The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-02-12
HOW TO MAKE
i, HOMES REALLY
CHRISTIAN ONES
Dr.. GiIroy Writes Many
Interesting Thoughts on
Big Topic.
The International Uniform Sun
day school lesson for Feb. Is: "HOw
to Make Our Homes Christian"
-Ephesians 5:25-6:4.
BY William e. GiIroy, ID. ID.

BY William K. GilrOy, ID. ID.
There was a time when q homily
on the making of Christian homes
might have been regarded as very
ordinary and commonplace affair At
present it is so gravely needed as to
have all the marks of urgency and
unconventionality.
Recently L have been reading
much of the literature Of present
day radicalism regarding questions
Of sex and marital and home rela-
tionships. Much of this literature is
the product of those who make a
sort of gospel of the new Freudian
and behavioristic psychologists and
whose general attitude is that of ra-
tionalism and infidelity.
Few who have not followed the
matter up or made a study of it
would believe how extensive is this
literature or how it flaunts itself in
places and forms OF responsibility
where but yesterday it's conclusions
and it's assaults upon what have
hitherto been regarded as virtuous
ideals would have been strongly re-
scented.
Assails Christian Ideals
An outstanding impression, also,
from the reading Of such literature
is that the brunt of it's assault is up
on monogamic marriage and the
Christian ideal of loyalty, faithful
ness, and consideration, as inherent
ly enshrined in the relationships of
love in the home.
Perhaps we need not worry too
greatly about these things. Certain
ly there is nothing to be gained
from drastic censorships or from the
effort to suppress free discussion of
life's most vital matters and
problems. If the nobility and beauty
of Christian ideals cannot be de-
Tended in the open, the resulting
reflection upon Christians is very
serious.
But there is a profound need that
Christians should be alive to the
situation and that we should be de-
Tending the Christian ideals of love
and virtue, not merely by our words,
but also by our practice. The fact
is that these ideals are not arbitrary
matters; they are enforced in the ex-
perience of home and social life, and
the more one considers the whole
history of mankind and the evidences
of the practice of other ideals as
they appear in the stories of marital
tragedy and divorce on the front
pages of our newspapers, the more
one comes to see that the only way
Of safety for society is the way Of
maintenance Of good homes, and
that good homes cannot be main
tanned where there is a lack of the
Isort of love that implies fidelity and
considerateness, long suffering and
service, the deep attachments that
are more than physical in their ma
ture and expression.
1t is these thingsb upon which
Paul lays great stress in our les
son. Possibly Paul's discussion of
these things was somewhat affected
by the bias of his own day. 1t was
an age, as most ages have been, in
which woman was thought of as
occupying a somwehat inferior place.
The remarkable thing is that in
Christian circles women should have
so soon emerged to such a place of
reverence and prominence.
Ceremony Not Enough
J But allowing for this mild bias in
St. PauPs attitude, his suggestions
concerning ideal home relationships
are just as sound today as they ever
We're. Where there is no love, where
there is no mutual obligation on the
part Of husband and wife, there can
be no beauty of home life. Similar
ly, where there is not some relation
ship of confidence and reverence be-
tween children and parents, where
consideration and obligation, there
can be no proper conditions for the
rearing of children.
Perhaps sometimes we are too
ready TO defend as Christian mar
riages relationships that have in
them very little that is inherently
and beautifully Christian. 1t takes
something more than a mere cere.
mony, or the word of priest or min
lister, to establish a happy home
life. There must be Christian ideals
in the home.
There is no such thing as Chris
tan marriage apart from Christian
character and Christian purpose. We
shall never have truly Christian
homes until this is frankly recog-
nized. This is the weakness of much
of our conventional morality, and it
provides assort of loophole for much
of the plausible assaults of infidelity.
But these plausible assaults do not in
any way minimize the beauty, purity,
and satisfaction of truly Christian
relationships in marriage and the
home.
We can make our homes Chris
tian only by being Christian our.
selves. The man or woman who is
truly Christian can never go very