South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-05-29

player into a peerless evangelist: a
Mel Trotter from a drunken down
and-outer' into a flaming torch OF
enthusiasm for his and our Christ.
The message OF the possibility OF
regeneration from the living God is
one OF wonder, but more earnestly
one Of encouraging hope and cheer
ing opportunity.
Parents Not OF Our Choosing.
NO man can choose his own par
ents; If so many Of us might have
been born under different circum-
stances and at other times; and
perhaps happily so The time and
condition Of a mans natural birth
determine much OF his career; his
race. his time. his environment. and
many other things. And vet we do
not believe in such "A fatalistic ar
rangement Of the universe. but that
man through his freedom Of &C
ton is responsible for the kind of
character and sOul-life ne repre-
sents And wh-e II may be inn
possible for any man having lived
long in sin 10 free himself from its
lure and pull at one grand leap, yet
the message of the cross is his great
opportunity for new process of
birth in righteousness. While he
cannot choose his earthly parentage.
ne does have the liberty of choice
Of his spiritual parentage within his
own control
The church as an institution is
an organization intended primarily
10 minister this healing power, this
Transforming energy. To the lives of
individuals This is its chiefest pur-
pose. And yet this message has q
social as well as a personal aspect.
1t means a recreated life for the
individual in which he seeks the
, things that are above instead Of.
what he once pursued, the things
which are beneath. degraded. But
it involves more than that. II also
means that in addition to striving
for the salvation of. the individual
we should be trying'to create a new
society. a regenerated social life. in
witch mere advantages favoring
ans fewer obstacles hindering the
spiritual life will be found. To this
end socially the church and its mem
bers ought, and TO a large extent do,
seriously endeavor TO cooperate with
every other force which aims at the
same END. There has been too much
jealousy for names and not enough
for righteousness in times past,
which i'm cases has led to misunder-
standing between the churches and
mary forces which are cooperating
in aim. and even between the vari-
Gus churches themselves.
Involves Two Things.
our possibility of regeneration
then involves two things; namely
that the individual must be recreated
into more and more nearly Christ
likeness in character. and that as
individuals we cooperate to produce
such a condition Of affairs, such a
regeneration of society. as shall in
some small measure at least prom
Use the fulhlment of the kingdCm
OF God. To this end let us not only
hope and pray, but also earnestly
work and strive Let no soul steep
ed in sin feel that the word of
reconciliation and regeneration does
not apply to him individually. Let
no group of workers striving for the
betterment of our social life fear
that the church is not alive to the
need of social regeneration. As a
matter of fact, the religion of Jesus
Christ has furnished most of the
spiritual motive power of sympathy
and righteousness which have
cleansed the fostering sores OF
worldwide humanity and which
shall move on to the achievement
of still greater things in days to
come"