Evening star., 1921-06-18
MAKING THE SOCIAL ORDER
| CHRISTIAN. Luke. 4:16-21:
| Matthew, o5:34-40.
BY REV. HUGH r. STEVENSON.

By KEW. HUGH +. SIEN EN- sun.
A distinguished teacher of political
science requested a ministerial friend
to conduct his seminary class one day
when he was absent from the city.
The members assembled by appoint
ment with the clergyman at his home
and were asked to write down on a
piece of paper the three questions
which they expected they would be
asked when they reached heaven. His
seven-year-old daughter heard the re-
quest of her father and tried to meet
his requirements of the university
men. When the preacher read the
questions that the members of his
temporal class had written he found
that they were largely along similar
lines. What have you done wrong?
What is that you have not done? and
What things good have you done?
When he took up his child's paper he
read. Have you been good?
The acting professor told the class
that all of their answers were vir-
tually the same as that Of the seven
year-old child, but that he did not
think that they were the questions
which they would be asked. He told
them that he thought that when he
reached heaven he would be asked:
Did you. as a citizen. see to it that
you, as citizen, see to it that the
prisoners leaving the penal institu-
tions had a chance to make good? Did
you, as a citizen. see to it that the
child of poverty had a chance to Sc
cure an education? Did you, as a
the needy were supplied? Did you. as
a citizen, see to it that your own
neighborhood was properly governed
and we'll kept? In other words. the
preacher accepted the Masters prac-
tical progressive platform as his
guide in teaching political science and
the Lords teaching concerning judg-
from the gospels assigned for our
study this week,
If the social order is to be made
Christian. it can only be done by
carrying out the Masters program
which He outlined in His first sermon
reth. While the lesson indicates
Christ's attitude toward the Sabbath,
synagogue and Scriptures our atten-
tion is turned to His practical pro-
gressive platform that has given to
Christianity a social gospel. as we'll
salutation. 1t is evident that Jesus
was not a social agitator. yet no one
has surpassed the Master in seeking
to better the social relations of men.
He sought to perfect the social order
by Tege1srating; ,sa ingss9 Teforming and re.
Christian life of love and labor he
would aid the Lord in making the
social order Christian.
Christ's fame as a preacher and
healer had reached Nazareth. where
He had been brought up, SO that
of the congregation to hear Jesus
when He commenced His sermon. He
read with definite purpose the
words of Isaiah that were recognized
as prophetic of the Messiah. They
furnished the basis Of His social
first consideration for the poor. He
did not limit His message to any
particular class of poor, which is the
result largely Of drink, unemploy-
ment, Incidence, sickness and other
gard to the cause Of their poverty
He brought the goods news that God
cared for them and loved them. This
served to help lift the burden Of
poverty and inspired men to look
forward to victory over their tempo
developed the mutual care Of the
church for one another and its fruits
are seen today in our efforts for the
suffering multitudes Of Europe. China
and the near east 1t has inspired
virtually all philanthropic efforts to
remove from men the burden and
curse of poverty.
In His second plank the Lord Jesus
promised liberty to the captives.
Christ has been the greatest emanci-
pator of the race. He has broken
the cordage of iniquity that has held
men in the bondage of sin. He has
transformed the bonds Of those i'm
Hisoned for Righteousness into a
blessing. Bunyan, while shut up In
Bedford Jail. had a vision of Chris
tian's progress that supported him.
Judson slept securely in a heather
prison upon q pillow containing the
gospel that was destined to bring
freedom to the people whose gov
ernment had imprisoned him. The
gospel has brought freedom to the
individual soul as we'll as political
and religious liberty to the nations
of the earth. Democracy owes tte
prestige. position and power to the
Masters message.
The recovery of sight to the blind
was the third plank of His social
gospel. When the deputation reached
Jesus from John the Baptist Christ
pointed to His restoration of the
sight OF the blind as an evidence e
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