The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-04-29

not so much the problem of money or
finances or members, as 1t is of open
doors and of swinging them open to a
sin sick world and pointing it to the
Lamb of God. Let souls be saved and
finances will adjust themselves. Teams
are swinging round the circle invading
every county, telling the churches how
to do the work and what they. ought to
give and emphasizing the shortage of
5000 missionaries, but it does not occur
to them that fitting thing wonld be
for some of these many team workers
to go themselves as Heralds of the Cos
pei to the heather in his darkness. Big
men OF big means, invading big cities
and pleading for big gifts. yet empha-
sizing money more than prayer and
spirituality. We are brought into the
kingdom to Evangelize the world, not
to make it safe for democracy. or lust
to live in, but to bring out of it those
who shall constitute the church. She
has grown daft after money and mem
bers though last year there was an ac-
tual shortage in accessions over the
previous year. We are STAYING the
hand of God as He with outstretched
arms pleads with the world to come in
to the haven of rest. A chaotic condi-
ton exists and is far reaching over
church and the world People are leav-
ing the church and comparing it with
commercial enterprises which have
flung themselves on the altar of profit.
The whip is over the heads of minis
tiers and some of them are i'll at ease,
or are going with the multitudes. Last
year in the courts of Cologne there
were recorded 8,5l2 church renunci-
ations. In Berlin. for the same period,
the records showed high and now they
are 100 daily. Fortunately the church
was part of the state and was sup
ported by it. The new constitution de-
clares that there is no state church.
Religious compulsion is annulled, the
church Is self governing and must RELY
on established funds and contributions
of members. The church that is look
ing for pastor now, wants one who is
mixer and money getter. His abi-
ity to preach the word is a secondary
matter. Here is a temptation to the
minister to center his efforts upon com.
mercialized church work. If they can
not or will not preach Christ, let them
get out of the ministry and pillow or
break stone on the road. but not betray
the Lord. Increase our benevolence, BY
all means. But when we have given
ourselves first to Christ then all we
have will be consecrated to His service.
If the church will give the 1.-THE of her
income, there will be money enough to
carry on the Lords work on a very
large scale.
We must emphasize the fundamen-
tails. Satan used to attack these from
without, so he put forward his experts,
as Paine and lngersol. but of late he
finds willing tools inside the church We
still hold on to heresies imported from
Germany. The result is that men are
going out of some of our seminaries
with an empty gospel Ethical per-
haps but lacking in power. in these
days of apostasy our denominations are
honey combed with loose doctrine and
men are turned loose on the churches,
to rob people of hope and give stones
for bread to the spiritually hungry If
churches would refuse to call men who
are not true to the word of God; if they
would repudiate such teachers. they will
be sure to prosper. while the false
teachers would have to hunt jobs out
side the church They are simply hire
lings and not true shepherds.
Here close for the present
JOANNES.