The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-02-18
In the Religious World


by fresides and over luncheon tables,
thoughtful Christian men are saying
today to one another that the problem
OF the church Is the problem or the
preacher. This Is no unmanly enort
70 shift responsibility from their own
shoulders. But the proverb, Lake
priest like people" was never more
true than now. The world wants
spiritual leadership. II IL eager Tor
tidings OF truth and for clear note
OF gertrude from the man who speaks
for God. The opportunities before
the Christian ministry were never
greater than In this year OF our Lord
nineteen hundred and ffteen.
While the vast majority OF the
preachers or the gospel a men OF
clean life and OF godliness and OF SELF
sacrifice, there Is nevertheless q lack
OF leadership, of vision and OF power.
The church Is confessedly not meet
ing the needs Of our time. Reluctant
ly. We are forced TO say. as was the
verdict Of old Israel at the time OF our
lesson. that the weakness OF the
church II the weakness OF the priest.
The sons OF ELI had corrupted the
people. Their self-indulgence had
made q scandal Of religion. They
stopped at nothing In the way OF
shameless, open sin. They were not
ministers, but were ministered unto.
The old epigram Is recalled. "Once
the church had golden bishops with
wooden croziers and then the shep-
herds fed the sheep. Now We have
wooden bishops with golden crosiery
and the sheep feed the shepherds"
Worship at Shiloh had been pro
foundly impaired by these sinfua sons
OF ELI Their evil had eaten like .
gangrens into the life Of the people.
When the Church Cannot Win.
The background OF this lesson y
the battle between the Philistines
and Israslites. When the armies
were Joined In array Israel was smit.
ten and four thousand Israelites fell.
| II was q dark day for the Chosen
| People. In panic. runners were sent
quickly to Shiloh to bring to the bat.
J tie the Ark Of the Covenant. that en-
1 blem OF victory at which the Jordan
had parted. the symbol Of the pres
ence of Jehovah.
The fame OF the God Of the He
brsws was In ali the land, and the
Philistines were scared when they
heard Of the approach OF the Ark.
They expected to be routed by this
supernatural ally. Nevertheless,
when the shouts Of the expectant
/ Israelites rolled over to their camp
az the Ark drew near. the Phflistines
/ were afraid and cried: God II come
into the camp. Woe unto
US. Who shall deliver rs out OF the
hand of these mighty gods? These
are the gods that smote the Egyptians
with all manner OF plaques In the
! wilderness" Nevertheless, they were
not craven. were these Philistines'
and they exhorted one another BE
strong. and quit yourselves IKE men
o ye Philistines, that ye be not ser
wants unto the Hebrews. as they have
been to you: Quit yourselves IKE men
and night"
Trasically, the Ark proved impo
tent. To the amazement OF every
body, the victory remained with the
Philistines. Thirty thousand Of the
Children of Abraham fell before the
valiant swords of their foes. Ths
Ark came upon the battlefield. mic
shoutinss OF Joy and hope: II lett n
1.-THE hands OF the foe, amid the wall
,,ings OF the wounded and the prison
ers. The symbol OF the Presence hat
I been ineffective. The calamity Of ca
;lamities had fallen upon Israel. Its
religion could not make good In the
supreme test.
/ or course the significance Of the
story II plain to our day. The out
ward forms OF religion are moi
enough. Songs and symbols are In
;suficient The church and power ars
not necessarily synonymous, as. We
know to our sorrow. The most cor
rupt city politically on the continent
lis the most famous for It's churches
Unless the symbol is supported by 9
pure, priesthood and a consecratet
church, the Presence which II II sup
posed 10 represent IL invoked In vain
The church fails when II relies on IT.
lchurchliness.
| Ecclesiasticism II mighty, today. II
! has money and brains and, social pres
tire. But Il has not power. The
Christian church has twentieth cen
fury ingenuity. but II has not first
century victories. From the battle
field OF Aphek let US learn the great
lesson that the church 10 powerless
except she be true to God and Hi
law.
Piety and power are not synony
nous, unless the former 10 pure. Re
ligion means Righteousness, or else Il
is hollow mockery. Real goodness II
irresistible. The forms Of g0dliness
may be futile and vain.
! In our own time the Christian
church Is facing her greatest PROB