The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-08-09

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human lives! The winds of fortune,
as the saying is, have been too much
for them, and they are simply drift
ing. The vast majority do not seem
to care whether the drift ends disas
trously or not
Possibly the majority do not think
of the power Of the influence about
them that causes the drift. 1t is not
fair to God to charge him with be-
Ing SO arbitrary in his sovereign con-
troll that man is without responsible
ity. Whatever may be the destiny
that shapes our ends, man is in true
sense master of his own fate.
Seeking after pleasure Is strong
wind that is blowing and carrying null
titudes before it. The great theaters,
as a rule, are packed for practically
every performance. In the saloons,
men are standing two or three deep
before the bars. Where ices and
sweet-meats are served, the tables will
all be taken. Go to the great athletic
fields, and thousands will be found.
The spirit with reference to pleasure
seems to be, "Let US eat, drink, and
be merry, for tomorrow we die"
Is the church caught in any drift?
A way to the world is the movement in
many churches, and not only congre-
cations but entire denominations are
diligently using the methods of the
world in order to successfully "put
over" certain great UNCONVENTIONAL
schemes. Sad is the condition of the
day!
What about the drift Of Christian
teaching? Twenty-Five years ago men
were asking with some concern If the
4eaehiRg Of Of the great Gernaan theolo-
gians might not be ultimately dan
gerous. Quickly came the reply:
.aThese men have truth and are the
heralds of day of religious and
spiritual enlightenment for which the
world has been hungering." The same
question was asked in later years, but
the power of false teaching continued,
and the church of God, caught in the
drift, went on until the great world
war was like searching light making
everything plain. That drift has not
stopped, and many days, yes, possibly
years, may pass, before the church
reaches some Isle of Melita, where 1t
may possibly go to pieces on the rocks,
but Gods people in it be saved.
What is the great lesson from such
drift? First, keep where the wind of
doubt and criticism may not catch
you. 1t is simply not true that the
day in which we find ourselves, as to
Christian teaching and living, is bet
ter than a former day. Spiritual val
ues cannot be calculated in terms of
dollars and cents, nor in steam and
air pressure, dead weight or voltage.
How foolish it Is to think that the
scientific attachments of men can solve
spiritual problems. Germany's science
was said to have been given by God,
in order that she might rule the world.
The blast of the Lord came to Ger
many, as it came to the hosts OF
Sennacherib.
If possible, do not get into the
drift. There are plenty of cody men
and women today who fully escaped
the skeptical drift Of the last quar-
ter of century. Keep close to the
truth of the Word Of God, and not
only yourself but your cause will be
saved.
How easy 1t is to get into the drift
of immortality. The gross sins are
not committed at the first. The eating
of the forbidden fruit by Adam and
Eve was not gross sin at all indeed,
it was not sinful in itself, but it was
an act of distrust and ultimately OF
disobedience, and thus became a sin.
But there is something more impor-
tant than high morality. There is al
drifting away from the personal God
The only return to God is by per
sonal surrender to Jesus Christ.