The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1922-03-10
The Militant Church
In Our Economic Life
Continued From Page One)

NOOILlHuCu FROM age CllCJ
treasures of the earth where thieves
break through" Is it obeyed? Is
that valid teaching? | challenge you
to say no to that. We cannot say,
Lord, Lord" unless we 20 on and
do the things which he says.
There are conceptions OF truth
with reference to property that the
church as vet knows nothing about
and you must penetrate and find
out.
There is no Gospel of Christ that
doesn't reach into that area. Who
ever shall 90. whether it IS bishop
or superintendent or pastor or lay
man that goes down into there, VIII
dig a deep well and be alone for
while. But God will bring him out.
| have no language to express the
infinite unutterabie sacredness that
Jesus of Nazareth perceived in the
humblest, lowest and dirtiest and
NagabOnd specimens of the human
race. Jesus Christ had no other
value in heaven or earth or sky, but
a human being.
Jesus Measure of Value
Jesus Christ wasn't hypnotized by
sky scrapers. Only a small mind
can be hynotized by sky scrapers. 1t
takes a great mind to be hypnotized
by a human mind when the dogs
lick the sores. Personality human
reality! While the Caesars tramped
their ways over the bones Of slaves
whiles the Pharisees gathered their
dirty linens about them from the
vagabond. Jesus linked himself with
the least and last and lost sailor of
the human race.
| don't know how we are going to
get it. Maybe we will get it by
prayer. Maybe we will get it by
conservation. Maybe we will get it
by getting a little closer to such
people. Maybe, but in some way or
other, the militant church must re-
turn to Christ's conception of the
sacredness of the human being, first,
last and all the time. Any man
whose first love and second love and
his last love is not for human beings
is not a Christian.
Private property must be con-
served. What the hoof is to the
horse, what the feet are to the birds.
private property is to the human
being born naked There are two
kinds of property. There is private
property for use and private property
for power. The church must estab-
lish the principle wherever property
exists as to whether it is for use or
for power. If it is private property
for use it must be aided; if it is pri-
vate property for power it must be
crippled.
am going to say hard thing,
and | am going to say it hard be-
cause if l said it soft you wouldn't
get it. In the last analysis, property
has no right whatever. Can that
post have any rights? Can that
piano have any rights? A thing has
no rights. Persons only have rights.
All the right that society has given
to property is given there and Sc
ing society that it is at that time for
the best interest of human beings.
Now, l am going to read one SEN
tence on this by Bishop Gore: Let
US therefore be careful to guard
against any invasion of the real lib
erty of persons. let us maintain the
| right of property for USE" Then
| he calls attention to this differen-
| Lldl Ill SIdJlOH. we cannot get TIC
| of the feeling that individualism II
property has overdone itself: that il
is working disastrous havoc; that
the cry for Justice from masses OF
men, and women is a cry which is
legitimate; and if it is a legitimate
cry. then most certainly it behooves
US not to wait till its claim can be
enforced, gruding every inch that i.
yielded unwilling to "labor" under
the pressure of compulsion, but
rather as free men to face the facts
and grid ourselves willingly for re
form, even if it entail for us per
sonal sacrifice"
Now, l will just ask you this. You
ask us what l would suggest,
would suggest the entire Methods
Episcoal church, which was born il
the heart of man, should go bacl
TO the last crossroads and mobiliz,
ali the agencies of Christendom vol
can mobilize and warn them of tn,
possible downfall of civilization anc
taking the word of Jesus. restor,
the mind of Christ to the people az
never done before and thrust thai
word of Christ into the question O.
personality and property and faitl
and with breath of primitive Chris
tianity not only save yourselves ant
the church and Christianity but the
world