New Britain herald., 1919-01-06

{
 close allegiance to one church, is
 dead The church of the future
 wilt be a community church a
 civic organization, with no de " nomtIla tio1al- activities of any
 kind but devotins itself to social
 activities and the comnunitv at large.
 There is no straddline the fact that some churches. without respect
 to denomination or creed. have de-
 reloped Q tendency to accom- plish un-
 consciously his very end. Man has
 changed and it follows that his insti-
 tutlons change with him. Social events that would shock our fore
 fathers are held in many churches nowadays and very little thought is given to their propriety. New ave- nues have been opened and oppor-
 tunities for social service have been quickly seized Whether conercga- tions are becoming less religious rests entirely with the viewpoint of the indiViaual, Certain it is that man is not considered 8 hcretic be- cause Of his predilcction for social functions in surroundings which were at one time in the not far dis tant past devoted solely. to the wor- ship Of God
 Many will not agree with the pre- diction of pr. Holmes that the church Of the future wilt become a ommu11ity church with no denominatioral activities" and they will hope sincerely that this will not come to pass. Millions find sublime tranquility in silent conmunon with the Creator while in the quiet of the church and they would be distressed to say it mildly, to see God, as we
 consider God now, elected in favor
 of a public debating rostrum where
 the end Of man might be quickly for
 gotten.
 Dr. Holmes proenos5ication does
 not square with what the soldiers
 have been writing home from the
 Valley Of Death. Few letters are re-
 ceived that do not contain reference
 to the Almighty and the religious
 zeal of the American army. in it's en- tirety, has been a revelation of tue war. When uuen stand ths mar row line that separates life from death they concentrate moro earnest ly on the existence Of a supreme be- ing. no matter what shape or form he takes in their minds, and every man who went to the hattlefields of the old World felt himself standing almost in the presence Of his god. Can we believe that these same sol diers are going to return and ask that their god be driven from the temple and social service substi- tutcd? Dr. Holmes probably exag- serates the transformation that may be on the way. There exists a wide field for social service by the churches ] Of the land but he will have Few fol- lowers in any crusa q 6 to make social ] service the primary and moi aecond- l ary function of the church.
 The future may demand a more l vigorous church, g, more human church. This is the prediction of 1 Raymond E. F'osdick, chairman of ! the, Ccnlnssi on on Training Camp Ac- tiVitie8. who writes at length on the subject in The Outlook and whose l beliefs are 8 mean between the old i fashioned ideas of church and the radical opinions Of Dr. Holmes MT . Fosdick. who has done more than { any other individual to improve and 1 protect the morals Of our fighting i men. is we'll qualified to discuss the : question: Mr Fosdick, who has ad-
 dressed audiences in New Britain, ! ska
 When our fellows come back ] what kind Of religion will we have ] to offer them here? Will it be i the kind that really answers
 need. offered by "hCnest-to God ] c.!,aplaiNs?'' Or will they have ] 10 take religion into their own ] nantl~ and make if genuine? ] These are questions which our ] churches must answer or risk be- ] ing displaced by something big l ger than them selves.
 Hon est to- God -Cl1ap plains might 1 find it rather uneom foT'ta ble trying l Inv I1J13 ot-,