The Meeker herald., 1914-11-28
THE POLITICAL
PREACHER
rhg PULPIT WARMED AGAINST
THE YELLOW PERIL or

4 consseratsd Ministry Nssds1 fer
the Rural Churches.
0y Peter Radford
Iecturcr National FArn.ers' Union
The farmers Of this nation have On
heir payroll $4,000 preachers and this
aumber applying themselves dilissat-
| ~ and exclusively to the religious
work at hand IL sadly inadequate to
properly serve their respective com
munities.
Those who put ON ecclesiastical
robes are In . measure free to unlock
svery door to the human heart and
snter the secret chambers Of reason
and every person should submit their
conduct to review and seek the coun-
sci Of Chose divinely appointed mos
,engers Of life, but the moment the
Minister closes the Bible and opens
the law book, he becomes Q menace to
socity.
The difficulty of keeping the preach.
sr In the pulpit II a. old ~ religion.
Christ encountered 1t in the temple
when he drove tho priests from the
bargain counter back to the pulpit.
Our pilgrim fathers met It when.
through the influence Of the CLERGY.
witch court was established at Salem.
Mass, in 1892, that precipitated legal
holocaust threatening to reduce the
Population to ashes and which was Ok.
:inguished by the laymen uniting and
,orcing the preachers back to tho pull
pit.
The greatest peril to ths church To-
lay IL politics.. The temptation Of the
tninistry to throw down the cross Of
Christ and pick up the club Of the
policeman: to substitute the penalties
II the law for the power Of tho altar
and to legislats religion into human
hearts, never was greater.
The world never needed . religious
ministry more nor political preachers
less than 1t does today. We need min
lsters to teach Us how to lire; We
know how to vote.
The religious preacher Il the most
capable servant and the political
preacher the sorriest master the world
has ever known. Wherever power ID
placed in the hands Of the latter they
Invariably become intolerant, big0ted
and vicious and resort to the whip and
tie faggot to enforce their cpiaien.
Civilization has many times bssA
:oE,pelled to drive incorrigibls preach-
srs hack to the pulpit at the point Of
the bayonet- Many Of the. passa Of
history are wet with blood shsd It .ths
hands Of political preachers who wfot6'
mitted arson upon mankind, mAimed
human beings with the Ratchet and
sent helpless women to the torture
rack, all because they disagreed with
their views. When In control Of gov
ornment. the pulpit politicians invarf-
ably undertake to perform legislative
miracles such ~ casting out witches
with the flame Of q torch. suborning
conscience with shackles and enforc-
Ing opinions with the suillotine.
Mixing Politics and Religion.
Politics and religion will not blend.
No free government can long exist OF
the church perform its mission to
society when preachers and politicians
Temporarily exchange callings, and
civilization that will countenance
such conduct will soon decay. Such
traffic in occupations II ~ unsound In
principle ~ the white slave trade is,
immoral In practice.
The hand that passes the sacrament
should not collect slush funds for DO
Iitical purposes. The gentle voice that
comforts US In sorrow and pronounces
the last sad rites upon our departed
loved ones should not rave and rant on
the hustings. do mot believe .
preacher can manipulate political ma
chinery and be righteous any more
than he could become . burglar and
be honest. I think II as immoral
for . preacher to seek to lobby while
he prays as 1t would be for him to
gamble while he breaches.
A preacher can no more preach q
political sermon without converting his
pulpit into q political rostrum than
he could sell Intoxicating liquor from
the altar without converting the
church into . bar-room. He can no
more purity politics by playing the
game than he can sanctify gambling
BY running lottery.
join in the oft.repeated suggestion
that . preacher has ~ much right in
political brAwls a. . saloon keeper and
We also admit that he has ~ much
right to get drunk ~ anyone else.
but we would rather he would not do
30 for .he greater the saint the great
or the sin" think political bishop
can turkey trot in the name Of christ
ianity a. consistently - he can enter
into mud -slinsing political contest
to the disgrace Of his church.
It IL my opinion that when this