The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-07-13
TIE POLITICAL POLICY OF
CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP
Expediency the Criterion of Christian
Conduct


Conduct
DR.. John NJ. Grove said some things
Sunday morning to a representative
audience in Munsey Memorial Metho-
dist church, and speaks through the
Comet to a larger audience that the
greatest good to the greatest possible
number may be accomplished.
The discourse was based upon the
passage in Matthew XVII:24-27 TAX
ing for his text the concession-words
of Christ to Simon Peter in verse 27,
Notwithstanding, lest we should Of
fend them"
Jesus, with his disciples, had come
to Capernaum, called his own city,
the home of Simon Peter, at the time
when the Temple money was du.
Very naturally they asked their towns
man, Peter, Doth not your Master
pay tribute?" Peter answered, with
out thinking, Yes"
An old law, centuries old, met the
disciples and their Lord, an annual
payment osuppOrt an institution OF
national worth, but one in which these
disciples had lost faith, had out
grown 1t is the old, old story. An
tiquated legislations, obsolete institu-
tions, come to us with imperial au-
thority, ignore our new ideals. demand
fer. We must pay the war-taX
whether we believe in war or not. 81
mon Peter, like most of us. was half
right and half wrong; may be, more
wrong than right. The Bible is true
to fact. 1t unveils a mans vices as
well as his virtues. Peter, as usual,
blundered. But he stumbled that we
might not stumble
Reversing the Verdict
There comes to light a great lesson
on the social policy of christian citi-
zenship. When they came into the
house Jesus put Peter on the witness
stand and made him revise and re-
verse his former answer. What
thinkest thou Simon? of whom do
the kings fthe earth take tribute?
of their own children or of their sub
jects?" Peter saith unto him, "Of their
subjects" Jesus saith unto him.
Then are the children Free. The
impulsive disciple had been rather too
hasty. He had just confessed that
pie tribute was due the house service
of the God of the Son, kings nexer tax
their own children, as a matter Of
legal right Jesus was exempt from
paying the tax But here is his poll
cy waving a personal right in order
to cOnciliate popular sentiment, and
assigns his reason for so doing, Not
withstanding, lest we should offend
them" His divine Lordship comes to
the rescue of human emergency, Peter
is sent back to his old trade to fish;
for the tax money; in the mouth of
the caught fish is the coin, enough
to pay both of their debts.
Three Truths Claim Attentin
First 1t is Highly Polite to Honour
the Institutions Of our Country.
Secondly, If Necessary Waive a
Personal Privilege to Avoid Collision
with Existing Institutions.
Thirdly, Christian Citizens can AT
ford to be Generous in their Conces-
sions to Public Sentiment.
Ours is a christian nation, though
not a nation of christians. AS the
Jewish Temple was a national institu-
ton and sustained by popular senti-
met so the Temple of American Lib
orty is a national organization and
sustained by poular sentiment. Take
The vital sap from a tree and in root
and branch it rots to death. Take
public sentiment from the tree of our
rational life, and it is doomed.
| stand in my place today to put
Christ and his christianity where they
belong in the building of
nation. Hear me patiently and
houghtfully.
Christ never antagonized the recog-
lized institutions and authorities of
lis day and country. He denounced
VI moral evils at the heart of society.
tut he never opposed the ordinances
# the Temple, the Constitution of the
or the political power of
foreign despotism. And yet He
wrought the ruin of all corrupt or
in Church and State. He
'ripped the public mind with those
eep truths of ethical worth, of social
alue, and so changed the soil Of So |
iety as to uproot the old theories OF t
Iuman errors and evils, and planted
he trees whose fruits are for the {
ealing of the nations. He feared not +
he frowns of kings nor the thundcrs t
t opposing dynasties, and yet kings t
ave feared his frowns and dynasties Il
re biting the dust Roman heraldry, a