Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1919-02-08

In the world. BENG SplrlC anu HoI dill
institution the attempt to institutionalize
Christianity sacrifices it's genius.
No one denies the sacrilege which the
church has at certain seasons committed
upon essential Christianity. John Gerson
was quite as eloquent and caustic as John
Hus in denouncing the abuses Of the papacy
and the Roman hierarchy during the early
portion of the fifteenth century, though the
former was an aggressive instigation of the
assault which committed the latter to the
flames. The orthodox opponents Of Martin
Luther rarely denied the truth Of the moral
obliquities which he charged against the
ecclesiastical order Of his day. And in his
turn Luther lived long enough to lament
the excuses and the sacrifice of essential
Christianity on the part OF the new ecclesi-
astical order which his reforms instituted
Every reformed church itself needs to be
reformed, and the new process usually be-
gins before the original reformers die
This phenomenon nulliies the contention
that Christianity can survive only as it is
embodied in a distinctive institution assum-
ing to act as it's official custodian. What
has kept essential Christianity it's busiest
from the first till now is it's effort to break
away from this custody. 1t would seem far
more reasonable to ask, "Can Christianity
survive the church," than to ask "Can
Christianity survive without the church,"
In this connection it is important to de-
termine what is meant by church. Every
body knows offhand, but few realize the
essential genius of the institution. Being
spirit, Christianity can express itself
through any social institution not inimical
to it's genius There are Christian grocery
ctOroS dOnht1aSS in Snita Of tho DraS11mn-
tons to the contrary which war prices have
created There can be such thing as a
Christian state. There are Christian in
dustrial corporations. There are Christian
individual men and women. These are true
to the term in the degree to which they
enlbody the Christian spirit and purpose
1>ut is not a Christian church an anomaly,
contradiction in terms, an imDc ssibility?
OF course the great majority of us do not
think so now. But should not this fact be
discovered and the necessary radical changes
be made in the present religious program?
Should not those who hold in the highest
esteem the Christian truth, and who hope
for the spread of the Christian spirit through
all our society, justify their faith by helping
orelease Christianity from it's present de-
moralizing confinement New Republic.
Christian offcialdom tends to stife the
OuIlSCldu Sp1IlC. LII UOoS IL ILL luUlV1uudl
men and women. It would do it in grocery
stores, if it were applied. The customers
Of a food market over which were plastered
labels protesting it's strict and unimpeach
able Christian character would rather ex-
pect to find sand in the sugar and rain
water in the vinegar. The way to make
state Christian is not to "establish' a
Christian church nor otherwise to offcialize
a cult. That institution is Christian which
expresses the Christian spirit and whose pro-
gram realizes the Christian purpose No
other is Christian indeed, however spangled
with Christian labels it may be. The very
offciousness of it's professions therefore
compromises the Christian church. This
out-thrust Of offcialdom has prepared So
phisticated American public for just what
is discovered in the conventional church,
much asseveration of Christian claims and
little practice of the wholesome and whole
hearted brotherhood which is the soul of
L IL = IL L