Henderson daily dispatch., 1937-08-10
Babson Tells the Truth
About Church Membership
tcontinuea from r,age Ore,

tAoAAAs oPOAA IAAC 1lCe1NA-
| quarters of different denominations
the secretaries dispute my conclus-
ions. When interviewing parents, they
blame it onto the preachers, the lat
ter in turn blame it onto the young
people and the schools. The only fact
all groups seem agreed upon is that
young people are more intelligent
and enquiring today;-they do not ac-
cept as readily what their grandpar-
ents did" Yet statistics show that the
liberal churches-such as the Unfair
ian-have even greater trouble in hold
ing their young peop]e than do the
fdndamentalists So 'cry c. is not the
real reason.
Determined to find The cause, de-
voted the mor.th Of May. 1897, to visit
ing twenty prominent Protestant col
leges, most OF which we're started
many years ago ~ ministers and
earnest church people. To my great
surprise, these colleges were having
their troubles also. Attendance at
chapel has fallen off tremendously
and there is an Indifference toward
religious instruction. Although the col
leges Of the Middle West have more
religious atmosphere than most New
England colleges all educational in
stitdtlons are losing control of their
young people.
Church Members Inconsistent.
Unlike the UNCONVENTIONAL secre-
taries, and the preachers and parents,
these young people gave me definite
reason for their lack Interest in
their churches. They stated kindly
and automatically that we church
goers appear to them to be group of
hyprocrits. They cannot connect our
mode of living and methods of doing
business with the teachings of Jesus
whom we claim to follow. They do
not understand how we can attend
church, sing hymns, and make the
prayers which we do on Sundays, and
then act as we do the other six days
of the week. AS a result of this in
consistency on our part, they ask:
What use is the church,"
What Young People Say.
The trouble from which our chur-
ches are suffering are due to the fact
that Protestant young people are "get-
ting their eyes OPEN and are be-
ginning to think for themselves. Fur
thermore, the day is coming when
Catholic young people will reach the
same stage. In fact, the Catholic
Church probably has it's troubles a.
head so that they need do no brag-
ging now. Young people insist that
for the church to interest them, we
laymen must be better men, better
employers and workmen, better par
ents and neighbors than those who
do not go to church. In short, we lay
men must take our religion seriously
and pay the price. if the church is to
continue to grow.
My answer to these rciticisms is
that we laymen are living and doing
business in a competitive world. We
can be little more generous than
the non-churchman; but if we really
follow Jesus we would be like the poor
and helpless disciples of His day. To
this these students almost unami-
nously retorted: "Then why not try to
change the prevailing economic sys-
tenn? If you cannot worship both God
and mammon under the present sys-
tenn of industrialism, capitalism, and
AdIIOAd1StAi, yOu Nd1l a. AOc@SI to4AC
sides with those who are trying to
change the system
Spiritual Revival Necessary.
1t, of course, is true that our
churches must cease being only social
clubs and we laymen must be known
by a stronger character and good
works. Young people and all other
people must realize, however, that
men cannot be reformed by mere leg
islation or even education. The Amer
lean Magazine does not even realize
this, as shown by their recent article
on the subject. .s4s
We must be "born again The
hearts of people must be- changed in
order for any social or other system
to succeed This. is a spiritual pro-
blem. Here is where America again
needs the churches, family prayers
Sunday observance, Bible study, and
the Ten Commandments. Therefore
when we criticise the church and note
how it is declining in behaviour and
Influence we must not forget that the
world still needs it. The church con
tinues to be the basic agency through
which civilization will be saved: Ths
| world is still ruled by feelings rather
/ Al u.