The Ordway new era., 1914-10-30
THE POLITICAL
PREACHER
the PULPIT WARMED AoAiKsT
THE WILLOW PERil OF
POLITICS.
a censserstsd Ministry Nssdsd fer
the Rural Churches.

|! tho AUrAI ChufchoA
Oy Pstsr Radfeed
| Lecturer National varnsn' Union
Tho farmers Of this nation have Of
their payroll $4,000 preachers and this
number applying themselves diigent
Iy and exclusively to the religious
work at hand u sadly inadequate u
properly serve their respective COM
munities.
Those who put en- ecclesiastical
robes are In . measure free to unlock
every door to the human heart and
enter the secret chambers Of reason
and every person should submit their
conduct to review and seek the coun-
sci Of those divinely appointed mes
senssrs Of life. but the mofnsnt the
minister closes the Bible and opens
the law book. he becomes . menace to
socity.
The Difficulty Of keeping the preach
Or In the pulpit II ~ old ~ religion.
Christ encountered Il In the temple
whom he drove the priests from the
bsrgain counter back to the pulpit.
Our pilgrim fathers met H when,
through the influence OF the ciergy. .
witch court was established at Salem.
Asss.. In lss3. that prscipitated legal
holocaust threatening to reduce the
popuaatioa To ashes and which was a.
tinssishsd ~ the laynsn uniting a.A
forcing The prsachsfs hack TO The Dul-
pik
Ths greatest Dsrfl 70 the church 10
day h politics. The temptation u he
ainlstsy % throw down tie. GROSS u
Chrlst ard pick up he club of The
policeman: to substitute the penalties
Of ths law for he power Of The altar
and TO lszislafe religion into human
hearts. never was srsatef.
The world never needed religions
ministry more nor political preachers
lees than Il doss today. We need min-
istsrs TO teach us how 70 live: We
know how 70 vote.
The religious preacher u the most
capable servant and the political
preacher the sorSisst master the world
has ever known Whsrsysr power -
placed IN the hands Of the 1attsr they
Invariably become intoiseant. bieotsd
and vicious and resort to the whip aAl
tie faSsot 70 enforce their opiAion.
Civilization has many times besA
compelled to drive incorrisibls preach.
ers back to the pulpit at the point Of
the bayonsG Many of ths pages Of
history are wet with blood shed at the
hands Of political preachs1s who wrote
laws on tho statute books that con-
nittsd arson upon mankind. MANNED
human beings with the hstchst and
sent helpless women to the torture
rack. all because they disagresd with
their Views. When in control Of gov
ernment, the pulpit politicians invari-
ably undertake to perform legislative
miracles such ~ casting out witches
with the name Of . torch. suborning
conscience with shackles and enforc-
Ing opinions with the guillotine.
Mixing Po,ItIes and Religion.
Politics and religion will not blend.
No free government can long exist g,
the church perform it, mission to
society when preachers and politicians
temporarily exchange callings. and .
civilization that will countenance
such conduct will soon decay. Such .
traffic in occupations IL A. unsound in
principle A. the white slave trade 70
immoral in practice.
The hand that passes the sacrament
should not collect slush funds for po-
litical purposes. The gentle voice that
comforts US in sorrow and pronouncss
the last sad rites upon our departed
loved ones should not rave and rant on
the hustings, do mot believe .
preacher can manipulate political ms
chinery and be righteous any more
than he could become . burglar and
be honest. think It as immoral
for 4 preacher TO seek to lobby while
he prays A. II would be for him "a
gamble while he breaches.
A preacher can no more preach Z
political sermon without converting hia
pulpit into . political rostrum than
he could sell intoxicating liquor from,
tie altar without converting the
church into = bar-room. He can nc
mure purify politics by playing the
game than he can sanctify Eambliha
by running . lottery.
3oin In the oft-repeated suggestion
that a preacher has ~ much right In
political brawls ~ a saloon keeper and
We also admit that he has ~ much
right to get drunk a. anyone else
Il but we would rather he would not do