BX 4810 .D69 1923 Dowding, Henry Wallace. The Protestantism of tomorrow Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library https://archive.org/details/protestantismoftOOdowd THE PROTESTANTISM OF TO-MORROW Copyright 1923 SECOND EDITION J P. BELL COMPANY, Inc. Lynchburg, Va. Protestantism of Tomorrow By HENRY WALLACE'DOWDING, D.D. AUTHOR OF “The Man From Mars” “A Life of Phillips Brooks” “Memoirs of Charles H. Spurgeon” Etc. The American Book Concern NORFOLK, VIRGINIA DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF PHILLIPS BROOKS BECAUSE I came under the magic spell of his preaching and personality and was fortu¬ nate in enjoying the balmy atmosphere which his friendship created, I have dedicated the following pages to his memory. If, as it is believed, he occupied the fore¬ most place among the preachers of his gen¬ eration, physically, mentally and morally, he was the greatest MAN OF HIS TIME, with a breadth of vision, a knowledge of human nature, and a quality of charity rarely matched in any age. Remembered for what he did, immortalized by what he said, for generations to come he will be venerated and loved for WHAT HE WAS. He had caught the vision of a UNITED CHRISTENDOM, he believed in it, preached about it, longed for it with an intense desire, and embodied in a life free from even the thought of prejudice and bigotry the Great Truths which his lips so often expressed. —H. W. D. FOREWORD We are constantly being reminded that we live in the most materialistic age the world has ever seen. If this is true, and it would seem from observation that it must be, it re¬ flects no great credit upon THE CHURCH as a controlling factor in human events. For nearly two thousand years the eye of the world has been focused upon the teachings of the “MAN OF GALLILEE” in faith, expectation and hope. It cannot be said that these teachings are false, or that when divinely used, they have failed. Yet, confronting the staggering events of recent years and the world-wide problems they have presented, these teachings would seem to have lost much of their ancient power. Personally, I join with millions of my fel¬ lows who feel that the failure does not lie with THE TRUTH, but with the organizations, methods and means by which the truth is be¬ ing dispensed. To call attention once more to these sources of weakness is the object of these lines. —H. W. D. CONTENTS Chapter Page I. A Brief Survey of the Protestant Reformation _ 1 II. The Position of Protestantism Today- 11 III. The Inside of the Cup - 39 IV. We Know the Disease. What is the Cure ? _ 67 V. How Can We Secure the Kind of Unity We Need? _ 95 VI. The World is Ready for the New Departure _-_ 107 VII. What Christian Unity has Already Accomplished _ 123 VIII. The Greatest Question of Our Age, Can We All Get Together?_ 137 IX. The Christ We H ave Known___ 149 X. The Supreme Test of Christianity and Anglo-Saxon Responsibility_ 161 XI. The Church Must Return, But To What ?_ 181 XII. What the Church Does with Christ Will Determine what God Will Do with the Church_ 199 XIII. Will Protestantism be Overthrown?_ 209 XIV. A Dream that May Come True_ 221 XV. Ministers Who are Engaged in Over¬ throwing Protestantism_ 229 XVI. Spiritual Unity_-_ __ 241 XVII. What the Members of the Body of Christ Profess to Believe_ 249 A List of the Denominations and Churches Representing Christianity in the United States_ 267 CHAPTER I A BRIEF SURVEY OF THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION PROTESTANTISM T HE great central figure in Protestantism is Luther. His personality stands out in gigantic proportions in the midst of what is now known as the Reformation. But, in fix¬ ing our minds upon him, we must not overlook others in large numbers led by Savonarola in Italy, Huss and Jerome in Bohemia, Eras¬ mus in Holland, and Wycliff in England, who blazed the trail and prepared the way for the greatest event of modern times. It was these men who first lifted up their voices against Papal despotism, fraud, corruption, penance, indulgences and sin upon which the prestige of Rome was then said to rest. The list of crimes and follies laid at the door of the Papacy is too long to be mentioned here, but at the time they were thought of sufficient im¬ portance to become a reason for reform and a justification of the birth of Protestantism. Luther was of very obscure and humble origin, born in Eisleben, November 10th, 1483. As a boy he displayed religious ten¬ dencies and went from house to house singing hymns, and at school he earned his living by his songs. He never became a polished man nor was he as great a scholar as Erasmus; he was said to be rude, and even coarse; he 3 was bold and courageous, but lacked humility. He had no taste for philosophy and was, it is said, too narrow to read Plato. Like all his fellow monks, Luther was free to read the Bible. It was during this agree¬ able occupation that he read the epistles writ¬ ten by Paul and from them extracted the por¬ tions which dealt with Faitli as the gift of God, the inefficiency of good works, and Salvation as another of God’s free gifts. These ideas were his emancipation. He lined up mentally with St. Augustine, became a professor of divinity in the University at Wittenburg and was popular as a preacher. The people seemed to love Luther and fear the monks. He was still a good Catholic. About this time Pope Leo X was squander¬ ing his vast revenues in pleasure and pomp. He, however, wanted to complete St. Peters, the crowning glory of magnificence. A great drive was organized for the selling of in¬ dulgences. Luther protested, “Only God can forgive sins.” The people, however, felt that they all had souls to be saved and this thought ruled laity and priest, so indulgences were bought and sold. The profane have gone so far as to say that Protestantism grew out of Martin Luther’s desire to marry one Catherine Bora, others 4 have avowed that it did not spring from spiritual desires and aspirations but was a mere revolt from Rome resolving itself into a war against Papal corruption and a PROTEST against the recognized usages and weaknesses of a crumbling heirarchy. But, when we fol¬ low the course of this conflagration which il¬ lumined the sixteenth century with funeral pyres and filled the air with the songs of martvred saints, this system elaborated by Calvin, entering like iron into the souls of men, producing a race of men like the Puritans which gave the world a new the¬ ology, we are compelled to admit that it sprung out of a religious enthusiasm for some new doctrine. That doctrine was contained in Luther’s declaration that THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH, and this is the first idea which gave birth to and fashioned Protestantism. But this first “new thought" led to another which struck at the spiritual and temporal supremacy of the Pope. The Universities took up the controversy because it was vital to the existence of Rome as a ruling power and because of its far-reaching importance. The greatest doctors and advocates were retained to champion the cause of the church, to oppose every protest and defeat every argument ad- vanced by Luther. Therefore, he seemed to have displayed more genius than learning for he swept aside every argument and took his stand upon Scripture, or that interpretation of Scripture which had become the habit of his mind, and he denied the authority of Popes, councils and universities. This established for the reformers at least, another great idea— the supreme authority of the Scriptures. This principle Protestants have always pro¬ fessed to believe, yet in spite of this fact they have quarreled over the meaning of texts and have provided a fruitful source of discord which has resulted in the existence of various sects and denominations. This great victory which occurred at Leipsic was regarded as a terrible blow and the Cath¬ olics rallied to meet it by accepting the de¬ cision. It was soon modified however by the contention that the Bible contained difficul¬ ties, obscure texts and even contradictory statements, that to the ignorant it was a sealed book. It was claimed that only the learned could interpret Scripture and as the learned of those times were in the Church, therefore, the right of interpretation remained with the Clergy. At this momentous stage Luther surpassed himself in his powers of reason, “What!’ 5 6 said he, “keep the light from the people? Take away their guide to Heaven? Besides, your authorities differ; your Popes and Coun¬ cils disagree. No, I say, let the Scriptures be put in the hands of everybody!” Then the third great idea took possession of men’s minds—“the right of private judgment”— and the three ideas together constituted what has been called “Religious Liberty.” It may be noted here that the idea of private judg¬ ment in its broad application to religious truth is the principal thing which separates Catholics from Protestants. This so called “Charter of Human Liberties” was fought for at Leipsic by Gustavus Adolphus; at Ivry by Henry IV. It caused most of the martyr¬ doms of the sixteenth and seventeenth cen¬ turies. This, it is claimed, made Luther the idol of half of Europe, the oracle of Germany, the mortal enemv of Rome, and was the cause of the hatred which has existed between Cath¬ olics and Protestants for four hundred years. The reader is no doubt familiar with the closing scenes of Luther’s life. We will only glance at one event. He was summoned be¬ fore the Diet of the Empire at Worms, where the Emperor Charles V presided. Painters and poets have vied with each other in de¬ scribing this scene. We all recall his words of 7 appeal: “Unless you confront me with argu¬ ments drawn from Scripture, I cannot and will not recant anything—Here I stand, I can¬ not do otherwise. God help me! Amen.” His most ardent admirers and loyal sup¬ porters admit that his great personality and work was marred by human weaknesses and mistakes, common to humanity; that he him¬ self afterwards became a sort of Protestant Pope to whom people looked for authoritative opinions, advice and consolation. If this great leader of men could have projected his life and activities into the present age, could look about him and see the mistakes into which millions of his followers have fallen and the chaotic conditions which have arisen from a misuse of the reforms he started, he MIGHT be moved to weep over the city of his dreams, and seek to overthrow much which in the name of the Protestant Reformation the churches have built up. 8 HAS THE DREAM OF LUTHER AND HIS FRIENDS BEEN REALIZED? D id the founders of this new ORDER FORSAKE THEIR MOTHER CHURCH, DIE AT THE STAKE, SUFFER ON THE RACK, LAY DOWN THEIR LIVES TO PRODUCE THE CONDITIONS AND ESTABLISH THE PROTESTANT¬ ISM OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY? WAS IT THEIR AIM TO DIVIDE THE CHURCH INTO HUNDREDS OF PARTS, WITH AS MANY DIFFERENT SHADES OF BELIEF? DID THEY INTEND THAT THESE DIVISIONS SHOULD BECOME RIVALS? THAT THERE SHOULD BE UNITS OF AUTHORITY AND POWER WITHOUT CENTRALIZED AUTHORITY AND LEADERSHIP? W OULD NOT LUTHER, WERE HE HERE, AGAIN PROTEST AGAINST THE WEAK¬ NESS AND INEFFICIENCY OF THE CHURCH WHICH IS THE OUTGROWTH OF HIS REFORM? T hese are questions that every PROTESTANT SHOULD FACE FOR THE GOOD OF SOCIETY AND THE RE¬ DEMPTION OF THE RACE. CHAPTER II THE POSITION OF PROTESTANTISM TO-DAY THE POSITION OF PROTESTANT¬ ISM TO-DAY A fter f our hundred years of struggle into which have been poured a wealth of thought, money and personal suffer¬ ing, the position of Protestantism in the world is not reassuring to those who take a broad outlook upon the progress of mankind. To the casual observer who is content to know that conditions are not what they should be, who does not comprehend why they are as they are, it might seem an easy task to bring about harmony out of discord and order out of chaos. If the obstacles in our path were of yesterday, the change might be easy; but, when, as the student of church history knows, these barriers to progress have been raised at different periods for nineteen hundred years, the problem becomes involved. We learn, for instance, that the members of the early church were all Jews. Their accept¬ ance of the Christian faith was conditioned upon their carrying forward with it all or many of their Jewish traditions and the habits of the Israelites and with these their practices of ceremonial rites, just as to-day Protestants are retaining prejudices and customs entirely foreign to the gospel of Christ. Hence, the 13 divisions mentioned and deplored in the writ¬ ings of the apostles. Then, there appeared upon the scene the renowned apostle to the Gentiles, Paul, whose vision and conversion gave Christianity its first great forward movement and whose subsequent missionary journeys gave the early church the first world-wide conception of the Kingdom. When he reached Asia Minor he found the Greeks ready to accept the new gospel to which they, in turn, gave the distinct touch of their national life and history, so that it again differed from the outward aspect it had assumed under Jewish patronage. This was the beginning of troubles which culminated in complete separation in many cases and in a wide divergence of opinion and activity in others. It was for this reason that the great and learned Paul wrote the epistles or letters to the churches by which he sought to weld together the various parts and to do for early Christianity what Federation seeks to do for the churches to-day. The Greeks whose conception of Christianity may be said to have been democratic, brought this influence to bear upon their religious belief and government, until at last they were confronted by the great strength of the Romans whose ideas of everything were im- 14 perialistic. Then, arose the Greek Orthodox church distinct from the Roman Catholic church between which a wide breach has al¬ ways existed. It will be noticed that the disagreements and divergence of church history have nearly always arisen out of national differences, dis¬ tinctions of ideals; whereas, in consonance with the teachings of Christ, Christianity was designed to bring the human race into one great brotherhood. It will be admitted how¬ ever that there can be nothing in the nature of the Christian religion to justify such results unless it is to be found in the dismembered con¬ dition of its own ranks. The world will always be willing to accord to Martin Luther the place of high honor he merits in ecclesiastical history; but, it must be admitted that he was also influenced by national conditions and considerations and that Protestantism played a very important part in the affairs of state for a long period after the dawn of the Reformation. What is known as religious liberty and the right of personal interpretation of the Script¬ ures blossomed forth in their full meaning when America opened up its vast territory as an asylum for those who, feeling the need of 15 greater freedom in matters of religion, emi¬ grated to this country to establish themselves in a place where church and state would be separate and distinct in operation and in fact. Here they found every condition favorable to their desire; so that, from the religious soil of America has sprung up every variety of religious belief known to the world and sectarianism has ripened into denominations before unknown. There are approximately 200,000,000 Prot¬ estants in the world, 400,000,000 Catholics or 600,000,000 Christians of all kinds, while non - Christian population is 1,200,000,000. So that in order to survive, Protestantism must, at least, keep pace with twice its number in the Catholic church and overcome the indif¬ ference of six times its number of non- Christians. Taking into consideration the vast army of merely nominal believers in Catholicism and Protestantism, it will appear that only one in ten of the population of the world are in vital relations to religious life or service. The reader will observe that in point of numbers the Protestant faith is amazingly weak but the seriousness of the situation is al¬ most staggering when we consider that it has taken nearly two thousand years of ceaseless 16 preaching, practice and persecution to produce a condition of religious life by no means flattering to this modern age. This is an age of unforeseen events, great re¬ forms, when gigantic problems are rolled into the presence of men who often find themselves unable to solve them, in which we have dis¬ covered that the vast interests of nations are interlocked by combinations of events which call for earnest and constant study. We used to be content to think that “no man liveth to himself”; now, we are forced to admit also that no nation can conduct its affairs regard¬ less of other nations. Isolation and indepen¬ dence of action are no longer possible in a world like ours; and yet, the church, repre¬ sented by various sects which should be the first to profit by this fact, is the last to adopt the principal of vital and general cooperation. If our temporal leaders and statesmen feel the keen necessity of cooperation in grappling with problems bearing upon the future prog¬ ress and peace of the world as a whole, if human endeavor is being directed toward the realization of a far-off dream of world ideal¬ ism, and to this auspicious end we are trying to readjust human relations the world over; then, it is surely time that Protestantism should take stock of its resources and open its eyes to 17 THE POSSIBILITY OF FAILURE If Protestantism continues for another two hundred years in the same direction in which it is now going it will be compelled to sit at the feet of a rediscovered Christ and learn again the alphabet of those fundamental truths for which its Fathers lived and its Martyrs died. This may be regarded by many as a sweeping statement, and such a claim should not be made without an attempt, at least, to prove it. LACK OF CENTRAL ORGANIZATION AND UNITY During the great War and after its close, Protestants of every shade dreamed a wonder¬ ful dream and saw a great vision of a Church purged by sacrifice and blood. The pulpits and press alike sounded a note of common- sense evangelism which was to unite the churches and cause multitudes to flock to them. Gradually, however, this note died away into a tone of materialism unparalleled in church history, expressing itself in “drives for mil¬ lions,” filling of coffers, and making demands upon church members which placed a mortgage upon the earnings of its loyal supporters for years to come. And, what are the net results 18 of all this? Certainly it cannot be claimed that it has brought the man of the world into closer relations with the Church. But what prompted or permitted such a delusion? Why did the Church do, and with a vengeance, the very thing which the world has been guilty of doing and for which we have so justly condemned it? Why did it take the course of materialism, when it had, what may have been its last call from God to show the world that what it stood for was wealth of spiritual power? It must be plain to all that if Protestantism had presented a solid and united front for the redemption of the human race, at a moment when the masses, for the most part, stood ready to welcome the Christ, all the wealth needed would have flowed into its coffers. But instead of proving God, we tested gold and failed. In former ages, individual efforts, single factories and business enterprises character¬ ized the commercial life of the world. The Church has followed the same course for which, in those days and under those condi¬ tions of transition, there might have been some reasonable excuse. But, in these days of great combinations, vast national and inter¬ national alliances for efficiency and economy, the present state of Christianity, its divided 19 and sub-divided forces, seeming extravagance and inefficiency in the face of the world’s great¬ est age of universal need is ALMOST CRIMINAL AND POSITIVELY SUICIDAL- We are learning that central organization and supreme authority are not necessarily inimical to democracy; that, properly used, they produce the most satisfactory form of government known to human experience. We have learned at a great cost that any great system without a head, even though it may he a “figure-head,” cannot long exist in a world like ours. Glance around you and you will not find another such group of 200,000,000 souls without a court of final appeal; divided into hundreds of separate camps, each one forming its own creed; making its own laws; placing its own interpretation upon the “Bible”; composing its own hymns, choosing its own music; emphasizing its own ordinances; refusing to recognize in many instances the validity of each other’s ministry, or even mem¬ bership, to say nothing of absolute refusal on the part of some denominations or sects to ac¬ knowledge the sincerity and efficiency of others. Then, adding to the absurdity of it all we include in all our hymnals such unifying songs as “Onward, Christian Soldiers . . . 20 We are Not Divided, All One Body We, One in Faith and Doctrine, One in Charity.” But IT IS CLAIMED THAT CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF ALL THESE DIVIDED CAMPS. Upon what is this claim based? Certainly not upon His own words. Christ can never be the head of a dismembered body, and His spiritual body is the Church. He devoted a lengthy prayer, the only one left on record, to admonishing his followers to “BE ONE as He and the Father are One.” The whole trend of His utterances proves that He staked His life and Death upon the prospect and cer¬ tainty of a UNITED FOLLOWING and human events ought to furnish overwhelming testimony that— a A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF CANNOT stand” The alarming condition which confronts Christendom to-dav is not what is termed %j ‘‘higher criticism,” but what ought to be known as “lower criticism.” No Christian need fear investigation and criticism which grows out of a high spiritual frame of mind and proceeds to discover what is in the Master Mnid of the ages. But we should dread that 21 which shakes every foundation, outrages every sense of the spiritual and results in a range of preaching which includes everything from sheer flaptrap to a literal interpretation of Divine truth, and diverges again into what Gladstone termed an attempt “to acleviate the pearly battlements of the sebperternal pro¬ fundities to the extent of an interminable argument.” Such preaching can only end in a more complete disruption of Christian teaching. It would be interesting if it did not prove too painful, to be able to read a verbatim re¬ port of all the sermons delivered in one of our large cities on a given Sunday. What a med¬ ley of divergent notes they would contain. What almost contradictory ideas advanced. What a variety of doctrines propounded. In¬ terpretations indulged in. After reading them, the thoughtful student of homiletics would, no doubt, be at a loss to find the real Christ, the simple gospel, or a definite plan calculated to lead him anywhere worth while, certainly not to the feet of that Teacher who pronounced His gospel so plain that “A wayfaring man, tho’ a fool, need not err therein.” Yet these exponents of truth belong to One Great In¬ stitution known as the Christian Church having One Faith, One Great Teacher and Common 22 Lord, One Baptism and One Supreme Mes¬ sage contained in OXE GREAT BOOK for a perishing humanity. But the calamity is in¬ creased a thousand fold when it is realized what is true of one city is extended and duplicated the world over. CAX WE STANDARDIZE TRUTH? Perhaps not; yet, it seems to have been done for us by the Great Teacher Himself in •/ a complete plan and a perfect gospel which must be accepted rather than explained. One of the greatest curses of the church of the twentieth century is the abuse of what is known as 4 ‘personal interpretation of Script¬ ure,” the utter lack of uniformity in our approach to and handling of Divine Truth. In the world of labor and commerce we are standardizing material factors so that wher¬ ever they are found or whenever applied they fit the place and fill the need for which they are designed; but, every fundamental truth, doc¬ trine or virtue of the Christian religion, in many cases, is left to the mercy of wise or ignorant exponents who, chancing to face such truth, are moved to explain it. These truths which are perfect in their simplicity are often warped out of all recognition by the learned or mutilated, and left lifeless by the ignorant. 