The Washington times., 1921-04-08
.GOSPEL.URGEO
ASCHURCHA|D
Methodist Episcopal Ministers
At Conference Hear New
Testament Expounded.

At Conference Hear New
Testament Expounded.
BALTIMORE, April 8.-Preach-
ers of the Methodist Episcopal
Church were told yesterday by a
Presbyterian minister that their
chief business was Ito get the flock
into the fold of God, whether the
flock liked it or not
TOLD THEIR BUSINESS.
| They were told that the funda-
mental business of the Church Of
Christ is teaching the Gospel OF
Christ, in season and out OF season.
He said further that only about 20
per cent of the people were suited
to be Protestants.
| The minister was the Rev. DR.. Har-
ris +. Kirk, pastor OF the Franklin
Street Presbyterian Church, and the
occasion was the first lecture OF the
baltimore Annual Conference at
Mount Vernon Place Church. His
subject was preaching As the Ex-
preston Of the Protestant Spirit"
| From the beginning Of Christian
ity," DR.. Kirk said. there have been
two kinds OF men in the company of
believers. We may call them men of
| the church and men of the message.
Tie men of the church subordinate
| the message to ritual and. priestly
r,inistrations and they have had an
immense religious influence upon the
world. The men of the message in
| fuence the world reIgiously by try
ing to give 1t the gospel message.
About rs per cent of the people
| l.
aee satisfied with the ritual of the
enough, and in this 30 per cent are
the natural leaders and shepherds.
WANT GOSPEL PREACHED.
"A definite and unashamed return
on the part of the Protestant Church
to its New Testament business OF
preaching the gospel is the best pro-
lection against the two most for
m cable dangers facing us. These
dangers are the Indifference of the
thoughtfuI people to the church and
the confused and impatient concep-
tons of the functions of the church
in society.
what we need is to get Christ so
supremely set forth in our preaching
as to exclude these outside interests,
while at the same time consecrating
them to higher uses.
"The widespread evidence in society
OF a present lack of vision is the
breakdown of moral and spiritual ira
dition, the character Of modern bus
ness, the hectic character of modern
amuse ments. the dominance of sex in
terest in pleasures, the breakdown
of home life, the Grass nnregulated
selfishness and individualism, the inn
pressionism that calls evil good and
good evil.
The people are perishing because
they have no vision, for lack OF
knowledge. Society cannot gain this
knowledge for itself. 1t is useless to
| look for aid from the so-called IN
huence of popular education. 1t Is
| worse than useless to look for help
from the sterile influences Of secular
culture.
"It all comes back to the leadership
of the church. We are the shepherds,
and ours is the responsibility. We
need the passion, sympathy. under
standing Of John Wesley to bring the
gospel of God to this wandering.
stumbling world"
The Methodist Episcopal Church
needs between 1000 and ] 800 new
ministers each year, while II is hard
ly getting enough to match the
losses. This was the news told to
the conference by Bishop Theodore
4. Henderson, of Detroit, last night
The Rev DR.. J. c. Nicholson presided
There are not enough Protestant
ministers to fill the Protestant put
pits" the bishop said, land we will
never get more ministers OF the right
kind until we get more minister out
of our present ministers. How many
of you ministers have preached on
the ministry in the last year? How
many of you have persuaded any one
to devote his or her life to Christian
work?
I'VE need a reappraisal of the min
istry. This lack OF ministers is not
because preachers get poor pay. I
have talked personally with 1900
young men on the matter of entering
the ministry, and not a single man
mentioned money as reason for
staying out of the pulpit. 1t is not a
matter OF dying at the top of rob-
bing the pulpit to fill executive posi-
tions. 1t is a matter of dying at the
bottom, OF young men not entering
the ministry.
OFFICIALS CRITICIZED.
1--WE also need a reappraisaI Of the
church officials. Out OF n162 church
officials, only eight had a son or a
daughter preparing for Christian
service. The fault lies with. us, with
the ministers and the church officials
FIRST. and 1t is time for us to bestir
ourselves"
Professional Sunday baseball was
condemned strongly by the confer
ence at its business session yesterday
morning, and a pledge OF cooperation
given the Lords Day Alliance. The
Rev. DR.. Don S. Colt superintendent
OF the Baltimore district, made his
report, and other routine business OF
the conference was transacted.
Two sessions will be held today, ad-
mission OF laymen to the conference
being one OF the matters for debat.
The second lecture by the Rev. DR.. Har-
ris E. Kirk. pastor of Franklin Street
Presbyterian Church, will be deliv-