Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-10
BY WILLIS J. BALLINGER.

UC INCLAIR LEWIS missed n
great opportunity when he
made Elmer Gantry simply q
~ lecherous rotter. Why didn't
he go after a very real men,
ace in our pulpits-the outstanding
cause of the loss of prestige of the
church in America-the Christian go
getter' and live-wire minister? l felt
a responsive chord being touched at
some of Lewis keen thrusts-but he
missed his chance when he concen-
trated in the person of Gantry too
large piece of rottenness."
| Bishop Charles Fiske. Episcopal
| Bishop of Northern New York, turned
battery of very earnest eyes upon
me as he said these words and then
| followed them up:
If there Is anything that people in
| this country are sick and tired of it
| is the preacher who spends his time
| in advocating political measures. i'm
porting into the churches the worst
political methods, calculating theories
of social reform, while apparently con-
| demning all who do not accept his
panaceas for the ills of mankind. This
| is the kind of pulpit performer that
| is bringing religion into contempt"
| Home or the BISHOP.
| Being a bishop has it's compensa-
| tions, 1 could not help thinking, as l
drove up long driveway to stop in
| front of a large comfortable house
| nestled in q grove of spreading trees
and preceded in front by one of those
magnificent lawns and vistas that you
read about in accounts of plantation
| life in the South when people lived
4 Of oil RI.
nance and beauty. But the obvious
comforts of bishopstead had little
counterpart in the makeup of its mas.
| ter, Bishop Fiske, noted for his
| arousing sermons in a day when the
art of stimulating speech seems to be
| slipping into a grave of STANDARDIZED
ton and colorlessness.
| l found Bishop F'iske short and
stocky, vibrant with energy, reveling
| in work, a regular herman in she
place, because, of course, the singular
| comfortableness of this home could
only he charged up to the overload
ship of Mrs. Fiske. 1 spoke to him
about his house. Fine. isn't it," he
said, "but how would you like being
obliged to run such a place on my
meager salary?"
Secret of Success.
| The secret of the success of Bishop
Fiske in the pulpit is found in his
rich previous experience of life. A
| few decades ago a young man was
| busy hunting down news and dashine
off copy for New York newspapers
| Like all newspaper men, he had rare
opportunity to see deeply into life
to see life's innumerable takers ant
! patent medicine artists, to find Ou
what a lot of pretended idealism there
is in the world. Instead of becoming
cynical, like many of those who have
climbed into the coming tower of the
| press, this young man turned to re
ligion. But he took into the ministry
new weapons for fighting sin. He
| carried into the pulpit the newspaper
mans knowledge of what is interest
| ing to the average dull person, of how
to think clearly and get the facts, ant
make what you say interesting. II
Bishop Fiske's diocese, consequently
there are no nodding heads on Sun
day morning when he breaches.
"Of course continued Bishol
Fiske, 1--WE need to bring to bea
upon all modern problems the mora
principles of the gospel. but the aver
age minister forgets several things
|
social, economic or political ques
tions, and often knows less about
such matters than some of the people
to whom he breaches; second. that
| there is a difference between the
moral principles involved and the par
ticular method of accomplishing the
reform which he advocates. / know
that people are tired of the divine
who tries to make Christ q social re-
| former, a socialist. a prohibtionist
and what not-the divine who
| imagines that every new reform fad
has the sanction of Christ himself.
| "GO-getter" Is Worse.
"And the 'go-getter' in the pulpit
| is worse. OF course, we want min
| listers who are Jealous. energetic,
| alive. But above everything else we
want them TO be men of consecra-
| ton, showing reverence for sacred
| things and a real devotion of spirit.
| The lengths to which the sensational
preacher will so in order to get a
| crowd or stimulate into life a dying
church make the righteous weep. l
am Inundated and ashamed when
| think of the ministers who cater to
the sickly sentimentality of our day,
or are SO lacking in root convictions
| that they grope about for anything
in the current news to preach about,
though they have little but pious
platitude to offer. The hero of an
airship flight, the latest channel
swimmer, the newest Divorce or the
most sensational murderess seem to
be favorite topics for preachers who
drive themselves and their hearers
into what they think is religious
fervor. These are the pulpit Rabbits
| that should have been scourged by
Lewis. There are few such complete