Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-05-23
BISHOP GAMBLERS MESSAGE

/ denominations of land in which
fresh and vigorous. Herein is food
for reflection. Denomina tionalism
may not be so bad thing after all,
Notwithstanding the criticism of
those who never weary Of telling us
how the churches have failed.
There is another set of facts which
can not be ignored: During the war
the Salvation Army operated among
the soldiers without suprpessing or
qualifying its religious beliefs; and
it is agreed on all hands that it did
a work of great value. The Knights
OF Columbus represented the Roman
Catholic church with the uncompro-
missing methods of the ecclesiastical
body out of which it arose and to
which it owes obedience and service.
NO Protestant agent could use it's
buildings, or share in it's operations.
1t was strictly and undisguisedly
Roman Catholic, without apology or
explanation 1t is generally admitted
that it accomplished that whereunto
it was sent. The Young Mems Chris
tIan Association was interdenomina-
tional. A Catholic or a Protestant
could use it's buildings, or almost
anybody else. Grave doubts have
been expressed concerning it's work
Even sharp criticisms have been ut
which it expended the many millions
of money given it for it's war work.
Perhaps these criticisms have been
unjust to a considerable degree. But
after all subtraction from the GEN.
sures of it's opera tons are made
which the facts require. it remains
beyond all question that the Young
Mems Christian Associations work
for the soldiers was far more for
recreation than for religion. 1t spent
millions for amusing soldiers where
it spent thousands for their religious
welfare. The men who represented
the organiza ton were drawn from
all quarters, and many of them were
not wisely chosen; all were COM
PEELED by the very nature of their
work and association to qualify after
their convictions to a greater or less
extent. In all ecclesiastical syndi-
Gates there must be a pairing down
of ones convictions in exact proper
ton to the number of members in
the syndicate, and eventually little
is left which all can assert in COM
mon beyond some general principles
of morality. The Young Mems
Christian Association has not escap-
nominational character, and this in
terdenominational enterprise has not
filled it's place in the war as well
as the Salvation Army and the
Knights of Columbus have filled
their spheres. In the nature of the
case it could not be otherwise.
The churches can not pool their
work and pare down their principles
without impairing both their faith
and their force. Nor can they yield
themselves to any overlordship of a
super ecclesiasticism. T h e Y are
quite capable Of conducting their own
business without the supervision OF
voluntary nr09niZaf inJ1 of q n in
terdenominational sort which is re
sponsible to none of them.
There has been an attempt to con-
troll the higher education of our
country by certain boards of founda-
tions. Parallel to these schemes of
educational syndicalism is the effort
to supervise all the churches by some
outside organization, and some of the
leaders in both the educational and
the religious movements are the
same men. The plan will not do in
either the educational or the relig-
and freedom of education in the
United States, and any sort of over
lordship, however light and advisory
it may profess it's methods to be, is
unfriendly to this freedom.
The men who favor these over
lording schemes are constantly harp
ing on the wastefulness of the over
tapping efforts of the churches and
speaking in the most exaggerated
terms of the antagonism between
the churches. But the churches
waste less by their methods than the
would-be over-lords of the churches
waste by theirs, and the churches
criticise one another far less sharp
ly than these over-lords censure all
of them. The churches get on with
one another far more easily and low
ingly than they can with these GEN.
sors and regulators of all the
churches.
clesiastical mergers are fond of
dwelling on what they call the Saw
tours prayer for Christian unity.
They quote His words, Neither pray
for these alone, but for them also
which shall believe on me through
their word; that they all may be one
as thou Father art in me, and 1 in
thee, that they also may be one in
us: that the world may believe that
Thou hast sent Me-" (John xvii: 20
and 21). But the unity for which
our Lord prayed was not sameness
tual life. He was not concerned that
men might be organized into one &C.
clesiastical body, but that they might
participate in the same life which
was in Him and in the Father. 1t is
very important that all Christians
U6 Ill one CuIlSI, DuI II IS uIlu0SlI-
able, and physically impossible, that
they all be bound up in one eccles-
iastical organization. Imperialism
in religion is just as dangerous as
imperialism in civil government.
world Churches" always come to
depend on worldly forces and in the
end become worldly. churches. Prus-
sianism in the political world is bad
enough, but in the religious world
it would be nothing less than the
abomination of desolation standing
where it ought not.
Let the churches of America alone.
They have done and are doing the
greatest religious work ever done on
the earth. Let them manage their
own affairs. They need no holding
company to handle their assets and
direct theil activities.
1t is just possible that the various
drives" which have been carried
through during the war have produc-
ed set Of professional drivers and
manent employment for themselves,
by setting up schemes in the opera
ton of which they may claim the
places and pay of experts. But the
liberality of the churches can not be
pumped up in spurts by "drivers";
it must spring from the ever-flowing
fountains of faith and love. Let the
drivers" go home and go to work
in churches with which they agree
in faith, and they will be happier and
more useful, and the churches also
will be happier.