Pueblo chieftain., 1921-08-07
WHERE THE WAR STILL RACES


The International sunday school
Z Lesson for August :. is "Paul's First
Missionary Journey l5.l-5-.
BY William T Ellis
Unheeded by most newspaper read
ers war on a large scale, with armies
of hundreds of thousands Of men ar
rayed against each other. still RACES
in Bible lands. Greeks and Turks are
doing the actual fighting, but the in
terests of all the leading nations are
involved. The outcome may ultimately
be of even more far-reaching import
ance than the decision on the western
front.
As the newspaper often turns readers
TO the Bible SO in the present instance,
the Scripture Lessons which are being
studied by thirty million members OF
the Sunday schools thruout the world
may turn many minds to the DAYS
cableerams Asia Minor. where the lar
gest scale fighting now to be seen on
earth is under way, is the Identical
scene of the new campaign of Chris
tianitys greater soldier, the Apostle
Paul. The best maps from which TO
study the days dispatches are those
printed in the backs OF modern Bibles.
This coincidence Of modern news with
ancient history Is only one of the ways
wherein the Sunday school begets
large -mindedness, and makes for world
citizenship. II IS incumbent upon
Christians to think and live speciously.
The Greatest Work in the World
We are brought squarely up against
2 big idea by this lesson. For here
begins. in the Acts history, that cam
paign of world conquest which burst
the Judean and syrian boundaries Of
Christianity. and carried the tidings
quickly to the centers OF Roman pow
er and even to the borders OF Europe.
and which continue today to bear the
same banner across the borders OF
Thibet. into "rhe center OF the center
of Africa as one missionary letter
have received is dated: into the. far
Islands OF the sea. and TO every people
under heaven. We have to do With
"a movement which has changed maps.
moulded nations and altered the course
OF history.
II is a Fat lesson that crowds us
today. so there IS no room to recall
how the known world, then centering
sbou, The Grea, ses. . which IS afresh
the scene OF the deepest perpieSities
that confront modern statecraft, was
prepared for this swift extension OF the
Good News OF a Saviour for all man
kind Greece had imposed a common
language OF culture apon all peoples
so that the missionaries could be un-
d.rs,ood everywhere. Rome had laid
4 network OF good roads and, legal
protection over the known world. Ju-
dea had provided the religious back
ground for the new message So II
was as the Man OF the Hour-God's own
hour-that Paul set forth.
Gods clocks ALL chime in tune. As
thoughtful persons peres!ve the eN-
tr4rn~ present heed of new spiritual
motive TO restore. restrain and reign
over human life. they see also how one
hundred years of Christian missions
hive occupied most OF the strategic
places OF earth. At least a skeleton
lied preparation OF the entire world
field has been made for the new cam
paign of Christianization for which
the distraught race waits The making
ready OF the ancient world for Pauls
missionary tours was no more Provs-
dsntiLf or dramatic. than that which
today lies before our eyes. ours IS n
unified humanity. with unprecedented
communications and Identity Of in
terests and needs. The field is pre-
pared: the Message Is ready and ade-
auate; the need Is surprising, all
that lacks is the statesman soldier
psint to follow in Paul's steps
Little Men q, BIr Places
In no censorious spirit. hope. I an,
bound to record the great and grow
Ing conviction that organized Christian
work needs better type of leader
ship. The smallness OF the men in high
official positions Of religious responsi.
bili,y n both dlscourag.ng and eNas.
porating, Few Of them can see "a r.
ther than their own Jobs. They are
often only clerkly- minded occupants
of saiaried positions. whose supreme
concern IL the safety and success ot
their own organizations. Their com.
placency IS as remarkable as their
incompetence. Most Of them think
themselves ''ieaders'' whereas they
are often found In oposition 10 rea
Advancement and to large kingdom
projects The pioneering spirit oi
Barnsbas and Saul is utterly lacking
in them.
One sometimes wishes that Il might
be possible for all snlarled workers ir
organized Christianity. excepting pos.
sibly the active ministers of the Cos.
pei. to spend a period OF. say. Eve
years IN self-supporting secular pur.
suits Then there would cnsue a whole.
come testing of the reality Of all the
professional beliefs and activities
and also. it is to he hoped. n mighty
accession Of Christian activity into tbs
ordinary walks Of life. We have gone
long way from the self-supportins
missionary work of the pioneers about
whom We are uo-- studying
If II is true that strange limitations
intellectual. spiritual and social. seem
to encompass ,re official Leadership oi
religious organizations. It Is even more
true-and somewhat a corrective of this