The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-06
RECTOR DEFINES RELIGIOUS DUTY
 IN FIRST SERMON
Dr. Clingman Takes Lords Summary For Text At
 Advent Service

The definition of religion was the basic thought of the initial sermon preached by the Rev. Charles Clingman, rector of the Church of the Advent, at the II o'clock service Sunday morning There was a large attendance, and foi- lowing the sermon Dr. Clingman ad- Dinistered the sacrament of Holy com manion.
 Taking his text from the 12 chapter of St. Mark, 30-31 verses, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength 1; and thy neighbor as myself" Dr. Cling man said in paTt:
 .sDefinitions of religion are as var ious as the persons who give them. In our Lords summary of the ancient Mosiac law we finds. the. most satis- factory definition of this significant word. This definition indicates that re- ligion comprehends three things.
 ..Relision. is feeling. There are those who deprecate the idea that religion has anything to do with feeling and tell us that religion is dangerous thing when 1t affects the emotions. Yet we are told to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and all our minds.
 Bond Of Love
 1.-The word religion means literally . binding back;' that is, it's purpose is to bind up the ssoul of shining man with the strength and love of God. It is renewal of the broken relationship of the child with its Heavenly father.
 Every successful man or woman is, without exception, person who has given himself 'heart and soul' TO his task. He has given his zeal and en- thusiasm and devotion to bis work and to it's accomplishments.
 Religion is thought. 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind" This means clean thinking; it means the furnishing the mind with clean read ing and ennobling thoughts. It means also the giving of a. fair share of eur intellectual ability to thought about God and the eternal verities.
 Fearless Thinking
 There are those who, in this. day, ap- pear to be afraid of fearless thinking, appear to fear to run across the line of perfect faith into the region of skepticism or d0ubtE Christ constantly commended and rewarded faith; but he it ever remembered that He was never harsh with the honest doubter.
 He reasoned with the nationalist, Nicodemus; He was most gracious with the doubter, Thomas, whom He did not condemn or even embarrass, hut to whom He grAnted the right to demand evidence anu in His parables Jesus really used what we would call the scientific methodF He recognized the fact that nature has it's testimony to bear to truth and to God It is useless for any defender of the faith to look sskance at the man 9Eho uses his God given faculty of thought in the solution of his spiritual problems and difficul- ties.
 If it is true that the first bond which holds parents and children is the bond of love, it is also true that time comes when the parent finds this child has be- come youth with his own desire and determination to think for himself. Wise and happy the parent who finds that an added bond of fellowship has been forged that his soul and the soul of his child are bound closer and closer by the fact that they now stand on the common ground of mutual thought and reason. Happy, likewise, that man or woman who forges this bond which will hold him closer to his Father in heaven In giving our gifts to God let us never forget the injunction to love the Lord our God with all our minds"