Evening star., 1924-11-09
RELIGIOUS Revival
B!E:L|EVEDAT HAND
Michigan Legislator Declares
Nation Has Reached Point
Where Change Is Needed.
By the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
COLUMBUS. Ohio. November s.
While asserting that the country is
on the eve of a true religious re-
vival, DIR. Kenyon L. Butterfield
president of the Michigan Agricul-
tural College and head of the Ameri-
can Country Life Association. in an
address today before the seventh an
nual conference. of the latter organi-
Zation, said the time has come to
either take religion much more or
much less SERIOUSLY.
Religion is either the most funda :
mental. the most vital. the most prac-
tical human Interest. or it is de-
fusion. superstition and of no con-
sequence except historically" he
said.
The time has come to take re-
lgton either much more or much less
seriously For US of the western
world the teachings of Jesus are
either applicable to every type of
personal and social problem of the
present age. or they are the theoreti-
cal distractions of a mere dreamer
should Work With Scientists.
Quoting from a statement of a
church group on the social creed of
this statement has for its core the
thought of taking Jesus in earnest
of Interpreting his teachings as il
applies to the personal and social
life, of trying to infuse His spirit
and His attitude toward God and
toward man into every individual
life and into all the relationship OF
all people"
Another essential to the Chris
tianizing of all parts of American
life" the speaker asserted, lis that
the scientist and the religionist shall
come together in their thinking"
The religionist ought to be a true
scientist" he said. for the scientist
simply seeks to discover. the truth
about the universe. the physical uni
verse and the universe OF men.
Challenge to Farmers.
There must cease to be an antag
onism between the fact and pow er
of religion on one hand and of science
on the other If the largest possible
progress is to be made in developing
full-rounded religious men and
women.
An explanation -of religion must
be arrived at in terms of the best
human thing. Meantime. however
there ought to be an agreement on
if there is not agreement on what
constitutes the true explanation of
religion. ....., .s..
The leadership of the new religious
revival, he said. lis distinctly con-
scious that the industrial struggle
and all ruzziing economic questions
must BE- worked out in the light of
the religious idea"
DR.. Butterfield's subject was "A
.
which, he said, was threefold:
ITO try to make agriculture and
country life. Christian; to help make
all parts of country life Christian.
and TO organize an aggressive cam
paign of activity and education for
the purpose Of forwarding these two
main ends.
Should Build Church.
First" he said "the country
church should be made all that it
ought to be- 1t ought to be COM
munity- minded church-one that is
far more concerned in making the
whole community in which it is To-
Gated completely Christian than it is
in any other one thing, and certainly
Tar more interested in the community
than it is in itself
1T means minimizing of denomi-
national distinction and denomina-
tional rivalry. 1t means magnifying
service both to the individual and in
developing an inner life of Christian
peace and joy, and to community de-
velopment on Christian lines.
There may be a larger measure of
the Christian spirit and purpose put
into farmers organization
should like to see the establishment
of Il national commission on a. Chris
to see school of religion Established d
as an auxiliary to each agriculture
college in America.
"All that has been said constitutes
a. challenge to the Christian layman,
the Christian farmer, beyond any
thing else that has ever happened.
If the layman, the great masses Of
men and women are not Christian,
the country will not be Christian: if
they are only half Christian, the
country will only be half Christian"