23 But, it is objected, “we cannot all think alike”; that may and perhaps must be true when applied to common events and conditions, but it does not apply to the fundamentals of the supreme concern of life, the eternal verities of the soul. The minister who speculates with the acknowledged basic truths of Christianity is not loyal to his Master who gave one simple command to all his followers, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel.” Now the gospel is “good news” which cannot be dimin¬ ished or added to and, since it is good and per¬ fect, it cannot be improved upon by human wisdom. WHAT PROTESTANTISM NEEDS One great need of the Protestant church to¬ day is central organization and supreme au¬ thority. Central organization as a clearing house for its multiplied activities, manned by the best and most consecrated leaders, men en¬ dowed with Christian statesmanship, broad¬ minded enough to administer the affairs of a United Christendom, trained in efficiency, so that the men and millions of the Christian World may be organized for a militant cam¬ paign against every entrenched evil, leaving nothing to chance, permitting no part of the Body of Christ to be weakened by dissension, 24 rivalry or prejudice; in a word—capable of co¬ ordinating the scattered and unused forces of our present system into an ALLIED CHRISTIAN ARMY for the overthrow of sin and the enthronement of a Living Present Christ. One great FACT which looms up before our minds to-day, the colossal importance of which almost staggers us, is that in the realm of mind and matter great combinations of energy will produce undreamed of results both in volume, variety and quality. See what science and medicine have accomplished since the various schools have allied their forces. Behold what mammoth commercial enterprises have come into being through combinations of men and material. Whilst that universal scourge—War—has bewildered us by the vast¬ ness of its conquests through allied forces of men and billions, yet Christianity, designed by its Founder to be a UNIT OF SPIRITUAL POWER, remains, in the face of human ex¬ perience and Divine injunction, a dismembered body, some parts of which present a pathetic SPECTACLE OF WEAKNESS AND INEFFICIENCY. It ought to be plain and I venture to assert that it is perfectly clear to a broad-minded clergy and laity that Protestantism as a pro- 25 testing force has had its day and has performed its great mission. It had its rise in past gener¬ ations when good and great men thought it im¬ perative that they should protest against creeds, doctrines and conditions which seemed to be inimical to the progress of the Kingdom. These protests which were made by words and blood, in sermon and in song, have come down through four hundred years of church history and, let it be said, to the glory of its heroes, it has realized much of its dream and accom¬ plished its tremendous task; that is, it has established personal liberty and individual ac¬ countability; it has taken the shackles off the mind, the chains off of the WORD; it has done more; it has established certain Fundamentals of Christian faith and doctrine and has offered to men everywhere a world-wide vision of human redemption. But, if we bring forth the list of things which are protested against by the Christian church of to-day, what are they? Have they any direct bearing upon admitted fundamentals? Do these trifling differences against which we record our protest retard or hinder the prog¬ ress of Divine truth? Is it not a self-evident fact that we are beating the air and wasting our resources, that we are fighting sham battles 26 against imaginery foes? And, even where there is a remnant of reason for such protest, would it not soon vanish before a solid unity ; of belief in the Divine Verities concerning which we are all agreed ? , CHRISTIAN FORCES NEED GREAT LEADERS We hasten to admit that we have a few lead¬ ers. In every religious body we find men who have outgrown the accepted creeds of their church, certainly men who have outgrown bigotry and prejudice, red-blooded, lofty- minded, highly spiritual men with a great vision which they are anxious and ready to obey; and, what is more reassuring, we can behold a new and better equipped army of leaders bringing up the rear who will not be satisfied with the imperfect conditions of Christianity but will demand a centralization of consecrated wisdom and common sense for an institution designed and commissioned to redeem the world. It may be supposed or affirmed that such a plan is a direct overture to Roman Catholi¬ cism and, therefore, must be rejected by Prot¬ estantism. Xow, I hold no brief for Catholi¬ cism nor can I conceive of our free churches re¬ tracing their steps to the Rome of yesterday; but, it must be borne in mind that the Catholic church of today, in non-essentials and in meth¬ ods of operation is not the Catholic church of four centuries ago. It also has had its visions and has dreamed its dreams, to follow the one and realize the other; it has followed the law of adaptation, has trimmed its sails to the winds which have borne it forward. It has taken its place in social, intellectual and po¬ litical spheres, and has proven itself equal to the tremendous tasks confronting it. Let the reader take his stand upon orthodox Protest¬ ant ground and assert all his prerogatives affirming that he never could be a Catholic, conjuring up in his mind all the antiquated reasons and all the logical ones for the position he occupies. Then, let him look at the seven¬ teen million souls composing the Catholic church of the United States alone. There are facts before which we will stand amazed— its unity of purpose, its conformity of belief, its unbroken ranks, its part in the great hu¬ manitarian work of making a “better world,” its solid front against immorality and crime, and above all, the distinguished part it has played in promoting world peace. Then, without fear of losing his denominational foot¬ ing, or showing favor to the institution he may not admire, let him ask himself the question 28 WHAT IS THE REASON FOR SUCH UNITY AND STABILITY? Of course, other answers may occur to his mind, but the one which completely meets the case is found in the existence of central organ¬ ization, supreme authority and leadership. To define just what powers might be in¬ vested in such central organization would be premature and out of place here; yet, it might be worth while to suggest that the acquire¬ ment of any power must be gradual, keeping pace with the enlightenment of those over whom such power is to be exercised and must be deposited in the body rather than be usurped by it. What is known as “The Federal Council of Churches,” which is a sincere at¬ tempt to reach the goal, but which is only a roadhouse along the journey of Protestantism to its final destination, might suggest to our minds the nature of the power proposed. To secure public acknowledgment of certain fundamentals which are now practically ad¬ mitted, to limit criticism, so that it shall not pass beyond certain and safe bounds, to estab¬ lish guideposts and safety zones for the unin¬ itiated in spiritual things, to counsel the churches in great social movements, to apply modern methods to the churches of a modern 29 world, to eliminate waste and conserve energy, to foster the most genuine fellowship and good will among all who profess and call themselves Christians, to standardize methods; in a word, to gradually bring the Christian forces of the world up to a condition of exalted efficiency and a high spiritual plane of Endeavor un¬ matched or unexcelled by any other institution of the ages, this should be the aim of central organization of Christianity. Those individuals or churches who may ob¬ ject to the foregoing suggestions will raise their hands in horror when I add that in my own humble opinion such a representative body must have a great Head in the person¬ ality of some man or men of great learning, virtue and faith, who should be the “last Court of Appeals,” the great controlling mind, the paternal personality to whose wise and mature judgment, in case of final jurisdiction, the body would yield willing obedience. I can hear the oft-repeated declaration: “We yield to none but Christ”—“He is the %j Head and the only Head of the Church.” In a very real sense this is true, but it is true also in a somewhat limited sense. In the churches that have the greatest freedom of government we know that the Moderator has vastly more to do with great denominational issues than is 30 sometimes supposed. Persuasion and diplo¬ macy may enter into the matter or appear on the surface; but, nevertheless, the Moderator’s expression of opinion and the influence of his office makes him look very much like a head. When we turn to the great Protestant Metho¬ dist Episcopal church, we have a head to the little circuit body, the Presiding Elder, a head to the Conference body called a Bishop and still another head of all the combined confer¬ ences called a Presiding Bishop. If you are a Methodist Steward or a preacher I have no need to remind you that there is a large degree of finality in the rulings and decisions of these respective heads, and perhaps it has occurred to you that the wonderful growth, vast num¬ bers of the organization and the comparative efficiency of its operations may be accounted for in the fact that of all the Protestant churches, Methodism has the greatest cen¬ tral organization and is largely controlled by OXE GREAT HEAD. Stranger yet, is the fact that as you go away from Supreme Lead¬ ership in the Catholic church down the line toward local autonomy and independence, you find the church becoming weaker in num¬ bers and world wider influence. 31 THE SPIRITUAL HEAD OF THE CHURCH DEFINED When Christ was upon the Earth, the few and scattered followers who constituted what was then regarded as an unorganized church, looked to him as its Head. With organization came the spiritual presence which replaced his bodily presence. Then followed Apostles, El¬ ders and Bishops, men whose ability, devotion and spiritual insight entitled them to leader¬ ship. These, together with His followers, were called His body, His church. Now it is a self-evident proposition that Christ is the Head of His own but Spiritual Body, the organization in which the Body of Christ ex¬ presses itself and becomes a human agency for a Divine purpose must also have a Head, not many heads, not even two heads, which might suggest a monster but never a church. This has been the contention of Catholicism for cen¬ turies; but, in its reflective moments, even Rome must admit that she does not represent the whole of the Christian Commonwealth. So long as two hundred million Christians who believe in the same God, accept the same Christ, teach the same gospel, and in all essen¬ tials have the same Faith, do not come under her leadership, she must concede this much, 32 or by not admitting it declare all those out¬ side her church to be non-Christian; that is, not followers of the Christ. Such a declaration would not do credit to the Catholic or any other church. “a dream that must come true” No Protestant, endowed with even a limited degree of intelligence, or into whose heart has fallen the faintest ray of Divine Love, but would admit that a Catholic man or woman who has embraced the fundamentals of re¬ ligion and is loyal to these and the Church, will share in all the benefits accruing from a Chris¬ tian life, even though they may have attached to these fundamentals the forms and cere¬ monies of Roman Catholic Church. I think that in these modern days it would be equally difficult to find an intelligent Catholic who would not make similar concessions to Protest¬ ants of equal devotion and character; that is, he would admit that the things we protest against in each other are not the things which determine our salvation, our standing in the church or our final destiny. Yet, important as this fact is, there is another which ought to weigh much in the present consideration. There have been great and holy men in both communions whose breadth of vision and char- 33 ity of soul have led them to measure the dis¬ tance between these two great forces for right¬ eousness and to dream of a distinct time when, by sacrificing nothing of real value to either, both might be brought together on a grand and exalted plane of supreme effort to save the world. Strong men and great heroes have had dreams of conquest in which they have seen empires rise and fall, kingdoms wax and wane. World movements have appeared to them as grand panoramas of human greatness and progress, but never has a dream been more real to the seers of past ages than this, because it seems to contain within itself THE MEANS AND ASSURANCE OF ITS OWN FULFILLMENT We say and we believe that this dream must come true, and it will. Centralization of power must take the idace of independent action; unguided thought must be succeeded by willing surrender to supreme authority, waste of energy to efficiency—prejudice to charity—rivalry to cooperation. In other words, Protestantism as it exists can not sur¬ vive—it must unite to secure these benefits, then upon the ruins of an ecclesiastical battle¬ field the kingdom will rise which is to have no end. 34 A BROOD OF LESSER EVILS Ill the presence of the achievements of Prot¬ estantism during the last half century, its bil¬ lions of wealth, millions of accessions, stately edifices and the multiplicity of its organiza¬ tions, it may seem strange that we should speak of evils within the church, nor do we forget that a humanly directed institution can- not be free from human error. But let us face the facts; since, by so doing, we have every¬ thing to gain and nothing to lose. For four hundred years Protestantism has been engaged in unrelenting controversy much of which may have been needed to place it in its present position before the World. Al¬ though it is certain that the Master has been saying “Behold, I show you a better way,” imagine if you can the amount of time, energy, genius and devotion which has been wasted upon futile efforts to combat doctrines and creeds which have had little or no relation to the simple gospel of the Man of Galilee; time and energy, genius and devotion, which might have been used to save a sin-smitten world; and during these centuries of combat, this brood of evils has found a place inside the Church attacking its very existence, threaten- O * 7 ing its life and producing conditions in our 3 5 day undreamed of fifty years ago. And what are some of these conditions? LACK OF REVERENCE FOR DIVINE PRESENCE AND PLACES It will be admitted that in some places and under certain social conditions there are houses of worship where there still exists a spirit of comparative reverence, but in commercial cen¬ ters, towns and villages, the spirit of reverence for sacred edifices and places of worship is entirely lacking. A few of these localities and buildings escape the influence of irreverence owing to their age or historical associations. Here again is seen the effect of the whole system; churches are organized from strange, varied and sometimes sectarian motives; the desire of one denomination to surpass and even of one church to outclass another of the same communion. Heavy financial burdens are incurred, causing tremendous struggles and often bitter contentions, ending in a mort¬ gage being placed upon time, money and Christian patience. It becomes a commercial proposition and even the building itself loses the sacred influence it is intended to possess. Whatever may be claimed for Institutional churches and modern church architecture, it cannot be said that they minister to the spirit 36 of reverence which is one of the fundamentals of religion; the grouping together of rooms used for secular purposes under one roof and the social or commercial activities so often pro¬ moted in and around the central place of wor¬ ship deprives the sacred spot of the claim to devout reverence. The vestibule becomes a re¬ ception hallway and the worshiper passes into the presence of Him who declares that He is “in the midst” without a thought of bowing in prayer or acting in any other fashion than as if they were in “the main auditorium,” which the house of worship is so often called. Thus the service is begun, continued and ended in the same lack of personal participation in the spirit of worship, without which no build¬ ing, however consecrated, can be rightly called a CHURCH. Not wishing to create a distinct contrast between the church and himself and being unable to bring about a reform, many a spiritually-minded minister has fallen into that slovenly unconventional disregard of pul¬ pit manners which disgust so many and turn the finest efforts into an empty appeal. 37 CHAPTER III THE INSIDE OF THE CUP THE INSIDE OF THE CUP A S the world grows in intelligence it may he depended upon to develop discern¬ ment, the ability to appreciate the ex¬ terior of men and things, at the same time, to detect what is on the inside. And it is this growing spirit of discernment which churches in common with other institutions must face today. Our buildings may be replete with every equipment, even system and efficiency may have been installed in every department, ornate and dignified services may be the rule, but men of discernment know that these forms are no real part of the Christian religion. They also know that the REAL THING w may and often does dwell apart from these. These are the “outside of the cup.” What does He expect to find “INSIDE THE CHLTRCHr’—Sincerity, devotion, charity, reverence and love; these and other virtues, which, when combined, present to the discern¬ ing mind a picture of what a church ought to be. It may be asserted that the church must adapt itself to local, mental, social and other conditions of its people. It is not necessary to deny this claim in order to point out that Protestantism as it now exists is often a trav- 41 esty upon ideals of the Christian Religion. This is peculiarly true of certain parts of our country. I think it is safe to assert that the countries of Europe are better served today by the ministry of the Salvation Army than many of our cities are ministered to by some modern churches for, over there, the Army conducts a dignified service, using devotional hymns, with addresses free from sensational¬ ism and slang, which leads even the onlooker to uncover his head and bow in the presence of what he feels is an honest attempt to give the world “REAL RELIGION.” The law of expediency does not violate the law of reason in the Army. THE DOOM OF COMMERCIALIZED EVANGELISM For more than a century the churches of Protestantism have at intervals felt the need of special efforts to reach the indifferent and neglected people of each community; these ef¬ forts have been from time to time styled mis¬ sions, revivals or evangelistic services. In re¬ cent years they have assumed large propor¬ tions through united bodies and have been called “Campaigns;” for a third of a century these high tensioned movements have been more or less popular, chiefly among what are 42 known as evangelistic churches. The more or less perfect organization, character of preaching and after meetings, the impersonal manner of dealings with so-called converts who are sometimes composed of people whose emotions led them to shake hands with the preacher or in some other easy way indicate their wish to join the church; these have fur¬ nished much food for thought and ground for discussion on the part of thoughtful men and women. The net result of this thought and discussion expresses itself in a widespread concern as to the amount of permanent good accomplished or actual spiritual results at¬ tained. The growth of intelligence and that spirit of discernment already referred to, which may generally be depended upon to render a just verdict, has led ministers and churches in large numbers to condemn Cam¬ paign evangelism as an unwise method of reviving churches or adding to their numbers, so that evangelism of this character seems to be rapidly approaching its doom; in fact, the evangelist is almost unknown in England and is losing his hold upon many parts of the United States. 