River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1925-03-12
CHURCH SCHOOL COLUMN

CELEBRATED bodily growth, the SouI
awakening comes. Many conversions
come in this period If we were do
ing our work as we ought to do it we
would win practically all boys and
girls before the fourteenth birthday.
Recently thorough studies have been
made in FIVE of the large denomina-
lions throughout the United States
of the ages of conversions of more
than six thousand persons, most of
these were converted Coined the
church, at about thirteen years of
age.
The Fifteen Year-Old. There is a
religious interest between the fifteen
and sixteenth year. When the body
is growing rapidly all other interests
are in the back ground, including re-
ligion. But when the bodily growth
is approaching maturity and the new
powers are functioning, and just
preceding or accompanying the great
social awakening there is a religious
awakening. There a number of con-
versions at this time Around the
sixteenth year many reconsecrations
are made and many life decisions"
are formed 1t is very evident that
God gives this religious interest for
the purpose of Christianizing the
social life of youth.
The Eighteen Y ear-Old There is
/, period Of religious interest around
the eighteenth year. Both social and
physical forces are strong, but the
dominent faculty of life is now the
intellectual, 1t is quite evident that
Gods plan includes not merely the
physical and social forces of life but
also the intellectual. God wants the
brain power of the world Christian.
Hence the appeal must be made
largely in terms of the intellect.
Here is the Divine plan. All youth
is responsive to the appeal of Jesus
Christ. But if in early youth Jesus
and His way of living are chosen,
then the physical body as it develops
is Christianized-the habits and acts
of the body are Christian-the
Temple of the Spirit becomes a fit
dwelling place of the Most High.
When social living develops it is
Christianized. Companions are chos-
en- and ways of living are adopted
from a Christian point of view. In
other words, young people are learn
ing the gracious art Of living togeth
er as Christians. Then when brain
power is developed, attitudes of mind
and habits of thinking are Christian
lied. Thus young person should
/ grow to maturity with body, mind
! and social outreach Christian. Such
4 person has a character that will
stand the test. Such person will
render a real service to God and to
manking in his day and generation.
Thus it becomes increasingly APP
parent that evangelism is the es-
sential heart of religious education
Evangelism and religious education
rightly understood are not atagon-
istic. They are parts of the same
great process, the surrender of the
soul to Christ and its growth into
the fullness of the stature of Jesus
Christ. The better the equipment
the more thoroughly trained the
parent and the teacher, the more
carefully graded the courses of study
in the Church School, the more
genuine the spiritual atmosphere anc
the more joyous the Christian ser
vice-the easier will it be for every
church to win its youth to Christ, tx
develop them into Christian leaders
and to use them in Christian service