South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-03-20
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
is SERMON THEME AT
GRACE NJ. E. CHURCH
Liberality in Religion Depends
on Where IT Leads, DIR.
Beck Saws.

i
and morals are praiseworthy or not
depends upon how far they 20 and
where they lead was declared IN
sermon az Grace 81 J. church hF
the Rev r p Beck. sunday night.
From the praise they hear. young
ncopIo might got The idea that ih-
eral views and Practice are the
thing ALWAYS without realizing that
beyond certain limits they lead as
tray Whether one Isl 20 be COM
pIimented on HE religious broad
nindedness depends upon how Tar
it goes and where e. leads.
Jesus tells us that in tho light
~ eternal THINGS there are only two
WAYS. one of them loadF 70 he The
other loads 20 destruction lie fur
Their tells us that the one which
leads 20 life is a narrow way and
few travel DO while the way that
leads 90 destruction is broad and
many go on Co. When we read the
context we know there is "a con-
uection between the narrow way
and the folks who travel 30 and
likewise with the broad way. The
big thing with Jesus was not and
"a not whether we are liberal or
otherwise but are we on the road
that leads 20 life This truth
furnishes as plumb-line by which
We may find where we are any
where along the line. There IS no
especial satisfaction in being lib
craI I'm ones views and practices
II ne is on the road 20 destruction.
ON the other hand one could afford
20 be out OF tho popular crowd II
he Is on the way 10 life.
Jesus found some folks too mar
row 20 enter tho kingdom Of heaven
lie said to HE disciples Except
your righteousness exceed the right
eousness of tho Scribes and Phari-
sess Sc shall in no wise enter into
the kingdom Of heaven ON the
other hand he found people too
broad tot enter into His life. He
had these I'm mind when TIE spoke
OF the broad way The kingdom Of
heaven lies IN the middle ground.
ground
Here IS a broad minded lawyer.
Tie thinks ne rs that He has out
grown some OF the religious notions
his mother taught him. The gen
eral public praises him for his lib
crality. He is the Interpreter OF
the law 10 PEOPLE who have never
studied law. lie has respect for law
generally But his liberal views Of
religion has caused him to set aside
tiDN statute Of his state which re-
quires that a man cease from his
usual avocatiOn on the Sabbath,
commonly called Sunday. also the
law OF God. Who ordained that this
day be a day for rest from labor.
Consequently he pursues his usual
avocation on Sunday. A lot Of peo-
pie VIII praise him. But II that kind
of liberality is good then more of it
viii be better over at the county
jail YOU will sec more Of il. There
IS another crowd Of liberal minded
folks at Michigan City boarding off
the state
There is "A liberality that sets
itself over against narrowness Of
view and practice. That Is COM
mendable and desirable When Il
gets beyond a certain limit and
lands its advocate in the way that
leads 90 destruction It Is to be fear
ed and speedily escaped. 4 lot Of
folks have not taken a recent sound
ing TO find how far out their liber-
atty has led them.
quite as strong a case can be
made for extreme narrowncss. What
we need is the happy medium that
gets us iu the way that leads TO
the life Of the kingdom. The re-
action Of these two types tends al
ways toward the extremes. The
gOdly parents were all but liberal
In their doctrines and practices. Con
gets a more liberal view of life and
lives it. The tendency is for him 10
swing 90 an extreme of libcrality.
Father and mother react again and
swing hack farther the other way.
"Puritanism is an illustration Of
this I'm history. Puritanism stands
for extreme strictness in morals and
religions II condemned about all
popular observanCes in both Old and
New England. But PlIritanism was
a reaction against an unusual eN-
treme in the other direction II IS
like playing sea-saw. The further
the one PARTY moves out on the
plank the further must the other
move out There is a law of aver
ages among men. The Puritans had
20 place themselves strongly against
much TO overcome the multitudes
who had given themselves strongly
for n type OF life not good in gem
cral Who after all did the great
things back i'm those DAYS. the Puri-
taus or the liberals? Who founded
the churches. the schools. the col
leEes. the government itself2 it was
the Puritans. who were ieered FOR
their narrow mindedncss.
1T IS generally conceded that we
arc I'm an extreme - OF liberal
moral and religious ~ and prac-
tices. The pendulum has swung
far. II viii not he surprising TO see
s.. swing far 20 the other extreme
as a reaction. That will mean that
we shall have an unusual protest
against things that have no real
meaning for life and land people on
the road that Icaas % destruction
ln fact viii 81 not require that ex-
tremc 90 bring us back 10 normal?
u Is certainly time now for preach
ers. laymen. parents. teachers. news
paper men and leaders generally 20
throw the weight Of their influence
FAR on the side OF the straight and
narrow way TO pull the world back
into somewhat normal position