South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-05-07
JUSTIF|ES j. s.
ENTRY INTO WAR
Rev. G. w. Allison Points Out
Numerous Reasons for Ma
ton to Fight Germany.

100 long nave we Deen busy
about many things with the purpose
OF preparing men on earth TO en-
ter the Kingdom OF heaven too
little have we been busy about that
which concerned Jesus most, that
is. building a Kingdom of God on
earth" said George William Allison
in his sermon at Hope Presbyterian
church yesterday MOI ming on the
topic. The Church and the King
dom of God in the Present Crisis.
Rev. Allison pointed out the things
which justify Americas entrance in
to the war
He said in part:
The main article i'm the preach
ing Of Jesus Christ was his doctrine
OF the Kingdom. In fact. however,
the Kingdom OF God had been look
ed for by Jews through many weary
years of waiting. IL was TO be a gold
en- age free from oppression. war,
greed, selfishness, poverty and sin
in every form. TO their
dreams Of the future. But that which
had been but a dream TO the proph-
cts, Jesus began TO translate into
reality. They had looked for a king
dom wrought by God and ready
made: Jesus startled and disappoint-
ed some and inspired others by tell
ing them that the kingdom was even
then in their midst
Contrast OF Ideals.
There is a great contrast in this
Kingdoms ideal and the ideal of the
world. One is Christian, the other
pagan. The Christian ideal is SER
vice: the pagan ideal is selfishness.
A recent writer says, In paganism
the poor serve the rich. the weak
serve the strong. the ignorant serve
the wise. In the Kingdom of God
the rich serve the poor. the strong
serve the weak, the wise the ignOr-
ant. The ideal OF autocracy is or
gained paganism; the ideal OF de-
mOcracy is organized Christianity"
And as an American L think each
of us may be proud TO feel himself
more nearly than ever before lining
up national purpose with the gospel
of Jesus Christ, seeking 10 serve
rather than prey upon the world.
Reasons for War Many.
"And while all war is terrible, and
this one especially so. yet 1 think
.he purposes which call US 10 resist
ance and even aggression are holy
and righteous. AS l conceive il here
are some of the reasons why we
as a Christian nation ought TO OPP
pose the paganism expressed in
these acts by our foes: The invasion
of neutral Belgium, the ravishing OF
Belgian women, shooting Of Edith
Cavell and Capt. Fryatt, enslavement
and deportation of the Belgian CIVIL
ian population, sinking neutral yes
sells without warning or provision ivr
the safety of passengers and crew,
devastating evacuated territory be-
yond all possible military excuse.
robbing safes and banks Of bonds,
stocks, mortgages. records, etc, OF
no value TO either side during war.
shooting into unfortified cities from
sea and air killing non-combatants,
sinking Red Cross hospital and sup
ply ships, laying mines promiscu-
ously in the open set. incubation
of French prisoners with tuberculo-
sis, and using their own embassy in
our country as a center from which
TO destroy our factories. warehouses,
and transportation facilities and in
the meanwhile plotting our destruc-
ton while playing up their protest
ed friendship!
Home Problems Also.
THE enemies national philosophy
seems TO be the will TO power with
out scruple. Jesus ideal is the will
10 service But even the crushing
of the imperial militaristic program
will not bring in the kingdom. We
must purge our own citizenship as
we'll of selfishness. We must see
that the strong serve the weak, the
rich serve the poor. and the wise in
vest their knowledge for the sake of
the ignorant. following Jesus dictum
regarding the kingdom Of heaven
where He shall be greatest among
YOU who - servant of all We pray
frequently enough for the coming
of this kingdom, let US translate our
PRAYERS into effort to bring the
kingdom into mems lives and the in
90 cnNinfN "