The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-03-13
Church

Washington. Based on the con-
viction that, if the people will not go
to the church the church must go to
the people, great religious move
ment is being organized by the Ma
tional Cathedral Foundation. col
lege of preachers is to be established
at the National Cathedral here, for
which a countrywide fund of $lO,-
100000 is being assembled, and from
this a religious revival akin to that
of Peter the Hermit, the Cowley Faith
ers, and General Booth is to be di-
rected -
The Right Rev. James E. Freeman,
D. D., Episcopal bishop of Washing
ton, is now preparing with other
church leaders to launch the evan
gelical enterprise this summer, with the
first sessions of the College of Preach
ers. This embodiment of the church
militant in a vigorous campaign for
Christ through preaching, publicity
and organization, will typify spiritual
ly to America what the Washington
Cathedral itself, where Woodrow Will
son lies buried, will mean materially as
great religious shrine and, in fact,
where the nations honored dead will
sleep.
In the forefront of the nation wide
preaching renaissance to carry reai
religion to the man in the street, and
to meet the challenge that Christianity
has failed, is Mcneil Sayre, trustee Of
the Church Pension Fund and pension
advisor to the Church of England,
whose brochure, made public today,
outlines the argument for the preach
ing mission.
Mr.. Sayre's indictment of Christian
ity's failure to influence average men
and women is summed up in his open
ing paragraph thus:
christianity has lost it's hold on the
masses of the people. The Industrial
classes have ceased to be Influenced by
it. 1t has shrunk into concern of
the so-called middle and upper classes.
This is a condition which, If allowed
to continue, means that Christianity
in America will soon enter definitely
into the status of decaying religion"
To counteract this decay and bring
ga natural and healthy religious growth
PROPOSES a movement to carry it to
"the spiritual nature of the average
man." He warns against the delus1ve
/ appearances of apparent material pros
1 perity in the churches, and points out
/ that the danger of the practical over
throw of Christianity is the product of
many causes, operating through many
years" Among these he lists Sin
sistence that some favorite theory is
essential to a following of Christ; en-
phasis on the relatively unimportant
| instead of on Christ Himself; emphasis
| on the material side of conduct instead
of on an elevation of our spiritual
strength; and the inability of the
Church today to exhibit and maintain
those high standards of Christian NOR
atty of which it is the guardian and
/ trustee"
The parish church is "the only in
strumentality of Christianity seriously
and effectively at work today" Mr..
Sayre maintains. A revival of preach
| ing is not needed in the parish church,
he points out, but must be planned
"solely to reach those who cannot 9TH
erwise be won"
The presentation Of the Christ alone
to the people, wherever they may be
assembled, devoid of the pomp and
power of the pulpit and ceremony, is
the nucleus of the program. High
intelligence, training and the power to
sway vast multitudes are requisites of
the men who are to be on the firing
line with "a Twentieth Century mes
sage" and able to handle debate. An
up to-date Saint Francis, with his band
of preachers" fired with the spirit of
evangelism, gifted with the power of
| speech, and trained in all the arts of
persuasion would endeavor to Chris
| tianize America at mass meetings, con-
ferences, gatherings of all sorts, in
| theatres, halls, in university stadia, in
the highways and by-ways. of great
cities, and anywhere and everywhere
that men and women can be assembled
to listen, under the preaching revival
These preachers would renew their
own strength at the National Cathe-
dral, where teachers capable of "add-
ing new fire to their zeal" would pre-
side and the hope is expressed that