- ARE WE A CHRISTIAN NATION? REV. A. J. MARTIN (RN OF PRINGESS SS > pha 9 Wee Divistoa. E. ‘ 5 Section ? 4 Pe Si FAD? hy th rye itt 45 . i} ic bys) ¢ ,) 4 Ne ae if Os ‘ Use vine tu | ARE WE A CHRISTIAN NATION? ARE WE A CHRISTIAN NATION? By REV. A. J..MARTIN NASHVILLE, TENN. COKESBURY PRESS 1925 , ~ DEC 9 125 <3 we ey Bs ociory oe COPYRIGHT, 1925 BY LAMAR & BARTON PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CONTENTS I Page Our Nation’s Greatest Need............... 9 II Politics and: Patriotism 29 eo ee i eas 21 III Christianity and Civilization.............. 35 IV The United States Must Lead the World toward Permanent Peace................ 45 V PAIVIOTICR A ELC DE ote tats rae teak Gites Milk dace 55 VI Digitized by the Internet Archive ‘in 2022 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library https://archive.org/details/arewechristianna0Omart OUR NATION’S GREATEST NEED mya ae vn a) rx, Mit uel Be as hae iV ait ; hie Bs! } ay vata é + Lee A are! 8 at oa eye ) | mein.) , a” Ady ay ain } ; . is Hho ; Lew i . "i : é 4 AMO OMG hy Py ; Parte Rc? 47) % i i. Py, HAY yi Vy wv. 74 cl a? Fate i eUANN a & { a ; ¥ oe ae f ; J 1. I OUR NATION’S GREATEST NEED HE greatest need of the American nation to-day is godly homes— homes where the Bible is studied and where God is reverenced. Jesus Christ should be the invited, though un- seen, guest of every home. | “The way to make a home what it should be, first of all, is for the home maker to be that in himself. If the home is to be pure in its life, strong in its purpose, orderly in its arrangements, rhythmic in its habit, restful in its spirit, inspiring in its uplift, the dominating personality of the home must be all of that himself.” Dr. Charles M. Sheldon, the well-known author and editor, says: “A nation is no stronger than its homes.’”’ Then he tells the story of a minister who announced 10 Are We a Christian Nation? to his congregation that he was going to visit among his parishioners every night during the coming week. His results were interesting. At the church on the follow- ing Sunday he said: “‘I made twenty calls on twenty different families last week, calling in the evening. At seven of the homes there was no one in. At four I found a man and his wife together; they were elderly people. At three homes I found a part of a family group together, including very young children. At only one home of the twenty did I find an entire family together enjoying the evening as a family.” The fireside is a seminary of infinite importance. Only a few can obtain the honors of a college, but all are graduates of the home. The learning of the univer- sity may fade from recollection, its classic lore may molder in the halls of memory; but the simple lessons of home enameled upon the heart of childhood defy the rust Our Nation’s Greatest Need 11 of years and outlive the more mature but less vivid pictures of after years. Home, sweet home, graced with pictures, refined with books and gladdened with song, is the place where children are trained to become useful citizens of the government and loyal citizens of the king- dom of heaven, where the members of the household are to be gathered one by one. If God is given first place in the home, then it will become the nursery of the Church and the symbol of the fellowship of heaven. “Fathers and mothers, your religion is defective. We must erect family altars, read and study God’s Word, live clean and pure lives before our children, have them regularly at Sunday school and Church, educate them in Christian colleges where God’s Word is a regular part of the curriculum, have them baptized, let them grow up in pure, clean society and read good books.” 12 Are We a Christian Nation? Statistics tell us that there are in one of our great States 883,390 persons (about one-third of the population) under twenty- five years of age who have no religious instruction at home, nor have they ever attended any Sunday school. And educa- tors tell us that those of this number who enter college have blunted or hardened moral natures, making it difficult to inter- est them in religious subjects. The Christian home is the best character builder. Character is a man’s most valu- able asset. When every other item of his capital has failed to be remunerative, his character will be found productive. ‘“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; When health is lost, something is lost; When character is lost, all is lost.” People with clean records are wanted. A man was wanted to fill an important position. Several men applied, and among them was one man of “‘special interest.” This man was spotted by a detective to Our Nation’s Greatest Need 13 see where he spent his evenings and Sun- days. His educational record was in- vestigated, even back to his common school training. His achievements in the line of his work were carefully examined, his personal habits learned; and when it was found that he was diligent, honest, clean, earnest, sociable, capable, he was accepted. But all his past life had been considered. While we are making money, gaining an education, expending energy, we are also constructing character. Let it be a solid character. Character is that inde- finable something that distinguishes a man from his fellows. Reputation is what the world gives a man; character is what he gives himself. Circumstances may make men, but cir- cumstances never made a man out of un- prepared material. It is said of Alexander of Russia that his character was equal to a constitution. 14 Are We a Christian Nation? Character must always be the “‘main de- pendance” of a successful man. Char- acter stands for all that this smaictrnt manding century wants. When Dr. Fulton was inaugurated as president of Harvard College he said: “The all-important question is, Does the training of Harvard rear up a race of high- minded citizens? If not, let these walls crumble to the earth, let yonder noble library be scattered or burned by invading barbarians, let yonder museum, which now contains an organic world, be leveled to the ground, brick by brick.” You may stone character, as Stephen was stoned; you may thrust it into the lions’ den, as Daniel was thrust; you may place it in the stocks, as Paul was placed; but it will keep its treasure secure and bring it forth as capital for the future, to be honored of God and man! Due to an accumulation of mud, sticks, stones, etc., picked up in its course and Our Nation’s Greatest Need 15 deposited at its mouth, the Mississippi River is gradually extending its mouth out into the Gulf of Mexico. In time it will be possible to build lighthouses or other structures on the land reclaimed from the Gulf—land built up by minute particles that stuck for a common purpose. There is much building and reclaiming to be done in this country, and the ac- complishment of desired ends will require united efforts on the part of parents to maintain real Christian homes for ideal — citizenship. The home as a Christian education agency counts vastly more than all other agencies combined. Men and women of high Christian character, with very few exceptions, if any, consider the influence of Christian homes to be the greatest factor in moral and religious training. Most of the eminent Church workers have had their first start toward God in the home. The great majority of our 16 Are We a Christian Nation? Sunday school teachers, preachers, mis- sionaries, and evangelists come from homes in which daily family worship was practiced. The home makes the first lasting im- pressions on the child’s life. The world for him is the home. And, though he is surrounded by many, many perplexing things, impressions are made upon his plastic nature and susceptible mind. The training in the home will determine, in a large measure at least, the kind of life he will lead. Hence the importance of devel- oping the religious nature as the intel- lectual nature. Dr. E. B. Chappell says: “‘One of the anomalous facts in our modern life is that, while the Church is giving more attention than ever before to the religious education of the young, religious training in the home has fallen into a deplorable state of neglect.’”’ A century ago a large propor- tion of the Christian homes in the United Our Nation’s Greatest Need 17 States maintained family altars. The proportion of them that do so now is so small as to appear almost negligible. And with the family altar has gone also definite instruction. To find a father and mother who are endeavoring by a faithful and intelligent process of teaching to educate their children in religion is the exception and not the rule. The parents need to seek for a quicken- ing of their own spiritual life before they can place great emphasis in the religious training of their children and effectively maintain family worship. The decadence of family religion is appalling, and unless the homes of our great nation have better Christian nurture and the parents strive to make home what it should be, the great- est religious educational agency, the results must inevitably end disastrously. The child’s religious nature, like his intellectual nature, may become atrophied through neglect or may be developed into vigorous 2 18 Are We a Christian Nation? life and expression by proper nurture and exercise. Every father and mother should syste- matically study God’s Word together with the children and lead them in devotional exercises and daily fellowship in prayer with Christ. They must help them to fit themselves for the great task of real Christian life. The parents who maintain daily family devotion earnestly and sin- eerely discharge their obligations to their children. They train them wisely and successfully to become useful citizens of the government and loyal citizens of the kingdom of heaven. POLITICS AND PATRIOTISM ahaa cg! +m om} i" > ay a a , my 1 Baad, wi be ty " f han iis tte |) eT TEN RA SMa, SS KG) 5\', Tartar’ : & . a if) ay “e s NG a yi [cae ” ent br EASE ot PLETE. Pie II POLITICS AND PATRIOTISM HILE patriotism is of God, heaven-born and all right, the decline in the life of cities, centuries, kingdoms, empires, and re- publics, their collapse and evanescence in all ages has been superinduced by political corruption. And while patriotism is beautiful, bright, lovely, and charming in every land and clime, politics is often Satan’s counterfeit for God’s patriotism. ‘Patriotism is all right. It is ordained of God that we should be attached tothe places where we first saw the light of day and have battled with the elements of the material world and fought our way into manhood. The Grecian mother, handing the shield to her boy going away to war, would say, ‘My son, either come home on this or bring it with you.’ When killed in 22 Are We a Christian Nation? battle, they always brought him home on his shield; when he fled away upon the battle field, he threw his shield to expedite his flight.” During the Revolutionary War a great man came over fromm England and struck the Colonies while they were framing their Constitution. He advocated property qualification for the right of suffrage and made a number of elaborate speeches in order to prove to the people that he was correct. In the finale he insisted that a man should be worth $300 in order to have a right to the elective franchise. Finally, when he had finished all his prolific and profoundly elaborate discourse, Patrick Henry, then a young lawyer, consented to answer him. Arising, he observed: “‘Gentlemen, as our friend from over the great waters has detained you with con- siderable prolixity of speech, I promise you brevity; so I will not consume time con- sidering his arguments, but simply give Politics and Patriotism 23 you an illustration. Your neighbor has a fair education, is a high-toned gentleman, a respectable church member, and well disposed every way, paying his just debts faithfully; his word is as good as his bond, but he is not worth anything financially. Therefore, according to the doctrine advocated by the gentleman, we cannot afford to let him vote. Another neighbor is much such a man as the first, a high- toned gentleman and a good citizen. There is no important difference between him and the other neighbor, except that he owns a jackass valued at $300. Con- sequently, according to the property quali- fication, he is entitled to the elective fran- chise; he can go to the polls and vote. Now, gentlemen, examine the case. The two men are the same in all respects, ex- cept that one owns a jackass and the other does not. The caseis plain, and vou can all see and solve its own problem: Shall jack- asses vote, or men?”’ 24 Are We a Christian Nation? They all saw the point, decided that men should do the voting, with or without the jackass; so property qualification fell to the ground. In the exercise of the elective franchise we should consider nothing but the man and vote for him simply on his personal merit. Corrupt politics inevitably transforms the nation into a volcano which has to explode. Such has been the case with all the nations of bygone ages. In their infancy they were obliged to be patriotic, otherwise they would have been obliter- ated from the face of the earth; but when they became strong and _ prosperous, politics prevailed over patriotism, then snowed it under and froze it to death; things got worse and worse, until the voleano exploded, bursting everything to pieces. “In the Revolution of 1789 France literally exploded and burned like a flam- ing voleano. Meanwhile the infidel philos- Politics and Patriotism 25 ophers got the government into their ‘hands and ruled with a rod of iron, abolishing the Sabbath and appointing every tenth day for recreation and rest. They closed all the churches, except when used for lecture rooms and playhouses. They did their best to banish the Bible from the world; they sent men to all the graveyards, there to put up stones super- scribed, ‘Death Is an Eternal Sleep.’”’ When the Romans were marching their armies to the ends of the earth, conquering all nations, at one time they fought the Volscians for fifty years. The latter signally defeated them, casting an ominous gloom over the hope and destiny of Rome. For once the Romans thought that they were doomed to destruction. But eventu- ally a great man appeared at the head of the Roman armies and conquered the enemy. Under his leadership the Romans finally triumphed, utterly subduing the Volscians. 