Evening star., 1941-02-03
Present-Day Church
Draws Criticism al
Mission Session
200 Pastors Also Hear
Exhortotions to Make
Their Work More Vitul

More than 80 militant emissaries
of Christianity, launching the week
of the National Christian Mission
in Washington. issued a spiritual call
to arms today in a score Of meetings
divided among church communities
and addressed to a crOSs-section of
the cityS religious forces.
Ministers, lay leaders and members
of congregations were asked to
mobilize in the name of a common
Savior, that their religion may be
made a vital influence in a be-
wildering world.
Addressing more than 200 minis
DR.. Harold Cooke Phillips, pastor of
the First Baptist Church Of Cleve-
land. called on these spiritual teach
ers to lead their f1ocks from this
maze of contradictions" in which
the world has lost the wisdom OF
Providence" into the clear light Of
Christianity.
Plain, practical words came from
the speakers as they faced the in
tricate problems confronting the
church and its mission.
Why didn't the church find jobs
for men? questioned the Rev. DR..
Roy A. Burkhart of the United
Brethren Church, Columbus, at one
of a series of seminars which opened
this afternoon at Calvary Baptist
Church.
Church Services Called Drab.
"The church service of the average
church." DR.. Burkhart added is
glaring example of drabness and un-
imaginativeness. The theater makes
a great use of beauty and power OF
imagination in creation, while the
church SpecialiZeS in unattractlVe-
ness. And the sermon-too often 1t
deals with something that is mil
lions of miles away from where the
people live"
And the pastor reminded his hear
erS: Jesus always started with peo-
pie and their needs, and then point
ed toward the high and holy. But
the average sermon started with
the high and holy and never roots
into life. And most sermons miss the
mark, are unattractively given, are
dry and send cold hearts away with
a new chill"
DR.. Burkhart added Thousands
of people each Sunday go to see the
Star of Bethlehem and all they see
is an electric light bulb"
This was the opening seminar on
'The Church"
Self-Discipline Called For.
In an equally plain-Spoken talk to
women, who crowded to capacity the
Foundry Methodist Church today,
Miss Muriel Lester of London, in
ternationally known Christian social
worker, called on them to discipline
themselves and stop taking refuge in
confusion at the state of the world.
"At judgment day." she said, you
can't hide behind your favorite COL
umnist or radio commentator"
To discipline the body Miss Lester
suggested dropping meal a week
and sending the money to some
relief organization.
AS an intellectual discipline, she
recommended reading passage
from the Bible every night, trying
to visualize the clothes of the speak
ers, the climate that day and the
effect of the words the first time
they were uttered.
AS spiritual discipline, she advo-
Gated five minutes every morning
simply to thank and enjoy God"
Miss Lester charged Christians
with listening to the radio too much
and with a supeRfluity of joining
committees and cooking church din
ners-too little time spent in lonely
graphing with God"
Bishop Kern Speaks.
"The Bible" Methodist Bishop
Paul B. Kern of Nashville said at
another of the afternoon seminars,
sis modern book. Its precepts and
its living portrayal of mans search
for reality is one which answers to
the need of people today as truly
as it did in any past generation"
In this hour of the worlds con-
fusion, he said, "the Bible comes into
new significance"
He added: $50 much of our cur
(See MISSION page AL