The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1931-01-29
SerlrlOnette
A Call to the Church

Text: Arise, let us go hence
John 4:31.
The Christian church has not
gone unscathed but has come in for
a larger share of adverse criticism
than possibly any other institution.
Representative of the spiritual.
standing guard as the champion of
divine truth and personal righteous
ness, it. is being subjected to the
most vigorous and blasting assaults
and denunciation. Many are ground
less while Others are based upon
facts apparently true. This condi-
tion leads us to inquire concerning
the present status of the church
and what it can do to perform effec-
lively the functions for which it was
created.
The Church Must Define Its
Attitude Towards the World.
The Christian Church sprang
from Judaism. Its founder was
Jesus Christ; and while he perfected
no organization as such, he distinct
ly differentiated between those who
believed in Him and those who did
| not. Those who believed in Him
He classed as friends" and dis
ciples,' while those who did not
were characterized as being of the
world. Jesus not only recognized
but drew rigid line between the
believer and the unbeliever. based
on conduct and character. The be-
lever in Christ was to be known by
his manner of life which was to
serve as propagating agency in
world evangelism. BY this shall all
men know that We are my disciples
if We have love one toward another.
The Christian Church has been
| weakened decidedly by its milk-and-
water attitude in reference to right
and wrong. There has been too
much compromising with the world
and things worldly. Any comprom-
Use is an evidence Of weakness. The
| church has too often assumed the
| attitude of running with the hare
and holding with the hound and
apologizing for its regulations and
| attitudes. It is too difficult to To-
cate the boundary between the
church and the world. too hard to
distinguish between the saint and
| the sinner. The church is asleep in
the lap of the world while the latter
is grooming its funeral dirge. The
virile church is the uncompromisinp
church that walks in the path of
IT'S founder and separates itself
from the insidious and enervatine
influences of ungodliness which is
characteristic of the world.
The Church Must Adjust Its
Modus Operandi
The church can never CONQUER b,
Welding to worldly influences. II
is to hold rigidly to its principles
and it's course. When this is moi
dona it loses. its identitv and fails
Ito be Christian church. It mus
ever hold to RIGHT and truth. The
hvpocrite is the greatest possible
offense and stumbling block to the
nrooress of the church, whether he
is in the pulpit or the pew. While
there is an angle from which the
church should never touch thu
world, there is another which SHOULD
well. Jesus said to his disciples
Go We into all the world and make
disciples of all the nations. There
must certainly be touch of tn,
church and the world ut this angle
But it is to be like the salt which
saves. the light which dispeis dark
nees and life which conquers death
The church must adjust its meth
ODDS in harmony with the advancinf
scale of progress and in line with
the spiritual sensibilities of the age
Why should the church close it.
ewes and ears to the truth? VIII,
should we refuse to accept the truth
which science or ANYTHING else
brings? We cannot believe that al
divine truth has been revealed ant
that there is nothing like undis-
covered truth to brighten the age,
that are to come. The church mus
possess an open mind. 1t is truth
that makes us free and it is this
freedom through the truth which
the church so much needs in the ON.
ward march to its righteous con
| g,,,at.N,n