43 HAVE WE AN ADEQUATE SUBSTITUTE? The answer to this question must depend upon local conditions. In some large city churches, where the equipment consisting of assistant pastors, varied organizations, large choirs and publicity methods, furnishes the material for widespread endeavor, it may be said that a substitute already exists, or rather under these conditions special revivals are not urgently needed; but, in the great majority of churches where one voice is constantly heard from the pulpit and one lone minister carries the entire burden, where the music is commonplace, crowds small and conditions for special efforts are lacking, something must be found to take the place of modern evangelism. Some plans have been adopted and others sug¬ gested; most of them have failed, as all such methods will fail, so long as Protestantism re¬ mains divided and subdivided as it is today. The vital conditions needed for the success of any reasonable effort is a great impulse urging all the churches in any one town or city to lay aside sectarian prejudice and methods upon which we are wasting time, energy and money, and demonstrate in practice what we boast¬ fully proclaim in our preaching that we “ARE ONE,” as Christ and the Father are One. 44 Then special efforts would not be necessary because every effort would appear special in its results as it would be magnificent in its aim for we have yet to prove that it will take A UNITED CHRISTENDOM NOT A FIGHTING PROTESTANTISM to save the world. What is also needed to re¬ place the methods of professional evangelism is a general knowledge of the fact that there are no bargains in the spiritual life, as there are none in the world of legitimate business. He who would possess real religion must pay for it in the coin of the spiritual realm—Sacri¬ fice and Service. So long as the masses, under conditions of great emotion, are led to believe that shaking hands with the evangelist, sign¬ ing cards, contributing to churches and being on good terms with the minister, form any part, much less a vital part, of a Christian life, we shall never add much of real positive value to the working forces of Christianity. What men are asked to pay for this “pearl of greatest price,” although not commensurate with its infinite value, must be such as to pro¬ duce a character worthy of possessing it. 45 I F, AS IT IS SOMETIMES CLAIMED, THERE IS A REAL DIFFICULTY STANDING IN THE WAY OF VITAL AND WORKABLE FEDERATION OF ALL THE CHURCHES OF CHRISTENDOM, THEN EVERY RED- BLOODED CHRISTIAN SHOULD RID HIM¬ SELF OF THE LAST SHADE OF INDIFFER¬ ENCE AND STAND UP ALL HIS INCHES FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE REMAINING OBSTACLES WHICH MAY ENDANGER CHRISTIANITY AND SOME DAY MENACE THE PEACE AND PROGRESS OF MAN¬ KIND. WHAT WOULD A MERCHANT PRINCE DO WITH PROTESTANTISM ? It is difficult to persuade the average churchman that natural and economic laws can be applied in the spiritual world; some suc¬ cessful attempts have been made to apply bus¬ iness methods to Christian work; unfortu¬ nately, these efforts have not extended far be- vond the establishment of denominational of- * flees, card index systems and sectarian propa¬ ganda. The question to be considered here is what would one of our great merchant princes who has made fortunes for others and billions for himself in a single lifetime—what would such a man do if the vast resources of 200,000,- 000 people of the Protestant faith were turned over to him unconditionally for the purpose of making it a world power? If he were a Christian himself, he would be spared the initial step, having taken that step, placing himself in harmony with Christ, and His teachings, I think he would then study the aim and object of the institution placed under his care, having discovered that this aim and object was the transformation and re¬ demption of the human race, by a simple plan contained in the fewest possible words, called a Gospel, he would look for the fundamental 49 principles upon which this plan was based. He would in all probability cast around him for a suitable name which would express the great meaning and comprehensive mission of this Gospel, calculated to convey to men the meaning of Christian unity and fasten the mind of the world upon the supreme aims and ambitions of a WORLD CHURCH. In his search for such a name, if one was sug¬ gested which was already a thousand years old, he would not reject it simply because of that fact, nor would he retain or adopt a name because it was novel or had been in use four hundred years. In this matter of a suitable name for the combined forces of the Christian Church he would consider simplicity and in¬ clusiveness as the chief reasons for its adop¬ tion. He would eliminate every debatable, unnecessary antiquated theory or creed; he would preserve all the essentials of faith and practice and minimize the non-essentials of a working system. In a word, he would make clear to his own mind what the great thing was which had to be done, and would catch the idea of the renowned Apostle—“This one thing I do, forgetting the things which are be¬ hind, I press towards the mark.” Such a man would gather around him the most consecrated, brainiest, courageous and 50 broad-minded men of the age, not men who were famous for hair-splitting doctrinal dis¬ cussion or creed building, but men of one mind about the ONE THING—the redemption of mankind; with these men he would form a central organization with a supreme leader¬ ship as nearly capable of doing the great task as it was possible to find. He would now be ready to review his field— the world—and his resources, the millions of men and billions of wealth to be found in it. His next important move would be to blend all these forces into one great unit of power. It would be a great task, but think of THE END WHICH WOULD JUSTIFY THE MEANS And to this end he would commence a propa¬ ganda, unlike anything the world has ever known and, as his Master had done before him, he would beg, beseech and implore each denomination and sect to lay aside every minor consideration, every petty difference, doctrine or dissension calculated to retard the progress of a united people to accomplish the “ONE THING.” He would remind them that four hundred years were enough to spend in dis¬ cussing questions, many of which never ought to have been raised, and were not pertinent to 51 the great issue at stake. In an amazingly short time he would have produced a condition in which the sensationalism of preaching on the one hand so the dry-as-dust-sermons on the other would give place to a larger ministry of helpfulness and spiritual power. Under the impulse of a great and growing movement it appears to us that he would then look out upon the lost motion and waste of our present system and address himself to the economic side of the system by combining all missionary movements into one great effi¬ cient body to reach the billion and a half of souls still to be Christianized. He would order the foreign missionary field cleared of conflict¬ ing creeds, doctrines and duplicating efforts; and would endeavor to show the world that the wish of the great Founder could be realized abroad as well as at home. He would quickly come across that little text which the pulpit has so often discoursed upon, but so seldom put into practice, “the la¬ borer is worthy of his hire,” he would see that every minister received a living wage, in keeping with the demands made upon him. This he might accomplish by disbanding some churches, increasing the efficiency of others and churching the unchurched communities where the Gospel is seldom heard. 52 Our merchant prince would, through a great central organization, doubtless appoint a com¬ mission or perhaps a number of them to tour the world for the purpose of appraising the real value of all existing means and methods and to determine their adaptibility to the pres¬ ent needs of Christendom. He would advocate a highly spiritual church, since its aims were spiritual, he would also employ the latest and most approved methods of turning a tide of wealth into the coffers of a great and growing movement; upon this head, however, there would be little concern, since he would know that a well con¬ ducted business like this, with a divine mission in the world, wisely counseled, never has lacked and never will lack for the means to carry it to a successful issue. By this time he would have learned to rely upon some of the promises made by the departing Christ and upon these promises he would stand confident that “heaven and earth might pass away, but God’s word and work never!” THE HANDICAP OF THE CHURCH The history of what is known as “big busi¬ ness’ is a brilliant record of human achieve¬ ment. Among the outstanding features of these successes is the process of elimination, 53 the cutting out of all unnecessary expenditure of energy, time and money and the cutting away from encumbrances. Failure to do this in the church in many instances constitute the handicap of modern Protestantism. Every minister who goes forth presumably to win men to a Christian life carries a vast amount of excess baggage which hinders him from reaching his goal. It is safe to say that if the church had freed itself from these encum¬ brances many of which it has permitted itself to drag down through the last three hundred years, it could have occupied a position to-day which would have made present world condi¬ tions impossible. But it is not too late to re¬ pair the wrong, to retrace our steps and sit at the feet of Him who during His life of serv¬ ice and sacrifice took occasion to call the atten¬ tion of the world to a self-evident truth, “The children of this world are wiser than the chil¬ dren of light.” WHAT THIS WORLD MOVEMENT WOULD MEAN At first, it would appeal to different minds in different ways, and to some it might not appeal at all, or it would seem to be the shat¬ tering of all their hopes and the end of all their dreams. Such, however, have never pon¬ dered the Divine utterance, “Behold, I make 54 all thing’s new,” nor have they felt the positive urge toward higher and better things. Per¬ haps they have never read those striking words of Phillips Brooks: “It would seem as though there ought to be in the world three kinds of men—the men of forms, the men of ideals and the men of unlimited ideals, which are the ideals of God—and these three kinds of men are easy to discover. First, there are the men of forms, who in their questionings about what they have done, or ought to do, never get be¬ yond formal standards, the opinions of other people, accepted precedents—they never ask what is best and loftiest, never what are the intrinsic relations of the Father God and the Man Child. Only this—By what religious observance can a man get into heaven? Of course, no vision haunts a man like that; he lives in self-content of visible results or failure and knows no disappointment.” The second kind of man is the one who asks himself whether his deed is what it ought to be, it matters not whether men praise it or not; and another question is asked. Does it conform to what he knew it ought to before he understood it? Here is a man of true idealism. He has seen the vision and is not satisfied because he has not gone toward it. But the third man; his life is the only satis¬ factory one; he believes that the idea of his life, the perfect plan, the successful issue of it all, is already in the mind of God—and his aim is to produce the highest and best, not simply to carry out his own idea, but carry God’s idea to the world.” Unfortunately for any great movement, the great mass of men belong to the first order “men of forms,” who are this, that or the other thing, in society, politics and religion, because their ancestors were so before them, or because their immediate surroundings dic¬ tate their law of living; from these a great movement need not expect recognition, much less cooperation; they are men who own a palace but are content to live in the basement. The second kind of man is a man of reflec¬ tion, anxious thought and vision; to such a man of great reforms always appeals; such men are able and willing to make their contri¬ bution to their success; they are men who live in the second story of their dwellings and real¬ ize that there are still higher places to inhabit. The third kind of man is the one who places no limits to the power of God, or the work of human hands; he believes that man and God not only may, but that they do “work to¬ gether;” he is the man who lives in the third 56 story, where there is a skylight which looks out upon unlimited space of opportunity and glory. To such men THE OVERTHROW OF PROTESTANTISM as it exists to-day, or the overthrow of any existing human insti¬ tution will suggest the possibilities of greater and better things, a larger and better life. CAN WE AFFORD TO DISARM? In such a discussion we might hope to avoid such a question, but as surely as you try to avoid it you are at last brought face to face with the real nature of this familiar term “PROTESTANTISM;” it reminds us that we started out four hundred years ago to pro¬ test and to wage war upon certain forms, cere¬ monies and creeds which at that remote period, and for many vears later, enslaved die minds and consciences of millions of people who felt that they ought and had a right to be free, who wished rather to be “justified by faith” than to be saved by good works. We may talk of “great wars;” this has been the greatest of all, because it has been the longest, and because it has not onlv wasted much of the world’s money, time and manhood, but it has jeop¬ ardized millions of immortal souls by fostering uncertainty and doubt it has reduced the stat- 57 ure of spiritual manhood; has retarded the world’s progress in the work of human re¬ demption: has blurred the vision of the souls of men and stunted the growth of useful knowledge. It has left Christendom disunited and weak to grapple with the great problems of the twentieth century. Whilst in certain quarters we have declared an armistice, we have not yet disarmed for a lasting peace. That is just what the OVERTHROW OF MANY EXISTING CONDITIONS means—the disarmament of the Christian Church in preparation for a permanent peace. It means also the exchange of cooperation for rivalry; fundamentals in exchange for shifting creeds; concrete action for scattered forces and unity for discord. A settled faith, instead of a “sea of conjecture.” Central or¬ ganization in the place of lost motion and energy. A supremely great leadership to guide a great movement worthy of the age we live in, commanding the support and ad¬ miration of the world. THE MOST URGENT NEED OF A NEW WORLD There was a time, fifty years ago, when it was thought that the churches of Protestant¬ ism would unite in part at least to meet what 58 prophetic minds termed k ‘a great future for unity;” just what that future contained, no one dared to predict, hut the last few years covering the period of war and partial recon¬ struction have disclosed to this generation what the previous one never dreamed of. The greatest institution of the world, the one de¬ signed for just such an age as ours, is found almost helpless to prevent or cure the fatal ills of a disheartened race. And why? Not because Protestantism, as a more or less neces¬ sary force came into existence, but because it has been permitted to outlive its usefulness, because we have gone on protesting against non-essentials when we should have been serv¬ ing and saving men, because the Church has not addressed itself to the great problems of the age, nor has it been in a position to do so. ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY IS APPROACHING What the nature of the next great oppor¬ tunity to confront Protestantism will be is only a matter of surmise. We do know, however, that at this writing, conditions in Europe, in the Far East and all over the world are by no means reassuring; even the suggestion of another war sends a shudder through the social body. If we could banish 59 the word and all that it implies from our minds forever, we could then utter a long sigh of re¬ lief. This distressed, beggared and haunted world needs one thing infinitely more than it needs anything else; that is PEACE—per¬ manent and enduring peace, the peace which comes bv the surrender of the minds and wills of men to the best and highest things, the peace which is wrapped up in the words, “He will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon God.” But we will suppose that the next and great opportunity to present itself to the church is nothing more than to gather up the fragments and out of them build the ruined temple, to build again the walls which have been thrown down, the rebuild the City of God, to refix the throne of his rule and authority in human lives. Surely, this is a Herculean task demanding every ounce of energy, every particle of strength, all the vision and faith represented, not only in Protestantism, but in every com¬ munion of Christendom, in a United Church. For a task like this we shall need the very things we seem to lack; we shall require breadth of vision, unity of purpose and action, a solid front, a complete organization and su¬ preme leadership; these can never be ours 60 until we stop protesting against non-essentials and unite upon the fundamentals of our faith. IF WE SHOULD FAIL, WHAT? Christianity is on trial to-day before 1,500,- 000,000 non Christians, the hope of the world is reposing in the hands of a small minority of this great human mass. We may well exclaim: “What are these few among so great a mul¬ titude?” But if these are closely related to Christ and united together by the golden bonds of Christian fellowship they are suffi¬ cient for the task equal to any emergency and invincible in the presence of any world prob¬ lem, any human foe. If in the next half century the church fails to measure up to her great opportunity, if she should prove unfit or unable to control the passions of men and the pessimism of the world by the splendid optimism of her faith, then she is doomed to be put through another fiery furnace of persecution to refine her gold and destroy its dross. To escape this possible failure and the righteous indignation of an offended God, there is one course she must pursue, that is to rid herself of the weight of unnecessary burdens and the sin of indif¬ ference to the larger matters of the Kingdom. 61 "consistency, thou akt a jewel" In the realm of material things we might expect to find a degree of inconsistency, hut who would have dreamed, standing upon the banks of the Jordan listening to the simple words of the Christ and beholding their effect upon the minds of the twelve first disciples, that his followers in years to come would take those same truths and out of them build up a system of religion as diversified and complex as the varied doctrines of the Christian church of the twentieth century? Nor could it have been forseen that these doctrines would have resulted in such a tangled mass of teachings, claiming to be the gospel of the Gallilean. Then there is that terrible spectacle cover¬ ing a period of hundreds of years, relieved only by fierce presecution, illuminated by the flames of martyrdom drenched with human blood. But more fatal than all these have been the prejudices of the church in modem times, when Councils, Conferences and Synods have met with the announced purpose of extending the ONE KINGDOM and fostering unity through other denominational effort and have ended by building longer and higher walls of separation, widening the breach between each other. Churches have been erected, ministers 62 ordained, denominations formed, creeds con¬ structed and doctrines built up, under forms of diplomacy and avowals of unity which have had, if not as their purpose certainly as their end, the spirit of rivalry and denominational glory. I N THIS AGE OF BROTHERHOOD, FEDERA¬ TION AND CO-OPERATION TWO HUN¬ DRED MILLIONS OF CHRISTIANS ARE DISTINGUISHED AND KNOWN BY A NAME, WHICH HAVING SERVED ITS ORIGINAL PURPOSE, IS NO LONGER IN HARMONY WITH THE AIMS AND IDEALS OF MODERN CHRISTIANITY. T he men who shall weld together THE EXISTING FORCES OF “PROT¬ ESTANTISM” AND GIVE THEM A NAME ACCEPTABLE TO THESE MILLIONS AND IN KEEPING WITH THE HIGHEST AND ULTIMATE AIMS OF THE CHRIS¬ TIAN RELIGION WILL MERIT A PLACE AMONG THE IMMORTALS. CHAPTER IV WE KNOW THE DISEASE WHAT IS THE CURE? WE KNOW THE DISEASE WHAT IS THE CURE? T O remedy these long existing evils would not be a fruitless task if we could bring men to reason and act in accord with the simple gospel, and if you ask me what I mean by the “simple gospel,” I reply, those plain utterances and teachings of Christ which set forth the person and mind of God, the rela¬ tions of man to his Maker or Father, the Divine plan of human redemption and the cer¬ tainty of a future life. If concerning these there are any uncertainty or doubt; if they have been modified or altered to suit any hu¬ man doctrine, creed, institution or church, it is because the mind of man is not in harmony or consistent with the will of God. Therefore, the slogan of Protestantism should be “Back to the Mind of God.” A CROWD OF OBJECTORS A legion of well meaning people will rise up to follow their usual method of “protesting,” good men without doubt, but mistaken men with great zeal, but not according to knowl¬ edge, men of vision but extremely limited, men of faith but more faith in human imperfect- minded agencies than in Divine power, and 69 then there is that other motley crowd whose selfish outlook upon the world obscures the great purposes of God. Together they form a formidable barrier, but together they will be swept away by the rising tide of vital Chris¬ tianity which they are unconsciously attempt¬ ing to hold back. Here is the man who has centered his thought upon the purely spiritual aspect of religion, he will exclaim with great unction that you must not place spiritual forces under temporal rule, that the church must remain free from human interference and he will con¬ front vou with the text, “The natural man is not able to discern spiritual things.” It is almost futile to remind such a one that the testimony of all ages is against him; that how¬ ever true it may be that God is able to work without human agencies, He never has; that natural laws operate in the spiritual world, that our aim is not to humanize religion but to SPIRITUALIZE HUMAN EFFORTS and the means by which they are put forth; that Christianity does not dehumanize human nature or effort, but spiritualizes both. We shall next be confronted by the man who is an ardent advocate of so-called personal liberty, who will tell us that central organiza¬ tion and supreme authority are the twin 70 enemies of religion and always have been, that such a course would lead to mental slavery and •/ spiritual decadence; that it would defeat the aims of the Reformation and relegate the church to certain failure. In the first place, we must be sure that it is liberty we need. Have we made the best use of that which we have gained? Has the church made the greatest progress under this wonder¬ ful freedom she has enjoyed? Are we not mistaking license for true liberty? And is it not after all RESTRAINT THAT THE WORLD AND THE CHURCH needs to¬ day? Shall we not find the broadest liberty in cooperation, in unity, in a more complete or¬ ganization and a wiser leadership ? But it may be claimed that our plan will interfere with and limit the influence and curtail the rights of the local church, that a self-governing body will never yield to supreme authority. If this be true then it must follow that these self-gov¬ erning bodies are doomed to remain what they now are, or decline into inefficiency and de¬ cay, since the greatest institutions of the past and the most powerful ones of the present are those coming under the benignant sway of central organization and supreme authority. Leaving the States for foreign lands, one of the last reminders of our national greatness is 71 the Statue of Liberty at the entrance of New York harbor, always noted with pride by every American—The Emblem of National Liberty. Entering the great capitol of the Old World the Englishman will point with pride to his Parliament Buildings and will remind you that this is the MOTHER OF PARLIA¬ MENTS and, together, these two monuments remind you of the two greatest civilizations the world has yet seen. But, if you reflect for an instant you will understand that the Federal Government of the one and the Na¬ tional Government of the other constitute the most complete form of central organization known to modern times. Representative Government? Yes; but of such a nature that in times of national or international trouble, as during the late War, they could command all the resources of their respective countries for one common end to which their citizens yielded willing aid because every sensible man knew that in unity there is strength, in cen¬ tralized power there is victory. The central organization of Christendom would no more interfere with local conditions of the church than the Federal Government meddles with State affairs or these in turn retard the 72 progress of our cities, and if God has given success to the one He will put his seal of ap¬ proval upon the other. WHAT IS THE SUPREME COURT OE THE UNITED STATES? It has often been said, and we are proud to believe that it is, generally speaking, true, that the American people as a whole can he trusted to decide great questions. It is also a sign of good common sense that we do not always follow that course. For instance, we have a great and famous document which we reverently speak of as “The CONSTITU¬ TION” which, for the most part, is so simple and plain that he who runs may read and understand it, but there are portions of this valuable instrument which even some of the great legal lights of the centuries have had to study long and hard upon before they could coordinate them with