The Detroit times., 1916-05-02


begins with 4 garden end ends with
6 city. Christianity got its name
and its world vision In . city. and a
big heathen city at that. Every body
knows that tho Church's greatest
present problem Is that OF the mod.
ern city Broadly speaking. the
Church IL suffering q defeat In
urban centers. She Is dominating
civic life In a diminishing degree,
Where problems are thickest there
churches are fewest
Worse yet. the Christian leader
with q civic sense and spirit Is rare
almost TO the degree OF invisibility
Most ministers in great cities think
in terms OF their own parishes. II
Is notorious thar no movement or
leadership has ever been able 10 get
the New York pastors together for
active cooperation in any city-wide
Christian service. Each is over
whelmed by his own parochial prob
lens. A need that underiies most
other needs in our modern church
life is for a leadership that will
think in large units.
The City Problem Not New.
There Is overmrch wailing ABOUT
the new problems which have been
created for the Church by the mod.
ern city. This lament seems TO as,
sumo that Christianity was con
structed in units OF rural congrega.
tions. Frankly. this Is nothing less
than absurd. The Christian Church
began in Jerusalem. Its first nota.
BILE victories were won there. in the
face OF such opposition as Is found
nowhere in Christendom today. The
greatest conquest OF the early
Church vas in the third city in the
Roman empire. Antioch. with its
half million residents.
Now Antioch Vas no modern Phil
sdelphia predisposed by tradition
and aptitude toward Christianity
The bitterness OF It's heathendom Is
glimpsed In Ben Hur." with It's pic
lures OF the denominations OF the
Grove OF Daphne. FIVE miles out OF
Antioch. I, was from this great
heather city that Christianity re.
ceived its name and II was Ia An
iioch that there began the mission
airy enterprises for the conquest OF
the cities OF the old world.
In Antioch a -ast number turned
TO Christ. That result was won b.
iaymen. average folk who had been
scattered from Jerusalem by the
trihulations that arose over the mar
;yrdom OF Stephen. As they went
they preached. The brands that had
been sent flying far and wide By
the foot OF perse cutlon each started
Ere In some new place. Those
early disciples were like the mod
srn Korean Christians, who some
times move their homes and their
businesses 70 new communities for
the Gospels sake. The first and
anal dependence OF the kingdom
mas beer upon he witnesses" who
bear testimony. wherever they may
Be put, 10 the new life that is in
Christ Jesus
New Light On Old Places.
One Is surprised when he realizes
how cos mopoliian was the early
Church. We find the dispersed dis
ciples going to Cyprus, the British
Island liz the Mediterranean. where
now troots are gsrrisoned. and about
which the wars lips are sailing to
day: and 20 old Phoenicia, the mari
time nation Lying along the upper
coast OF Palestine and Syria. and 10
the great city Ct Antioch. Antioch
has recently CORE into the news be-
| cause OF the marvellous defense
which its Armenian Christians made
for SO days. on q mountain outside
~ the city. against the attacking
Moslem hosts.
The personnel the Church a.
Antioch. which as the biggest city
N the whole region. became the ma
tural rendezvous OF fugitives from
Jerusalem. was even more cosmopoi-
itan yet We find among the names
Lucius, the Cyrenean-all students
OF geography identify Cyrene as
within the modern Tripoli, which
italy lately seized from the Turks.
and xaraen. the fostsr-brother OF
Herold. ind Saul from the univer.
sity city OF Tarris. and Simeon the
Biack-who may have been the 81
mon OF Cyrene who carried the cross
Of Jesus; aud Barnabas OF Jerusa,
lem,
With such leadership the new
Church at Antioch could not BE-
parochiai or provincial. II had 70
think in terms OF the then known
word, The sympathies and contact
and outreach OF the Church member
Ship ran as far as the Roman DO
minions. Intolerance was impossi
bic to these men blazing with the
seal for the crucined Christ.
II vas easy for them to slip eveI
the fence Of Judaism and carry the
Good News TO the Gentiles also
Their breadth OF vision made II i'm
possible for them TO be holden BY
the narrow prejudices OF Judaism
So thsir converts among the Greeks