South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-07-27
CHRISTIANITY TOPIC
OF PASTORS SERMON
There Are Two CategOrieS of
Christian Obligation, Devine
End the Human, Says Rev.
Loren M. Edwards.

The Rev. Loren VI. Edwards. pastor
OF the Methodist Memorial church on
Sunday evening delivered the final Of
a series or sermons which have at
tracted large congregations during the
past few Sundays. The general sub
1ect OF discourse at these special ser
vices was christianity In the Life OF
Today" In bringing the fourth and
last message of. the series TO close
ne delivered q powerful sermon. IN
the course OF his remarks after quot
ing several passages OF scripture ne
said:
There are two objects OF love and
therefore Of unselfish service Tor the
one who would call himself by that
high word, christian, God and man.
There are two catagOries of christian
obligation, the divine and the. human.
There are two spheres OF desires Tor
the fulfilment Of which We may make
legitimate effort, the kingdom OF God
and the temporal needs of life. There
are therefore two OutlOOks for rehg-
ion. the one toward our Father, the
other toward our brothers. But IL IS
as clear as sunlight that the spiritual
precedes the temporal, that God
kingdom has supremacy over man >
used it. is a necessity before brother
hood can have Ineligible meaning,
that christianity embOdies the very
spirit of giving rather than OF getting;
and that on this broad principle OF
supremacy OF Christ and his teachings
lie has established His church.
For our discussion we shall omit
any reference TO the application OF
christianity in the purely individual
realm. il may be taken as assured
that christianity is a regeneration OF
power in the individual life; TO be
christian means to be believer in
Him. Such must be the foundation
upon which we build, and although
our attention will be consumed at this
time with social phases of christianity,
nevertheless the personal reality or
individual christian character and eX-
preston must be postulated before
discussion of this kind can proceed
far or TO any satisfactory issue. TO
put it in a statement or principle,
there cannot be social christianity
apart from personal christianity, and
unless we can first have Christian men
and women we cannot have clean pol
stics or civic righteousness, or hon
est business, or industrial equity, any
more than we can have genuine
christian church under such cOndi-
tions.
ITO put this into an example, a
man cannot be a christian in accord
ance with cannOns or this discussion
and yet rob a railroad, or plumber
city, or Cypress an employe, or dyna-
mite life and property for revenge.
Now the church is, or ought TO be,
the exponent of this broad interpre-
tation OF christianity. touching all
classes, entering all fields OF human
race, guiding all forces toward the
goal OF christian achievements. In
free America we do not believe in the
union of church and state. When a
church as such enters politics and
seeks to control elections and man
legislations il then outrages the Amer
lean sense OF prOpriety- But the ciu-
zens who love liberty, honor moral
integrity, and stand for the highest
STANDARD Of purity in private and in
public life, are the ones that ought to
be first at the caucus. the convention.
or the primary IN the interest of clean
officials and honest government.
Moreover. if the principles of
christianity viii not operate in poll
tics. then there is something wrong
with politics.
But the big laymen in the church
who makes a profession and pays
generously and attends church piOusly
and then goes out and talSities IN
business or cheats his customers OPP
presses his employees in gaining for
tunes does more 10 ulSCIeQl the BOS-
pei OF Christ than his pastor can un
20 or correct in generation of
preaching.
Il am preacher OF the gospel and
a minister OF the gospel for which l
am deeply grateful to God. Ike my
job and If 1 did not consider il the
biggest field for me in which 10 toll
for the upuft and salvation of human
ity j would never return 10 this pull
pit. 1 represent, let me say il rever-
emily, God and his kingdom. / so 10
work with the biggest proposition pos
sibie. Many men accept il, some de
lay answer, some fail 10 face the Is
sues. some admit the truth of your
proposition. but produce one excuse
OF another for inactiOn. With all this
am familiar and just keep right on.
but when man answers my PROPOSE
ton with an oath or "A scrOWl or word
OF bitter hate for the church then my
blood runs cold and my prayer just
then is desperate
II would like 10, for some men who
constantly identity the rich with the
church, TO furnish me with a list of
the officers in the five leading man
ufacturing industries in Mishawaka
with the names of the churches To
which they belong. 1 am sure that
such a list would make interesting
reading At the next session of the
ministerial association. BY way Of
caution i might remark that the one