the laws of the State and the rights of the individual. For this purpose and other obvious reasons we have in our midst “The Supreme Court of the United States.” This institution, among the greatest in the World, is the last Court of Appeal, the supreme authority, the 78 highest Tribunal of OUR COUNTRY which claims to be the Land of the greatest personal liberty. Here, then, is a modern nation of a little more than 100,000,000 population which for the highest good of its people maintains an institution which we all believe in and approve and which we cannot well get along without. But here, also, is a strange condition of things. An institution called PROTEST¬ ANTISM, with nearly twice as many souls under its care, with not only human but also Divine and Spiritual interests at stake, coming down through the centuries, groping its way along a path illuminated by hundreds of flick¬ ering lights, guided or often misguided by thousands of professed leaders, without CEN¬ TRAL ORGANIZATION, without a last Court of Appeals, save the Bible, out of which have been woven doctrines and creeds, prophe¬ sies and dreams which have dismembered the body of its Founder. * A SUPREME HEAD NEEDED The two great nations to which the rest of the world is looking for deliverance from all its rampant evils and the solution of many of its vexed problems, each have a Supreme Head to their Government. And what for? 74 To dictate to their peoples? To control public opinion and trample upon public rights? Certainly not. In this idea of su¬ preme authority we have progressed as in other things. Authority to-day must be paternal; it must be constructive, its chief functions are to guide and guard the thought and actions of men, to limit power only where it is improperly or impiously used, to pro¬ claim liberty and maintain freedom for all who observe the law and carry it to a logical and legitimate issue- The only man who needs fear supreme leadership and authority to-day is the selfish man, the man who is either mor¬ ally blind, degenerate or bigoted. But the man of vision, breadth of mind, tolerance, Faith and self-sacrifice need have no more fear of authority vested in his fellow man than he has of the supreme attributes of God. A GROUP OF STARTLING FACTS How long this planet has actually existed in material form is a matter of scientific conjec¬ ture, but, for six thousand years it has re¬ volved before the wondering gaze of man, each new cycle has revealed some new feature of its increasing richness and glory. What the Cre¬ ator pronounced good has become better and greater with succeding ages. Every gener¬ ation has added a little to the sum and total of material granduer. Science and discovery, art and literature, genius and skill, all have made their contributions to human knowledge and Divine revelation, some have gone so far as to assert that these human factors have reached, or are nearing the apex of their pos¬ sible achievements. Certain it is that they have passed far beyond the bounds of our wild¬ est dreams, and that we behold all around us a world filled with the greatest monuments, the richest natural resources adorned with beauty, guided with strength and peopled by human beings conscious of their heritage, keen in their appreciation of their resources, equipped with strength sufficient to turn this world into a heap of ruins or to make it a fit habitation for the Prince of Peace. The remaining facts are these: For four thousand of the six thousand years God ex¬ erted His Divine power over man by trying to persuade, urge and impel men to yield their wills to His. By providence, paternal thought and prophesy the great Divine campaign for human redemption went forward, until at last the plan matured revealed itself in all its supernal splendor and broke upon the earth in the Incarnation, under the guidance of the star, 76 the accompaniment of song, the wondering gaze of the shepherds and the scrutinizing eyes of the wise men of the East. Then men learned the secret of it all— GOD HAD COME HIMSELF in the person of His Son to offer the world a plan of world-wide redemption upon the simplest and easiest terms consistent with so great an offer, made by so tremendous a sacri¬ fice, and, strange to relate, the Christ devoted almost as much time and suffering in trying to explain the SIMPLICITY of the plan as he did to unfold the plan itself. Two thousand years have rolled by, years filled with discussion, heavy with self-imposed bur¬ dens, wet with tears and stained by blood chiefly because, whilst God is all for simplicity, but man moves toward complexity. Truth is always plain, but man’s interpretations are involved. Christ is all justice and mercy. His professed followers are too often unjust and cruel. God is ready to forgive, man will not bury the hatchet. True Christianity is Service, mankind is selfish. Christ, for the good of His great cause, surrendered every¬ thing ; we will not surrender, not even our pre¬ conceived ideas, to the will of God- The great question before Protestantism to-day is this: 77 SHALL WE UNITE FOR SELF-PRESERVATION AND THE WORLD'S REDEMPTION ? Remember, we are not asking this question. It is being put squarely up to the Church by a suffering humanity, weary of waiting for the dawn of a brighter and better day. How can we resist the appeal of a war-stricken world for the best we can give it in its struggle to regain prosperity and peace; we tremble to think that the millions who died on the battle¬ field and those other millions who, maimed and blind, people the earth, were sacrificed in vain, and that having sown to the wind we are reap¬ ing the whirlwind. But sadder still is the re¬ flection that these newly made graves, these blighted hopes and falling tears, these sight¬ less eyes, this despairing world turns to the Church and pleads in vain for a new hope and a renewed life. Not all the councils, conferences or diplo¬ mats of the world can hold back the storm gathering in the Far East and which is travel¬ ing due West. We have yet to learn in sorrow that civilization does not civilize, precepts do not save and truth becomes sounding brass and tinkling symbols unless supported by ex¬ ample; that as a factory is known by the kind of goods it places on the markets, so the 78 Church will only be known by the character of its work and the unity of its power in doing it. Unless we can accompany our governments by the efforts of a united Christendom and •/ demonstrate that what we offer the East has saved the West, our Western civilization will never capture the world for Christ. The solu¬ tion of many of the world problems is in the affirmative answer of the great question which confronts the Church. IX UNITY THERE IS PERFECT STRENGTH AND COMPLETE VICTORY History affirms this, human progress has demonstrated it, experience has taught it and big business has illustrated it. What is more, the Church knows it. Strange to say, we have been preaching it for two thousand years, yet how sparingly we have practiced it. Here and there we have tried the experiment, if such it can be called. Now the hour has come for a whole-hearted adoption of these methods to save ourselves and to redeem hu¬ manity. It will mean sacrifice, it will call for self- abnegation, it will result in our ‘'looking less upon our own things and more upon the things of others.” It may wrench our minds and 79 torture our thoughts a little. It will cause a new language to spring up in our conversa¬ tion, one with the other. “Our Church” will give place to “the Church.” “Isms” will be forgotten in the presence of “communion and fellowship.” Creeds will count for little and character will be supreme. Opinions will not count for much when principles are at stake, and, like the ship described by Kipling in one of his poems, the Church will have found itself in the harmonious working of all its parts and will settle down to the rhythm produced by conscious unified power. We are not pleading for the overthrow of anything which has earned the right to remain. We dare not suggest the sacrifice of one thought which has had its origin in the mind of God. We plead for no surrender impos¬ sible to be made. But in the presence and name of Him who thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made Himself of no repu¬ tation, we do plead with the disunited forces of Christendom to cast from them those things which are keeping one communion out of real vital fellowship with the other. To overthrow this intangible SOMETHING which ob¬ scures the presence of the CHRIST, retards the coming of His Kingdom and hinders hu- 80 man progress from reaching its highest ambi¬ tion to be One, as the Son and the Father are One. THE CHURCH OF TOMORROW We have pictured it and boasted about it for half a century but, like tomorrow itself, the church of tomorrow has not materialized. But it must and it will come. It cannot be too often stated that even the OVER¬ THROW OF PROTESTANTISM would not mean the FAILURE OF CHRIS¬ TIANITY, for it is self-evident that the one is the imperfect and distorted symbol of the other. At no great distant period of the world’s history we shall see not another institution but a rebuilt Christian Church adapted to the growing and increasing needs of progress and advancement all down the ages. Of this we are sure: the Gospel and its Auther have kept pace with every century, met the demands of every epoch, supplied the needs of every soul, clear down to our own times, and there is no condition of civilization of which we can dream in which God is likely to fail us, or, as the hymn expresses it: 81 “earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot HEAL” The church of tomorrow must take its stand upon what Gladstone aptly termed “The IMPREGNABLE ROCK OF HOLY SCRIPTURE,” and not upon the shifting foundations of human opinions and creeds. Its super-structure must be built according to what Phillips Brooks so beautifully de¬ scribed as “THE PATTERN SEEN IN THE MOUNT.” It must have central or¬ ganization in the place of separate and dis¬ tinct powers, by which all its resources of men and millions may be marshalled like the ONE GREAT BODY AND FORCE IT SHOULD BE , so that in epoch-making periods of history it can take its place as a moulder of opinion and a creator of condi¬ tions for the safety of mankind. It must have a leadership great and good enough, devout and spiritual enough to con¬ stitute a Supreme Authority to which its ad¬ herents will yield willingly and loving al¬ legiance. It must adopt a creed as broad as the Gos¬ pel, as liberal as the mind of God and as charitable as the mind of Christ, permitting 82 of one interpretation, consistent with the will of the Father. It must redeem the time already lost in protest and dissension by diving deeper into the UNDERWORLD OF SIN and demon¬ strating that it is able and willing to carry the Gospel to every creature. It must cause the lie to die upon the lips of its critics, when they sav that Christianity is a failure. It must raze to the ground every wall big¬ otry has built up. It must rend again the veil which separates the living church from dying men. It must restore to its ministry that de¬ voutness, frankness, boldness, humility and faith which characterized it in apostolic days and which will again liberate it from time, service, fear or fatality. It must somehow impress the world with the idea that it is dead in earnest, desperately anxious and positively determined to place the standard of the Cross above every emblem of power and prowess. With such a Church, and such a type of Christianity, we might hope to see again re¬ productions of men like Paul and Luther, Spurgeon and Brooks, men who may have thought much of creeds but more of Christ, who were Princes in the Church, but who were also heirs of a great Kingdom. 83 With such a Church we may not have as many handshaking and card-signing conver¬ sions, but we shall witness innumerable lives “transformed into the image of the Christ.” We shall not have as much song singing, but we shall see more men living in sweet harmony with the Divine will. With the coming of such a Church, there will be “one fold and one shepherd” one great purpose and peace will wrap humanity around like a mantle of glory for the Church will have put on her beautiful garments. Are we willing to make the sacrifice, pay the price and live the life for such a tomorrow and such a CHURCH? CAN PROTESTANTISM BE OVERTHROWN ? If we mistake for Protestantism the funda¬ mentals, the eternal verities of Divine Truth or any part of that Gospel essential to human redemption, we answer, No!—easier to over¬ throw the Pyramids or Alps! Or, if we mean churches which furnish dif¬ ferent fields of activity and Christian service adapted to the varied needs of communities and people, neither can these be dispensed with, at least, not so long as social conditions remain as they are. 84 Certainly, Christianity is in no danger of overthrow, since it is the only hope of the world, and its Founder the “WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE” by which every soul attains its final destiny. WHAT, THEN, MUST BE SACRIFICED? We must discard the name and the weak¬ ness of that institution which came into being at a time when the Church as it then existed needed purification and reform, an institution which has served the purpose for which it was founded, but in doing so has often strewn its pathway with thorns and thistles, instead of the beauty and fragrance of Love. We must fling from us any name or creed, preju¬ dice or bigotry which will dismember THE CHURCH, the Body of Christ. We must conserve the time, energy, wealth and faith of the Church by coordinating them into one great central force to carry out the avowed aims of Christianity. We must stop protest¬ ing against differences which do not exist or, which, if they do exist, are not opposed to the fundamental principles of faith. We must seek after and establish leadership capable of commanding the respect and loyalty of a UNITED CHURCH. A United Kingdom 85 which, having had its rise in the thought of God, will find its consummation in the WORLD’S REDEMPTION. A THRILLING SIGHT ON THE OCEAN Returning from Europe last August, aboard the Acquitania, as we were nearing the States, I had just left the dining saloon on my way to an upper deck, when a lady, my companion at table, ran toward me, ex¬ claiming, “Have you seen it? Hurrying to the bow of the vessel where a hundred persons stood gazing toward the horizon, I saw the sun in the form of a disk several feet in diameter just beginning to dip its rim into the ocean; above it were clouds, shaded and tinted with all the colors of the rainbow; even as it then appeared it w r as a wonderful sight. But, in a few moments, as the twilight deep¬ ened, this great ball of fire gradually and gracefully descended into the depths below, and above it the clouds and mists formed them¬ selves into fantastic shapes for miles on either side, then broke up into huge masses, like hills and mountains of varied colored rocks; gradually rivers and streams appeared, spanned by natural bridges of cloud amid a 86 background of mist. Nor was this all; under¬ neath these bridges and upon what seemed thrones hewn out of the rock sat statues of men resembling the patriarchs of old, with their long beards and graceful mantles dyed in colors of eastern splendor by the sun’s rays. I had just seen those masterpieces of art in the National Gallery in London, and the Louvre in Paris. I had also in other years witnessed many sunsets on the ocean, but I had beheld nothing like this before. We watched it with increasing interest for the space of half an hour as it gradually faded away into indis¬ tinctness. Turning to my companion I re¬ marked: ‘T have never seen anything like this before and probably we shall never witness anything just like it again.” Others turned away in tears. It had stirred the depths and the fountain had overflown. As for myself, I sought the nearest vacant deck chair and remained immersed in thought. Here was a great central force called the SUN, without which light, heat and life would be extinct. In itself the beginning and end of material life and happiness, surrounded by a thousand fantastic shapes and vaporous things, emblazoned and enriched by shades and colors. All with the appearance of reality 87 and durability. It was the necessary setting for the central force and power, but it was all transient, it had all melted away, or perhaps it had been absorbed by the great force itself. The sun was there, it had never failed us and it never w r ould. The real power and lasting beauty was in the sun and it would be seen •/ again. TRUTH IS THE ABIDING THING The mind of man in contact with truth draws from it every shade of coloring, every fantastic idea, every creed and doctrine, out of which he builds ideals, and sets them upon the thrones of his imagination and emotion, some of which appear real and substantial for a season, and for a while the picture seems complete, satisfactory, even grand, but, to the open minded, thoughtful soul, these are but the SETTING FOR TRUTH ITSELF. As we study them and as we are about to grasj) them, they fade away into the profound depths of Divine Wisdom and are forgotten in the presence of the TRUTH which makes men free. We need not apologize here for repeating what has been said so often before, which needs constant reiteration: Forms are no real 88 part of Faith, Bigotry has no place rightful in Christianity. The spirit of protesting against non-essentials represents lost time and lost motion. Placing the emphasis upon sectarian¬ ism and denominationalism is inconsistent with Christ’s plan of a World-Kingdom. And the World to-day is famishing and dying, not only for a “little bit of Love,” but for a larger portion of TRUTH, the whole Truth and NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. WHAT PROMINENT DENOMINATIONAL LEADERS ARE SAYING Next to the discussion of the Great World War, no subject has stirred the depths of men’s souls like the one we are considering. The great leaders of the church are thinking and they are thinking deeply and earnestly about the future of Protestantism and it is well that they should, for the future status of Christianity has more to do with human wel- fare and destiny than all the wars of modern or ancient times. One of the greatest minds in the English pulpit remarks, “If Germany, by preaching one idea so persistently for forty years, could create a general consciousness of national solidarity for predatory purposes, cannot the 89 servants of Christ begin to work with conse¬ crated determination to create a spiritual solidarity which will destroy hate and superim¬ pose the Kingdom of God upon the ruins of a materialistic civilization ?” A prominent Educator in one of the most progressive denominations, declares, “There is a widespread feeling that a denomination is everything which it SHOULD NOT BE and nothing which it should be. They told us in England last summer that the American denominational churches were less capable of true social thinking than the State churches of England.” Now, why should this be, unless it is because they do not think, act and move together? Not necessarily thinking alike, but without conflict and discord. A writer in one of our leading church maga¬ zines states, that “Protestantism is emerging from its ‘doldrums,’ that denominationalism went to seed in ‘sectarianism;’ men glorified narrowness and called it liberty; we fear Protestantism has been victimized by its own name.” Significant, indeed, are the words of one of the foremost men in modern church life, who says: “Our various denominations and sects arose largely from the demand for freedom, 90 and through much suffering we have found this freedom. We are now recognizing as denominations, however, that the highest free¬ dom we possess, may he the freedom to give up some of our freedom for the sake of the common good.” . . . For the past cen¬ tury or two we have been largely building up denominationalism and now we have discov¬ ered the truth of the words of Jesus: u He that saveth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for my sake and the Gospel’s shall save it” . . . One of the most startling discov¬ eries we have made is that we have been so sadly and thoughtlessly wasteful. Then this writer, who is perhaps, more than any other man, familiar with the entire field of Protestantism, proceeds to relate instances of hundreds of communities, with hundreds of thousands of population, without Protestant churches, whole counties without adequate re¬ ligious services, and again, other communities where churches are overlapping each other. “In hundreds of towns other churches are struggling for a competitive existence.” LET US TRY CHRISTIANITY FOR A CHANGE Such an appeal may seem to border upon sacrilege, but if the reader will reflect for a 91 moment, it will be seen that the world has never yet put Christianity to a fair test. We frequently hear it said that “Christianity is on trial,” but as someone has said “this is sheer nonsense.” Every known device, every human agency, every theory and practice, however remotely akin to Christianity, has been tried upon a patient and perishing world, but the teachings of Christ as they fell from H is lips, in all their simplicity and purity, have seldom had the right of way unless ob¬ scured by the deflections and interpretations of men. Bernard Shaw once said, speaking from an English pulpit, “There never has been more than one real Christian and the world crucified Him.” Following the war, he remarked that he hoped the nations might be persuaded to “try Christianity for a change.” 