The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-04-15
SOME PERSONAL QUESTIONS
NOT EXPERIMENT

Inc 1OlloWlHS inquiries are re
specially submitted to those Christ
ian citizens of Greeneville who are
not supporting, by attendance OF
otherwise, the union revival being
held at the Tabernacle.
The evangelist is being criticized
as uncouth and unconventional.
Have you ever paused to reflect that
those Identical charges were brought
by the pharisees against Jesus Christ +?
He is being spoken of occasionally as
a tramp preacher. Are you aware
that he is a member in good stand
ing with an ecclesiastical body who
serves constituency of more than
two million people?
You do not believe in revivals.
Have you considered we'll the place
of revivals in Christian history?
What significance do you attach to
the fact that the two denominations
whose adherents exceed the com
bined following of all other Protest
ant churches in America have built
their immense numerical strength up
on additions secured through revi-
val effort?
You think the proper means of re-
cruiting for the church is personal
work. Granting the truth of your
contention, can you not see that much
of the membership of our churches
is unwilling to undertake the strenu-
Gus labor involved in personal solic-
tation to the Christian life? What
better method of preparing them for
such work can you suggest than
union revival? How much personal
work have you yourself been doing?
Calculating upon your own activities
as standard, how long do you est
mate that it would require to bring
about the conversion of our hardened |
sinners and the complete Christiani
cation of Greeneville? What school
of logic has taught you the enviable
art of reasoning the unreasonable in
to the kingdom of God? Do YOU as
scrupulously discard emotionalism in
all the other relations of life as you
do in matters of religion? Will not
the Victory Bonds be secured both
by personal solicitation and by mass
meetings? If the latter method is
found necessary to the arousing of
for the government, is it
not conceivably advisable in certain
religious emergencies?
Emphasis is laid today upon the
of creeds and the discred
ting of dogmas. Aren't you insist
ng rather stubbornly upon dogma
IT your own-the dogma that people
an be made Christians only in one
PARTICULAR way? The necessity of
christian union is an insistent note
n all current religious discussion.
n ignoring or opposing the combined
fort of at least four of the evangeli
al churches of Greeneville, are YOU
lot assuming the role of schismat :
c? Are you not denying yourself
he privilege of singing truthfully.
We are not divided, all one body
'e?" Can there be Christian union
'ithout concessions and without the |
Impression of prejudice?
Isn't there such a thing as ones
1eories getting in the way of his
sefulness?
A person too free with criticism
uring the war was called pro-Ger
ian. May you not expose yourself
unkind and injudicial utterances
the suspicion of being pro-Satan S
the present conflict? r
You think of yourself as a leading !,
tizen. Whittier, please? Oliver "
romwell spoke to certain Church
en- of his day in words to this effect: A
beseech you for the sake of Jesus N
hrist to believe that it is possible q,
n you to be wrong" -
j. B. ELY. ~