26 Are We a Christian Nation? In process of time the anti-Coriolanians got the majority; then they, fearing his political influence, banished him for life— that is, turned on him the ostracism which was not uncommon at that time. When the lictor brought him the senatorial edict banishing him for life, instead of going into exile, he went to Volscia. He found the Senate in full session, unutterably aston- ished to see their old enemy come among them. Then he showed them the senato- rial edict of his banishment for life and said to them: “‘ Now that my ungrateful coun- trymen, after I have delivered them from their enemies, are not willing to let me live among them, but have banished me into perpetual exile, I have come among you, to spend the remnant of my life with you. Under my leadership the Romans defeated you upon the battle field, but with my leadership you can whip them.”’ Then he was solemnly sworn in by the Senate. The news reached Rome on the wings of Politics and Patriotism 27 the wind: “All Volscia is up in arms and Coriolanus at their head.” Fast as the tidings reach the people panic strikes them. The nation is thunderstruck and appalled, for they have no man willing to meet Coriolanus on the battle field. The Senate convenes, repeals the edict of banishment, and sends a delegation of their oldest men to beg Coriolanus’s pardon. But all in vain. He says: “‘I have sworn to the Volscians, and I cannot go back. Rome must go down in blood.’’ They then send a delegation of their priests, to beg him in the name of their gods to desist from the vengeance which he has vowed against his ungrateful country. Then, as a last resort, they appeal to Vituria his mother, and Volumnia his wife, to come to the relief of the threatened, panic-stricken land. Sure enough, they are moved by their transcendent love for their country. Taking his little boy by the hand, they 28 Are We a Christian Nation? hasten to meet their offended son and hus- band. Falling at his feet, they implore him to pardon his ungrateful country and to lead away his Volscian army. Again he says: “Rome has dishonored that son who saved her from all her enemies. In her vile in- gratitude she has banished him for life; therefore I will have vengeance. She shall come down in blood and fire.””’ Then his mother answers: “‘ You may lead this army into Rome, but you lead it over my body, crushed by the iron-shod hoof and every chariot wheel that shall enter the gate of Rome. Farewell, my son. I go to block- ade the gate with my body. You and the Volscian army may enter there, but you will crush under your feet the body of your dear mother.” Coriolanus knows that his mother will do as she says; so he lifts his sword high in the air and shouts aloud: “‘O my coun- try, my country, you have conquered me by the efficacious prayers of my mother!” Politics and Patriotism 29 Patriotism is divinely innate in the human soul. Itis peculiar to every nation, regardless of the character of the country. “The Arab, in his tent, believes that God made a sandy desert, while angels were used to make the hills and flowery vales. The Eskimo, shivering in his icy igloo, is delighted ever and anon to take a trip in his dog sled, believing his country the best in the world.” There is just guaranty against that political corruption which has proved the sepulcher of all the kingdoms that have flourished on the earth in bygone ages. In turn those kingdoms held their places at the front of the world; but erelong, fortune’s wheel revolving aginst them, they went down to take their places in the charnel house of their predecessors. Our only available fortification against the dismal doom of our predecessors is divine intervention, which takes away prejudice, lust, and ambition. 30 Are We a Christian Nation? “‘Egypt was the first to come to the front and to rule the world, in the days of the Pharaohs. Walk with me amid the ruins of Memphis and the catacombs of Sakkarah and through the museum of an- tiquities. You will see the mournful souvenirs of their mighty works, while they are numbered with the nations before the flood. “Phoenicia was the second nation to stand at the front of the world, during the palmy days of Tyre and Sidon, which now mournfully verify the awful prophecies of Ezekiel and Isaiah in reference to their impending doom: ‘Tyre shall become a rock on which the fisherman will dry his net.’ Though those cities were mistresses of the seas and umpires of the commercial world, they have long been forsaken, all sailing by, never stopping.” If our great republic is to be saved, our people should stand together and unite our forces against the powers of darkness Politics and Patriotism 31 for the world’s evangelization. As all the nations of bygone ages which have per- ished and gone to oblivion reached their ruin through political corruption, it be- hooves us all to watch and pray and see that we are truly patriotic, conserving our great country with an eye single to the glory of God and diligently watching lest we become sidetracked by political strat- egy. ADs § ul % «> ‘ Cave mays er a | CHRISTIANITY AND CIVILI- ZATION 3 - i ind Vy Uru iw ne A ? bh ty ie Wea {II CHRISTIANITY AND CIVILI- ZATION URELY we should be proud of the land we fondly call our own and should be devoutly thankful to God for it. The possession of a truly grateful spirit will save us from the danger of possession of great riches. ‘“‘When old Rome was simple in her life, heroic, virtuous, and just, her foundations were firm and her government was honored. But when Rome became rich, her wealth surfeited her spirit and took tone out of her nerves, for it led her in the ways of the voluptuous, sapped the foundations of her strength, and made her a prey to the Northern hordes. There is ever the danger of like conditions of manners and morals following the possession of much wealth; so that while our resources are limitless, let 36 Are We a Christian Nation? us as a people rise above them to high living.” Our forefathers sought on this continent home and habitation for themselves and their posterity. In defense of their rights as free men, and in revolt against mon- archial rule and religious restrictions, they had crossed the seas from Europe to a savage land, were denounced as rebels and outlaws, and after crushing hardships at- tained a comparative measure of inde- pendence and safety. They came to this virgin continent in order that they might enjoy the blessings that sprang into being with the foundation of our great govern- ment, and here they found freedom of thought and liberty of action. “The law of the land is our written chart, but the law of any land finds its highest expression when interpreted in the spirit of Christianity. Civilization has fol- lowed the course of the Star of Bethlehem, and civilization must find its highest ex- Christianity and Civilization 37 pression in the Master’s command: ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself.’”’ The world needs, as never before, the moral ideal and the moral power of Christianity. In the midst of shifting political, social, and business ideals, the world needs firmness—namely, the sta- bilizing spirit of Christianity. Every ideal except the Christian ideal is defective. No one can study the movement of modern civilization and not realize that Christianity is the only basis for the hope of civilization in the growth of popular self- government. “Our civilization cannot survive ma- terially unless it be redeemed spiritually. It can be saved only by becoming per- meated with the spirit of Christ and being made free and happy by the practices which spring out of that spirit. Only thus can discontent be driven out and all shadows lifted from the road ahead. Here is the challenge to our Churches, to our 38 Are We a Christian Nation? political organizations, and to our capi- talists—to every one who fears God or loves his country. Shall we not all earnestly codperate to bring in the new day?”’ Christianity is absolutely needed by all the world, and all mankind must wait for its satisfaction, for the completion of all its vague yearnings, of its half-lights, of its hopes, and for the purging of its dross, until Christ is recognized as the light of all the world. The hope that after the war the world would move rapidly toward permanent peace and a well-ordered international life has been shattered. Growing unrest, political intrigues, physical distress and suffering, a disordered economic life, in- creasing distrust, suspicions, and hatreds —all point to great disaster. If the drift be allowed to continue in the present direction, new wars will cripple still further our civilization and may even carry it into eclipse for years. Christiamtty and Civilization 39 “The failure of diplomatic and financial efforts to bring about a satisfactory settle- ment constitutes a direct challenge to Christianity.’”’ Righteousness, justice, and good will are the foundation of perpetual happiness. The problem is essentially a spiritual one and comes distinctly within the scope of Christianity. Civilization will never attain its highest expression—permeated by the spirit of Christianity—at a bound, but only by the steady march of millions of intelligent, noble-minded, and consecrated men and women who daily take the next step in the building of an orderly, friendly, and cooperative spirit. In the midst of a mighty stir has Christianity a new opportunity? Un- doubtedly so. When the fallow ground is broken up, whether in frost or drought, by dynamite or plowshare, then is the time to arrange for the planting of the seed. The world’s heart and mind are open. A 40 Are We a Christian Nation? new, a better, a higher, and a holier way would be welcomed now by war-torn hu- manity. Suffering and uncertainty cause men tocry out forhelp. Their very natures under stress begin to grope in the realm of the spirit, and their native yearning for substantial hope leads them to seek the eternal. “It is the sublime old story told in the Hebrew Scriptures: Israel’s defeats and captivities, backslidings and spiritual abominations brought the nation to hu- mility and made ready for the voice of the prophet.” There is never a season of greater opportunity for the propagation of Christian ideals than when the well- springs of the world are getting dry. If the rock is smitten, the thirsty multitudes will crowd the flowing, refreshing spring. “‘Now is the time for a new proclamation of the glories of the Prince of Peace; for a more patient, persistent, powerful utter- ance of the fact of the divine sacrifice.” Christianity has a wide-open opportunity Christianity and Civilization 41 to meet the wants and yearnings of man- kind. It is not simply civilization that the world wants, but civilization with an awakened and enlightened conscience— graft superseded by honesty, the red tooth by the Golden Rule, the devil by Jesus Christ. HAM : ; ‘ SMEOSUUAI a Viet Ah PN Iie ‘ ; ni vi) i Veta ONION THE UNITED STATES MUST LEAD THE WORLD TOWARD PER- MANENT PEACE ys ponal ©) H Vis pes P * a e/ PAee so ee VL Ae Te Pe eh. : ij 7 \ . / Ae LE KCK I aan tat fae i owe yf cf i af ‘ ca) - i q i ; A eee ’ ‘fei ‘a f ' ! ie | , : im >f IV THE UNITED STATES MUST LEAD THE WORLD TOWARD PER- MANENT PEACE INCE nothing is ever permanently settled by the sword, the only thing which can prevent the catastrophe of another great World War is that there should be in every case a genuine attempt to settle disputes between nations by the just decision of an impartial authority before resort is had to force. Europe has drifted helplessly and pre- ceptibily toward future war. The one thing which might have averted this was the close agreement and confident codpera- tion of the leading nations. Future liber- ties of Europe depend upon regulating dis- putes between nations by justice of law, maintaining the sanctity of treaties. The League of Nations was created to be 46 Are We a Christian Nation? the instrument of this policy. But the people of the United States are not going to join any organization which would drag us into the political entanglements of Europe. | While there is not a human being in the United States, either in Congress or at home, who knows the policy of the United States in regard to permanent world peace, unless an organization to settle disputes between nations is established, there will be renewed competition in armaments, and preparations for new wars which will make the ruin of civilization complete. “By the formal ratification on August 17, 1928, of the naval limitation treaties entered into by the United States, Eng- land, France, Japan, and Italy the re- duction of naval armaments will begin at once, and in a comparatively short time these powers will have only those vessels that are deemed necessary for use in peace. The agreement involves the ‘scrapping’ of The United States Must Lead 47 thousands of tons of fighting vessels and a limitation upon the building of new vessels that really means a definite step toward the maintenance of world-wide peace. One of the most inspiring lessons to be learned from the ratification of these treat- ies is that definite progress toward peace can be made by international agreement.”’ A confederation of all mankind must ultimately be established to maintain peace throughout the world. The power to prepare for and make war must be with- drawn. An end to the organization of war is absolutely necessary, or else human affairs face inevitable disintegration, con- fusion, decay, and catastrophe. National aggrandizement and regard for prosperity without recognition of the rights of other nations have been the dominant traits which have obstructed possibilities of the existence of permanent peace and world confederation. God seems to have chosen a nation to be 48 Are We a Christian Nation? the channel of blessing to all mankind and the one that is to be prominent in the colossal world movements of the future. The United States of America just now is the first instance of a federating process which will ultimately extend to the whole universe. Whether we like it or not, our lot is cast in with the other nations to a very considerable extent. America’s entry into the war was prompted by idealism and sentiment for France, but also by plain common sense business and for the right. For high motives to be effective in results they must be founded on sound economics. The situation in Europe at this time concerns America as profoundly as did the affairs of 1914 to 1917, though less tragical- ly. Our continued well-being depends largely upon the settlement of Europe’s affairs and calls for the same common sense and business judgment as actuated Amer- ica in joining the war. The United States Must Lead 49 If we stand aloof from what we common- ly call this ‘‘European mess” when it is apparent that the balance cannot be redressed without our help, then why did we come into the war in 1917? Were we mistaken then? Were the government and the people wrong in the almost unanimous decision to act? We answer, No. No such disgraceful verdict upon this case will be rendered by the American people. We have extended a helping hand, and we will continue to press on to a successful issue; for we know that if the present problem is not solved, and quickly and justly solved, then truly America will have fought in the war in vain. The United States was forced into the war, after three years of deliberation, by what we believed to be our own best in- terests, backed by moral indignation. And now these same forces are calling on us to aid in redressing the balance of the world. 4 50 Are We a Christian Nation? Can this be accomplished without the United States? The logic of events is stronger than any man’s wishes, and the vital concerns of a country take precedence over the personal preference of either its statesmen or its individual citizens. Because of the things we fought for, because of the things we hoped for, because of the things our men died for—whether we like it or not, our lot now is cast in with the other nations to a very considerable extent. This whole question rises far above the clamor and strife of partisan politics, and whosoever seeks to use it for political advantage sullies the memory of our honored dead. America is respected above all other nations in the world, and it must lead the way in the establishment of permanent peace in a war-torn world. The great World War has doubtless altered the destiny of mankind for genera- tions—yea, for centuries to come. It The United States Must Lead 51 tested the courage, the determination, the loyalty, and the readiness to sacrifice of all those who participated in it. War is a terrible business at best; it is a rending shattering, ruinous, and nefarious business. The United States must take its place and do its share toward promoting, establishing, and preserving world peace, while not making compulsory its partici- pation in European wars, if any such are, in the future, found unpreventable. Conditions in Europe are very trouble- some now, and nations are afraid of each other. Europe is disarming from sheer fear. Suspicions are aroused, jealousies are apparent, and even rank hate exists. Europe is now in a desperate condition. Fifteen million men have been killed, twenty million maimed and injured, and billions of dollars scattered. Never before has the whole world been swept by such a storm of unrest, per- plexity, and confusion. Civilization will 52 Are We a Christian Nation? die materially unless redeemed spiritually. It can only be saved by becoming per- meated with the spirit of Christianity. The only way discontent can be driven out and all shadows lifted is by the use of practices which spring out of that spirit. AMERICA’S HOPE V AMERICA’S HOPE UR only hope is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The only hope of happiness here and hereafter is in looking to “Jesus only.’”’ Christ is our star of hope. History shows that there are no people that the gospel cannot quicken. There are no continents or islands to be discovered. From Greenland to Tierra del Fuego the power of the gospel has been tested. The lowest races have been reached. No great- er obstacles can be encountered than have been overcome. The gospel has shown itself sufficient for every case. It has scored its triumphs on every field. “The gospel came after everything else had failed. They tried to strangle it in the manger, but it was not born to die. They sent out bloody men to behead it in 56 Are We a Christian Nation? Bethlehem, but they failed. The devil tried to buy it in the wilderness, but it was not for sale. Culture sneered at it, but it kept right on. They tried to starve it out of the world, but it grew all the more. They tried to scourge it out of the world, but every blow hardened its muscles and strengthened its sinews. They tried to crucify it, but suddenly the cross sprang into an emblem of victory. They tried to bury it, but there was no room on land or sea for its grave. All down through the centuries they have misrepresented it, but it cagne to stay.” We are proud of America, with all its minerals, mines, quarries, cotton, wheat, corn, oats, barley, rye, forests, fruits, cattle, dairy products, sheep and wool, horses, mules, hogs, and fisheries; with all its mines of coal, iron, gold, silver, copper, zine, and all the wells of petroleum and natural gas; for all the industries that ‘make people great. In wealth and com- America’s Hope 57 merce we are equal to the greatest nation of the earth, if we are not the greatest of all the nations. With our blessings go great responsibili- ties. God will never treat the ten-talent nation the same as he will the one-talent nation. God expects more of America than he does of Costa Rica. We shall not always have the smile of his favor unless our talents are put to the Master’s use. “There is a verse in the Bible which says: ‘The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith Jehovah of hosts.’ (Haggai li. 8). That is an economic statement which the human race has never taken seriously, not even Christian disciples. It is not a theological statement; it is eco- nomic. And if it were obeyed as an economic law, it would change the pages of history as no other one thing obeyed by mankind. “Practically this is the way America disobeys this economic law of the use of 58 Are We a Christian Nation? God’s wealth. According to the cold financial figures of Uncle Sam’s bookkeep- er in the Internal Revenue office, America spends annually the following sums of God’s gold and silver for these items which the language of the Internal Revenue calls ‘luxuries’ or ‘non-essentials’: For face powder, cosmetics, and perfumes, $750,- 000,000; for cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, and snuff, $2,110,000,000; for jewelry, $500,000,000; for joy rides, movies, and races, $3,000,000,000; for furs, $850,000,- 000; for chewing gum, $50,000,000; for ice cream, $250,000,000; for luxurious service, $3,000,000,000; and other items, making a round total of $22,000,000,000 spent by America for what Uncle Sam himself, the financial custodian of the pocketbook of America, calls luxuries.”’ Columbia has been flirting a little with money, but I think she will shortly get her eyes open to the danger of such America’s Hope 59 flirtation and learn that it is beneath her queenly dignity to do so. Yes, when Columbia realizes that there should be a God not only in her Constitu- tion, but a God in every institution in her domain, and in every heart among her people, then she will have learned the golden secret of all true development. So long as Israel recognized Jehovah, the nation prospered. She was the invincible power of the world. But when she wandered away from God, she was soon scattered to the four winds of the earth. When Germany, in her splendor, forgot God, she fell. The saddest thing that could happen to this country would be to rob the people of their faith in God. Let us hear Webster: “If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering; but if we neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how soon a catastrophe may over- 60 Are We a Christian Nation? come us and bury all our glory in pro- found obscurity.” The Commissioner of Education, Hon. John J. Tigert, speaking of American Education Week, said: ‘‘ From the national standpoint we consider that certain phases need special emphasis at this time, in- cluding Americanization, citizenship, pa- triotism, the need of teachers and schools, the problem of illiteracy, equality of educational opportunity, and hygiene and physical education.” Education alone is a branchless tree or a fruitless vine. You could stick a public school and a university in the middle of every square in America, and you will never keep America from decaying by mere intellectual education. Let us stick to the slogan, “‘ A godly nation cannot fail.” For God and for country let us have educa- tion in the home, education in the school, and education in the church. Give God first place in the home, in the school, and America’s Hope 61 in the church, and our noble American boys and girls will become useful citizens of the government and loyal citizens of the kingdom of heaven. Can that be properly called education which neglects the most important part of man’s nature? Education that ignores the spiritual side of men’s nature is partial education. The man who is half educated is to be dreaded and may be more danger- ous than if he were not educated at all. No matter how perfect he is physically and keen intellectually, if he has no moral motives, he is not safe in any community. - Partial education may be worse than none at all. It is not simply civilization America wants, but civilization with enlightened conscience; not simply railroads and steamships and gigantic corporations, but gigantic corporations and steamships and railroads free from graft and taint of every kind. 62 Are We a Christian Nation? ‘Would I drive out civilization? No. I would reform it. I would drive out graft and put in honesty. I would drive out the red tooth and put in the Golden Rule. I would drive out the devil and put in Jesus Christ.” -The Governors of thirteen Southern States have appointed a Southern Law and Order Commission. The threefold purpose of this Commission is: 1. To draft a model bill for the preven- tion of. lynching. 3 2. To secure its passage in each South- ern State Legislature. 3. To create public conscience for law and order by a campaign of publicity. We commend this Southern Law and Order League and trust that its passage will be secured in each legislature. We need such a law, and the enforcement of this and other laws already in effect. But men never have and never will be reformed by legislation. As long as time America’s Hope 63 exists, man without necessity or honor will seek some plan whereby he may execute a violation of the law. It is the province of constitutions and laws to restrain evil, but not toreform. Whether constitutional or statutory, law lacks the one essential element required in the case—namely, the power to purify. That power is not within the province of law. ‘By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight.”’ “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak, God, sending his own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh.” ‘“‘There is nothing re- formatory in punishment; else every criminal in our penitentiaries would be a virtuous citizen and every soul in hell would become a saint. Something must be added to effectuate the desired result.”’ We recently saw an article by James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor, as follows: “Two hundred and fifty thousand American babies are snatched by death 64 Are We a Christian Nation? from their mothers’ breasts every year before they have had time to open their eyes. “Half a million children, so-called defective and delinquents, are growing up almost totally neglected. “Thirty million American children of school age, even if they can win the op- portunity for education, face in our schools a false learning, as education will not fit more than one in ten of them for the places they must occupy in life. “‘But more portentous yet looms the problem of the child in industry. Ap- proximately a million and a half American boys and girls of school age are to-day pressed to labor before their time, doomed to the drudgery of mine and mill and factory by economic necessity. They face hopeless futures. “‘Here, if anywhere, we face a real danger to the republic. Not in the gospel of the peddler of political nostrums is our America’s Hope 65 peril; but here, where citizens of the future are broken, mentally, morally, physically, by misled industrial management, is the evil which must be uprooted if America is to prevail.” As a great nation we have nothing to fear from without, but within there are growing evils. And those evils must be uprooted and banished, or our perpetuity will be a thing of uncertainty. “Columbia looks from sea to sea and thrills with joy to know, Her myriad sons, as one, would leap to shield her from the foe.” Many cancers are found on our body politic. Before the banishment of saloons the liquor traffic was the most gigantic tragedy in America. And unless we utter- ly destroy the stills of “‘bootleggers”’ and prevent “blind tigers’ from operating their illicit traffic, prohibition will be a farce. Where you find “blind tigers” you will 5 66 Are We a Christian Nation? find a blind mayor, a blind council, and a blind sheriff; everything is blind. You ean’t run them without having everything blind. We have in theory abolished the ‘“‘red- light district.’’ White slavery is an infer- nal evil. According to the Law and Order League, there are sixty-eight thou- sand women leading a nameless existence in the city of Chicago alone. The demand of brutish passion ordains that the lives of five thousand young girls be laid upon the altar of lust every year—that five thou- sand young innocents be led forth to slaughter annually! If parents will continue to shut their eyes to this cancer that is feeding on the flower of our nation, they may expect their daughters to be kidnapped, lost, or mys- teriously missing! Another internal cancer is Sunday dese- cration. Sunday is the embankment which God has built against which the America’s Hope 67 waves of care and sorrow, which for six days have been rolling over the heads and hearts of anxious men and weary women, may break and scatter themselves in “beautiful spray and harmless foam.” Bring your voices, your pens, your pulpits, and your printing presses into the Lord’s artillery corps for the defense of His holy day. Many other evils exist, including un- holy monopolies that threaten America’s welfare. | Rome had the same opportunity that we have in this age, but she ignored the very things that are now threatening Columbia’s future. Hence the perils with which Columbia is beset must be recog- nized, and they must be abolished if she is to go marching on as “Queen of the Nations.” “Tf anything is going to save our civilization, it is the American public school. It is the one unique, original con- 68 Are We a Christian Nation? tribution that we have made to democracy. Other nations have had declarations of in- dependence. Other countries have had constitutions like the Magna Charta. Other countries have had parliaments and free ballot. But no country, so far as Iam able to read history, has initiated the policy of taxing all the citizens so that all the children shall be educated according to minimum standards set by the state. This is our single original contribution to the cause of democracy.” We are proud of our public school system, the grandest in the world. Yet for every dollar we spend for education we spend twenty-one for ‘‘nonessentials.”’ And until recently, for every dollar we spent for education we spent twenty-five for drink! Up to the present time republican in- stitutions have never flourished in any land where the teaching of Christ has not preceded them to set up standards of America’s Hope 69 Christian living and lay the foundations in Christian ethics and character. “Bring up the army of American citizen- ship; bring up the purity of Columbia’s institutions; bring up the standard of man- hood and womanhood, bring up the church and school, lodge and labor, and every- body and everything that stands for God, and home, and native land!” Jesus Christ may be slowly but surely transforming the political, industrial, so- cial, and religious life of the race. He came to redeem the world, and he will complete the task. Our hope is in his gospel. og mel t ‘7 ate ity ARE WE A CHRISTIAN NATION? t sy P i ; o y A ' , 4 é ‘ } ; a ai So So ‘ f at ie eae a whi ‘a } yi Rar actant We ab Nee! cn Pde fe hea 7 ¥ , Fe iPS - > ? ‘ at VI ARE WE A CHRISTIAN NATION? HE United States is often men- : tioned as one of the Christian nations of the world. We are Christian in the sense that the Christian religion is the dominant religion of America. We are Christians in the sense that our social and commercial and moral ideals are mainly Christian. It is true, as Whitter sang: **O Lord and Master of us all, Whate’er our name or sign, We own thy sway, we hear thy call, We test our lives by thine.”’ But it is not true that as a nation we live up to these high ideals. While we sub- scribe to the teaching of Jesus on the sub- ject of marital fidelity, our courts are crowded with divorce cases. While we believe in the doctrine of the fatherhood 14 Are We a Christian Nation? of God and the brotherhood of man, industrial strife and class hatred constant- ly menace the machinery of commerce and of government and threaten the stability of our social and industrial institutions. While we believe in the universality of the © atonement and accept the responsibility for preaching the gospel to the whole world, vast stretches of America remain unevan- gelized. While we believe in the humani- tarian principles of Christianity, “‘TIs it well that while we range with science, glorying the time, City children soak and blacken soul and sense in city slime? There among the glooming alleys progress halts with palsied feet, Crime and hunger cast our maidens by the thousand in the street; There the master scrimps his haggard seamstress of her daily bread, There a single sordid attic holds the living and the dead; Are We a Christian Nation? 15 There the smoldering fire of fever creeps across the rotted floor And the crowded couch of incest in the warrens of the poor.” We have destroyed the saloon; we have in theory abolished the “red-light’”’ dis- trict; we have taken a brave stand for decency and integrity in politics; now let us see to it that what we have abolished is replaced by a positive program of Christianization which shall preach the love of Christ to all our people and exem- plify that love in the lives of his disciples. God the Father is the source of all authority in civil government. Jesus Christ, the Son, is the divinely appointed ruler of nations. Submission to his rule is the only guaranty of a nation’s perpe- tuity. The nation that refuses homage to the Lord’s Anointed will be broken by his ironrod. (Ps.2.) Thisis the plain teach- ing of Scripture. A national recognition of Christ the King is imperative, and it is 76 Are We a Christian Nation? equally imperative that every Christian take an active part to put Christianity on an undeniably legal basis in our national life. We are proud of our institutions that are pervaded by the spirit of Christianity. And we have a right to be proud of them. But there is this strange anomaly: While we wish to be classed as a “Christian”’ nation, we have, nevertheless, up to the present moment, failed to make any ade- quate recognition of God, Christ, or the Bible in our Constitution. “Some Christians regard this omission as an oversight on the part of the framers of the constitution and contend that it is there by plainest implication. Other Christians, more familiar with the history of this wonderful document, are of the opinion that the omission was a part of the design of the formulators. In either case, the fact remains that no such acknowledg- Are We a Christian Nation? ify ment is made. And whichever of the two views any Christian may hold, it is hard to understand what possible objection a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ could make to a national recognition of the claims that Christ himself makes. If the constitution 7s Christian by plainest im- plication, it would do no violence to any conscience to state the fact specifically. If it is not Christian, it ought to be. “The secular press and trade journals are calling attention to the fact that the constitution of the League of Nations was framed without any appeal to Almighty God for light and guidance in their counsels. (Manufacturers’ Record, August 28, 1919.) History is evidence that the same course was taken in the Constitu- tional Convention.” According to statistics, it is obvious that the majority of the people living within our boundaries are non-Christian. A revival of religion and the recognition of GS: dade we Gieaeleuns WNiison? Christ in life and in the home are requisites. If many were not unbelievers, a campaign to recognize Jesus Christ would not be necessary. Jesus cannot be recognized in law until he has already been realized in life. Religion is vital to the home, to the State, and to the Church. Its practice measures the advance or decline of moral and spiritual life in a community. The downfall of home religion is one of the greatest imminent perils that threaten this magnificent country of ours. If true religion does not thrive in the homes of the land, any display that it may make else- where is not much more than camouflage. If religion does not transform the lives of the individuals in the home, its profession in public is pharisaical and hypocritical. Human selfishness and greed and fas- tidiousness need the modifying effects of the Master’s spirit to restrain and subdue. His spirit will produce cheer and comfort and gladness to reward those who labor Are We a Christian Nation? 