The farmer and mechanic., 1915-11-02
In The Religious World

- H. 1Ife christian is called
~ ~ De an IconOclast, an idol srnasher
There are some men who are ct1lrol,
"ffen 1t comes to driyipe carr,,,+; |
when 1t comes to driving ocrr1intiop
out OF d community Yet to fight evil
- as surely part of tn Christian
"a =, grain as to proclaim the good
= ne Hish places must be oyerthrovn
- lhe Church IS to be maintained in |
her integrity for the service of the
world. There are a host Of social ius
llae Will nave to be reme1ied if We
are gong TO meet the new dav in the
spirit OF the kingdom of heaven.
for a long time King Joash tried |
10 nave the temple repaired bat |
MItnout success. He was slow in
nothing more or less than that he
nad followed very modern fashion
OF trying to have the priests do it all
he wanted the priests to provide the
money and to do the work but that
was more than even the patient
paacher could stand. Not until a
| business system was Introduced. and
| burdens distributed, and the lay work
ers called in each to do his own part,
was the big job of temple restoration.
put through
There are q good many objections
to the present popular program Of
loading all the work Of a church on
W tHe pieAcntf one IS SuH1cient TO
point out. 1t does not succeed
There never was a preacher big
! enough to carry a whole church, and
there never will be. Those congre-
CATIONS who are asking their minis
ters to be errand boy. parish visitors.
property committee, financial agent
church supper organizer, delegate to
everything, and general factotum
and roustabout. are guilty Of sew
- ha-
ing sheer stupidity. The only way a
church is going to thrive is for every
body to bear his part. The minis
ter's tasks ought to be to preach the
Gospel, instruct the people and TO E2
5 pastor Of the flock. The officers OF
the church should have gumption
enough to see that he does this with
out neglecting it, and that they dc
l their own share of the work will
} equal fidelity. The priests fittee
beautifully into Joashs' scheme WheI
JOaSh came to his senses and deyel
2 oped business-liae scheme for ths
= enterprise of temple repairing.
It has been said that the quiclles
way to dampen the enthusiasm of
r prayer meeting is to talk money
Y Nevertheless, as of old, SO today
h money is needed for the work Of tn
f church. To secure it from prope
: motives and in adequate amount,
= one of the greatest single difficultie
t Of organized religion. Somehow, tn
# church has not as keen a financla
d sense as she had in the days of Joasf
> There is more pettiness exhibited i
r the financial aspect Of religion tha
l. in any other manifestation Of Chris
e tianity-and that is saying a goo
;e deal.
II Anybody who has ever set on
'e church board has witnessed tn
IS strange phenomenon of business meI
IS who are accustomed to doing practice
y, things in practical way, and to cor
l. Quoting large enterprises in hroa
r spirit, going about church matter
with an entirely new state OF mln'
er which is chiefly characterized by Il
II smallness. Who can explain why
le is that when business men go at tn
d, financial side Of the Church the
r ideas Immediately become peanl
W size? Men who pay generously in tf
le chamber Of commerce, or in the
IS social clubs, count pennies when
OF comes to the church.
lie There is many a man with an II
as come of thousands Of dollars yea
ed who is total stranger to the eXper
en ence of giving as much as one hui
LII dred dollars in a single year to tf
Id lChurch. A whole crowd Of epigran
a and stories have arisen, concernl1
1y this we'll known condition. one
n. Some men give according to the
d. means, and others according to the
h meanness.'' ''Some Christians are
Is stipgy that when the minister Civ
out old Hundred they start to sir
Ninety and Nine in order to get Oh
,le per cent off,
ir- If a. Christian has not religit
vs. enough to give generously, propo
he tionately and Systematically to Il
we Church. he has surely not reiiSl'
.re enough to take him 10 neatel' o.
&C. anv other Christian goal The IL
9Th evidence of a revival in religion
Of many a church would be an lncTea
we in the pastors salary, and the repai
ly, ing of the church. ] have observed
ell heather lands that al the ehlfd,ite
ept the temples there IS large chNSt
gh Joash fashion-for the receIpt
he offerings. The first act OF Wofoh