South Bend news-times., 1922-10-29

Versation OF two women from diff
ferent churches They are both
good women as the word good gen
orally goes and were perhaps ex-
/ pressing the opinion not only OF their
Z own minds but OF the minds of a
greaf number OF people OF their
KIND am not going TO repeat the
I conversation because I do not want
I the poison in my own mind and
nave no disposition 20 nut Il into
yours The sentiment expressed by
one was the regret that certain peo-
pie belonged to the others church.
7 They are ignorant. uncouth. not
very tidy, etc" / happened 10 know
! the people about whom they were
] taking. az least I knew all about
their type. and more honest family
/ . would be hard 20 find. They are
7 hard workers and as true as steel
! and as good as they are true and as
pure as the angels. but all this has
no place IN the mind OF one Of the
! ialr conversationalists, for she thinks
/ tnat the only test a church should
/ nave for admittance should be riches
and an ability 20 prodigalIy spend
/ the money on their selfish selves
And every reader or these lines will
! understand why now and then We
/ meet a labOrinG. man who does not
Ike to attend church. However. all
/ churches are not alike for which we
should thank God. and even where
4 this artstOcracy is found it is Of the
4 Goldfish kind and does not exert a
| great deal OF influence even where
/ II Is found. Every church that has
a grain OF the Masters religion In
! II makes every man who comes into
1 its doors a welcome guest and does
all within its power 20 make him an
interger in the great Masters king
dom.
What is the church for anyway? I
wish every member Of every c.-urch
in South Bend would ask himself
that question. What is the church
doing for humanity? What Is the
church's business? Jesus came 10
seek and 10 save that which was lost.
They that are whole need not a
physician but they that are sick. -
II was 20 the sin sick world that the
| Master came. He came not to es-
tablish clubs OF exclusive member
ships but TO establish church.
That church was 10 become the
hospital OF the oppressed every
where. There was TO be neither
Jew nor Gentle, but all were to be-
come one in Christ. If the church
is not TO educate the ignorant,
purify the sinner. life the fallen, yes
TO go after the lowest sinner In the
10 III.
church has too long been an ex-
elusive set. and people have too long
called II my church" or "our
church" and with pride pointed TO
its rich membership with no refer
ence as to how they got their riches
The church has too long said to
the man with the gold ring. "sit
thou here" and the man in moral
tatters, "sit thou here" for there has
been entirely too much difference
shown 10 the man with money and
blood and not enough to purity OF
heart and nobleness OF purpose. The
. power Of a church is not to be
measured by the amount OF money
II controls but by the honesty and
integrity and purity OF the men and
women who compose II. 1t Is
| righteousness that counts
We have toe long blamed men who
were anarchistic and communistic
= and have honored the men who
made them that way We have toe
many men who go into the church
/ on Sunday TO pray and then go or
Monday into the market place and
skin their fellows and sell their
. hides. The lodge has done a great
service in the world OF the sick and
3 IL Is doing the work of the church
. The church Is the place OF inspira-
, tion. but Il can never reach It's
, highest place until it carries Il.
message direct 10 the mind OF the
, sinner. both rich and poor. We need
90 condemn II wherever we find II
= The church's business is not TO en-
tertain-that belongs to the stage
and platform-it Is not a place o.
mere socialbility-that belongs 4
the reception room and the parlor
. The church's business is 10 call mer
81 20 prayer and TO holiness. with
) out holiness no man can see God.
Then We need TO carry our relig
ion into the street and the byway
r We need IT every day and We need
b an every day religion. II is no
b physical or material help that manl
men need but they need much mor'
the inspiration that viii waken thei
souls 10 their need OF Christ and HI
power 10 lift them into higher level
Of living. There are families tina
Charity organizations have beeI
. keeping for years and they will con
tinue 20 keep them until they pu
! religion into their gifts and by thei
: Christian lives lift them out of thei
degradation and sin. Though
r give all my goods 20 feed the poo
. and my body TO be burned and havl
, not love it profiteth me nothing.
I Love is what the world wants an,
Z the great thing it needs. It does no
e care to hear the story OF love unles