92 I F THE WORLD IS EVER TO ATTAIN A MEASURABLE DEGREE OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY, SECURING TO THE RACE A MORE IDEAL SOCIAL ORDER, IT MUST COME THROUGH THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE GREAT PRINCIPLES OF A DIVINELY INSPIRED FAITH. C AN THE DIVIDED AND RIVAL INSTITU¬ TIONS OF PROTESTANTISM SUCCESS¬ FULLY OFFER THIS SORELY NEEDED POWER TO A WAR-WRECKED WAITING WORLD? T his question has resolved itself INTO A VEXED PROBLEM. ITS FAVOR¬ ABLE SOLUTION WOULD BE AN EPOCH- MAKING EVENT IN HUMAN HISTORY AND WOULD ADVANCE CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION A THOUSAND YEARS. CHAPTER V HOW CAN WE SECURE THE KIND OF UNITY WE NEED? THE QUEST OF UNITY HE most common mistake being made concerning this matter of obtaining prac¬ tical unity among the Churches of Chris¬ tendom is that we think of it as something which can he imposed upon the Churches by some organization or body of men who have discovered its utility as a “binder” by which we may be bound together for more efficient and united work. Such an idea carries with it the elements of its own failure and must be discarded, if real unity is to be effected. Unity is a condition of HEART, MIND AND BODY which must spring out of the deep soil of conscious relationship of man with God and man with his fellow men. The unity by which man¬ kind is brought into fellowship with Christ springs out of two simple but sublime utter¬ ances of which He Himself is the Author, “I come to do Thy will O God,” and, “I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” Until the Church is saturated with the life-giving power of these sentiments, until it places these thoughts above doctrine, creed and denomina¬ tional preferences, we can never hope for real unity. w 97 Unity is not merely cooperation nor does it always follow that where there is cooperation there is also unity; certainly not that degree of unity the world is demanding of Christianity. It is quite possible to conceive of a number of Churches in a certain community cooperating together for commendable purposes and the common good of the locality and yet these Churches may remain in a state of utter indif- ference to the higher and more spiritual aims of their respective bodies. Gratifying in¬ deed is such a condition of cooperation. It is a long stride in the right direction, but it is not unity such as we long to see and for which the Church is pleading. WE MUST BEGIN WITH LOVE OR END IN FAILURE Drummond was right when he said “Love is the greatest thing in the world.” It is also the greatest harmonizer and humanizer in the world. It is the only thing which will bring us into and keep us in harmony with God and the only force that will produce an ideal human relationship, “man with man.” This “great thing” will find a wide and fruitful field in the realm of endeavor to bring about Church unity. If the Churches really love the world and are seeking to redeem it they will stop at no reasonable sacrifice to accom- 98 plish that end. It might be interesting to set down here some of the things which could be surrendered for the common good of the Kingdom; but, why should we do this? Every denomination, so called, has some excess bag¬ gage, some unnecessary antiquated armor, some impediment even to its own progress, which might be dispensed with for the good of humanity and for the sake of unity. But it may be affirmed that love already exists among the Churches; that hatred, bigotry and prejudice no longer exists among men of different creeds. Whilst we would gladly concede such a claim, yet we doubt if its universality could be established. Is it not nearer the truth to say that in many cases these conditions have given place to INDIF¬ FERENCE? to a cold, chilling atmosphere? an ecclesiastical diplomacy which is harder to thaw out than the old frozen condition of big- otrv? Unitv will never thrive in such a tern- «/ perature, it must have the warm, embracing atmosphere of love before it will even take root, much less blossom into life. Here then is where the stupendous task of securing a real unity must begin, in the crea¬ tion of a new atsmosphere of Christian fellow¬ ship in ALL the Churches of Christendom. 99 THE MIND OF THE MASTER Having created a different atmosphere, the thought of the Church will be changed, it will become more sympathetic, more liberal, not to the point of dissipation, but in the direction of tolerance and breadth. The thought of the average Church is already sufficiently liberal in the sense of being worldly, for this very reason it seems to us that it has lost much of its sympathetic touch with humanity and by this, we do not mean material helpfulness or benevolence officially rendered, but thought¬ fulness and pity toward the needy. The mind of the Master is the “mind that was in Christ Jesus” and is the only condition of mind the churches have any right to pos¬ sess. Anything in the mind of the Church foreign to “HIS MIND” is bound to result disastrously to Christianity. When we have once discovered how Christ would act, what He would do and what He would sacrifice for the sake of UNITY, then we are on the threshold of real cooperation and service. The next step will bring us to our goal. Glancing over the field of Christian activity, facing the pressing needs and deepening anguish of the world to-day, it is impossible to think that Christ would permit the method 100 of administering an ordinance, the difference in the interpretation of a text, a certain method of government or the choice of a ritual to stand for centuries in the pathway leading to unity and cooperation in the redemption of the human race. Even when He was inaugu¬ rating His Kingdom and commissioning His disciples, at a moment when, of all times in the history of His Church, it was supremely important that every eventuality should be provided for, He made His gospel so simple, His commission so devoid of unnecessary limi¬ tations, that its simplicity and universality has always been the wonder of the world. If we want to get a clear idea of the condition of the Church of the twentieth century we have only to set the SIMPLICITY of the Kingdom as Christ established it, over against the COM¬ PLEXITY of the doctrines and creeds of Christendom to-day. LOOK AT THE SERVICE OF THE MASTER MIND To a greater degree than that of any merely human benefactor, the mind of Christ not only worked toward ideas but these ideas re¬ sulted in service. ‘T am among you as one that serveth” and the glory of that service was displayed in sacrifice. See the things He gave 101 up ill order that He might give. The list is a long one, but the beginning and the end of His career will illustrate the whole program of His life of sacrifice. He commenced by giving up a kingdom. He ended by surren¬ dering His life, and between these two su¬ preme sacrifices He lived a life of self-abnega¬ tion to give to the world the very Church which w r e have dismembered by self gratifica¬ tion. If the Church of to-day had in a greater and more perfect degree the mind of the Master it would not be as it is often called “a house divided against itself.” It would unite upon the fundamentals upon which the Church was first founded, it would put first things first, it would confine itself to the limitations of the gospel and by so doing be as broad as its Founder. If the Church is here for service, then it is also here to sacrifice. The world has given to the Church vast treasures of thought, devo¬ tion, talent and wealth. Now in the greatest crisis of her history, the world has a right to demand that the Church shall GIVE UP SOME THINGS in order that these great endowments may not be lost and that sacri¬ fice may not have been made in vain. 102 UNITY IN COOPERATION We have noticed that the harmonious rela¬ tions of heart and mind are important factors in producing unity, but in a world of active forces like ours they do not present a com¬ plete unity capable of dealing with the prob¬ lems of life. Only by the cooperation of heart, can we secure the unity which is needed in the churches; these three are capable of rendering service and when thor¬ oughly coordinated they are able to render the highest service. Men have tried all kinds of experiments in the realm of service. Some have given the world hearts as responsive to suffering and as sympathetic toward misfortune as hearts could ever be, but because they lacked mental capacity to direct these sympathies and to re¬ move the cause of these sufferings they have accomplished little. Others have combined great hearts with strong mental cooperation, but for want of the disposition or ability to exert physical energy they have failed in the little they have attempted. But the men of every age who have combined the love of their hearts, the strength of their minds and the personal effort of their lives in service have mind and body 103 stood out as the greatest benefactors of their race. It is this kind of unity which will express itself in cooperation; in other words, our atti¬ tude toward our fellows will determine the quality and the measure of our unity. I think that the reader will agree with us that before there can be real and effective unity among the churches of Christendom we must put our¬ selves in the right attitude toward each other. What should this attitude be? At the outset we must regard every church having in common with ourselves the same fundamental belief and faith, who for instance accept the Fatherhood of God, the Divine Sonship of Christ, the supreme authority of the Scriptures, the ordinances of the New Testament and the Divine origin of the Church, as fellow Christians, belonging to one Fold, having one Shepherd and one great mis¬ sion in the world. We must show toward each other a love which cannot be questioned and we must place in each other a faith that cannot be shaken. Bevond the bounds of these fundamentals we must acknowledge that there is a realm of 104 personal freedom to be enjoyed by every church consistent with the higher claims which the essential things of faith have imposed. We must make it clear to the outsider and to the world at large that this attitude is sincere, springing out of a passionate desire to help answer the prayer of the Christ “that they all may be one.” This will open wide THE DOOR OF OP¬ PORTUNITY for a kind and degree of co¬ operation such as the Church has never had before and will place Christianity in a position of strength and power where she can offer to all a gospel and a religion which will win and hold the confidence of mankind. Such an attitude will release the stored up energies of the Christian world, it will broad¬ cast the influence of Christianity over the earth, it will facilitate every movement for righteousness, it will attract to the Churches the greatest hearts and the keenest minds, it will stabilize truth and cause it to assume its ancient power, it will give the Church the grandest uplift toward ideal Christianity that it has had in five hundred years. The Church has been praying for this, preaching about it and pleading for it for 10.5 nineteen centuries and now with the forces at hand, with the power promised from above, and with the accelerated movement of history, we ought to secure this blessing within a few decades. 106 CHAPTER VI THE WORLD IS READY FOR THE NEW DEPARTURE THE WORLD IS READY FOR THE NEW DEPARTURE W HATEVER we may have said con- cerning Protestantism, however we may view the conflicting denominations of Christendom, whatever changes may come with the cycling years, however many king¬ doms of thought may rise and fall, “we can find no fault in Him,” or in His TRUTH upon which the Church of Tomorrow is to rest and by which it will attain its consumma¬ tion and glory. Those inside the Church and the great masses of onlookers, who may have more or less suspicion concerning the future of Protestantism, are ready to follow any church, making an honest effort to keep step with HIM. THE TWO WEAKEST LINKS IN THE CHAIN OF DENOMINATION ALISM Every great epoch of human history is pre¬ ceded by a period of apathy, despair or pessi¬ mism calculated to chill the ardor of the most enthusiastic. It is not therefore surprising that human institutions espousing the cause of Christianity should have had similar experi¬ ences. For fifty years the Church has been making wonderful material gains, its power 109 which once resided in the pulpit and around the altar has gone forth in streams of benifi- cence, helpfulness and moral uplift to the re¬ motest parts of the world. It has sought to compete with science, art and literature. It has opened its doors wider and has kept them open to the throngs of pleasure seekers who have often turned to the sanctuary not only for worship but also for entertainment and amusement. It has adapted itself to every shade of life, in style of architecture, pulpit oratory, music and forms of worship. In times of national trial and emergency the Church has thrown its full power like an ava¬ lanche into the breach to prevent national and international defeat, at such times it has stood sponsor for vast benevolent enterprises into whose coffers it has cast its millions. That it is in general favor with the masses is admitted, for seldom is the Church ignored or slighted to-day as it was in the old days of boasted infi¬ delity, atheism and blatant abuse is also a thing of the past. What then are the conditions that alarm the student of Church history? Or, is it pessi¬ mism which has dulled our appreciation and are we walking the earth with green glasses which distort our vision? I do not for my part think so. I am convinced that there are 110 TWO OUTSTANDING FACTS which explain the unrest and are causing deep con¬ cern on the part of thinking people. The first is that the Protestant churches are not maintaining the high standards of Chris¬ tian teaching and living which the Christ imposes or that their creeds and Church dis¬ cipline calls for. We do not claim that there are not exceptions to the rule but that as a whole the standards of real vital Christian re¬ ligion are either being lowered to meet the modern standards of social life or that thev «/ are in many cases, utterly ignored. It must be remembered that when, as Protestants, we placed the Bible into the hands of all the people to be read and inter¬ preted according to their own understanding of it, we at the same time placed within their reach the means of sitting in judgment upon the Church; so that to-day people not only read and understand the Bible, or think they do, but by the light which flashes from the Word they look at the Church, scrutinize every part of its action and progress, and in that light they pronounce their verdict for or against it as it exists and operates in the world to-day. Thev take their Bibles and find that it calls attention to certain characteristics which dis- 111 tinguish a Christian, marks which cannot be mistaken, traits of character peculiar to Chris¬ tian men and women. It is also clear to them that there are certain mental and spiritual conditions under which a Christian ought to live, that there are also certain distinct virtues that blossom on the tree of a Christian life. Then they look at the men and women who compose the fellowship of the saints, and whilst they find many who are living epistles of what thev have read in their Bibles and many others who are striving toward the goal of ideal character, yet they know that the great masses of church people are living below the standards which, by an indulgent mistaken church, have been lowered to meet the require¬ ments of a life of indifference and selfishness. We shall never get the masses into the churches until we raise the standards again to the level of the teachings of Christ. We have deceived ourselves into thinking that our forebears were all wrong and dreadfully nar¬ row in maintaining standards of Christian living which seemed unapproachable and un¬ reasonable; but, we are now coming to know that human nature is the same the world over and in every age that the people must have and even demand high ideals, lofty principles to strive after and to attain to. 112 The kind of Christian teaching the world needs is that which put iron into the soul of Paul and caused him to exclaim, ‘‘Not as tho I had attained unto, but 1 press toward. 5 ’ A religion which we can slip into with perfect ease or that we can carry around without •/ conscious possession will never be rugged enough, attractive enough or sublime enough for the human race; it may at times please, but it will never redeem mankind. The second great fact is that people are be¬ coming more and more amazed and bewildered by the divided condition of Protestantism and the lack of uniformity even among churches of the same communion. This is true at home, but when we look at the foreign field it is not only true but it is pathetic. China, India and other countries are constantly reminding us through our missionaries that they want Christ and Christianity but they do not want so many varieties of Christians, so many different shades of belief. Christ, they are coming to love, but creeds they have come to hate. y %j And at home the people who have learned to read their Bibles are also reading news¬ papers, magazines, religious journals, even discussions upon great themes. They are looking around upon this great modern world of action and progress and are making discov- 113 eries. Not least among these is the discovery that the greatest, most enduring and helpful institutions of the world have become what they are by combination, cooperation and fed¬ eration. They are affiliating themselves with numerous orders, clubs, secret organizations, guilds; they are attending conventions, ban¬ quets, social functions of every kind, and are coming to feel that there is in these a fellow¬ ship, a brotherhood and helpfulness which it was once supposed could not be found outside the church. In many instances these institu¬ tions are taking the place of the church and, in fact, are actually doing more than a worldly minded church can ever hope to do for its members. PROTESTANT CHURCHES ARE IN DANGER OF BEING SUPPLANTED in the mind and sympathies of the masses unless they unite in one great holy order for the infusion of a new life and fellowship into the world which will mean more to the masses than anything they can obtain outside of her borders. We do not deplore or regret what the churches have done to minister to the social life of the world; but, we do believe that we are rapidly reaching a place where we shall see that we cannot successfully compete with 114 organizations of the world in this secular enterprise; that the mission and sphere of the church is and must be social; but it must also be supremely spiritual, and that it is high time that we were united upon the great plan of bringing the world to Christ and Christ to the world. It is from societies and orders, which in a sense are rivals of the church, that she has much to learn. But this is not the place to make comparisons, suffice it to say that the Church has always claimed a higher place in the thought and admiration of the races of mankind than the highest of these orders could ever hope to claim, and why? Simply because the church has set up its claim as a Divine institution with a Divine spiritual mission with a Leader whose gospel contains a perfect rule of life and plan of redemption. Once she sur¬ renders these claims or by expediency permits them to be questioned, she will prove herself unfaithful to her tradition and disloyal to her Christ. We must remember that Christianity is •/ more than an institution, that it is a kingdom; it is also a kingdom which is to be brought to this world. “Thy kingdom come,” is a uni¬ versal prayer, as it is also a universal desire; this kingdom is the spiritual presence and 115 power of Christ seeking to express itself to the world. There is no doubt that man has a social value, and that Christ intended to enhance that value by his Gospel, but the spiritual asset in man is the thing God is seeking, not only to enhance, but to perfect and glorify; this also is the supreme task of the Church in all the ages and in our age as much as in any. DREAMERS OF DREAMS WHICH MAY COME TRUE About a century and a quarter ago the world witnessed two of the greatest events in human history—the Revolution in France and •/ the Independence of the United States. What the average person saw in these two great movements must have been limited to the re¬ spective fields of action in which they took place and the immediate times in which they occurred; but, there were men on both sides of the Atlantic who, in their vision moments, di¬ vined the far-flung influence and the world¬ wide significance of those days of carnage and sacrifice. Among these again there were a few who seemed to have visions akin to those of the rugged prophet of the wilderness who feared nothing so much as moral weakness and who braved the face of kings. Returning from a protracted visit to the States during this great struggle, it was the 116 fortune of one of these prophets to be intro¬ duced into the presence of the King of Franee, Louis XVI. Fortune also brought him face to face with his King on the day following a rebellion in Paris which caused the streets of the city to flow with the blood of French- men. Standing in the embrasure of a window in the palace at Versailles, listening to the roar of cannons in Paris, these two men looked at each other in alarm with astonishment de¬ picted upon their faces. At last the King, having satisfied himself that he had before him no ordinary person, but a man of superior mind and keen discernment, turned and said: "Doctor, what do you understand by this re- hellion of my subjects in the fair city of Paris?” Looking Louis the Sixteenth full in the face, the Doctor replied: “Sire, this is not a rebellion—this is a REVOLUTION, and I see close at hand the day when France will be «/ a republic and at a more remote distance I can see that the whole of Europe will be¬ come a collection of UNITED STATES.” So far as France is concerned, events un¬ foreseen hastened the fulfillment of the first part of this prediction, but so far from the second part being possible of fulfillment the most optimistic statesman of the last century would have pronounced such a thing as 117 utopian and impossible. It remained for the events of the first two decades of the present century to lift the curtain, and present the first act in the drama of the ages, and if the first act is indicative of what may yet happen, this century may not close until we have witnessed the completion of the prophecy. We turn to the Revue de Geneve: “It is not difficult to discern even now the broad lines upon which the new era in Europe is in process of formation. The unity of the civilized human peoples, which was formerly known as the unitv of Christianity, is now re- placed by internationalism in science, in po¬ litical economy and in law. This is to be the basis of the future edifice put together by those who cooperate in peace rather than kill in war. There is no longer any possibility on the European Continent of the conquest or assimilation of one people by another. The interdependence of European countries is so complete that any break in it would bring on general disaster. So the question of ‘victors’ and of ‘vanquished’ is secondary and really has nothing to do with the new situation. It is All Europe which is ruined, and it is All Europe which, if it is to be restored, must be restored all of a piece. The chief element of the day after tomorrow in the political calen- 118 dar will be All Europe as One. There can be no doubt on this point. Unhappily, however, no European nation seems yet to have realized the fact. Imperialism and nationalism seem stronger than ever. There is no use in expect¬ ing any decisive remedy from the League of Nations and other similar trusteeships. As long as the minds of men refuse to be adapted to the new order of things, no reform from without can make any changes in the essential conditions of European affairs.” It is as unworthy as it is useless for us to •/ pass these quotations up and regard their dis¬ cussion as visionary. Seven years of history have taught us that the most undreamed of events may transpire i:i a world like ours, where international issues change overnight and where in a single day thrones have toppled and governments have been forced to change their character- Therefore, a new Europe and a united Europe may be expected to appear upon the scene of world action. WHAT HAS ALL THIS TO DO WITH MODERN CHRISTIANITY? We would answer, very much in every way. Whilst it may be true that in the past nation¬ alism and governments have had much to do 119 with the religions of the world, we can see that, for many years and especially during the great war, Christianity has pointed the way to a brighter future for mankind. It is also true that what is posing as Christianity in every form of denominationalism has been on trial before a despairing and waiting world. Every country is asking for Christ and the Christi- anity contained in His simple PROGRAM FOR WORLD REDEMPTION. I ven¬ ture to say that the world as a whole cares little or nothing about the different brands of Chris¬ tianity or the labels these brands bear, hut the world is hungry and thirsty for the “bread and water of life.” The condition and need of mankind to-dav is the greatest challenge the Church has ever confronted. It calls for another surrender of the will of man to the will of God. It is lead¬ ing all good Christians into the “GETH- SEMANE OF SACRIFICE AND SER¬ VICE.” A divided Christendom can no more win out in this her supreme task than a divided army could win the great war. Christianity is what this new world needs, but it will not take over any excess baggage, such as denominationalism, sectarianism, protesta¬ tions and hair-splitting machinery. It will ask 120 and demand the fruits of a living faith, such as love, peace, brotherhood and cooperation. I am assuming that the reader believes that as a religion Christianity holds first place among the religions of the world. If this is true, then it is our dutv to rid it of all com- plexity, human weaknesses and prejudice, all the sins which so easily weakens it and give it to the world as it came forth from its Founder. 