The Holly chieftain. (Holly, Colo.) 1897-1987, 1920-02-26
Have Served Their Pur.
pose in Church Work.
ORGANIZED COMPETITION
HAS BECOME REPELLANT
Dissention Appears to Be Under
mining Unity in Modern Church
to an Extent That Church Is Los
ing Hold Upon the People.

tain:-Your article on Church
Needs of Rural Community" in
the issue of February 18th inter
ested me very much. The statistics
compiled after the survey of the
State of Ohio are very impressive.
The deplOrable conditions of the
church, as reported for that state
are, of course, the same to great
er or less degree in other states.
These conditions are illustrative
of the fact that the church is loos
ing ground. 1t is lOOsing its grasp
on the people. Where the percent
age of churches to population has
gone up the morals of the people
have, in some cases, gone down.
Probably many factors contribute
to the ineffectiveness of the church
rs we find it today. 1t seems to
me that the most important of
these is the fact that the church
organization as we see it is the
product of the past. 1t was per
haps fitted to the age of our faith
ers but it does not meet present
day needs. Vast changes are 60
ing on about us. In the past six
years we have been adopting new
theories of government and even
new theories of right and wrong.
Note the changed position Of
woman in the home in the space of
few years. Note also the changed
positions of capital and labor, and
where formerly people accepted
life as it came to them and lived
uncomplainingly there is now wide
spread unrest, such as the world
has never before known The ques-
tion is what change can the church
make to recover the position it
should hold in the thoughts and
lives of men. 1t seems to me that
the writer in the Literary Digest
has hit the key note for success
when he urges the substitution of
cooperation for competition. The
forces Of the church must get to-
gether and where necessary this
cooperation should take the form
OF a community or federated
church. In unity there is strength.
This was illustrated very fOrcefully
in the late war where the armies
of the allies, each acting independ-
emily were very good targets for
the Germans, but after a certain
meeting in Paris when plan Of
united action under one leader was
adopted the Germans started for
home and success for the allies be-
gan.
On the matter of Christian unity
much is being written. Some writ
ers have in mind the application
of the phrase in it's broader sense
as applying to world problems;
others treat of the matter in its
application to the church within
the nation, still others are interest
ed in the local or community at
fairs. All are agreed that in the
presence of our gigantic need old
methods seem clumsy and thrift
less. Those in authority must be
come converted to the gospel OF
efficiency.
Denominationalism must give
place to a more comprehensive or.
ganization. The denominations
have served the purposes for which
they were organized. Denomina-
tionalism does not now appeal to
the man outside the church. 1t ap.
pears to him as competition where
we ought to have only love and
unity. 1t appears to him that the
supporting of several denomina.
lions within town is Wastful ex.
travagance.
The organized competition dis
played by the local churches OF to.
day is repellant to the mass of the
people whom we should be trying
to serve. The very organizations
which are so carefully fostered are
proving detrimental to the great
cause. Where we should have
unity, there is only dissention. Is
it not fact that in town where
we have four UNCONVENTIONAL
churches we find that many fac.
tons?
The effectiveness OF the church is
deplorab1y hindered by it's lack OF
united effort. We have in the
church duplication OF work
which could not exist in the bust
ness world. In speaking of the
problem, in its broader sense one
writer, whose name / have lost,
says: Il doubt not that if there
had been proper union of forces,
years ago, the great war might
have been avoided"
All eyes are on the church today
Now is the Opportune time for a
reorganization. The world needs
the church today, probably as
much If not more than ever before
and the church, for it's own success
should rise and meet it's task.
Very respectfully,
AN INTERESTED SUBSCRIBER