Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-17
SOUTHERN BAPTISTS GIVEN
NEW POWER BY CAMPAIGN,
PRESIDENTS ADDRESS SAYS

over from one organization to con
troll anothe" W.tn US everything s
voluntary. h2otist bodies may ad
wise, they RAY ccn.ar, they may rGti
ton they may aGmonish, they may
entreat. K they are incIcabiy dis
satisfied with tho work Of an affilia'
ed Baptist budy, they may, Of course
| withdraw and set up housekeeping
for thems 'lves. But 50 IcnS a. they
undertake 70 co-5ps1Ate for common
ends each respGr:s the rights, duties
and fun lions o. the other.
How to Avoid Friction
where there is overlapping of
work; mutual self-limitation Is the
only solution and means Of avoiding
friction. My profound conviction is
that this convention should take ac-
ton looking to conferences with rep
resentatives of state conventions
with the view of defining their mu-
tual relations and cooperative &C.
tivities. State conventions or
boards are now collecting agencies
for the Southern Baptist convention
This is a customs which has grown
up, and not a provision of our con-
stitutiOn. The custom is useful and
at the same time dangerous 1t IS
useful because of the compactness
Of state organizations and closeness
of contact with the churches. 1t IS
dangerous because the importantly
and pressure of state interests by
reason of nearness to the money
raising agency tend to crowd out
southwide interests. 1t is dangerous
also because the state agency, being
human, tends to confound the col
lecting function with the governing
function. Collecting money is not
the same as giving it. Givers of
money are the directors Of their
gifts Stewardship and responsible
ty go together. Givers to the objects
Of the Southern Baptist convention
are the true directors of their own
gifts through their own agency, the
convention itself.
I'VE must preserve the autono-
my of the Southern Baptist conven-
ton. There is no price big enough
to Justify the sale of our right to gov
ern ourselves and direct our own af-
fairs, and allocate our own funds.
This convention is the brain with
which southern Baptists as a whole
think their problems through; 1T is
the voice with which they utter their
message; and it is the arm Of power
with which they act. We have made
mistakes. Let us correct them. We
have become confused at some points
in our thinking. Let us clarity our
thinking and definitions. But let US
steadfastly maintain our Baptist
ideals and principles.
I'm the third place, the mission OF
this convention is to be the express
sion, on a great scale, of the New
Testament principle of Christian uni
ty. Christian unity is not the me-
chanical conference of the particles
in a block of granite. 1t is the free
and spontaneous unity of the sepa-
rate drops Of water that constitute a
wave of the sea. The power Of the
wave is tremendous, depending on
the rotary motion Of the separate
drops, the elevation of the center of
gravity above the level of the sea.
and the impelling power of the wind.
Spiritually expressed, in terms of
Baptist unity, this means the energy
Of the individual, the moral elevation
of the common life, and the impell-
ing power Of the Holy Spirit.
Indifference Scored
"Three forms of so-called Christian
unity we. repudiate: First, Christian
unity through indifference-a sort
of Mother Hubbard principle that in
cludes contradictory types of doc
trine and irreconcilable systems OF
thought and life. We reject Christ
ian unity through surrender to a
historic episcopate, so-called, and we
reject Christian unity through sub
mission to the authority of the
pope.
Fourth, the mission of this con-
vention is to interpret and demon
strate to an age of modernism the
true relation between spiritual cause
and effect. You cannot Water down
the missionary motive and accom-
plish the missionary aim. Christ's
deity and His atonement and His
resurrection from the dead are the
dynamic forces behind the mission
airy enterprise. Outstanding the So
cial order is good. Uplift movements
are good. But the power of all is in
the supernaturalism of the gospel.
1t is Gods power energizing through
the preaching of Christ by the Holy
Spirit You can never get the
Christian effects without the Christ
ian causes. Alice in Wonderland saw
cat with a grin. The cat slowly
faded away and only the grin re-
manned. This was in Wonderland,
not real life. You may have a face
without a grin, but not a~grin with
out a face. You cannot get the
Christian effects without the Chris
tan causes.
"Once a nationalist drew up a new
scheme of religion to take the place
of evangelical Christianity. 1t was
very simple and easy to understand.
1t left out all the supernatural and
all the mysteries Of the gospel and
all the difficulties. 1t would seem to
be ideal for men to accept, but it
proved a complete failure. Nobody
wanted it. The rational, in a con-
versation with Talleyrand, eX-
pressed his discouragement at the
failure of his new religion, and
asked Talleyrand for a suggestion
as to the cause. Talleyrand, who was
exceedingly shrewd, replied that II
was difficult to explain. Said he, ut
is not easy to start new and sue
cessful religion, but there is one
sure method of doing it," What is
that" his friend inquired Talley-
rand replied, BE crucified, rise
again from the dead on the third
day." He was touching the heart of
the matter when he made this re-
ply, 1t Is the power of sacrifice and
the power Of the divine life that can
make religion successful.
Power of Sacrifice
FINALLY, the mission of the South
ern Baptist convention is to demon