Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-07-18

The rabid radicalism, which is so
characteristic Of the present time
of hysterical emotionalism, lis at ITS
worst when it assumes to deal with
religious matters and the church.
Recently it has broken out in the
nifty church," by which is meant, it
seems, an organization of mildly re-
ligious type in which all the people
of a community, without regard to
creed or character, are after aban-
doning the churches to which they
have been attached before, to unite
in the all-absorbing community
church"
The Unitarian church in New
York, of which DR.. Robert Colyer
was the pastor for many years, took
this turn few weeks ago. The plan
seems to be to reduce religious be-
lief to a minimum and. raise pro
grams of amusement and recreation
to a maximum with the professed
purpose of achieving thereby moral
results and unifying the efforts OF
men of all sorts upon the object pro-
posed. OF course, an organization
with such a platform puts no strain
upon any person who enters it, ask
ing neither definiteness of convic-
clubs it can advertise to those whose
patronage it seeks that it has Mel
Their don'ts nor dues" Also it sets
no limits on what it may do next,
but is likely to adopt most any day
any method that worldly expediency
may suggest to the majority OF It's
creedleSs members.
1t is now reported that church
in Kansas has gone a bow-shot be-
yond the program of the Unitarian
church in New York
T. Recently the pastor told the con-
,-e-.k1 Il xry51 n
find me in the dancehall, the club
room, the poolroom, or even in the
back alley, wherever I can serve, II
1 am to remain your pastor"
His notion of the nature and work
Of the church may be gathered from
the following utterance, which he is
reported to have made,
nutes fifteen church structures
would be turned into dancehalls,
community centers, recreation rooms,
gymnasiums, reading rooms and bll-
lard rooms. For worship we would
have one auditorium for the entire
town, and we would have gifted
minister. a man in every sense fill
the pulpit"
Ali this is the veriest nonsense,
and it is totally at variance with
the conception of the church of COD
as set forth in the New Testament.
Nevertheless, there Will De Iouilu
many persons who will approve the
silly stuff and disguise to them
selves it's senselessness by covering
it over with the cant phrases of
progress" "broadness," ETC." Such
people do not think very seriously
concerning any subject, and in mat
tiers religious they always show
themselves Indifferent to, if not ig--
norant Of, the spiritual purpose of
the church. They vainly imagine that
this divine institution was made
for the entertainment of themselves
and others, and that the measure OF
its success is the size of the crowds
that attend it's exhibitions.
Now, all this is to miss the nature
and purpose of the church utterly,
and to substitute for it something
which is not a church at ALL
The church of God as revealed in
the New Testament is not an insti-
tuition to provide amusement for the
people. 1t is a very serious institu-
ton, which is charged with revealing
the glory Of it's Lord to the world
and bringing men to God. Such work
is too Solemn to be associated with
even proper amusementS, to say moth
ing of the shoddy diversions propos-
ed by this Kansas man.
When men wish to find themselves
they should look elsewhere than the