The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-03-12
BOOK REVIEW
By o'BoYLE


tive Publishing Company, Helena, or
from the author, Oluf Erickson, Wat
ford City, NJ D.
In this fifty-seven page pamphlet
J Mr.. Oluf Erickson distinguishes be-
tween external Christianity and Chris
tianity internal to the followers of
Christ External Christianity / s
charged with betrayal of the social
and economic teachings of Christ. In
ternal Christianity is the motive force
of liberalism and Of the reconstruc-
ton of the economic and social order
All men imbued with the doctrines of
Christ, and instinct with His Spirit,
lrealize their duty to cooperate in the
building of Gods kingdom on earth
They are the SALT OF THE EARTH.
They must not lose their SAVIOR for
else wherewith shall better future
come
The economic teachings of Christ
found throughout the Gospels but
especially in the Acts of the Apostles
4:32-35 are socialistic. Among His
followers no one lacked "for as many
as were possessed of lands or houses,
sold them and brought the prices of
the things that were sold, and laid
them down at the Apostles feet; and
distribution was made to every man
according to his need"
Organized external Christianity
Called 'Clericalism) departing from
the socialistic purity Of Apostolic days
became selfish, reverted to private
ownership and grew worldly; sub
servient to wealth and wishful of
power till by complete betrayal of
Christianity appeared to be anti
Christ exercising domination over the
bodies, minds and souls of men. Then
followed the Dark Ages, Feudalism
and the sordid episodes of history,
superstition, witchcraft and fear.
But, according to Mr.. Erickson, the
fact that the Church still lives though |
betrayed by it's leaders is conclusive
proof of it's divine origin. All other |
institutions from less disease have |
gone The internal invisible Church |
ment but force working in man.
1t manifests itself now here, now
there, as protest against the I'M
Christ like exploitation of man by
man. 1t tells US we must not rescue
individual slaves and leave intact a
system of slavery. 1t says we must
heal the wounds Of war and also des-
troy the system of war. 1t insists
that while we grant doles to the dere-
licts of competitive profit system,
we attack the system itself that pro-
duces poverty and hate.
Mr.. Erickson writes that that sys-
tenn has one-third Of our nation ill-fed
30:14 that a generation of men have
been born whose teeth are as swords
and whose jaw-teeth as knives to
devour the poor from off the earth
and the needy from among men,"
This generation of men has allowed to
the poor and needy in the worst
drouth area where there has been no
crop for over seven consecutive years
"the average grant for the winter Of
1867 twenty dollars month per
family-each person four dollars per
and one-half cents
per day for food, clothing and shell
ter"
Resulting from this is the despond-
ency and bitter seeking to forget in
vice, extravaganza, dope and sex i'm
the hard and impossible de-
mands a capitalistic morality, and a
capitalistic minded clergy makes upon
parents and children.
In the face of these facts the duty
Of Christian man is clear. He must
build social order based on honest ,
service, justice and righteousness. !
His Christian duty makes him pa
triot in his opposition to capitalism {
which is instinctively and inevitably t
in opposition to democratic govern {
ment. Capitalism by concentrating
the nations wealth in the hands of
few, creates government of its own t
outside the sphere Of the democratic
and makes of all branches
If democratic government merely so
many tools. The Christian patriot |
must permit no reconciliation between I
capitalism and democracy one of
hem must capture the other and hold I
he victim in bondage. The victor
must be democracy. The will of the
people must prevail.
The following passages express the
meaning of the book better than any i,
,ther: eff we as Christian people
-efuse to raise our voices in protest {
against an economy that If allowed
o continue unchecked will eventually :
destroy all that we have to a great t
extent enjoyed in the past, the time f
IS not so far away when the right e
even to protest will be taken from 8
49,"
"The money autocracy of this coun- |
Try asks only this of the administra- c
ion of Washington, of the churches
and of the schools that they make
speedy advance toward taking from K
he people every vestige of freedom C
md Justice; to make a nation of spir- b
tual and social and economic serfs
If u.s."
The pamphlte is well worth serious
.eading and study 1t raises the ques-
ions of clericalism versus the teach
ngs of Christ-of the teachings of :,
Christ versus the capitalistic system.
Let us hope the pamphlet begins
discussions among Christian minded O
nen as to their Christian duty in this t
changing world. h