Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-10-09

LEADERSHIP OF PROPHETIC
ORDER THE NEED OF CHURCH
Qualities of Insight and Precision Moral and Spiritual Passion
That Make the Prophet.

The particular need today in the
religious field is a leadership with the
prophetic voice and message such as
the Christian church has had in past
times. What has the church just
looming before ii as its special task
In the development of life in it's So
cial moral and spiritual aspects?
After the great war has passed
Europe will not be the Europe that
she was before the war, nor will the
entire world for that matter be the
same People will think more soberly
and will inquire for new paths and
will need the leadership of the far
seeing. Already there is a larger
religious interest and o quickening of
the spiritual life. In Germany the
churches are having large congrega-
rions and the preachers who are not
at the front are busy comforting the
people and deepening their faith in
God
In France and in Russia similar re-
poEts are made of a wave of religious
interest and of inquiry for a more
substantial ground of confidence than
the materialism that has been the
tottering support for a long time.
Though terrible and devastating as
the war is to material values. where
it Ia playing havoc, it can have no
effect on spiritual values. These are
the most solid of all values, for they
have the stamp of eternity upon them.
They have as security the character
and personality of God himself. VINO
evaY hanks ON these values cannot
surfer from any sort of catastrophe.
The people of Europe who are turn
ing 10 the churches are feeling the
instability of material supports ana
are driven by force of circumstances
10 fall back on God as their mann.
stav and on the spiritual lie as Oh
supremest value. They cannot reason
ont the matter, but their impulses OF
intuitions tell them that they nave
neglected God.
Particular Qualities.
Jf they have neglected God ana his
vedliirements, has it been SO because
they have not had adequate spirtuai
leadership? Has the church pecoIlie
TOO largely subdued by tne nia'ei 'e taa a.
site philosophy and practice Oh the
lsin1f1on of the world? In time
when there is a feeling after God, IN
The United States as well as IN
Ea,rope. there is also need OF prophetle
leadership the more insisting. lnslshi
and nroyision. moral and splrltuai
passion, are the particular quahtles
of a. prophet, or one VINO nas ti,e ne
dominant message for his time. II
he is able to penetrate spiritually pc, ;e,
.5eath the superficial to the essentlal
needs of human life and to aiscer.
also the saving forces already al
work; If in ADDITION he has the pow
m see the character of the coming age
.nS to nroclairn what he secs; IL ne
csr noint out the dangers ana can
Sirect men into paths of safety, ne be-
] cosnes a worthy modern successor oi
nat school Of the prophets whose 'ose
nembers rendered notable service inot mot
alone in the commonwealth OF ancient M ,e I
Tsrael hut in every nation which mas
sfood in some way and in some CRISIS
fo, moral conquest and spiritual en-
Irhtenment and progress. IL M, M
aiways been the peculiar duty Oh SUI y.
q prophet to expose ana dehouiioe 81