Gunnison news-champion., 1920-12-24
CHURCH ATTRACTION
STILL VIBRANT
REV. GLEN DAVIES DRAWS
STRONG LESSON FROM
MODERN TENDENCIES
IN SUNDAY AMUSEMENT

In recent issue of the Salt Lake
City Telegram, Rev. Glen Davies,
now pastor of the Community
church at Gunnison, but then of the
Waterloo N. E. Church of Salt Lake,
wrote on the subject of the "Stage
and the Pulpit" Rev. Davies ar
ticle is worthy perusal by Gun
nisonites in these days of disput-
able Sunday amusements.
Well-it's quite true; there's one
born every minute and the latest fool
is the man who announces the decline
Of the church and the pulpit.
am to disabuse some minds con-
corning the decline of these two in
situations. The more I travel, and
have quite recently travelled consid-
erably over 10000 miles in q few
weeks, the more / discover the fact
that the church and the pulpit are deep
rooted institutions that will be still
doing business when these "sob sis
sizes" who are announcing the decline
Of the church and pulpit have turned
their toes to the daisies and are fer
tilizing the soil. p
The dogmatic assertionist is always
the fellow who sticks around the
home town and is never in touch with
the trend of events and strangely To-
cal and provincial in his experience.
Now don't ever forget it. the church,
with its pulpit, is the strongest fac
tor in vibrant life today-the theatres,
resorts and other secular lures not
withstanding, and when the summer
dies and people lose interest in the
sun, then the church and religion
will fade out of mems thoughts, the
pulpit will be unheard and the
churches will be deserted.
LIVING FAITH
The other day an apology for min
lister left his church and transferred
that the church was dead, creeds were
in decline and the pulpit impotent.
While he was pron0uncing his mushy
funeral mouthings over q dead faith
to about thousand in the theatre
there were over 1000 not a stones
throw away, listening to the story
Of q living faith, while as many more
came in the same afternoon at
o'clock; and that congregation con-
tributed last year $500 900 toward the
faith Of Christ, which was exactly ten
times more than was given by the sup
p0rters Of the erstwhile preacher who
had announced the demise Of the
Christian religion.
1t really makes me laugh to hear
these ignoramuses and misanthropes
going ON as they do about the church
and pulpit. know/of one city, where
this past year they have tried to do
without church and preacher and
the pulpit. You ought to hear what
the inhabitants say about it. And mind
you, they had picture shows, theatres,
and q resort. While the church was out
Of operation they voluntarily closed
tho whole works, and are pleading
for . preacher and to get the church
going again, and, mind you, the ma
jority Of them are not even church
6,00e, ,0eo BIBLES.
Do not come to conclusions by q cur
sorry survey Of your own town or city
or community. Last year the people in
this country bought six million copies
of the Bible. Whatever else ID dying
you can bet it isn't the Christian re-
ligion and the pulpit. One denomina-
tion has received 900, 900 new MEM
bers in Z months. To read and hear
the piffle about them you would think
that the church was like the cat, has
nine lives. "Church at last gasp;
"Passing Of the pulpit" Christian re-
ligion no longer vital force in socic-
tyr etc, etc. Wall, wall, wall. Too bad.
Intelligent people know better. New
er has there been q time when he
Christian religion and the pulpit were
such vital elements in mems thoughts
and lives or 80 dominant IN public af-
fairs. II you don't believe that, just
defy the church and pulpit on some
out the strength Of the e church WIEN :
bone dry nation became an actuality.
To Be sure, the enemy said The
church put one over On u" caught
Ms mapping" "couldnt do the same
thing again" and all that sort ol
thing, but let tie enemy m Il
The idea tint . e3oGod 1k6o<xe, and
resort on Sunday means &c - church.
(Continued sn pags 1Iys)