South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-10-10
FALSE FEARS KEEP
MANY FROM TRUTH
-KOEHNENIANN
Lutheran Pastor Pleads Pub.
lie to Become Concerned
With Their Cod.
-KOEHNENLANN

but they should rather be concerned ]
with the thoughts Of their Cod"
Rev. Fred Koehnemann, pastor Of
the Emmanuel German NJ. z. church, |
yesterday used this idea TO impress
his parishiOners with the necessity /
Of greater thought Of the will Of God !
and less 10 the likes and dislikes Of |
the other fellow.
For some months a well-known |
cartoonist has been trying TO convey
to the newspaper reading public the
thought life OF different individuals
in various stations Of life. Many a
man would give a great deal more
/ than the much quoted penny If he
could discern the thoughts OF an
other. But the thought life Of the
individual is sacred ground and no
mortal intrudes there. God alone
discerns the mind Of man.
Permeate Minds of Men.
There was a time in the history
/ Of mankind when but few mortals
ventured to divine the thoughts of
/ God Almighty. That too was holy
ground. where the mind OF man
OF Christ brought about a great
change. Never before did man so
/ distinctly feel the heart throbs Of the
/ living God. Never before were the
plans OF the Creator so plainly un-
! folded to him. What before man had
/ hardly dared to assume he now pos
| sessed; he fell heir 10 a great spirit
ual inheritance over night The
\ thoughts Of God, that according 10
Isaiah, seemed as far as the heav-
ems above the grasp Of man were
/ brought 20 earth. The veil was re-
moved and man began as never be-
fore TO know God as He really is.
Now His thoughts are gradually per-
meating the minds and hearts of
men.
What then. is God thinking
about? The answer is, For 1 know
the thoughts that 1 think toward
/ you-thoughts of peace, and not Of
evil" God is fully conscious of his
attitude toward man. He has one
great plan. that of redemption
through love. God would rather not
have sent the food in the days Of
Noah; He would far sooner have
spared Sodom, than destroyed t..
God could. and would take no pleas
ure in destroying the present genera
ton. He would far rather that man
would seek Him and learn to know
His ways. He does not take pleas
ure in seeing nations engaged in
mortal combat. He does not want
anyone to starve, and it surely must
grieve him TO see that gaunt spectre.
famine, stalking through the lands.
He wants man to get pleasure out
Of his daily tasks. He wants man
to have something TO do. When the
thoughts of God are more fully I'M
derstood, our economic system will
be on a more stable basis. When
that time comes there will be a. iob
for every man that wants to work
lie wants man 70 enjoy the finer
things Of life. 1 am sure. that God
wants man to live I'm a good home.
1t must surely please Him when our
family life is ideal. He does not
want man TO transgress the law. II
must grieve His heart when men
murder others in cold blood and
then atone for their nnisd eeds on +be
gallows. If Gods thoughts are
thoughts of peace. then surely these
are some OF the things that He is
concerned about.
FaISefers
God wants man TO know thar He
IS concerned about the happenings
in our every day life. A false fear
Is keeping many away from the
truth today. When 1 was a bow I
mad E very wholesome fear of orr
village officer. The boys of the vii
lage agreed among themselves that
he was someone that must be fear
ed. Whenever his burly form hove
into view. we little fellows would
scamper out Of sight, as fast as our
legs would carry us. One day the
5 officer Of the law stopped at cur
r front gate TO converse with my
: father. The officer, who was a friend
of my fathers, spying me out in the
I back yard, expressed a desire to
meet me, saying that he had sew
g eral boys of his own and that he
e was interested in children. 1 rather
r reluctantly obeyed the call of my
e father, but I gathered courage 10
e face the visitor. Imagine my sur.
= prise. when the big-hearted blue
4 coat grasped my hand and in a
Z friendly way started telling me
= about his boys at home. 1t was hard
g Tor my child mind 10 grasp that
n there was love behind the law. How
8 many today still conceive God to bt
h something Of a world policeman
s welding a club and fail altogether
- ] - y1,-fv, s-f1 q
r Of Love and secOndarily a God o.
> the law. Love prompted the Crea
T ton, love prompted the Law, for /
r was made with the welfare or mar
= I'm view, and again, when man brok'
Il the Law. It was Gods love tina
e prompted the plan Of Redemption.
r THE church today is much con
II cerned that man should know tn
& thoughts Of God. We may we'll TAX
lessons from the history OF past cen
turtles. It is altogether possible tina
tbere has been too much half
? hearted seeking. Much time wa
v lost in defending creeds and laws
" which might have been more proht
! ablv spent in spreading the know
"a Iadre OF the love Of God. The Bibl
- a. the great channel, through whicl
) Cow the revelations OF the Creator
= 7. would be we'll for all men to tax
- =, The study OF Gods word with re
= .aU-ed real in order that we mlgn
a he Aued with the fullness OF IN
knowledge Of God. For we she
End him, when we search Tor hiN
with all our heart"
TORONTO. Ont, Oct. 9-1h
rsxt convention Of the Commercis
] photographers Union Of America WI
- bol5 AT Montreal in 1928, II wa