The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-06-13
Practical Christianity
CHURCH REFORM THE ORDER OF
THE DAY.
Our Institutions Too Indifferent Re-
garding Morality.
Should Seek Quality of Membership
and Not Quantity.
BY CHAs. A. sTARKs.

In the following article Iue WTlIeT
seeks to give light rather than cen
sure, and though he makes no war
on men or institutions. he is uncom-
promising in dealing with false and
corrupt practices believing that
Truth and Fact when rightly assert
ed get better results than any of the
man-made subterfuges.
The Church has played no small
part in the affairs of mankind and its
history dates back in the centuries
gone. It's progress has been slow,
and at times very painful supersti-
tion has ever hampered it, so that it's
movements have been so retarded
that the day has been pushed back
when it's adherents must wake to a
| clearer understanding of life, and
thus partake of the glorious liberty
of the children of God"
1t was said over a century ago by
one who knew Chat: Time brings
more converts than reason" but in
our own time, it has been more un-
derstandingly said that: "The time
for thinkers has come," the same
voice proclaiming that Truth indie
pendent of doctrines and time hon
ored systems knocks at the portal
of humanity seeking Ito make plain
to benighted understanding the way
of salvation" We believe that this
day is upon us and now is the ac-
cepted time.
The thoughtful will read the ffol-
lowing serious reflections and will
weigh and condder. The needless
will go on and continue to walk in
the beaten paths, have no glory but
that of unprogressive custom Jill time
small bring them at the throne of
Truth where sooner or later "all
must plant themselves"
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.
One of the things that is being
much discussed is: the decline OF
membership in Churches. True
enough they all boast of increases,
but an attendance at any of these
will discover a lack of verification
when one sees the meager audiences
that greet the Minister. This is aver
agely so, which leads us to conclude
that large memberships chiefly con-
sist in so much ink used in writing
down names Also that there is
something fundamentally wrong some
where. May it not be in our lack of
power to demonstrate the spiritual
over the material or the unwilling
ness of the Churches to insist on a
higher standard of life? An examina
tion of their mode of securing mem
bers will perhaps reveal one of the
Churchs errors in trying to gain
qualified Christians to its ranks.
First frenzy is worked up in the
emotions, then Gospel of intimidation
then the invitation which nets gen
orally two or three converts" Then
all are asked to stand, those who are
members of the Church are command
ed to sit down and the sinners and
non-members are requested to remain
standing, this makes them the direc
object of persuasion, remonstrancC
and coercion, Willing to please anC
be led they go up without any pre-
vious thought of the step, (often) anC
not of their OWN VOLlTION. Thei
names are taken with dispatch anc
short mumblings of can experience
and the thing is over with. This ma!
be diplomatic, but it is not Christ
like; it may be effective but it has
no permanency This is shown in thu
, lack of understanding on the part o
the "enlister,' his subsequent indif
ference to his church, and his genera
unfruitfulness. Why not make the
, Church so beautiful in love. So fal
| reaching in spiritual good that meI
will be attracted unto it by virtue
of their neen and the ability of the
Church to supply it. This is bes
brought about by seeking in mem
bership.
QUALITY AND NOT QUANTITY.
The Negroes tenacity in holding oil
: to outgrown beliefs is at once admir-
able and reprehensible; admirable. be
cause there is fine grain of loyalt!
in his make up and to his teachings
Reprehensible, because of his unwill
= ingness to advance when reason lead,
the way. This is none the less true
} of all races. Reason shows that quail
} ity counts in membership more 81
} than quantity. One hundred loya
J Christians seeking that mind which
was also in Christ" can do more gooC
: than one thousand Indifferent tim,
! serving and ''fgure-head members.
And by a spiritual understanding
high moral standard and we'll OF
: tdered business method of self taxa
tion in financing. the hundred cal
spiritualize the community-raise tn
morality of its people and promot
the material welfare of the Church
7 and they won't have to beg to do II
: How can these kind of members b.
!. secured? My answer is: BY insist
, ing on certain reasonable qualities
= tions and these should be intelligen
. and moral to the extent that an az
C plicant would know just what was el
pected Of him or her. This idea car
not be emphasized Ia our presen
mode of securing members as W
have already shown. The first ste
should be taken by the would be
member himself. Common sens
should govern the Committee" VIII