Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-03


of Socialism that is expressing itselt
in violent forms in certain centers
which hold public attention. MIL
lions of people sincerely believe tna'
This whole basic idea of recon-
structed social order is entirely new
.Tbev assume that Socialism-h SO
indefinite word be permissible-ls
discovery of recent years.
Vet hepe we come upon a picture
~ the first company of Christian pc
lievers, bent upon realizing compress
. mountaineering their lndlVloual
,ossesions and having all things III
common. and moving altogether III
mood of high spiritual eXaltauoh'
We might almost say that the ChIis.
+ian church began as an experiment
in Socialism. :. .ho worlds
-. hulwark against the exlreine
Socialism. such as Bolshevlsm' wiz -,
- being preached by raolcals i'
Russia and everywhere .,.;o,s to
Iou are these two posi'ion'
oorciIed? Has the churcn toS,
nor clean, and is commuhioii the
-. &c the church right anu ae
polsbevist theories wrohs
We look to the story TOT ,i'' .as
The Christian church N
=. .he organization OF the lile
an 1sns He established II 10
ol 80 ,,essage and mission. ne
80 On "a. an initiatory rite, oapushi,
Viunamorative function OF
the eucharist, or Loro Sr
rneh'' ,ddition. all his tollo"
per Iho racterized by the haoit
"ele md they instinctiveiS' 1n
PraSet, ,.oandment also, asseHpieu
ps for fellowship anu
hear "reminiscences aoou. - from
life his work, and ms ,.;th him
those who had compahleu r,,ration
in the flesh. formai lha ,ssterious
of the church was the NY the
and supernatural oesoh he to
IIoIv Spirit at Pentecost, 70 .,eself
~ disciples all that Jesus an
had been when alVe-'o
snirer. present Friend ru;od
when Socialism Was F1rs' Its
life has it's climaticai hoi hy
SIC transcendant experience "a
which all else is meaSui 4ho
dated. In such an upheaN"i' rlv
pnptecostal Visitation the -
Jerusalem church came 10 sen
iyation. The unity of the oro'n
rood was dominant. Men anu "oi
i,neu themselves to be one IN ne"
and supreme fellowship. Inc -
49, +hev we're Christians touCheu
nv the divine fire, aware oi ~
accentance by Christ mace eNey
+hinr else seem relatively unlrnPoi
ant BY the accession OF S'ooV i.
.or,,i+s under the stimulus OF Peter .
zroat sermon, they were suouehis
confronted with a new sense Oh lreH
solidarity as Christians. They pc
[on,a .s II were, a special commun-
itv within the city-and the happieso
sweetest-spirited, cleanest hNlhs
section of the population.
Under the impulsion of the ne"
emotion, they decide to poor theil
possessions. 1t was unthinKaple u
+hem that there should be social oe-
prees or classes among the prethreh'
As members of one great 1anlliS'
the Young Christian church, thev
decided to hold all things in COM
mon. The poor shared the property
of the rich; the rich had the Noluh-
tary help of the poor. II was d
case of emulation in self sacrlnce
and in affectionate service. In eat
ing and drinking, in work ana IN
worship there was a simplicity OF
thankfulness and mutually such as
the self-seeking world had never
seen before.
Significantly, we hear little more
about the economic aspect of this
experiment in socialism. Had the
zeal of the disciples carried them to
irnnracticable lengths? Soon we
read of PauPs taking up collec-
ton for the help of the mother
church at Jerusalem: the commu-
nity had evidently gone on to the
rocks economically. Communism
has revived in various ways in the
church throughout the succeeding
centuries, as in the monastic orders
and in certain groups of live-minded
Christians, but communism is not
teaching Of any considerable section
of the church to-day.
Something Better Than Socialism
This is an arresting situation, and
1t will this week receive widespread
study by millions of alert persons
who follow the International Les
sons, keep to discern the present ap-
plications of Scripture. Either the
first group of Jerusalem Christians
overstressed the social and economic
side of their discipleship, or else ex-
pressed it in a mistaken form, or the
Christian Church as a whole has
been guilty of a profound error and
apostasy. Let us see.
Forms are incidental and transit
tory: the spirit is essential and
abiding. Jesus himself laid down
that principle. The world needed a
scheme of communism less than 1t
needed a new disposition of genuine
brotherhood. Christ did not come
to establish any special form of So
cial order, communism or aristoc-
racy, any more than he came to set
up a distinctive form of government.
as the republican or the monarchial.
Instead, he put into the hearts of
his people a new fire of divine love
for their kind. His followers have
always been known for their good
will toward men. They do good to
all men, and especially to such as
are of the household of the faith.
Jesus creates saints and -Saip ts--sS-'
create society.
Because becoming a Christian is
an individual, rather than a mass
matter, and because the world ever
has greater need of a vitalized per-
sonalities than of new institutions.
the stamp of Scriptural approval is
not given to that first impulsive eff
fort at Communism, other than to
record the fact The church is a