Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-27

A good small book for Lenten read
ing is BE of Good Cheer" by the Rev
w. P. G. Mccormick, vicar of st. Mar
tin-in-the- Field, London, published b.
Longmans. Green & Co, New York.
Here are II sermons written in GER
tain breezy, modern manner (the authoZ
has specialized in broadcasting talks in
England), filled with the Christianity OF
Jesus Christ.
The book has the imprimatur of the
Bishop of London, who says, in an in
PRODUCTION: II am glad he has chosen
the subject of Joy as joy is the one
note most wanted in our religion today
So often religion is associated with
much that is drab and dull, whereas If
We really believed what we profess to
believe, our hearts would be shouting
for joy all the time. If we are
to revive Religion, we have got to re-
store the idea of God to the world, not
as a malevolent Power, or as a merely
good-natured 'Jove.' but as revealed In
all His Holiness, Greatness and Love in
Jesus Christ HIMSELF"
The hundred pages of the Rev. Nc
Cormick's book take up successfully the
topic of the need of joy, the right idea
of God, joy in Gods will, the JOY OF
the seeker, the joy of the worker, the
joy OF communion, things which destroy
joy, dizziness (another destroyer. the
JOY of discipline, joy in the church. the
JOY of Sunday, and the Joy with God
There is an epilogue, in which the vical
says: There you have my own faith
as parson whose work is in the center
of this noisy and bewildering civiliza-
tion."
Those who expect to find after read
ing the above list of chapters a typical
religious book will be disappointed: and
on the other hand, those who like tt
| find something new will be pleased, fol-
the vicar of the church with the inter-
esting name is anything but conven-
| tional clergyman.
y X 4 y
He makes the need Of joy emphatic
The statement is being made constantly
he says. that while people are at heart
| religious they are having less and less to
do with organized Christianity.
This seems from my experience tc
be true" he declares quite simply. with
no beating around the bush. He asks
the following leading questions:
Is the Church really Christian in its
terms or in its general attitude to the
world? -
Is pride of place. position, worldly
power, the sort Of attitude which we can
CdA
Is the Church really following Christ
when 1t is cenSoriouS and hard and
worldly?
THE trumpet call to Christian peo-
pie today" he continues, "is to get back
to Christ Himself and His teaching
about God, and to be ready to scrap
prejudiceS, conventionalitieS, and even
theologies which are incompatible with
His teaching. Then only can we unite
and show the Spirit of Christ in such q
way that the ordinary man may see
Christ both In the Church and in Chris
tian people"
One Of the troubles with the whole
church question. he indicates, Is that
some people won't read anything which
differs from their viewpoint. For my
self, believe we are all learners
children asking questions, DESTROYS to
find out the truth, and expecting to get
help all the time from our Father. II
We are like that, we must be ready and
able to accept any new revelation when
1t comes. For me, the one fundamental
fact which does not change is the fact
Of Jesus Christ and His revelation of
God"
The author states plainly a thought
which has come to thousands of think
ing Christians: When one thinks OF
the crude theories of the Atonement
that one was taught when / was young,
the idea that the Fathers sense OF
wrath had to be appeased by the sacri-
flee of His only Son, or the idea Of God
as q sort Of almighty potentate who
could not be approached without some
kind Of grovelling and the offering OF