The Ocala banner., 1921-03-11
Why Don't The Church
Settle Things

Ellis WAtlC0 oil dAlAIkC III ILLS WCGh ?
Saturday Evening Post that is worthy
of the consideration of every Christian
man and woman in the country. In
fact, the article is so good that today
we give a considerable part of our
editorial space to quotations from it,
hoping that large numbers Of papers,
religious and secular, will follow suit
Mr.. Ellis starts out with the curious
remark that there was never before
greater interest in religion in Amer
ica than today--or a smaller interest
in the churches He says, 'This is
the paradox Of our times, and then
continues:
Church attendance is confessedly
on the decline everywhere. Neverthe-
less, let any man arise processing to
have a message concerning things
eternal and no auditorium is big
enough to hold the multitudes that
throng to hear him. Theater meet
ings of unorthodox preachers get
crowds. while neighboring churches re-
main empty. Divine healers draw
multitudes and provoke discussion.
Unconventional books upon religion
are brought avidly. Newspaper and
magazine articles dealing with the
churches and spiritual topics secure
continuing attention not given even
to Jiggs or Mutt and jeff.
MANY clergymen seem scarcely
aware of what is going forward be-
meath the surface of life. Many ex-'
perts upon religion, who are the min
listers of the gospel, have seemingly
failed to hear the sound of a going
in the tops of the mulberry trees.
Otherwise we should find them gath
ering with agony of soul in protracted
sessions of prayer. Ever since the
war began. the country has been
listening for a clear trumpet note
from some prophet of the living God.
ssWhat people, want from the pull
pit is information and inspiration con-
corning living God, in satisfaction
of the deepest needs of their nature.
They may be temporarily entertained
by sensationalism and by lectures on
current events, although they know
that they may get better entertain
ment, even of the same sort, else
where. Not because he is a good fel'
low or smooth talker or shrewd
organizer do men honor minister of
the gospel, but only because Of his per-
sonal holiness and his expertness as
a forthteller Of the unseen. One of
the pathetic sights of our day is the
spectacle of clergymen turned into
vice raiders, municipal reformers, pro-
hibition enforcers, lyceum lecturers,
board and society secretaries, life in
surance agents, and almost everything
else
An obvious evidence of the current
spiritual obfuscation in the churches
finds its way weekly into the news
paper reports of ministerial meetings.
If one We're to judge religion by these
gatherings of the city clergy he would
be surely justified in assuming that
the major interests of the churches
are such matters as the use of cigar
etts. the length of women's skirts.
fashions in the movies, Sunday base
ball, local political and the minutiae of
ecclesiastical mechanics
with the whole earth in such agony
as it has never before known; with
vast spiritual fermentation and unrest
a worldwide condition; with the very
foundations of Chistian civilization
imperiled: with a nation steadily loos-
ening its hold upon the eIementals of
faith--the spiritual shepherds of man
kind seen too busy with trivial and
ephemeral matters of individual taste
dh0 PA 0CtASC W SANC AtCCd W LtiC dCCD
and desperate needs of their flocks.
During six months of the past year
my work called me on Sundays into
score of eastern cities and small
towns. mostly the latter / attended
church at least once every Sunday.
with only two or three exceptions
the discourses were dull. dreadfully
dull and commonplace.
Some of the dullest were those
which strove the hardest to be popu-
lar. and to keep as far away as pos
sible from the stern sublimites Of faith
i heard plenty of threadbare anec-
dotes clerk in denominational
bookstore once told. me that books
of Illustrations and sermon outlines
are the best sellers to preachers and
/ heard comments upon current events
that would never get for their authors