121 CHAPTER VII WHAT CHRISTIAN UNITY HAS ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED THE UNION THAT ALREADY EXISTS A T intervals during the last nineteen cen¬ turies various attempts have been made to effect union among the churches; therefore, the idea is not new. Many of these efforts have been made for political reasons, some of them for both social and political reasons, but such attempts have been alike in this respect only, that they have failed, and for the very plain reason that temporal gov¬ ernments never have been able to bring order out of religious chaos, nor has the church been able to do much to aid the political ambitions of the world. The onlv valuable contribution made thus far to real union among the churches is that represented in the Federal Council of Churches in America, organized in 1908, with a federation of more than thirty evangelical denominations. The personnel of this impor¬ tant body is composed of the most representa¬ tive and consecrated leaders in the thirty de- •j nominations composing the Federation. Be¬ sides these, there are commissions and commit¬ tees directing every kind of cooperative work in the cities and towns where such efforts are acceptable and possible. 125 In communities where the activities of the Council are welcomed, it has been found that its existence is as helpful to the city in social and religious work as a chamber of commerce is to the commercial life of the community. It has been demonstrated that the social activities of all the churches affiliated have been greatly increased and strengthened. This great institution, which has brought to light a new and practical method of rallying the combined forces of Christendom, does not attempt to force its views upon any group of churches; but, by a spirit of helpfulness and earnest cooperation with these bodies, it seeks to point the way to a union of effort for the betterment of the masses. It would appear that the Federal Council does not seek to disturb the old order or change the distinctive characteristics of any church, but it does endeavor to unite them all in con¬ stant purpose to meet the growing needs of the community for social and moral uplift. In its conferences held from time to time in large cities it has discussed such matters as Christian Education, United Evangelism, Social Serv¬ ice, Race Relations in America, International Justice and Goodwill, Laws Relating to the Betterment of the Social Order, and its Re¬ lationship with Churches of Other Lands. 126 These, however, are only a few of the im¬ portant matters coming under the considera¬ tion of the Council which operates through the representatives of the churches of the denomi¬ nations included in the Federation. The Council is made up of four hundred members, elected by the denominational assemblies. It meets every four years. The agencies cooper¬ ating are a Mission Council, a Council of Women for Missions, the Federation Wo¬ men’s Boards for Foreign Missions, the Sun¬ day School Council, the International Council of the Y. M. C. A., the National Board of the Y. W. C. A., the American Bible Society, etc., etc. So far the Council has not sought finan¬ cial aid from denominational treasuries. The reader may gain some idea of the vast scope of the work done by the Federal Council of Churches from the fact that the Annual Report of its varied activities is contained in a volume of 160 pages. In the comparatively few years of its exist¬ ence the Federal Council has met with great favor among the churches of the world. This fact together with its phenomenal growth has demonstrated the great need which existed, and still exists, for efforts like this. If, as we believe, the time is ripe for a more intensive cultivation of unity among the 127 churches of Christendom; then, it will be cheerfully acknowledged that the Federal Council has prepared the soil for the larger acreage and greater harvest it is hoped will he reaped. It is a well known fact that the most loval workers in the held are not satisfied with what has been accomplished. They feel that what lias been done has dispersed the fog only to reveal the deeper needs of the world for unity. The writer has before him a letter from one of our foremost thinkers and a man who has devoted much of his great ministry to the advancement of the cause of unity among the churches. He savs, “We have not done all that one might wish to do; it takes many years to get a great enterprise on its feet—the Fed¬ eral Council has begun to come into its own, any new effort would require a quarter of a century—we must seek new light in the direc¬ tion in which we are going.” We hasten to agree with this writer. No new enterprise is necessary. Perhaps there could not be found a better organization through which to carry forward this work than the existing one. What we believe is that the intervening years and the changed conditions of the world have created larger demands upon the consciences of mankind everywhere, 128 and that these demands must be met at any cost or sacrifice if we are to face the future with hands free from the stain of gross neglect of our fellow men. So far as the time limit is concerned, what are twenty years in the onward march of civili- zation? We haye carried many of these bur- «/ dens and handicaps for nearly twenty centu¬ ries, we can certainly afford to wait a few more decades to be delivered of them, if the star of hope only glimmers above our heads. That more light and power is needed is evi¬ dent from the fact that comparatively few of the leaders of religious thought are conversant with the work carried on by the Federal Coun- cil; there are whole communities and millions of American church members who do not know of the existence of such an organization or who are not familiar with its mode of oper¬ ation. This is not the fault of the Council but is largely due to the fact that it does its work through the ministry and the ministers do not for various reasons acquaint their con¬ gregations with its scope and influence. For this reason a way must be found to bring the masses of the people into familiar relations with the IDEA OF UNITY for it is to the mass sentiment of the people we must 129 look for the bringing this idea of unity into its own. The Federal Council claims for itself that it is simply a means to an end. Now what is that end? Results, so far, have shown that great things have been accomplished by way of cooperation, which is largely stressed, and justly so; but how much real unity does this cooperation result in? It cannot be main¬ tained that where there is cooperation there is also unity; it simply does not always follow. There may be other and good motives for cooperation which may not assure any great degree of spiritual unity. It seems to us that the spirit of unity is one thing and that united cooperation is something different. The one is the assuming of certain obligations, the other may demand the sur¬ render of certain ideas or beliefs for the good of the greatest number. It is doubtless true that the constant doing of a certain thing in unison will suggest ideal unity, but it cannot produce it. The world is full of instances where men of different religions, and of opposite political parties, have gone into partnership in business and have achieved success, but have never be¬ come reconciled to each other’s religious con¬ victions or political views. As a matter of bus- 130 iness this may pass muster or as expediency, but it is unity only as it relates to the outer rim of life. Unity with God and our fellow men must mean a heart-to-heart fellowship and an agree¬ ment upon fundamental truths which are di¬ vinely calculated to produce results in cooper¬ ation springing from love. The great fact to be taken into account is this. When the Federal Council commenced its important task in 1908, the walls of sepa¬ ration between the churches were as a rule so thick that it was impossible or unwise to attempt to break through them, therefore the Council did the only thing a wise organization could do; it worked around the outside and succeeded in bringing about cooperation around the churches. But subsequent events and the Great War have made breaches here and there in the walls and now we are able to work inward and we believe the time has ar¬ rived when we can do the work most urgently needed. That task is nothing less than a cam¬ paign for a union which will result in a united Christendom. 131 THE AIMS OF THE FEDERAL COUNCIL I. “TO EXPRESS THE FELLOWSHIP AND CATHOLIC UNITY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. .II “TO BRING THE CHRISTIAN BODIES OF AMERICA INTO UNITED SERVICE FOR CHRIST AND THE WORLD. III. “TO ENCOURAGE DEVOTIONAL FEL¬ LOWSHIP AND MUTUAL COUNSEL CON¬ CERNING THE SPIRITUAL LIFE AND RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES OF THE CHURCHES. IV. “TO SECURE A LARGER COMBINED IN¬ FLUENCE FOR THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN ALL MATTERS AFFECTING THE MORAL AND SOCIAL CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE, SO AS TO PROMOTE THE APPLICATION OF THE LAW OF CHRIST IN EVERY RELATION OF HUMAN LIFE. V. “TO ASSIST IN THE ORGANIZATION OF LOCAL BRANCHES OF THE FEDERAL COUNCIL TO PROMOTE ITS AIMS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.” THE FOLLOWING DENOMINATIONS AND SOCIE¬ TIES ARE ALREADY AFFILIATED WITH THE FEDERAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES I Baptist Churches, North National Baptist Convention Free Baptist Churches Christian Church Churches of God in North America (Gen¬ eral Eldership) Congregational Churches Disciples of Christ Society of Friends Evangelical Synod of North America Evangelical Association Methodist Episcopal Church Methodist Episcopal Church, South African Methodist Episcopal Church African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Colored Methodist Episcopal Church Methodist Protestant Church Moravian Church Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. Primitive Methodist Church Commission on Christian Unitv of the Pro- testant Episcopal Church Reformed Church in America Reformed Church in the U. S. Reformed Episcopal Church 134 Seventh Day Baptist Church United Brethren United Evangelical Church United Presbyterian Church Home Mission Councils Council of Women for Home Missions Federation of Woman’s Boards of Foreign Missions of North America Council of Church Boards of Education Sunday School Council of Evangelical De¬ nominations American Bible Society International Committee of the Y. M. C. A. National Board of the Y. W. C. A. 135 CHAPTER VIII THE GREATEST QUESTION OF OUR AGE. CAN WE ALL GET TOGETHER? CAN WE ALL GET TOGETHER? I N the following pages it is not proposed to record the history of any church or to write a history of the churches, but to pre¬ sent in as brief a form as possible what we con¬ ceive to be the greatest and the most pressing question before the world to-day. If the reader does not agree with us we think that it is because he has not properly weighed and estimated human events and the distressing needs of the race, or perhaps it is because having settled down into a comfortable condi¬ tion of mind and body himself, he thinks that the rest of the world is in the same condition, or at least should be. But the man of vision who is not living to himself and does not “look upon his own things but upon the things of others, who is taking a world-view of history and is getting a world vision, is beginning to ask to what these events are leading?” Fifty years ago the nations of the world were so far apart that it was found necessary to employ all the arts and sciences, even re¬ ligion to bring them together. To-day these very things have brought us together in such close proximity and common interests that the danger no longer lies in isolaton but in 139 complexity of interests. It is not a question as to bow the nations of the world may be brought together, hut rather, HOW CAN WE LIVE TOGETHER? Ten years ago we had half a score of thriv¬ ing commonwealths that were able to feed and foster the weaker countries in their movements toward a higher civilization. To-day, because of the ravages of war, these principal nations have been reduced to the verge of bankruptcy and are themselves in need of help. A decade ago universal peace was the slogan of all great powers and the supreme hope of Christendom; it was felt that we were moving toward it by easy stages and that within the limits of a few years, war with all its brutality would become history before which another generation would blush in shame. To-day we have just emerged from the most gigantic struggle of the ages, the horrors of which are so terrifying that the par¬ ticipants cannot find fitting words in which to express their shame and surprise that the world should have sunk so low. But what is more appalling is the fact that the thirst for blood has been revived and that it is to be feared it will be some time before it is slacked; that we have not yet paid the full price of our folly. 140 But the most appalling spectacle of all is that the great CHURCH, whose mission it is to bring “Peace on Earth and good will among men” is found without sufficient power in this day of her supreme opportunity and is unable to present a UNITED FRONT either to prevent the ravages of war or to heal the wounded nations after war is over. We have proclaimed from our altars that there is no other light, no other name, no other truth or salvation for men and nations where¬ by they can be saved except Christianity; yet, we are robbing this great religion of its power by dividing its forces into helpless and hope¬ less factions rendering it inefficient so far as the doing of great things is concerned. But the past is gone forever. The great lesson the Church of Christ has before it is PREPAREDNESS. If it is thought by some wise to prepare against those conditions which bring misery and wretchedness, then it is certainly the supreme wisdom of the Church to prepare against a recurrence of these con¬ ditions. This can only be done by a united effort and this united effort can only be suc¬ cessfully made by ALL THE CHRIS¬ TIAN CHURCHES OF THE WORLD BECOME ONE. 141 If I were asked what was the greatest single human agency needed to accomplish this great task, I should unhesitatingly answer INFOR¬ MATION, knowledge, not only of our church but of all churches, especially of those with which we think we have the greatest reason for differing. I venture the assertion that if the average church member would study the origin, organization, history, doctrines and aims of the church against which they may hold the greatest prejudice, it would remove a large percentage of that feeling of prejudice and in many cases it would lead to a working basis for fellowship and cooperation. Of course this information must come from reliable sources. We must not he content with what a denomination is said to believe or what its enemies choose to report that it does believe, we must get inside information from those who have become a part of the organization we are investigating. One of the saddest reflections haunting our minds, is that there are millions of devoted Christians who, in this modern age, read their Bibles, the daily paper and perhaps a local church paper which reports little or nothing beyond the narrow limits of their own denomi¬ nation, we know also that there are thousands of ministers whose training, libraries and 142 studies seldom lead them far enough afield to acquaint them with the far-reaching activities of the great systems of religion in this and other parts of the world. It is these conditions, this lack of informa¬ tion concerning other churches than our own, that is largely responsible for the lack of in¬ terest in this greatest question of the age. But it may be urged that people were never so well informed as they are to-day. I am afraid that this statement will not bear investi¬ gation. It is doubtless true that we have never had so much of every kind of news served up to us; but, does this news inform us, does it provide exact information? With all their reading can the masses of the people be said to be informed? Xews is one thing; informa¬ tion is another and a very different thing. When we go to the “Information Bureau” to ascertain the time of a departing or incoming train, it will profit us nothing for the agent to tell us a lot of things about railroads and trains in general. What we want is the exact data concerning the matter in question. What the masses of church members need to cultivate unity among the churches is information which will inform them concerning the other churches so that they can discover the points 143 of agreement and the common ground upon which Unity may he effected. THE CHURCHES OF CHRISTENDOM CAN GET TO¬ GETHER IF THEY WANT TO It may at first seem impossible, eyen utopian to suggest such a program for the churches, but the institution which has ac¬ cepted from the Christ its commission to re¬ deem a lost world is not going to falter at the task of uniting its forces to carry out that commission. If she does, then all her sacrifice and suffering, all her prayers and tears will have been spent in vain. Nearly two-thirds of the population of the earth is outside the Christian Church and a large number of these hundreds of millions are among the intel¬ lectually great and socially prominent people of the world; as for the rest, they are the masses whose eyes are dimmed by tears of suf- %> fering, sorrow and sin. It matters not which class you mingle with, or in what part of the world you meet them, they will ask you this question: “Why do not the churches unite, why this separation, duplication of effort, overlapping of tasks and waste of time, money and energy?” The business men in our churches and those who have learned business methods in our 141 orders, clubs and societies, unfortunately do not take these same questions into the churches, nor to the ministers, but they are being discussed everywhere else except in the places where they ought to be discussed and where they should receive proper considera¬ tion. The Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs in the business world are opening the eyes of their members to what can be done along the lines of federation and unity and every modern in¬ stitution of the twentieth century, in this re¬ spect, is becoming a standing rebuke to the church. Just as sure as this old world is moving forward with increasing rapidity toward great reforms and undreamed of conditions in other spheres of operation, so sure is it that the Church is being swept onward toward a crowning day in her great history when all those who bear the name of “Christian” will be united under one GEAT NAME, sub¬ scribing as she does now, to the cardinal prin¬ ciples of a COMMON FAITH, to inaugu¬ rate a reign of “Peace on earth and good will toward men.” This does not necessarily mean that what are now called denominational differences will be destroyed, only so far as they conflict with fundamentals and create new denominations. 145 It will not follow that we shall all think alike, act alike or worship alike, so long as these functions are performed in accord with, and regard to the high claims and demands of Christ. What is needed is that we can get to¬ gether under a name which will express and emphasize Unity and pledge ourselves to cer¬ tain fundamentals which will prevent failure. WHY KAISE THIS QUESTION NOW? Because, in the first place, there are many of us who think that much which we are doing in this direction is placing the cart before the horse. We are striving for cooperation and are meeting with some success; but, is it not VITAL UNITY which we need first in order to secure real and permanent cooperation? Is not much of the cooperation which we hear about secondary to the real spiritual work of the Church, often temporary and lacking in results? If this Unity we desire was merely a matter of business, we could perhaps afford to await developments and take our ease in Zion. But it is a matter of vastly greater importance, the souls of millions and the destiny of a world hang upon the issue. The “King’s business requireth haste,” not undue haste, of which the church cannot stand accused, but that 146 haste inspired by love for our fellow men and desire to do the will of God. The door of opportunity has always been open to a militant Church, but never in human history has it been flung open as wide as it is to-day. The peoples of the world are inviting Christ into their midst as never before. What He is and what He has to say to an expectant humanity was never so highly regarded as now. The world’s needs and suffering at the present time make it a fit subject for the SOUL CURE of His gospel and power. The ghastly wound inflicted by the World War any other means than that in the hands of the Church. The vexed problems of the world, many of them at least, are lying at the door of the Church awaiting a united Christendom to permanently solve them. The world has tried every expedient and experiment in the process of world-building and character-making. We have tried educa¬ tion, art, science and literature. We have tested philosophy, religions, cults of every de¬ scription and name. We have had faith in man-made creeds and opinions. We have dwelt in isolation and in groups. We have ex¬ perimented with institutional churches, com¬ munity churches and every other kind. will never be successfully healed by 147 WHY NOT TRY A UNITED CHRISTIAN CHURCH which will embrace within its fold all who be¬ lieve the fundamental teachings of Christ and work together to build up an undivided King¬ dom, a Kingdom that will have no end? 148 CHAPTER IX THE CHRIST WE HAVE KNOWN THE CHRIST WE HAVE KNOWN T HE most remarkable thing about Christ is, that we have ever known Him, that His personality and influence should have extended beyond the confines of His own generation, or that He should have been re¬ membered beyond His own century. If we confine ourselves to the consideration of human events and the simple narrative of His life, there is little or nothing to suggest an ade¬ quate reason for the broadcasting of His fame down through the centuries. By the great majority of His countrymen his birth was considered mysterious, His early surroundings obscure, even tragic, His boy¬ hood training was commonplace, His young manhood provincial, and His entrance into public life an event of little apparent import¬ ance, save to two or three witnesses. When we consider the range and scope of His ministry, we find a few miles of territory covered, a few little journeys, a number of miracles and a few discourses, absolutely void of sensationalism or prejudice, mantled in a charity which has become proverbial. This is the sum and substance of His work. Was He successful? Measured by modern standards, He was not. Since, although on 151 some occasions he attracted large multitudes which, however, according to His own state¬ ment, were influenced “by loaves and fishes” and were clearly anxious to find a new prophet, up to the time of His death He had not many more than twelve sincere followers who, as soon as He was condemned, were divided and scattered. He left no real organization of defi¬ nite plan for such behind Him. The future of what He called a Kingdom of woich He claimed to be the King was given into the care of Peter and afterwards revealed to Pau\ When we associate these conditions \ T ith the records of His persecution, the tragedy cf His death and disputes concerning His resur¬ rection combined with the aspersions of His enemies, conflicting opinions of His friends and the age-long struggle against His divine rights and supremacy, THE WONDER OF THE AGES is that out of the distant past, with its meager beginnings, its simple surroundings lacking either pomp or splendor, void of faith and courage, He should emerge from comparative obscurity and hurst upon the world with in¬ creasing fame and glory, so that, looking hack over the ages we can now think and speak of the Christ we have known. 