American Fork citizen. [volume] (American Fork, Utah) 1912-1979, 1915-04-17
The Place Of Christianity
In Modern Life

This age is, as the late Bishop |
Spalding said, the most interesting |
one In the history of the world. IL
Is most certainly a transition period. |
True 1t Is, as one has said, that each |
age and I'm fact each day is sort oil !
transition from the past TO the future
but our Bishop meant far more than
that This age Is. period of change
In the social, business, economic, NOR
al, ethical, and religious views of the
world People are waking up to the
fact that the evolution OF the world
works along all lines and that their
thinking anu doing must in all things
keep up with the progression of the
times
As the knowledge and ability to
know and understand that knowledge
has advanced more rapidly In the past
few years than In any similar period
in the past, we find that we must make
more rapid and greater changes now
than at any age OF change In the
past We have chung TO the old more
firmly than did the people at any
previous time therefore We have car
ried over the ideas of our fathers In
way that no age before us did, Our
ideas along all lines came from them
and We have not advanced those ideas
as rapidly as the times have demand
ed Science, II IL true, has made
great strides but we have been hesi-
tant in making those ideas our own
and of cooperating all our thinking
with that science
Look at the present Christian
Europe Is In the midst of the great
est war Of history. Our own country
just emerging from period OF hard
times and entering upon time OF
so-caled prosperity finds Itself with
millions of men out OF work and no
chance of work for them In sight.
The whole world is In a state Of
trouble and disturbance.
Why Is all thisY Why war In Chris
tian world? Why starvation for mil
lions Of the men, women, and child
rem In our land when we have just
had the greatest Of crops known
The same answer fits all these ques-
lions and Is an easy one II We Will
but believe 1t.
We have clung too long to the be-
liefs of the past We have not allow
ed our thinking along moral. ethical,
and religious lines to progress with
the times The progress Of the world
II II Is true and lasting progress rests
upon character and high upright
charactAr. such as will stand the
test OF use and abuse, rests upon
right beliefs Christian Europe fights
and Christian America starves be-
causes the basis of our character is
a system of moral and religious ideals
that while true and uplifting In the
past or not adequate to the present
Our beliefs are not Of the type fitted
to meet the conditions that the pro-
erosion of events are placing upon
them. They We're framed for the past
and with our conservative tendances
we have chung to them till they have
largely outlived their usefulness
II We are 10 meet the issues
of the present they must be changed
and restated so as to become the
foundation of such character as
will be able to weather the storms
Of the present and develop more
equitable system for life.
Our beliefs are outworp and must
be reestablished. This does not mean
that Christianity 10 failure though
il is our Christian faith that Is fall
ing to stand the stress Of the times
and to meet in Christian way the de-
mands of the present. But It does not
mean that our ideas as to the method
and manner Of applying that Chris
tianity to life and its needs 10 by no
means adequate.
Christianity is life and like all that
has to do with a developing things
like life must be subject TO the same
law of development Our ideas or
God, Christ the teachings OF the
Church and its effects ON life are
largely those that our fathers taught
u.s. How many of us have ever gone
over beliefs and tried to tit them to
the needs of the present? Christian
ity is capable of meeting the needs
OF all ages and peoples or II Is not
the true and perfect form of faith.
Christianity In the past has met the
demands placed upon II because II has
ever grown and developed. IL II has
now reached its limit 80 that Is Is In
capable of further growth 1t Is fall
ure even though Il has satisfied in
the past But II Is not failure for
where men have cleaned house and
modernzed their beliefs they have
found that the life and teaching of
Christ still meets and fulfills all the
needs OF the present moment. What
we h''u, NHdt tue th'iS''"h WE"
needs. is for us all to revive our
knowledge of the life anG teaching
of Christ and In so doing to study and
consider that life and the teaching
connected with It In the light OF the
conditions of the modern world In
which we live. II has been done by
many but should be done by all, All
who will do so will find. as those who
have so done found. that the Risen
Master Is as fully and completely the
inspiration to the living Of the right
and adequate life as he ever was;
viii find that their beliefs are deve-
loped and filled out so that they are
capable of being the life principles OF
a character that will be more than