Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-20
BY WILLIS j. BALLINGER.
DO not like the idea OF a
church lobbying either at
Westminster or Washington.
And | do not like the idea OF

than the maGnitic6 nee or the minister
In the pulpit.
"The trouble with religion today Is
that the church is repeating It's er
rors Of the past. 1t Is playing pom
tics and thinking more about raising
money than saving souls. Money
politics and religion have always been
and always will be poor bedfelloWs.
The church has been most successful
when il was poorest and when it Kept
out of politics and minded its bust
ness
This is a statement from former
missionary, a former Methodist MN
lister, a noted British philanthropist,
big business man and the editor and
publisher of the Review of the
Churches, one of the worlds most
widely circulated religious publlca'
tions-Sir Henry Lunn.
Has Had Varied Career.
The romance of adventurous and
picturesque success does not always
begin in America or with poverty
plagued young man of down-and-out
ancestry fighting his way up to own
whole railroads or control great cor
porations and live to ride through the
little old home town in fine car.
Sometimes the country is England
and sometimes the man is an arlsto-
crat, whose odds against success III
q democracy are well established
ancestry and good manners.
At IS Sir Henry commenced ouSl'
ness of his own in lawn tennis requi-
sites. He patented a scoring dial and
brought out the marking plates which
are put at the corners of the court
in rainy districts. At 10 he found he
was making money. and thought he
had better be in the ministry. he
took his father into partnership with
him-junior partnership-and then
offered him the business after he had
taken enough out to educate hlmself
at Trinity College, Dublin, for SIX
years.
Then Sir Henry went to India as a
missionary. He found the greatest
foe of the Christian religion not
among the heather natives of India s
wilds, but in the high living of mis-
sionaries. and he resigned discouraged:
He then turned big business man ana
amassed a fortune.
Likes to Discuss Religion.
had cornered Sir Henry for few
minutes in his room at New YORK
hotel. He was plainly interested in
talking about religion. Every now
and then l caught a CLEAN of burning
enthusiasm or quenchless zeal in his
eyes-the spirit Of the missionary
still alive in his heart. If you saw Sir
Henry in a crowd or hotel lobby,
you would hardly accuse him OF be-
longing to the fraternity of the min
istry.
Although business has made its
impression on the personality of Sir
l.iz o.
tuality, the neatness and trimness of
his attire, the practical way he looks
at a problem-there is no doubt but
that Sir Henry is still in love, with
his first love-religion. Today he is
engaged in making a speaking tour
of our country that would tax the
stamina of a far younger man and
would seem like taking foolish risks
with age except for the explanation
that ii is a labor Of love. Otherwise
Sir Henry might be found at a COM
Portable fireside, pipe in hand, blow
ing out clouds of "reminiscences to a
delighted circle of friends with his
arnnor of achievement on the wall OF
retirement.
1.-The times when the Church has
beer most successful in giving real
religious inspiration to mankind,
said Sir Henry, have been those
times when it has been poorest ir
wealth, when 1t depended on men OF
personality and example to spread
the gospel rather than when II
settled down into the luxury of mag
nificent buildings, elaborate costumes
and made religion material exhibit
ton. For years the world struggled
10 throw off the yoke of the Church
IN politics and the monopoly of wealth
CIV religion. Only within the last few
centuries has mankind won the flgh
TO confine the Church to spiritua
boundaries.
Some Modern Tendencies.
And today the Church is in danger
of working back into political ant
material power. / was very mucf
amused. and yet rather distressed
nv a remark made to me in very
prosnerous city of the Middle Yves
of America last year by a minister
who told me that I was TO speak II
the banaueting hall of the church.
II commented on the banquetint
han and he said: We'll. you see. W.
used to fast and pray, but now We
feast and talk This illustrates tn
tendency of the modern Church t.
cater to social amusement. Let IN
Church furnish the world with re
ligion, inspiring religion, and leav'
10 the cinemas and theaters the PROB
lem of amusing humanity. IN
Church should not try and keep III
with the times and organize itsel
as n big amusement corporation. /
should supply the life Of the worl'
with what the Church alone can CIV
religious consolation and the deVel
opment of the soul so That peopI
NAV be really happy"
but, Sir Henry" / inter1ecte1
"there is a very big issue here. How
IS Il possible to keep the Church on
of politics or out of wealth. nay
seen a very significant reVoiutloh 4
the attitude of our generation
Young ministers. ! find them takili'
mart in strikes, mixing up in practlca
questions like the League of Nation
and sending in subscriptions to organ
cations faVoring their views or offef
Ing themselves to stump IN a cause
Want More Than Talk.
These Young men tell me that the.
are tired of combining religion 10 mer
talk and that ministers must com
down from the pulpit and take SIDE
and fight practically to make TN
world better place to live IN. %
the other hand, doesn't the Church d
q great deal Of good with the none,
il raises for charity even though Sucl
money is raised by budget and bus
ness methods and even though ever
Church is coming to have bushes
adviser"
THAT 10 me is precisely the dar
ger that confronts the moder
Church" he answered. The strenGt
,or religion to do good is in the vote
OF persuasion. A voice of righteous
ness will move mankind more tina
all the organizations in the Wori(
: r.!:.:-;-r who stays in his pulp
an- discusses a question and the
does not get down from that pulp
and put himself at the head of Tan
many Hall of religious politics wi
influence men. But when the parse
becomes a politician he loses his II