19 and seek to please and will develop that meek and submissive spirit that should become all Christians. Think! think! can there be any lasting peace without the “Prince of Peace’’? Can a nation be safe without the “ King of Kings”? In Jesus Christ, and in him alone, the hope of the world lies. It is no marvel that the Christians are ready to gather around his banner with a glowing en- thusiasm and prove their patriotism by allegiance to his sovereignty. He is acknowledged as King. Who else should be exalted among the people but he who has done wonderful things for his people? We need not wonder that the children of God delight to sing: “‘All hail the power of Jesus’s name! Crown him Lord of all.” He is our enthroned King in the majesty of his person, in the efficacy of his merit, in the completeness of his righteousness, in the sureness of his triumph, in the glory of his advent.”’ 80 Are We a Christian Nation? The Church and State are both divine institutions. Both are under divine law and both prosper according as they obey the law. Since all authority, according to the Great Commission, belongs to Jesus Christ, he is truly the ruler of one as of the other. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12 how men and institutions are intended to work together in the divine plan. They are to cooperate as hands and feet with one mind working through both. But this common operation of the mind of Christ would not unite them any more than it unites hands and feet. It only enables them to do what they fail to do now, to work together in harmony for the uplift of the race. Codpe- ration through recognition by the Church and by the State of the authority and teachings of Jesus Christ is the divine plan; union of Church and State is a human plan, a plan which will soon be obsolete. Are We a Christian Nation? 81 There are some who emphatically con- tend that a recognition of Jesus Christ in the national life and law would change our national policy of neutrality in religion. This is not so much an objection as a recommendation. Neutrality in religion is an impossibility either for the individual or the community or nation. Our statesmen who framed the constitution were fallible men, as amendments show, and in nothing more fallible than when they thought that Buddha and Mohammed and Jesus could be put on a common level and all alike ignored. President Wilson tried to keep this country out of the World War, but the war was too big and the world too small for him to succeed. Nineteen hun- dred years ago Jesus Christ won the title deeds of this world through victory on the cross, and ever since then he has been at war with Satan to get possession, and the issue is too big for any man or any com- munity or nation to be neutral. 6 82 Are We a Christian Nation? We have been accustomed to hear that prohibition interferes with personal liber- ty. The traffic policeman on the busy street also interferes with personal liberty. The recognition of the rule of Christ would interfere in about the same way. Itisa strange conclusion that the recognition of the rule of him who died to make man free would take freedom away, unless it is the freedom to do wrong. There is no freedom for men anywhere in the world, if Christ has not made them free. Why, then, should we not submit our lives, public and private, to him in whom alone men have found freedom? What we need as a nation is to havea Christian government; to bring our gov- ernment into line with divine government, securing obedience for conscience’ sake. “Tt is not simply civilization America wants, but civilization with an enlightened conscience; not simply railroads and steamships and gigantic corporations, Are We a Christian Nation? 83 but gigantic corporations and steamships and railroads free from graft and taint of every kind. Better have the untutored savage than the civilized fiend. Better the wild, unexplored wilderness than the debauched palace of civilized shame! Better the cannibal of the South Seas than the civilized vulture of our cities. Better the innocent child of the Ganges, dropping into the open mouth of the monster, than the debauched child of the Mississippi thrust into the jaws of hell! ‘Would I drive out civilization? No, I would re- form it. I would drive out graft and put in honesty. I would drive out the red tooth and put in the Golden Rule. I would put out the devil and put in Jesus Christ.” Centuries ago this land of ours was God’s out-of-doors, flushed with lovers of freedom, inspired by nature’s wonders. Later laws were enacted for common pro- tection. In these laws were laid the truths 84 Are We a Christian Nation? and principles of right and religious free- dom. These are the very body of the con- struction, and upon these the great nation has thrived to its present greatness. The resources of the United States are un- fathomable and wonderful. The mines, the rivers, the harvest fields, cattle and dairy products, the rich petroleum and natural gas are something of which the people must be proud. Without God and truth and Christian ideals, we have nothing to advance. You have the worker in his unsettled state of mind, the capitalist as he runs roughshod over the rights of the commonwealth, and the socialist with his peculiar and radical views of government. The result of the whole disintegration is that the nation asa whole is irreligious and is trampling under- foot the principles that would better con- ditions. Men never have been and never will be Are We a Christian Nation? 85 reformed by legislation. As long as time exists, man without necessity or honor will seek some plan whereby he may execute a violation of the law. The way to obtain reform is through obedience to the principles of Christ and not through congressional assemblies. We have had too much philanthropy and not enough charity. We have had too much intellectuality and not enough spiritual growth. Under these conditions so-called Christian America has had moral stagna- tion. May we rapidly witness a positive program of Christianization. *. > bY bass TY ae eh ae 2 Ay paed 1). t r wad ‘ Ae a at} BAAS a 3 Pe kate es REM iy aL AR TAN iit Ai sit were 4a) Dt Ay Ais ear’ ‘ata © hi? 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