The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-02-11

record concerning His questioners;
and all the world ultimately, IN this
realm or the next, will likewise ''know
fully" The worst punishment of a
judgment day for the wicked is COM
plete revelation. "a Is
Religion and Citizenship.
The cunning trap laid for Jesus by
these contemplate adversarieS was,
rs it lawful to give tribute to Caesar,
or not?" A 'yes" or mo- answer
would land Him upon one horn of a
the Jewish Nationalist or the Roman
government Had Jesus answered
categorically. His reply would have
had only local and temporary appliea-
ton. Instead, he laid down a, prin-
ciple of permanent application It
its clear voice was never more needed
than amid the confusion of our own
day: Render therefore unto Caesar
the things which are Caesars, and
unto God the things that are Gods
Well is this called Lesson on Cit
ness and greed and power are cloak
ing. themselves under nationaiisn.
'internationalism" and even religion,
we have but to hold fast to ;Christ's
clear teaching of loyalty to the state
and loyalty to God. Edersheirn sum-
''Christ's Kingdom is not of this
world; a true Theocracy is not incon-
sistent with submission to the SECULAR
power in things that are really its
own; politics and religion neither in
clude, nor yet exclude, each other;
they are side by side, in different do.
mains. The state is Divinely sane
toned, and religion is Divinely sane
homeland both are equally the ordi-
nance of God. On this principle did
Apostolic authority regulate the rela-
tions between church and state, even
when the latter was heathen|
The Two-Fold Allegiance.
1t was the new-old lineup of aris-
tocracy versus democracy that Jesus
faced. Today it confronts us with diff
ficult variations. The average per-
son-and thank God for the sanity
and loyalty of the average person to-
dayi-wants to be sympathetic with
all right men and right causes, and es-
pecially with democracy, for he feels
that that is Christ's side. Neverthe-
less, he distrusts as demagoguery
much that calls itself democracy He
desires simple test and standard. 1
suggest that today we ask of every cit
izen only that he sincerely stand by
the Bible and the national flag,
The man who is inteHigently loyal
to the Bible cannot be Bolshevik,
and he must be a democrat. There is
no following Jesus without entering
into fellowship with His other friends.
and acquiring His spirit. Zone is
your Master. even Christ. and all ye
are brethren"-made brethren by that
common allegiance. This is the teach
ing of the second part of our Lesson:
that the greatest of all comma nd
ments is to love God first. Not all
persons perceive this clearly. Fuller
thought, tho. manifests the truth that
love and loyalty to God are the very
handspring of all good citizenship and
real social service. All this is implied
in the suggestion that a primary test
of good citizenship is faithfuiness to
the old Book.
Then the flag must fly. Fidelity to
the national emblem is scoffed at as
provincialism and jingoism by radi-
Gals and liberals" They have got
beyond Christ's Render unto Caesar
the things which are Caesar's"-as,
indeed, they have repudiated His
Render unto God the Things that are
Gods" Every Bolshevik must be an
"internationalist," putting sclass above
country. He honors no flag except
the red. Therefore a test of good cit
izenship is loyalty to the flag OF the
nation. Patriotism, intense and intel
ligent patriotism, filled with the spirit
of good will to all men, is the surest
preventiye OF the inchoate radicalism
which is today menacing the stability
of civilization the world around.