The Detroit times., 1916-08-29
irfsrnstlensI sunday sehoei Lesson
FOR Sept Q 10 "Psurs Sorrows and
con'orts"-ii. Corinthians, ti:z;.
"a.



-
Gelatinousnrss Is the oommonest
and most dangerous substitute for
Christianity current today. A jelly
hsh negativeness. which is as timio
as q muskrnt. passes current az
goodness. In some mind piousDest
and spinelce.nees are synonyms. A
common idea OF goodness is no, "a
disagree with anybody evan With the
devil himself. Our grsndfathers
were called Dissenters. but their
grandohildren are OF the creed call
cd Asssnters. We agree with avery.
body and everything. from the prop
osition that God and man were both
originally "in the yolk OF an added
egg" TO the familiar doctrine tha,
whatever is. is right" and that TO
be popular is the chief end OF man
and woman.
Although II may be sheer boeh
the newest ism and spasm may get
q respectful and sympathetic hear
ing from Christian people. After
ALL" says the current notion "Ht doee
not matter what YOU believe, so long
a. you try TO be kind Therefore.
the latest colored fakir from BON.
bay, if he be AT all clever, can get
. large following. a fat living. and
much sweet adulation from Boston
women who have "outgrown" the
f1lfberal creed of their Puritan for
hears. No cult IL too silly 10 find a
vogue. be II the religion CT walking
naked through the grass in the sun
light, or OF breathing ~ certain
rote. or OF entering into the silence
Of q supreme Egoism. or the burn
ing OF incense TO the sun. or the wcr-
ship OF nebulous Mind. or the Hindu
ism of trsnsnigrs,ion. or--but What
In the use Of trying TO catalogue all
our foilies.
Any earnest chronicier Of the
times must confess that. as z whole.
our society IL intellectuslly enervst-
ID. We are not sure what We BE-
lieve Boston and New York are
almost as ready 10 hear Hindu
Yogi as a Billy Sunday Old re-
ligions. new religions; comparaiiye
religion. no religion-all are pretty
much alike TO your modern man or
woman. This is true 10 a degree
that would alarm the average min.
lister. il he knew IL, OF many per
sons within the churches. as well ~
Of the great mass outside. Present
day Christians. owing perhaps TO a
lack OF leadership. are willing 10 let
many precious inheritances 20 By
default They sure nder the Chris. !
tian Sabbath almost without pro !
test. so also thew let the Bible 20 |
from the public schools. The prop
osition that this is a Christian ma
tion is likewise permitted To 90 by
default. The integrity and inspira-
tion Of the Bible is Welded quite |
rs easily. Once let anybcdy-be he |
. soap box orator. or a Hedging col |
Iege professor-s1y that she con-
sensus Of modern scholarship af
Al ms"--and shoo' the Christians |
runs like chickens before a hawk. |
without waiting TO see whether the |
bird that sffrights them may rot be |
only crow.
When To stand Up and Ard Fight !
Opporiunely, the SUNDAY schools
OF the world are this week called
into the school Of study OK old Paul
of Tarsus. TO learn tc stand up and
contend for the truth A this les.
son and MANY other New Testament
passages make clear. controversy
may he Christian duty. The early
church fathers were great contro-
vcrsialists. Truth was 20 precious in
their eyes that thev would be alien.
sted from friend and homes and
even from life itself for ITS sake
There Is something ma iesjic about
the spectacle OF those grest intel
lects battling ove- dOctrinal and ec-
clesiasticsl points. We nave enter
ed into the inheritance they left, but
we have forgotten their militancy
wonder II the reader OF these lines
can. on the instant. name a single
great Christian controversafgt In
North America tolsy, champion OF
the truth as IL is in Christ Jesus
In the past these nave been tho mea
who have made Christcndom their
debtors.
Controversy On high plane.
which Viii not dodge or misstste
any facts. nor impugn the motives Of
a brother. is one ~ tho essential