Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-06-24
Lutheran Church Needs Publicity,
DR.. Bard Tells Chicago Convention

That the Lutheran church needs
more modern publicity. was tho bur-
den OF an address by DR.. Andreas
Bard of Kansas City before the Ma
tional Lutheran brotherhood as
sembled at Chicago last week. His
address follows:
Doctor Huntington Of Grace church
New York city told the general con-
vention assembled in San Francisco
that IL the Episcopal church would
ever die. II would die of dignity. 4
paraphrase his declaration and say:
"1f tho Lutheran church will ever
die. II will die of modesty." sta
tistics show that the Lutheran church
is numerically larger than all the
Protestant churches in the world COM
bined II is the first church of tho
reformation. 1t has the greatest
scholars among the theologians. IL
claims Harnack. 1t is third among
the Protestant churches OF America.
While composed largely of the sub
stantial middle class, ii has more
royalty among its adherents than any
other body. And yet even anunll
Intelligent" Americans II Is so little
understood that some of them speah
OF It as thc-"Dutch Lutheran" church.
What Is the trouble? Haven't we
any goods in our gospel shop? Surely.
We have acres 4 diamonds gathered
from the ineyhaustible miNes of the
Bible. Can we deliver these goods I:
Surely. We have all kinds of We
hicles. Fine churches. good music,
brilliant preachers, rich equipments
Well what is the trouble? Either
we haven't any show windows or we
put the shoddiest goods before the
public. We do not know how to ad
faa l.A. "a
the Illuminated windows OF our large
business houses and the grand dis
play which dazzles an eye. | am re-
minded OF our Lords remark tina,
'the children OF this world are wiser
in their generation than the chiiuren
of light"
Churches Need Press Agent.
Emerson said something about n
man who could preach better SER
mons and make better mouse traps
than others and that people made n
highway thru the wood patches that
led to his door. But l think ina
even n mouse trap will catch more
customers when it Is put where the
people can see II than when II Is mu-
den somewhere around the North
pole. What is the crying need of
the Lutheran church today? II 1
Z IL FlNso dSthl" llt - Allt
Moses that will lead this tribe Of Is
rael out Of the wilderness of obs ur-
ity into the Canaan of world-widc
recognition!
One dollar spent in n good church
ad. may convert n human soul, Since
a human soul is worth more than the
whole world, where can you sut
larger interest on so small an invest
ment?
The sermon you preach on Sunday
reaches n few hundred The sermon
you reproduce in the press will reach
| hundred thousand. Well mey W.
exclaim with the ancient chorus
Saul has slain n thousand; Davis
has slain ten thousand" Too few OF
us realize that the David of the pres
is n giant In disguise. The great Ar
maggeddon between good and evil
will be fought out not with sworos
but with the pens and pencils III 4
turn out copy for the spiritual dies
ton of mankind.
Who gave Sam Jones nationp
reputation? The newspapers. why
there are some transformers amonk
our modern evangelists who haven'
any moro scholarship or brain or ora
( tory or power than you can blow thru
quill into mosquitoes eye without
making him wink. But they have n
knnc1S of getting into print whlcn Is
worthy of n better cause. Let your
/ light shine. said Christ and If you
have nothing but a tallow candle
don't hide It under q bushel!
Doors should Always BE Opcn.
The Catholics open their church
doors every day that people may
come in and see what's inside. The
Salvation Army is known the world
over by Its drum ana fife. But the
Lutheran church. like~the Sphinx in
the desert d.ill quotes the worthy
poet who SINGS Serene l fold my
hands and walt"
The men waited at Waterloo. Na-
poleon waited for Grouchy. Wsli-
ington waited for Bluecher. orr
Bluecher Is the daily press. And
since this Bluecher Is ready to help
US let's greet him as our logical ano
Indispensable ally!
Lutherans are strong in upholdiny
respectabiity. They abhor anything