South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-04-12
WORLD STILL HAS
FAITH IN CHRIST
Savior Would Find That People
Have as Much Belief in God
as They Did on His Visit to
This Earth.


This question was negatively an
swered by Rev. Charles a. Decker i'm
his Sunday morning sermon at the
First Baptist church. speaking on the
SUBJECT, rs the World Losing Faith2"
Falth exists today. declared Rev.
Decker. in "A larger degree than is
supposed, nearly everyone having
some sort OF faith i'm God
We shall not be able TO get very
TAR he said. toward the answer to
our question until We know what sort
or Faith II was Jesus referred To in Ills
query. There are those who believe
that He meant belief in the body Of
revealed truth That is a faith that
accepts the doctrines OF the church so
r far as they are formulated in the
Bible. But ] think this was farthest
from the mind Of Jesus when he utter
ed these words
The context shows that he was
thinking not of scriptures and creed
but Of belief in God as a hearer Of
prayer and a friend Of the helpless
The faith We are speaking OF is per-
sOnal attitude toward Cod. A trust In
Him, "A leaning upon Him. 1t is a vi
tai faith
Faith in this sense is a new testa-
ment idea. IL is interesting 10 note
that the word faith is found but twice
IN the old testament, and in neither
case does it mean what we have in
mind when VIC speak Of faith toward
God.
Answer Depends on Coming.
What is the answer when we think
or the matter in the light fthis def
milton Of faith2 Well, it depends al
together upon when the Lord comes
II he had come in the life time Of the
apostles, as they believed he would.
ne would have found several hundred
people with a joyous fellowship in
God. Their faith was vital. not credal
The beliefs Of the church had not yet
been reduced TO writing.
IF he had come in the third CEN
fury ne would have found much per-
SOnal faith, but much more faith eX-
pressed in belief in a body Of doc
trine. If he had come in the year
1000 the answer would have been a
decided negative. BY this time per
sOnal faith had crystalized into faith
in the efficacy of ceremonies. con-
fOrmity to ecclesiastical practices and
blind aCceb lance of credal statements
Personal faith was nil. IT was the
Dark Age.
Had he come in. the 18th century
ne would have found "a different state
of affairs. The reformation under
Luther and others had revived the
smoldering embers OF faith. People
were again taking q new and joyous
another
reaction came, and belief in a body OF
doctrine was again given the fore
most place as the content of faith.
This brings us down to our own day.
What would the Lord find if he came
today?
"By some this has been called the
age OF doubt. by others an age Of
faith. Which is right? obviously
both are right Doubt does exist re-
earding many things that have been
held without question in the past But
certainly faith in the great and eternal
principles OF the gospel is not want
ing
I'VE are just now in another trans
itional period Of the worlds thinking.
And we are trying 10 adjust ourselves
10 the new world conditions and the
new demands upon our thought and
life a new world has been discover
Cd since 1856. And this process of re-
adjustment has little more than be-
Sun.
Affects Religious Life.
Now all this is having a tremendous
effect upon our religious life as we'll
as upon all ether phases of life. And
II may be said that while faith of to-
day is different in some respects than
that of so years ago. where it does ex-
ist. il is coming TO be more scriptural
and more spiritual
IF instead of looking at men in the
mass. we turn our attention to the
various groups of society we find an
interesting situation. For example:
the older theOlOgical thinkers have
not given up their faith. But neither
have those who look at religious
truth from the more modern point Of
lev.
The scientists Of today are giving
very valuable aid To religion. The
best OF them say the science points TO
God. The average man is not utterly
devoid OF faith. He does not express
il in the conventional forms but il
lies as a dormant factor in his life
That is why il is possible under favor
able conditions 10 move large numbers
% people into an active participation
in the Christian life Even the dis
satisfied and depressed classes in our
society believe IN "a God of mercy and
justice.
Taking these things into conSidera-
ton il is true that IL the Lord should
come today he would find faith on the
earth. Not as much as he would like
10 find and not as a ctive a. it should
be But faith nevertheless. and n
larger degree than we sometimes sup
pose"