Washington telegraph., 1926-05-21
new Ways TO
KILL The CHURCH
CBy John C. Wnliams)

kill it. The first was to do TINS Dy
, brute force, and so the early Christ
ians were thrown to the lions or cast
into the fire, and for hundreds OF
wears this method was resorted to
by the pagan governments, but 1t
| was the case of the burning bush re-
peated, and the tree not only was
not consumed in the fires of perse-
cution, but il actually budded and
blossomed and bore fruit, and when.
one church member was burned to
death a half-dozen outsiders would
be converted and carry on the good
work begun. The devil seeing his
mistake, gave this up in part and
resorted to infdelity and got men of
some learning and much brass to
fight the bible and to hold up the
church to ridicule, and so many men
launched a great fight on the church.
But Voltair, Hume, Tom Paine, Bob
Ingersoll and kindred spirits saw
their great efforts result in failure
and the church just bounded on to
prosperity and stood as a great i'm
movable and unconquerable army.
But the devil does not give up
quick, and when he saw that the
walls could not be battered down
from the outside by the open inhdels,
he conceived the idea Of adopting the
old Greek method in the capture of
Troy; and so he planned to get
PREACHERS to do the work on the in
side that could. not be done from the
outside, and here is a great sight TO
see some preachers and teachers at
tacking the church from within and
to declare that the bible is not all
Snspired and that God did not create
the world or man, and they are get
ting some poor spirits to follow
them. Then the effort is to get tha
. average church membea TO neglect
the church and let it die xor lack OF
afshntia4, aaaa -sai-a-se--a,- y - q "a :
! church members who would not for
the world strike the chuTsh an open
blow, will neglect it and only attend
when there are funerals, weddngs,
or on agreat day when ther is a great
dress display and dinner on the
/ ground. Thousands Of members are
falling for this plan and they ere in-
advertently doing what they can b.
help the devil kin the church.
Another plan is TO distract a,
minds Of the members from The dl
= ties OF the church, and turn SUNDAY
] into a holiday instead of holy da-
The crowds are freqentiy seen in au
to rides Sunday picuio.ug, visiting
and some will even dare to go fish
/, ing. and others viii form a bathing
p party and 20 to river or creek, anl
- The Lords day is desecrated and th,
y house of God neglected. II it wer,
u possible this plan would surely i-.l
the church. Others win not go bath
ing or fishing and so they will have
something to attend that is partly ne
Iirious but still separate from th'
cb.rch. There's the "all day singing
with dinner on the ground that ap
peaIs to thousands Of church mem
bets and the church is neglected Blu
is it not religious songs they sing
and what harm in getting togethe
and have these beautiful songs an'
enjoy social intercourse? But ther'
is no bible reading and preaching
at these great gatherings and NJ
gospel is proclaimed. Then owinl
TO the automobile and good road
. people can 90 for miles around AM
then all the churches in that entir
section are passed by and are eithe
closed or there is just a handful o
worshipers This is having a ver,
deletorious effect upon the countr
churches especially and many of ther
are dying of this neglect One o
the Presiding Elders has just told m
that he personally knows Of scores o
country churches that are fading on
on account of the all day singing.
and that the members neglect th
house of God, the reading of tn
bible and the preaching of the go'
pei to give the entire day to sins
ing. God says that he will save b
the foolishness of preashing, an
when the preaching is neglected O
not needed then there is bound t
come harm and final disaster.
Again, in the larger towns an
cities you will see a good live ban
at Sunday School, and you thin
what wonderful progress is bein
made, but when the school is owe
10 the large majority Of the scholars vii
file out and they do not hear an,
p sermon.
= What about the future of tn
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