The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-12-14
MORE ABOUT GOING TO
CHURCH
BY n. ID. Cochran

Sermonizing at st. James Episcopal Church. New
York City, Rev. DR.. Crowder asked if there is any
logical why you should be discouraged in trying
to live according to the teachings and example of Jesus
Christ because few trying do When you
contrast the numbers in the churches with the i'm
crowds in places Of questionable resort it is
borne in that the servants of God in the
minority in this world"
There is every why every intelligent per-
should try to live upright life but the fact that
any person goes to church and doesn't go to the
movies or to baseball and football games is proof
at all that he is not leading trying to lead
right life
DR.. Crowders logic is illogical when he assumes
that only those who go to church trying to lead
upright lives. There is necessary connection be-
tween being good Christian and being church
member The Pharisees of Christs time were church
members. SO those of today. But that doesn't
mean that all church members Pharisees Neither
does it mean that non-church members not as
consistently and sincerely Christian any of their
neighbors who brag about belonging to church
One of the most beautiful stories In the New
Testament illustrates how Christ himself a
modernis of His time the Pharisees were funda-
mentalists. The law of Moses said that IL woman
caught in adultery should be stoned to death. Per-
sisently the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus
that he could be punished for going contrary
law.
1 suppose there were people in these days who
said that the best way to kill a bad law to en-
force it. Anyhow, when the Pharisees brought a
woman before Jesus and said she had been caught In
adultery and reminded Him that the law demanded
that she be stoned to DEATH they wanted to catch
Jesus preaching against the substituting His
gospel of love.
Jesus knew what the cunning marplots up
to. So while writing with his finger in the sand he
was figuring out how to outwit them and still stand
by His philosophy of love and life. Finally he said:
Let him who is without guilt cast the first stone"
Then they sneaked away, and when they were all
He turned to the and told that nobody
accused her and to and sin more.
Jesus trying to lead upright life, but he
didn't belong to church. The old church with its
cruel law of for eye and tooth for a
tooth didn't appeal to His of justice ALL He
didn't tell that gang to ignore the law, but He
got around it just the
Nor will you find anything in the teachings of
Jesus that suggests that any of Gods children here
earth have to be miserable and unhappy in order
to get into heaven and be happy hereafter. He
didn't say, Slaves obey your masters, and tell poor
people to stand poverty and oppression all their
lives because their reward would after they were
dead.
The crowds followed Him wherever He went He
didn't spend His time raising vast funds with which
to build great church buildings He never had to
complain of poor attendance at His sermons. He had
message. His temple outdoors and 1t wasn't
managed by the money-lenders
And the beauty of His life and His message is that
both just vital and just interesting TODAY as
they were twenty centuries If He were to come
on earth today with the message, jury made up