Arizona republican., 1920-08-09
BY GROVE

six million spiritual iIliterates in the United States. This is our national sponsible for their training along re- ligious lines.
 In the third place, the message to the angel of the church iS to evan l geiize. No church can grow and be- l come useful that does not evangelize l To evangelize means to bring gooo news. In the early days of the church, ft meant that It means that today only we bring the good news in diff ferent way It is my opinion that the day of the professional evangelist is past forever. He has done his work and has served a day that needed him. The church that depends upon him to- day will not do it's work well. This does not mean that there is not much to be done in evangelizing. There IS a keener sense of need by the church than ever. Evang gelism for the church of tomorrow must be along two lines. Ninety five per cent of the church and they must be evangelized by teach ing and training in home and church. The other five per cent coming from adults will be reached by personal methods carried out by pastor and lay men. We need not bewail the passing I only be wasting time. The quicker we adjust ourselves to the teaching and personal methods the sooner will the church recover and go forward.
 In the fourth place. the church of to- morrow will empAs size the home re- 1 ligious life. There is nothing better than the old fashioned family Bible insist that any particular method be | followed if results are secured. We as parents cannot escape the responsibil- l ity of being first in line of religious influences. We cannot make an ex- cuse here. Ignorance. time, conven- fence. carelessness and other excuses must give way to the stern reality that i God holds every parent responsible for the child he brings into the world. The best schools and churches in the world will not take his place. It will be the responsibility of the church to bring about a very decided improvement at i this point
 Let each one of us face the actual l time element in this problem and see l who is most responsible for the child. l Hundred and sixty-eight hours in each week. The child sleeps 70 hours, goes 1 to school 25 hours and goes to church one hour. This leaves 72 hours of the child's time when he is under the par ents' control awake. Who is most re- sponsible for moulding the character of the child? This is enough, but this is not the fundamental reason. Parent hood is the real reason. All the other influences that may be devised will never excuse the parent: yet most par | ents seem to think differently
 1 In the fifth place, the church of to- morrow will be a world wide church in its thinking. This will mean that it
 will be tithIng missionary church and church constantly preparing it's Ia frv- ~t,, ,.txx
 service recruits, a missionary .educa- tional program and every member tthing will save the world from the present threatened confIagratfon If the Interchurch World movement had done nothing else for the church than
 what it has done for the church at these points n would have paid for all It cost ten times over
 The church that wins in the world
 during the next 20 years must also be
 ready to apply Christian principles to
 all industrial relationships to Amer
 golden rule in business. to all child
 welfare and community needs, to sym
 pathetically stand ready to help all
 men and women in need
 One more outstanding element in the
 coming years Tor the church might be
 mentioned briefly here in spite of the
 fact that much has been said and
 written on the subject during the last
 two years. The church must have the
 co-operation of all sects and denomi-
 nations in each community and in the
 world 1T the best is to be given the
 world by the church.
 There is not time nor need to discuss
 this important point here; but in spite or temporary setback of movements
 III thls direction, and in spite of a small
 minority or Christian people who think
 more or sect and denomination than
 the extension of the teachings of
 Christ. and in spite of those who are SC
 dlshonest and bigoted that they are
 still insisting that they are the only Christian people who have the favor
 of God, marvellous advancement has been made in -ordlnating Christian forces and in organizing them into ar
 aiieo force Tor righteousness and , Kingdom ideals. Nothing can keeI
 back Tor long this harmonizing of Christian forces. It has won out in the
 foreign field. It will win at home very 7 soon If we cannot do the church work , together. the church is doomed to dis ] entegration and the scrap heap.
 7 These six points do not finish the , list Of elemental characteristics of the church of tomorrow. We could con , tinue with six more and say that the church must be a church of prayer a f church that revives the study of the [ Bible, church that reconstructs ir l buildings and equipment so completely : that all the needs of the community a.