152 Contrast with him and His followers those of His own age and times, the setting and aspirations of whose lives were so much more favorable to immortality and fame, who acted their part upon a vastly larger stage than the Man of Galilee and, with the exception of the few who gained renown by their association with Him, none can be found who has been universally known. They have either re- mained in comparative obscurity, or have only influenced a few of their own class. The writer remembers hearing Phillips Brooks say in one of his great sermons, “Human life is like the waves beating upon the shore: all look very much alike, no one of them seems to attract any special notice until the sun smites a single wave, raising and transforming it into a thing of beauty, thus drawing the attention of all beholders to that single movement; so it is with the men who are smitten into prominence and immortal fame by circumstances which smile upon them.” Not otherwise was it with the Christ, the sunshine of whose presence and personality has brought into prominence and everlasting renown multitudes of other men, who but for Him would have remained in obscurity; a fact which has not always received its full measure of consideration and appreciation. 153 Account for it as we may, Christ has been the central figure of history for nineteen hun¬ dred years; there has been no history, litera¬ ture, art, science, or service which has not had to take Him into account or has not reflected something of His unique personality. A fact often recorded, but which in view of the nar¬ row human foundation upon which it rests is almost unaccountable but what is still more striking, is that the Christ we have known is a very incomplete, imperfect picture of the Real Christ who claimed “equality with God,” of whom Paul said: “He is all and in all” and of whom it is declared, “He is the beginning and end of all things.” Such a Christ as this has never been discovered. He may have been known to exist. His personal form may have been encountered at certain periods of time. His subtle presence may have been felt in a measure through all time, but at no period of time have we known the Christ we are begin¬ ning to know or the Christ whom we shall know. THE CHRIST DISCOVERED BY THE WISE MEN announced by the angels, admired by the shepherds, imperfectly comprehended for nineteen hundred years, sometimes obscured by human reason, has yet to be REDISCOV- 154 ERED and as the discovery of Christ has been the hope of the past, His rediscovery is the hope of the World’s future Unity, peace and power. What a picture could be painted by the word artist who could show the net results to our world of men accepting Christ for just what He was and is, His claims for what He intended them to embody, His teachings in their simplicity, His miracles for the real pur¬ pose ne performed them, His life of SERV¬ ICE and SACRIFICE in the spirit in which He lived it. If, in a word, His professed fol¬ lowers had really comprehended Him and fol¬ lowed Him, instead of taking His simple life, His simple gospel and deeds, carpentering them up into doctrines and creeds which have obscured the real Christ, thrown the world into confusion and halted the coming of His Kingdom, certainly we can hear the appealing words, “Have I been so long a time with you, vet hast thou not known me.” The man to whom these words were origi¬ nally addressed claimed to know Christ; he had more than a passing acquaintance with Him. He knew his personality, was familiar with His form, but His mind, His motives and aspirations, or the program of His life, these things he did not know; therefore, he did not 155 really know Christ. But certainly, as a dis¬ ciple, this man must have known these things. Yes, quite likely, lie felt that he knew some of them, but again it was only a hearsay, a com¬ munication of words; it was not a revelation to His spirit which led him to know, enter into, sympathize and cooperate with the Christ; therefore, lie did not really know Christ. THE MIND THAT WAS IN CHRIST had not yet captured and taken possession of that man. SIX HUNDRED MILLION FOLLOWERS OF THE CHRIST This is the number of those who are sup¬ posed to know Christ in the World to-day and are called “Christians.” In a general way they may be brought under three classifica¬ tions. First, those who have made a more or less complete study of Christ and have dedi¬ cated their lives to Him, who are reasonably sure of their faith, but out of respect to their early training and subsequent environments have accepted much as a matter of course, some things on the ground of reason and the balance from a sense of duty. These may be said to know Christ, yet not perhaps to the extent that Paul knew Him, and yet the great Apostle more than once avowed his incomplete 156 knowledge of his Master. It is needless to remind the reader that this class forms hut a small part of the six hundred million who pro¬ fess to follow Christ. The second class is composed of those who know His name, the mission, and place Christ occupies in the world; they subscribe to certain creeds and believe certain doctrines more or less in harmony with the gospel, (chiefly be¬ cause they harmonize with their own views) about which thev have no exact information or deep convictions, hut for conscience sake, for the general good and other conventional reasons, they profess and call themselves Christians and would be insulted if anyone should suggest that they did NOT know Christ. They do many things in His name, yet seldom do anything in His spirit; they attempt only to fail, they rise only to fall, and the ministry, experience, struggle and faith of a half centurv find them at its close where it met them at its beginning. The reason is they have never really known Christ. These compose a considerable part of the millions of His followers. There remains a third class. Those who patronize the Deity and regard Christ with high esteem, who entertain, what they call honest doubts concerning vital questions of 157 faith and doctrine, who profess to believe that Christ is the best man, the Church is the best institution and that Christianity is the best thing they have ever known, that it is a decent and reasonable thing to support the best things of life, and withal it is profitable for the life that now is and safe for the life that may be; therefore, they profess with certain mental and other reservations to call themselves Christians; yet, in this precarious state of mind and heart they would be offended if we should sav of them, “They do not know Christ.” It would surprise us to know what a large number of these help to swell the mil¬ lions of His professed followers. CAN ONE CLASS BE TRANSFORMED INTO THE OTHER? In asking this question we have touched upon one important phase of the problem of the Church in modern times; this is the key to the final success and glory of Christianity; unless this can be done, little else can be ac¬ complished, to state the case plainly, without fear or favor. The greatest problems of Chris¬ tianity are no longer outside the Church, but within her own walls. The knowledge of Christ, in so far as we possess it, has put infi- 158 delity to shame, has routed atheism and de¬ spoiled opposition to truth. We have no longer to marshal our forces against organized skepticism and positive hatred of Christianity; the outposts have been taken; we are now confronted with a deadlier foe, an entrenched enemy and a Kingdom divided against itself. Whilst we have been fighting phantoms, building creeds and fostering opinions, an army of men and women have arisen in our midst who, smitten with “INDIFFER¬ ENCE,” profess to be Christians but do not really know the Christ. Every leader in every communion of Chris¬ tendom, from the humblest to the highest, knows that this alarming fact stares them in the face. Every preacher who looks out upon a congregation is conscious of the presence of a large majority whose indifference to the vital things of Christianity forms the impass¬ able barrier between them and the truth he is proclaiming. Every Christian statesman knows that it is this which keeps every depart¬ ment of Christianity below par. Every close observer feels that it is this which justly or unjustly, keeps multitudes from rallying around the Church and which retards the progress of the Kingdom. 159 WORLD CONFERENCE ON FAITH AND ORDER COMMISSION OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. We believe that the time has now arrived when representatives of the whole family of Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, may be willing to come together for the considera¬ tion of questions of Faith and Order. We believe, further, that all Christian Com¬ munions are in accord with us in our de¬ sire to lay aside self-will, and to put on the mind which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We would heed this call of the Spirit of God in all lowliness, and with singleness of purpose. We would place ourselves by the side of our fellow Chris¬ tians, looking not only on our own things, but also on the things of others, convinced that our one hope of mutual understanding is in taking personal counsel together in thv spirit of love and forbearance. It is our conviction that such a Conference for the purpose of study and discussion, with¬ out power to legislate or to adopt resolu¬ tions, is the next step toward unity. 160 CHAPTER X THE SUPREME TEST OF CHRISTI¬ ANITY AND ANGLO-SAXON RESPONSIBILITY THE SUPREME TEST OF CHRISTI¬ ANITY AND ANGLO-SAXON RESPONSIBILITY M L t CH has been said and written re¬ cently regarding what kind of religion is to play the most important part in the future of the world’s civilization. Great thinkers of all shades of opinion have focused their minds upon the two great branches of Christendom in an attempt to forecast the future of Protestantism and its possible rela¬ tion to human progress. In a very able article in the Atlantic Monthly, Bishop William R. Inge, of Eng¬ land, calls attention to the conversion of Prot¬ estants to Catholicism, admitting that the stream is small whilst it is also true that the return again to Protestantism is very ap¬ preciable. In regard to the low birth rate among Protestants, which is also a serious problem, causing much comment, it is pointed out that this rate is even lower in some Catholic coun¬ tries, such as, for instance, France and Bel¬ gium. Speaking of the Catholic revival within the Church of England, the same writer calls at¬ tention to the dominating influence of the 163 Anglo-Catholics in colleges, churches and parishes, yet he seems to feel that the impor¬ tance of this movement has been exaggerated and that it is chiefly a condition springing up in the ministry which has not yet influenced the laity or the masses. He says: “Such a convert makes a good Englishman, but a poor Catholic, because, whilst he may profess to support the dignity of the Episcopal office with a superstitious reverence, he is always ready to oppose its authority when it inter¬ feres with his freedom.” This distinguished writer then proceeds to express the opinion that Catholicism does not appeal to certain nationalities; for instance, it has never suited the Nordics or Anglo-Saxon mind, subsequent to the establishment of inde¬ pendent forms of government ; the spirit of in¬ dependence, he thinks, is wholly irreconciliable with Catholicism, as the Roman Church he de¬ clares is the last survival of political autocracy. But with equal candor the Bishop points out some of the strong features of the Catholic Church and herein lies the deep significance of this interesting article. He says: “The attractions of the Catholic Church are numerous. It makes a strong appeal to loy¬ alty, one of the fundamental instincts for self- preservation. Again, it is a religion of the 164 traditional human kind; for it is in touch with human nature at almost all points.” It is a definite religion, the religion of all kinds of men is as great a failure as “Esper¬ anto,” designed to be a Universal language; it is suited to Congresses and conventions, but not to the use of masses. The writer also is free in admitting the weakness of Protestant¬ ism hut he does not think that it is a “spent force;” yet he affirms that “the struggle of the future will he between the great Catholic Church and the looselv federated Protestant t j churches.” THE SUPREME TEST In this great struggle of which Bishop Inge writes and of which thousands of others are thinking— what is to be the supreme test? Xot, however, that which is going to test any special corner of the Church, merely, but that which will in the end justify the existence of the Church as a great whole. It would almost seem as though some of our ablest leaders sup¬ posed that the test of Christianity was to be found in the hundred and one non-essentials about which we differ, that even the slight dif¬ ference in the interpretation of a doctrine or the mode of administering a sacrament, direct¬ ing an institution, or governing a church, these 165 and similar matters would seem, in the minds of many, to be the acid-test. The writer recalls opening his pulpit a few years ago to the General Secretary of a Mis¬ sion Board who wasted thirty precious min¬ utes in trying to convince his congregation that the acid-test of Christianity was their ability and willingness to give, or to adopt the tithing system, of which he was a special advo¬ cate. In his opinion, a true Christian was one who expressed his religion in dollars and cents. It was nothing short of a travesty upon the profound and deep things of spiritual life. We shall not attempt to state here the various tests which have been applied to Chris¬ tianity in this and every age, but we would suggest that amid this turmoil of thought and strife of tongues the Catholic Church gives us something to think about when it declares that Protestantism is a rebellion against the oldest and most authentic Church of Christ, that it originated in a protest, that a protest is nega¬ tive, that a negation is the soil out of which has grown the element of dissolution which foretells ultimate failure. She also asserts that SHE is not herself in search of Unity because she POSSESSES IT and has it to offer to all comers. This then, in the opinion of the Catholic Church, is to be the test of 166 Christianity—our willingness to accept the unity which she claims to possess and is willing to give to us. Therefore, if we return to the unity out of which we departed four hundred years ago, our position is established and our destiny is secure. IS THIS THE KEY TO THE SITUATION? There is no escaping from the fact that our age is exceedingly practical, that it is deter¬ mined to rid itself of all excess baggage, to cast aside everything which retards progress or hinders the free use of all God-given powers. Men are standing upon the ruins of many ancient usages and are straining their eyes to get a glimpse of a great vision which has suggested to them a new manhood. They crave unity but they do not want to be united with dead forces or forms. The things upon which they are willing to unite must be funda¬ mental, essential, good and right and, above all, they must be PRODUCTIVE—and pro¬ ductive of the highest forms of human happi¬ ness. Those who contend for ancient forms and antiquated usages, whose thought and mental pr ocesses are determined by some institution called a church denomination or creed, these alwavs have and always will measure Christi- 167 anity by the rod of their own narrow concep¬ tions, but the great masses of people to be found in all churches and denominations, as well as outside of all of them, are demanding one thing as the SUPREME TEST of Christianity—Results. People who stand with its Founder and declare, as he did: "by their fruits ye shall know them" These also follow the thought of the Divine Teacher and confess that "A corrupt tree can¬ not bring forth good fruit; neither can a good tree bring forth corrupt fruit.” Yet here are two great trees, Catholicism and Protestantism, denoting the growth and development of Christianity for nearly twenty centuries, growing in the same soil, nourished by the same conditions of spiritual life, claim¬ ing to produce the same fruits, and growing to¬ gether for four hundred years, each having reached prodigious proportions under the bene- ficient shade of which one-third of the human race has taken shelter. They have both sup¬ plied human needs, healed the wounds and cul¬ tivated the minds of the World. To what ex¬ tent either one has rivaled the other, or as to their comparative achievements, is a matter of minor importance. There is one test for both 168 and the far-seeing man of our age is coming to apply this test regardless of the distinctive name either may bear. %> SOME STARTLING CLAIMS MADE BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH These claims may enable the reader to measure the distance which appears to sepa¬ rate Catholics from Protestants, or they may indicate the points upon which agreement may be had, according to his special viewpoint. As already stated, the Catholics assert that they are not searching for unity; they possess it. Perhaps this is not in the exact sense in which we need unity. But it is true and has often been commented upon by Protestants as the secret of much, otherwise almost impossible achievement by the Catholic Church; it is un- doubtedlv a “tower of strength.” Again, they declare that they did not for¬ sake what is now the Protestant Church, but that these various Bodies have forsaken them, and that they stand ready to welcome any or all who may be willing to return; that just as they are the Mother Church so they have an authoritative Church and an authentic Bible. It is claimed that in using the Apostle’s Creed and by giving it a meaning foreign to its original intent the Protestants have not 169 only appropriated but misapplied what first belonged to the Catholic Church and right¬ fully belongs to them alone. They point out that the private interpreta¬ tion of Scripture which has been abused by many Protestants has led to ignorant and even vicious views of the Bible, being circu¬ lated, and is accountable for the various sects, confusion of tongues and much of the scepti¬ cism of the age, and has also robbed Protes¬ tantism of much of its spiritual power. They are not surprised that an uninstructed childhood in religion should result in religious instruction being neglected in many of our col¬ leges, and in a weak and secularized ministry. We are informed that Divorce which comes under the ban of the Catholic Church, as a result of marriage being a Sacrament, is an unrestrained evil among Protestants and re¬ sults in an ever-growing tide of immorality and crime of every kind. They hold that the widespread irreverence among Protestants for sacred edifices, names and places, is a serious sign of weakness and an indication of decadence, the forerunner of ultimate failure. 