The Detroit times., 1916-12-07
eY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.

Many persons today have no time
for the church. and they are brainy.
moral and public-spirited persons,
too. That unpalatable fact Is com
monty lodged by church folk. I'm
deuiably tho, there IS large group
Of social reformers who 10 not take
the church into their thinking They
do worse than oppose It, they ig-
rore IL. Now what shall the open.
minded Christian say TO this condi
tion?
The question IS pertinent in the
light OF the present SUNDAY school
Lesson, which deals with the seven
churches of Asia-for altho only
three churches are indicated in the
assigned passage, the study would
be lop-sided unless it considered all
seven. These were seven city
churches, established in the great
centers OF Asia Minor, In the seats
OF Roman power and culture. The
wonderful achievements OF the new
Gospel are apparent from the simple
fact that within the lifetime OF one
man. the Apostle John, who had
stood by the cross OF the crucihed
ard apparently defeated Founder OF
the Church. the brotherhood has be-
come real power In all the i'm.
perial centers 0f Rome's dominons.
SO fully matured has thc church
grown 10 be that we find John now
warning IL against danger and de-
cline. Certainly the Christian church
was not a negligible quantity IN the
first century OF the Christian Era.
The Church Before the City.
This author, who was translating
messages straight from heaven. did
not writo to the seven cities in Asia.
Any worldly-wise author would have
done so, as any statesman Great
and proud cities were these, heauti-
fed by the arr Of Rome and Greece
-Ephesus, Smyrna. Pergamos. Thya.
tIra, Sardis, Philadelphia. Lsodicea.
Every one was a city Of distinction
factor in the life OF that Roman
Province known as Asia. now called
Anatolo The student OF history
tnds a wealth of interesting mate
rial in the mere facts OF the rise
and progress Of these seats Of do
minion
Yet the inspired writer addressed
these centers as churches To him.
The body Of believers was more than
the marble theaters. the statue
adorned forums. the temples or The
other great works OF architecture
Not word do we find in this book
about the dignihcd names associated
with these cities, some OF whom ig
nored and despiscd Tie little -C,m
mnnity OF Christians Thesc ltI,
groups were tnc one cntial ant
abiding force from johns standpoint
The church IN Ephcus meant more
to him than the city pl Ephcsus ~
self. for these groups Of believers
were representative OF a permanent
and ever-increasinE spiritual force
and rhe Kingdom that outlssted the
sway Of the Caesars
That is Why a living church Is The
most important force in any city. II
represents eternal values Its work
j. lone With aud upon human spir
rs In a sense incompreheusible 10
mere materialists u is shaping des
tiny The church lives in and for
Two worlds II Is not merely m in
temationll corporation. but also A
universal corporation with 'ts larg
est destiny in the world which lies
beyond the preSen' life All-its mos,
important transactions and trafick-
ngs OF life he .c 20 do WITH the
biDss which are eternal
Why Watch the Church?
Herein IS the big blundcs Of the
men who are not interested IN the
church. end who are formulating
programs for the ameliorating OF
the worlds evil conditions without a
consideration of the Christian
church. Despite all her shortcom.
ings, and the observation-disclosures OF