The New York herald., 1922-12-24


by great mountains, burning sands
wide seas. humanity, that once was
one, became many.
Different climates made different
pigments In the skin; various environ
ments called out from the common
stock of human character different ac-
tivities, tempers, dispositions; various
social situations created various GUS
toms, clothes. governments and law;
and differing degrees of virility made
some races rich, some poor, some ad-
vanced, some backward
And this is the issue presented to
US: Can we so far undo the work OF
tens of thousands of years in Great
ing variety. can we so reach down to
the radical truth about humanity's
unity. as to weave the racial differ
ences together into new web of hui
man brotherhood?
Scope of Christianity Makes
Religion of International Concern
Indeed" DR.. Fosdick exclaimed, "if
any one protests that what we are
here speaking OF is not religion but
llltcl lldllOllsil pOilllCS tue llQulI y
rises: II to believe that all men are
Gods sons and can be made into one
family is not involved in Christianity
then what do we mean by Christian
ity?"
He continued:
Surely human brotherhood was
close to the heart of Jesus. When
He came back to preach in His boy
hoods synagogue in Nazareth one
would suppose that he would take a
subject to discourse upon close to the
centers of His faith
What was 1t, then, on which He
spoke on that great day when He came
home to preach? That first sermon
was directed against racial prejudice
lie told them that there were plenty
of widows in Israel in the days OF
Elijah and that Elijah helped none OF
them except a widow of Sidon. from
hated race. He told them that there
were plenty OF lepers in the days OF
Elisha and that Elisha healed none
of them save only Naaman the Syrian
from despised race. The Masters
first sermon was an attack on racial
prejudice.
"Do you suppose that IL He should
come to-day and speak to us as once
He spoke In Nazareth He would be
likely to choose another subject? He
could hardly find one more vital.
mo! If by religion you mean what
Jesus meant. then close to its heart
lies the thought of mankind as one
family under God"
The one thought suggested another
Here lies one of the troubles with
our popular religion" he went on. "So
often these great questions are thrust
into the background while the fore
ground fills up with the mediocre ap-
pendices and corollaries of religion
The most startling charge that can
be leveled against the church is that
religion defects mems attention from
the real issues.
When l stop to think OF Il was
brought up in a church where in ar
guing about the quantity OF water
necessary to make n proper baptism
enough energy has been expended al
most to save the world. One wonders
jealously what might have happened Il
all that consecrated thoughtfulness
had been expended on something that
really mattered.
Nor In this regard can any denom-
inatlon cast stones at another; they all
live in glass houses; each one of them
has made a speciality out of some ir-
relevant affair. And more and more
the real people of the generation stand
afar off and look on all such things
with mingled Indifference and scorn.
See. they say, religion once more de-
flecting mems attention from real
issues.'
"Yet all the while at the center of
our faith is n Personality who never
stressed a small Issue in His life. He
said then. and is saying yet. 'Ye 1.-THE
mint and anise and cumin and have
left undone the weightier matters of
the law. Justice and mercy and faith.'
Materiallsrn, the penalty the "scien-
tinc spirit seems to pay when II does
not go far enough, always has come
close to being the crux OF the modern
religious crisis as DR.. Fosdick sees Il.
Tho scientific spirit" itself has been
"a frequent theme throughout his
preaching and teaching. In nothing
has he been counted more illuminating,