The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-02-05

ing q special brand.
The evangelization OF our cities
depends upon the united attack OF
the church. There is stronger
spirits OF fellowship and Christian
sympathy among the churches just
now than there has ever been. Men
OF all faiths---from Jewish to Cath
olic- have become possessed OF
enough of the grace OF God to sit
down and talk over the larger inter-
ests of humanity. They have
learned that the first article in the
universal creed should be "tolera-
ton" And this point Is growing
hourly. The city with its slum, It's
saloon, its brothei-the heather
world with its appalling paganism---
these have been some of the thinga
which have brought the Christian
world TO its senses.
All along the Mediterranean sea
the apostles faced an unbroken, line
OF heathenism---a classic heathenism
rich In its myths. It's temples and its
history. But they did not stop to
question II the task IL hopeless
,hey went forward believing 1t was
a glorious thing TO be counted
worthy OF service in a task that APP
peared impossible. To II they give
The energy of their young manhood
and the strength of their lives, and
when the end canre their faces were
toward the foe.
The modern church faces pag-
anized clvilization--.requently a pa
ganized church. She faces mann
monism strongly entrenched In the
hearts of men--and commercialism
sitting vampire like on the vitals OF
our civilization. She faces to some
extent, a scientific spirit antagonls-
tic to revelation--she faces coldneBs,
indifference. elf-sufiiciency--she is
burdened with the horde of near
Christians. Why is all this? Be.
cause men have the idea that Christ
lives only on the pages of New Tes-
lament history rather than In the
hearts. Can the church readjust
herself and make her Master ,glo-
rious reality to mankind or is her
Christianity to be simply the rafting
of the traditional doctrlnal skele-
ton? II she has strength for read
justment, then she has message
for the age--if not, then the re-
QUEEN has already been sung and
she is on the road to interment.
Men must have the living Christ II
they are to be regenerated and
transfigured.
The Modern Application.
Our Christianity is new In It's APP
plication to life. It is not external
like the paint on a house. nor ~
IL an ornament, like fancy cornices
and friezes--it Is the very structure
itself--it is the whole round of life.
suppose a man sees Jesus rom the
modern angle and seeks to apply
Him 20 hta daily lgFG a tn.gIl find
that the old channels, long filled
with weeds and rubbish. are flooded
with new currents and ambitions,
He will discover that there IS a
greatness in Christianity which III
has never experienced. Life Is too
often lived on n very limited and
narrow plan. Few are practicins :
deep breathing-few are pushing out
toward the boundaries Men are
satisfied with a small space-they
are not exploring the circumference.
Human enterprises concern them
selves with the earth and Its imme-
diate surfaces --- railroads, mines
steamship lines and the like; but
there is nothing known to the mind
Of men that will so III his life as
Christianity with its world -embrac'
ing ideas, its Spirit, its task, its mas
ter II has expanses and wide
reaches that bewilder comparison
Life that is intended to delight
Itself in the riches and fullness oi
Eternity cannot be expected TO be
satisfied with the few inducements
earthly existence can offer--it de.
mands the abiding things-thc
things that do not perish with their
using--the things that increase ir
power and grow in beauty, which
unfold their desirability as the years
draw on. Here Is growth and the
soul is satisfied.
That little parable of the leaver
hid in the meal illustrates the prin'
ciple that life demands expansion
Leaven in q living thing-and living
things do not contract-they push
out. When life Is CONSTRUCTED II diei
or IL dWarfed. The Gagged bird loses
the power OF its wings--it has beer
robbed of the very ching that makes
bird rd-life--freedom. The studen
whose mind is forced into channe
Of thought can never have the in
tellectual freedom of a man who II
! taught to think for himself Educa'
| tion was never intended to teach
conolusions--but rather processes
| II a professor insists on the conclu
| cess, then he takes from his stu.
dents mind it's inherent right ant
leaves II vitiated and crippled.
When one examines the teachings
of Jesus he Is impressed with Hi
openness OF heart, His liberty of ac'
tion, His freedom OF thought. Chris,
never intended that the mind ant
spirit OF man should ever feel the
weight of restricting chains, or TN
chilling shadows o the closing prls
on house. II am come said lie
"to proclaim liberty to the captiVs'
and the opening OF the prison t'
them that are bound. Poor human
souls. Cramped In the prison hous'
life has miscarrled and the very
thing for which they were created
denied them--and they sit IKE th'
poor bird. moping In the cage, Bu
I III nf %