Evening star., 1942-12-05

fashion. The past generation has
had for its battle-hymn the ma
tional anthem of hell: "Everybody's
doing i'll" We have standardized
fashions and faces until personality
Is rarely seen. "All we like sheep"
silly. fiock-moving sheep-"have
gone astray." We have followed a
multitude to do evil" Most of us
would rather be in the fashion than
in the right. We have turned the
symbol of soul-sovereignty into a
Woolworth bauble. Society has been
a laundering herd of conformists.
In fiat contradiction to all this,
the Church, with the Scriptures in
her hand, has taught nonconformity.
Dealing with individuals rather
than with the mass, she has called
upon her members to be peculiar
people" Personality gets its au-
thority and crown from the Bible.
The demand Of the church is for
members who are different" AS
Paul wrote in our lesson text
"Mortify therefore your members
which are upon the earth; fornica-
ton, uncleanness, inordinate affec-
ton, evil concupiscence and COW
etousness. which is idolatry: For
which things sake the wrath Of God
cometh on the children Of diso-
bedience."
Not only are Christians directed,
by the authority of Christ Himself
to be non-conformers, but they are
also to be transformed and trans
formers. They are to be in the
world as salt. as leaven, as the
Divine life. A changed church men,
ber changes things.
Singular Saints.
1t has long been the scandal of
Christianity that, to outward ap-
pearances, many church members
are no different from non-Chris-
tians. A large proportion are COM
pletely conformed to the world S
ways. In heather" lands this is not
so; a passerby can tell a Christian
from a heather by the light upon
his face as we'll as by his conduct
Real Christians are partakers of q
new life, which causes them to be
shapers of society, custodians of the
standards of righteousness This
objective is a world so different
from the old world that it may be
called the Kingdom Of Heaven. No
body seems to have been quite brave
enough to define the ultimate objec.
tives of this war as the establish
ment of the Kingdom of Heaven
upon earth.
Everybody who takes upon him.
selves the solemn VOWS of church
membership covenants to wall
Christ's way. He agrees to do only
the things that will please Christ
He accepts the role of a singular
saint, animated by new motives ant
practicing a holy life.
Now it does not take a very pro
found mind to perceive that /
enough persons follow Christ's pre-
scription we shall soon have a nev
world, free from war and hatret
and greed and cruelty and injustice
To attain this goal is the task of tn,
church, since no other agency OF
earth can possibly reach it. 1t Il
the work of church members as vel
as ministers. rsc'
Meanwhile, the outlook is no
wholly encouraging, in the light Of
the conventionalized Christian. 4
cynical paragraph has of late beer
making the rounds of the church
press. credited to some anonymou.
"statistician," who says: Five PEI
cent of all church members do not
exist 10 per cent Of them canno
be found, Is per cent of them never
60 to church, 40 per cent never con-
tribute a cent to the work of the
church, IS per cent never 60 to the
midweek prayer service, 80 per cent
do not have family worship in their
homes, IS per cent never try to win
lost soul to Christ"
The Sunday school lesson for
December s is "The Meaning of
Church Membership" - Colos-
slams, iii,1-17