Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-08-15
By BISHOP WARREN A. cANDLER.


ST. Paul, writing to the Ephesians. de-
scribed certain of the GENTLE world as
being without God and without hope
| in the world" He described men who
had become HOPELESS because they had
become goddess. Nevertheless, those
people worshipped a multitude of gods.
so-calledh They worshipped so many
| false gods that they ceased to worship
| the real and true God.
Such 4 loss Of God is not peculiar
| to the heather world. 1t is a matter
of frequent occurrence among men who
profess and call themselves Christians.
Men may truly lose God as a real per-
son while still clinging to the forms of
religion; and it is to be feared that we
have many such in our land today
They are really atheists. although they
profess 10 abhor atheism.
The worst atheism is not that which
formally denies the existence of God,
but that which lives as If there were no
God while protesting to believe in the
| Divine existence. Any one observing
the customs and conduct prevalent in
our land can not fail to observe that
this sort of atheism abounds in the
United States.
Multitudes who would be shocked by
the dogmas of atheism live as goddess
|
live.
There is a type of religion which
leaves God entirely out of account, and
yet claims to be high form of Chris
| tianity. Reference is intended to that
sort of religion so prevalent nowadays
which does not concern itself at al
about the relation of the human soul to
God, but emphasizes only the relations
of men to the things of this world. We
a foil 70 fhn hun md
clothe the naked and ameliorate physi-
cal conditions generally are the main
elements of religion. The questions that
relate to the justification of a soul by
faith, or to the new birth of a human
| spirit, or to the witness of the Holy
Spirit to the pardon and publication OF
a human soul, do not interest the aver
| age member of any Church. Ever
members of the Churches who are count
and culture, do not care for these things
which refer to them.
Moreover, there are not few preach
| erS who never discuss these themes
They make much of all sorts of "socia
service" programs, but they seldom, ii
ever, call their people into the very
presence of God and cause them to face
the things eternal. Hence. we have &
prevalent worldly gospel, If it may bt
called a gospel at all.
Let us not suppose that the human
heart will long be contented with the
things of the earth as the food of the
soul. The prodigal may for a time feeC
on these husks; but at last his soul alb.
hors such food of swine.
The ministry of the popular Evangel-
list called BILLY Sunday" exemplifie:
and enforces this truth. Despite the un.
couth speech of this Evangelist and the
| reprehensible methods which he EN-.
ploys, he draws multitudes to hear him
and the secret of his power is in the
fact that he breaches the old essential
truths of a spiritual religion. He calls
men to repent in view of the demands
| of the Kingdom of Heaven and not with
| reference to the necessities arising from
the conditions in this world. He in
| Sists that men shall find forgiveness
through Jesus Christ and be assured OF
it by the witness of the Spirit. He
breaches, in short, very like all the
great religious leaders who have ever
| brought multitudes to repentance, OF
| wrought permanent spiritual good among
men. Notwithstanding his blemishel
of style and coarse forms of speech the
| fundamental truths which he proclaims
have the same effect which they have
always had in all times and places when
they have been earnestly presented. By
| consequence. thousands flock to hear
him, while the worldly gospels to which
| reference has been made attract little
attention.
The empty churches which are found
all over our land are the visible tokens
of worldly gospel which has failed to
| engage the attention of immortal men,
| The world will lecture the Church and
oppose spiritual ministrations; but for
all that, the world never bows before
anything except the revelation Of the
Eternal God. When a preacher, or a
church, ceases to bring home to the
hearts of men the eternal things of the
| spiritual world, even earthly minded
people turn away from such a preacher
| and such a church. In truth, a church
is good for nothing but for the accom-
| plishment of spiritual ends.
For all other needs, the agencies Of
earth are more effective than those of