins; II hal
taught everything but the vital trutl
that salvation can come in no Other
way than by stunning all sins as
evil and living from day to day the
life of charity. of loving, Of self
sacrificing service. Thus faith has
become separated from charity. The
spiritual cause of the war is this
separation of faith and charity. and
an effete religion now stands IN
judgment at its Armageddon. The
church is the heart and lungs Of so
ciety. II has had strong lungs and
a weak heart. IL has run 10 doc
trine and theory. and has left the
works of charity undone. IL has
made a mistake like that Of the
theorists who think that they can
reform the world by legislation and
without a change in the hearts of
the people
mo, Christianity Is not a failure.
Civilization is not collapsing. II is
the old theology that is being proved
a failure and is collapsing in its
utter inability to inspire the nations
with the saving works of charity and
love. We do not need a new Gospel,
but a new Interpretation of Chris
tianity, an Interpretation that will
restore charity to its place Faith has
been exalted above charity; belief
has been made more than the life,
and we are now being brought face
to face with the inward essence of
present Christianity. which has made
faith a saving ordinance. Now It is
being demonstrated that faith alone
has no power to save, and that faith
alone is as wicked as this war is
destructive.
The salvation OF the world from
self destruction through its evils is
/ in restoring again the life Of charity
OF uniting again faith and charity in
a life Of both truth and love And
until man realizes that charity is
the only saving power, that the Lord
conquered the world by charity OF
love, that in love is omnipotence to
save, the hoped-for day will be pro
longed, and every vision of peace
will fail. We must "be born again, q
not of the flesh but Of the will. the
love of God. The church must i'm
press this greatest of facts upon the
world; then out of its present temp
tation it will arise to bring the day
and fulfill the vision of universal
/ Deace