St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1915-09-04
MISSION Of THE
RURAL CHURCH
SHOULD BE UNIVERSITY OF RE-
LloloUs LEARNING.
Duty Of Christianity 70 EvanssIizs tl,o
World.
Dy Rev. Jno. A. Rice, o. ..
Pastor st. John n. z. Church. South.
Ct. Louis. No.

Ct. Louis. No.
Some years ago, the question was
asked: What is . college? The at
tempt to answer It shook the educa-
tional world in America from center
to circumference. Another question 10
now beginning to be asked: What il
. church? Without undertaking to
give . definition Of it. let me ask. in
this initial paper. what the church
10 for! The New Testament reveals
three distinct tasks to which It is
committed.
First, that Of evangelization. The
church 10 divinely commissioned to
reach for the lowest and the least
man in the least land and offer him
sonship to the Eternal God; offer him
q divine power, which lifts him out
Of the bog and places him upon the
highest levels Of human life. where
God and the soul are in fellowship.
This alone were IN immense prtvx
ilega
Teaching the Art Of Living.
The church IL commissioned also
to teach and train those who are
rich with its evangelistic message.
The term, Religious Education. has
come to mean q specific thing In our
country, namely. the training Of the
people in the local church in those
deep matters which pertain to the
art Of living. am not now speaking
Of the work of education in schools,
colleges and universities. but the work
Of education at our doors, In the con-
gregation. Every agency in reach
should be employed to the utmost IN
this important mission. Indeed. the
local church could be made sort OF
university for all the people, in which
the simple, practical arts and virtues
Of everyday life should be taught and
enforced. Only recently has this
special phase Of the church's work re-
ceived anything like adequate atten-
ton Tho New Testament word for
t. 10 Edincation.
School Of Religion Needed.
OF course. the Sunday School 10 the
center for all this work, although the
activities Of the church should extend
through the entire week and the Sun
day School should cease to be 20
named. It should DO called the School
Of Religion or the Church School or
something else that indicates It to be
IN all-the-week activity. During this
time various and sundry clubs, classes,
musical Organizations, culture courses.
40 well as distinctly religious meetings,
should be held. Tricky settled neigh
borhoods. as We shall see. offer fine
opportunities for the development OF
things spiritual.
The third task to which the church
is committed 10 that Of Christianizing
the social order; that Of infusing the
spirit Of Jesus into every nook and
corner Of our life. Nothing IL foreign
to the interest Of the church.
Nelahboeiy Love Essential.
II religion pefvades and col0rS the
whole life then ours is serious busi-
ness, for It will let no corner Of the |
world escape its influence. The sooner
We learn that Christianity is not .
thing to be practiced In q corner the |
better for the world. The question OF |
the eighteenth century, touching Chris |
tianity, was, Can it be made to square
with the human reason? OF the nine
teenth, Can 1t be made to square with |
the results Of scientific research? OF |
the twentieth, What can 1t do? We
must learn to enforce not only love OF |
God, whom we cannot see, but love to |
our neighbors, with whom We are living I
In constant contact. Neither without
the other 10 Christianity whatever else
It may be. Everything that interests
hia nei1hhOra must interest him IL he |