170 WHAT HAS PROTESTANTISM TO SAY TO THESE CLAIMS? It may not be necessary to reply that they are not true, but it must be stated that they are at least sweeping statements and do not convey the true state of tilings in the great Protestant Church. Xo impartial observer but will admit that the original purpose and aim of Protestantism was to preserve to the race all that was ven¬ erable, pure and of “good report” in the Cath¬ olic Church and the Christian Religion, con¬ sistent with a greater liberty as a result of a broader vision and a wider development of Christian activity. This it has achieved; at the same time it has, no doubt, spurred on the otherwise conservative forces of Catholicism to keep pace with modern needs. This being the case she is therefore not the loser, but has gained infinitely by Protestant activity. It would appear that the motives of Prot¬ estantism must remain unchallenged by the most ardent Catholic, as must also the fact that it has to an undreamed of extent ad¬ vanced human civilization and wrought great things for the Kingdom. It has welcomed and developed new truths in every department of life where the Catholics have remained indif- 171 ferent to them, or have refused to recognize them, even in the realm of science the Cath¬ olic church has been very slow to accept new developments or facts. With them education is rather a safeguard to knowledge already attained than the acquisition of new truth. On the other hand, it may be confidently stated that Protestantism has made a tremendous contribution in the realm of knowledge and by so doing has contributed to the civic, moral and spiritual advancement of the race. CLAIMS AND COUNTER-CLAIMS whilst worthy of passing consideration are not, after all, the test, and certainly not the supreme test of Christianity, nor are they essential to the solution of the present prob¬ lems. It is more to the point to observe that in their original aims and for all moral and re¬ demptive purposes the broad-minded Catho¬ lics are in harmony with the broad-minded Protestants, their aims are the same and the results sought for are precisely the same; and what are these results? We might arrange them in detail, but in a word which embraces them all they may be set forth in these words: 172 fr LET THAT MIND BE IN YOU WHICH AY AS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS" Not that the perfect mind of the Master will be engrafted upon any human mind, that were impossible, but that each life and church shall reflect back to the world some distinctive feature of that mind of which the unity of all Christians and churches are the fuller expres¬ sion, or at least, a human expression of the Divine mind. Perhaps no better comment upon this idea could be found than that by Dr. Joseph Forte Newton, formerly of City Temple, London, who says: WHAT DO THE LABELS OF OUR SECTS MEAN in that communion of insight which has as its deposit the glory of the Mind of Christ? Nothing, and less than nothing every year. Here lies the secret of Christian unity and the seat of authority in faith. Not what the dog¬ matists argue, but what the humblest soul learns of the Mind of Christ, is what matters most. Our real unity is not an argument, but a fellowship in which the resources of the higher mind are revealed and the deep things of God are disclosed. Let the Church seek to know the Mind of Christ, and to be guided by it, and its discords will be healed, and its 173 unity in variety unveiled in the beauty of holiness. There are thousands of saints in every communion, and some outside the border of all our systems—faithful souls, humble and unknown to fame—who show in their lives “the lineaments of Gospel books.” They are the proof of faith and the salt of the earth. A poor woman in India, broken by bereave¬ ment, asked the missionary, “Are you the Jesus-thinker?” By as much as we live and think in the Mind of Christ, by so much do we find the center where all strands of truth are woven into one seamless robe of light! WHAT IS THE CHURCH? NOT A CHURCH? A GROUP OF CHURCHES? BUT THE CHURCH? After we have sought its foundation in a few fundamental truths, accepted alike by Catholics and Protestants, after we have dis¬ robed it of all the fantastic non-essential gar¬ ments that have been thrown around it—in its simple self-evident purity and glory— What is it? It would seem to us to be the coming together in fellowship and communion of all those who are like-minded and Christ- minded for a definite purpose, moving toward 174 a common goal, recognizing one Father, one Saviour, itself surcharged with one Spirit. It is high time that churchmen and ecclesi¬ astics everywhere, not only declare that cere¬ monials and creeds are only a means to an end, but that we should practice what we preach to the extent of recognizing in every and all churches the right to worship God and save the race under any name or by any means best adapted to the needs and conditions where this work is being done, at the same time to see that all these followers of Christ who have His Mind, Kindred Spirits, may be brought into one great FELLOWSHIP so united that the world shall look out upon ONE GREAT CHURCH, the glory of this age and the hope of the future. THE ANGLO-SAXON SOUL There have been and still are some countries where the souls’ light has grown so dim that its flickering rays threaten to leave them in gloom or spiritual death. Such conditions have been produced by centuries of oppres¬ sion, war and wasting forces. It is not, therefore, surprising that at the close of the last war, Great Britain and even America felt the pressure of an impending gloom, in 175 the midst of which only those forces which of- •/ fered immediate relief found full expression, when anxious thought filled up the cup of millions. But those whose faith was anchored in the great principles governing the Anglo-Saxon race, knew that no cloud, however foreboding, could obscure the real goal of Christendom; therefore they were still buoyant with hope and radiant with expectation of what the future holds for the Kingdom. Christianity is to receive a new awakening and another pente- cost of power which will confer upon her a new lease of life and another chance to put on Her Beautiful Garments, and let us hope that this time the robe will be SEAMLESS like the one which typified the life of Her Master. THE TWO GREAT ANGLO-SAXON NATIONS MUST LEAD It is not, we trust, the boast of the American people alone, but the opinion of many promi¬ nent Englishmen and others, that in this great awakening to Her moral and spiritual neces¬ sity and responsibility, the Church must look to America for the initial step in this great movement. Surely, a nation whose three cen¬ turies of achievement have astonished the 176 world and have placed it in the front rank of civilized countries cannot afford to remain passive before the greatest task yet to he per¬ formed—the uniting of all the forces of Chris¬ tendom in one great body for the progress of the race and the redemption of mankind. Those who settled at Jamestown and landed at Plymouth Rock rounding out the first cen¬ tury of American history by laying the founda¬ tions of social and religious liberty, who in the second century of that history realized that their ideals could not be attained without learning and culture and henceforth dis¬ tinguished it by broadcasting these ideas to every part of the New World. Who in the third and last century built up commerce and trade to limits of which the world had never dreamed. These high minded defenders of Anglo-Saxon ideals are not going to let an¬ other century pass without crowning the achievements of the past by reuniting Chris¬ tendom, and by so doing removing the shame of conflicting forces, the blush from the cheeks of every Christian and hastening the crowning day of the world’s progress and glory. It remains for the present century to undo much which has been done and to do many 177 things which have been left undone for the masses, but if it should wish to dream of some supremely great thing needed to be accom¬ plished, worthy of the courage born of a great faith, in the doing of which the solution of many of our problems must be found, then we know of nothing the Anglo-Saxon can at¬ tempt greater than the welding together of all the people of all the churches for a final con¬ quest and victory. In 1910 a movement, known as “THE WORLD S CONFERENCE OF FAITH AND ORDER,” launched bv the Protestant Episcopal Church issued the following state¬ ment : “Moved by the growing desire on the part of all Christian people for the fulfillment of our Lord’s prayer that all His disciples may be one, that the world may believe that God has sent Him, the General Convention of the American Episcopal Church in 1910 ap¬ pointed a commission to bring about a confer¬ ence for the consideration of questions touch¬ ing Faith and Order, and to ask all Christian Communions throughout the world which con¬ fess our Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour to unite in arranging for and conduct¬ ing such a Conference.” 178 In 1925 this Conference will meet again in Washington, U. S. A., when the President of the United States will deliver the address of welcome and if we mistake not, its aims will, in a measure, be realized and a long step will have been taken in the direction of world-wide understanding on the great question of Church Unity. •/ 179 I CHAPTER XI THE CHURCH MUST RETURN, BUT TO WHAT? THE CHURCH MUST RETURN, BUT TO WHAT? HE condition of society to-day and more particularly that part of society included within the bounds of our so-called Chris- tion civilization is admittedly in a sad plight. This is not the outcry of pessimists or alarm¬ ists, but the serious opinion of the best minds of our age. Material progress is everywhere in evidence and the world is leaping forward with undreamed of earnestness to acquire all knowledge and accomplish still greater things. By many, it is supposed that this is a sign of real advancement and progress. If it could be proven that these conditions produce the ideal state which the human mind conceives of and the heart desires, then we might be content to be hurried forward in this direction. But, deep thinkers and well wishers of the race know that such achievements do not, in and of themselves, bring about the highest form of human happiness since it is ever true that “Man is incurably religious,” and that the heart of man is never satisfied with less than God. It is beginning to dawn upon the great minds of the world that “the building of civili- 183 zation is shaky because the foundation upon which we are building is in places rotten.” We cannot build a great structure upon sand, neither can the building called character, indi¬ vidual or national, be reared upon uncertainty and doubt. Therefore, it is claimed that we must return to something from which we have strayed. It may be that our freedom has cost us our liberty and that in order to regain real liberty we shall have to place ourselves under certain restraints. It is clear that men are not at liberty to do as they like, because they are part of a great social order which is itself a part of a Divine order little understood but fully recognized by thoughtful people. This Divine will, law or power, as we may be pleased to call it, constitutes a Kingdom, distinct and separate from the world of ma¬ terial things. In this great Spiritual King¬ dom, God revealed in Christ is the central force. But, as a contributor to a recent book entitled “The Return Of Christendom” has said: “Modern society has pushed God out of the center of civilization and placed Him on the circumference, and in His place has made man the measure of all things.” From a purely material standpoint the per¬ sonality of man and his marvelous achieve- 184 ments present an imposing speetacle, but it is also true that “men cannot live by bread alone.” When we view the world from the standpoint of the spiritual we are confronted with the further fact that no civilization can long survive which is not founded upon God and Divine truth, that real liberty, which alone produces true happiness, is only attainable by our dependence upon Divine power and our personal dependence upon each other. It is therefore claimed by some eminent Catholic writers that the personal rights and liberties in the realm of religion, upon which Protestantism is said to he founded, have in reality been the cause of our modern spiritual decadence. One contributor in the Symposium referred to above, says: “Protestantism is helpless, be¬ cause its distortion of both religion and morals is largely responsible for the actual state of things.” “Thus on every side we see no hope for the future of society, unless it can be redeemed from its miseries by some power beyond itself; which can not only exorcise the demons of proud self-complacency, selfish greed, ma¬ terialism and black despair which alternately 185 fill it, but also build it afresh on altogether new foundations. To this situation Catholi¬ cism has its answer. Only God can redeem, as lie alone can create; and there is no remedy for these maladies except that which the Cath¬ olic Gospel provides. The misery and con¬ fusion of our modern world and the incapacity of all its boasted knowledge to find any way out—all these things are so many signs point¬ ing us back to the old foundations.” But the Catholic Church has no patent upon this idea, since similar and stronger words have fallen from the lips of wise leaders in every communion. We are willing to yield to Catholicism the claim of having preserved to the world much which is fundamental in Christianity but we cannot acceed to the claim that it has in motive and principle had greater zeal for this than have others. Again it is stated by our Catholic friends: “Christianity,” as they (the Protestants) call it, is “useful to society,” it is a sort of medicine to be taken in modest doses to keep the social sickness from becoming too obvious, that it is to do the ambulance work, to encour¬ age men in patching up an old world. If the 186 Gospel is really only a modest programme of social reform for a world which can save itself, then, indeed, miracles are out of place, and there was no need for the Son of God to be¬ come Incarnate. But this point of view is out of date. A bankrupt world needs the assurance that it is redeemed by God in spite of itself. The miracles of the Gospel declare that re¬ demption is an act of God from first to last. Man can only desire it, yearn for it, and accept it gratefully and humbly when it is given. Yet here, again, though it is God’s act, it is not inevitable. The free act of God does not treat man as a puppet, but rather makes pos¬ sible his free response. Thus the Son of God was born of a Virgin to assure us that the New Creation was God’s act, and not man’s; yet the miracle could not take place until Mary had freely accepted the Divine gift, acting as sponsor for us all in this.” It should be pointed out that the foregoing statement of Protestant belief is as fully known to us as to Catholics, it is not, however, the common belief of Protestant churches. It may be even flattering to some, giving them credit for more than they deserve, but in reality, it represents the very conditions Prot¬ estantism is fighting against. 187 Nor can we believe that the full and com¬ plete expression of Christianity is found in the teachings of any church either Catholic or Protestant, or that historic creeds, however ancient are necessary to the highest attain¬ ments of the race. SHALL WE RETURN TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH? This may seem a hold question, and of course its answer must depend upon whether or not we believe that any church or human institution, even though of Divine origin, can he perfect. According to some opinions expressed in Catholic circles, the Protestant Church stands accused of many sins, among them, rational¬ ism, materialism and dissension. But on the other hand the Catholic Church is also accused by Protestantism and surely She will not add to Her other claims the great attribute of Divine perfection. She has been charged with abuse of power, extravagant ceremonialism, autocracy and even bigotry. Yet, just as Protestantism has repudiated the charges of Catholicism, so Catholics have scoffed at these counter claims, which suggest to our minds that perfection is not a feature peculiar to either. 188 THE HOPE OF RECONCILIATION therefore does not lie in Protestant churches returning to the Roman Catholic Church, or Catholicism being overwhelmed by Protestant activities, but the future of both will depend upon each moving toward a common center the soul of all religion CHRISTIANITY as Christ taught it and lived it. And in finding a common meeting place of sincere fellowship and service. To do this the Protestant churches must accept central organization and a larger de¬ gree of authority in order to maintain the spir¬ itual and fundamental things of its faith. So also the Catholics must appreciate the neces¬ sity of tempering their dogmas and ceremo¬ nials with a degree of personal liberty and charity calculated to bridge the chasm between them and a large part of the Christian World, then we shall all have returned not to each other only, but to THE FOUNDER OF REAL CHRISTIANITY AND TO REAL UNITY Having done this we shall discover what we ought to have known long ago that all our dif¬ ferences will fade away before the perfect life and teachings of Him who is neither Catholic 189 or Protestant, but is all which BOTH have ever claimed to be and much more, since He is the embodiment of Perfect Truth and com¬ plete unity. This will mean vastly more than a return to any church, but will be A RETURN TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD It may be observed that in so far as creeds, ordinances and human ideas or churches repre¬ sent this kingdom or become a part of it, they will find their place in the program of that Kingdom and will add to its growth. In passing it may be well to acknowledge that the internal conditions of the churches and their apparent rivalry are not the only drawbacks to speedy advance toward the Kingdom it should be borne in mind that industrial, economic and social conditions also intervene, to say nothing of the antagonism of human nature against the Divine within us, often expressed in selfishness and false values of life, but over against these is the code of Christian ethics contained in the command¬ ment, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy mind and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and thy neighbor as thyself.” In the face of this challenge to the highest there is in man— 190 ARE WE SATISFIED WITH THE TWENTIETH CENTURY CHURCH ? If we are, then we are easily satisfied; of this, however, we may he sure, in this respect at least, we are not like our Divine Master, for it is safe to assert that He is not satisfied. So long as in some churches creeds are everything, in others money is said to talk and social influence alone seems to count, and in all, selfishness combined with indifference to hu¬ man needs exists, there is little prospect of Christ being “all and in all” or the Kingdom being united as He wishes it to be. It was Karl Marx who declared that “re¬ ligion was an opium for the people;” and an¬ other great thinker says “religion is a danger¬ ous thing.” Both were right in so far as cer¬ tain kinds of religion are concerned and the manner in which they are administered. It must be admitted that for millions of our day, religion is an opiate which first lulls to sleep then threatens whole churches with spiritual death. In this way it becomes a dangerous condition not only to the individual but to the State. But Christianity which is composed of the best there is in all religions and invested with a power unknown to any other, is in itself Life and Liberty, for eternal life “IS TO KNOW ITS AUTHOR.” 191 It cannot be too often stated that REAL UNITY is to be found in a return to the Spiritual Kingdom of truth and not to any institution claiming to represent that truth. Of course, if in our quest for this kingdom of Truth we should be led into any Church or organization which most fully represents it, then our place is in that institution, hut the search must not he for the institution but rather for the TRUTH. In this search which honest minds are mak¬ ing to-day it may he that we shall come to a place where the chasm between Catholicism and Protestantism is found to be very narrow and it will be possible to join hands across the intervening space in cooperation so that there will he “One fold and one Shepherd.” Hav¬ ing found the place of contact we shall not be long in discovering the sphere of cooperation and fellowship. In an essay entitled “The Kingdom of God And The Church Of To-day,” Father Paul B. Bull has this to say: “We believe that the Church with her Catholic dogma, discipline, and devotion, in her social principles of faith, freedom, and fel¬ lowship has the only secret of man’s redemp¬ tion in binding men together into a living Fel- 192 lowship with God. If she will purge herself from worldliness, idolatry, and selfishness and stake her life on establishing the Kingdom of God among men; if she will issue forth from the sanctuary to claim for Christ the absolute dominion over the whole life of man, to en¬ throne Him as King over our social relation¬ ships and our industrial and commercial activ¬ ities, as well as over our individual life; if she will concentrate all her energies at whatever cost on giving social and economic expression to her Faith, then Christ will return to reign over us and ‘the kingdom of the world will be¬ come the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.’ ” In the book we have already referred to, Chesterton in his epilogue remarks: “Many said the Church was dying when Julian proclaimed from the Imperial throne the worship of Apollo. Many would have said again, after the first triumphs of many oriental heresies, that the Church was dying; and in this sense they would have been right. The Church was dying; but the worship of Apollo was dead. Many would have said it when Calvinism was overshadowing province after province, and rightly; the Church was dying, but the oriental heresies were dead. 193 When the French Revolution had made a new heaven and a new earth, it was quite obvious to every clear-sighted person that Christianity had come to an end. The Church was cer¬ tainly dying; but Calvinism was dead. The Christian religion has died daily; its enemies have only died. And what we see before us to-day is not a mere fashion of the praise of one century over another; but at most a rather unique illustration of the fact that the world fares worse without that religion than with it. The Church is dying as usual; but the modern world is dead; and cannot be raised save in the fashion of Lazarus.” We would add to what this writer says, by asking, in what respect did the resurrection of Lazarus symbolize the return of Christendom? We think that Mary revealed the secret of natural death then and spiritual death now, when she said to the Master, “If thou hadst been here my Brother had not died.” It was in the absence of Christ then, and it is in that same absence NOW that death ensues to the Church. If He were more consciously pres¬ ent in His Church, it would be characterized by life and unity. In a recent issue of the Literary Digest Professor Pratt points out that the future is 194 not altogether dark because ‘‘Religion is too fundamental to human nature ever to be lost, the rising generation is truly religious at the bottom, but he also thinks that Christendom will never return again to the letter of relig¬ ious truth, new forms of faith will have to be worked out to agree with science.” He con¬ tinues : “What the present younger generation and their successors will do with religion, it is for them to decide. They may do with it what they will. I do not feel that our generation— I speak as one of the older ones—have done quite our full duty by the young people; but perhaps nothing better could have been ex¬ pected. At any rate, the tiller is slipping rap- idlv from our hands. We can do little now •/ but impress upon our younger friends the enormous issues at stake—at stake for them and for their successors—and the genuine value of some of the things which in the light¬ ness of youth they tend to minimize. Let them remember that religion is a pearl of great price; that the spiritual life, tho it can never be killed out of the race, is a tender plant which gives its fairest flowers only after careful cul¬ ture; that liberty is not the only thing whose price is eternal vigilance.” 195 The foregoing is by no means reassuring and we fear that the forming a new faith will complicate rather than simplify the problem. We believe that it is not new forms or faiths that we need but more confidence in the vital things of the faith “once delivered” and that the tragedy of it all is that we have been trying to crowd infinite truths into finite forms until we are weary and disgusted with the task. CAN WE REFORM THE REFORMATION? In the opinion of that distinguished scholar, Dr. Shailer Mathews, Protestantism may un¬ dergo a reform which will result in the exercise of more authority and adopting more central organization. He seems to think that “the last decade has produced greater efficiency, and that certain groups of denominations have gained both in spirit and administration, that this development has given birth to a sense of denominational significance.” He seems to foresee a regrouping of denominations of con¬ servatives devoted to the infilterating of so¬ ciety with the spirit of the teachings of Christ. The struggle, this writer claims, is between the Modernist and Fundamentalists, the one considering religion from the standpoint of theology, the other from a non-theological and 196 scientific point of view applying the teachings of Christ to society. He concludes: “These are questions raised by the tendencies of the last ten years in Prot- estantism, the next ten years will show what their answer will be.” Whatever names we may give to the two growing wings of Protestantism, such as Modernist and Conservatives, or whatever sig¬ nificance we may attach to these factors, their development will have nothing to do with the survival of Protestantism, they are merely dif¬ ferent methods of applying the same great jwinciples, the sum and total of which is CHRISTIANITY which can neither be added to or taken from, either by new forms or names, but which is either what it is claimed to be, a DIVINE REVELATION, or not worthy of acceptance as a world religion. 197 CHAPTER XII WHAT THE CHURCH DOES WITH CHRIST WILL DETERMINE WHAT GOD WILL DO WITH THE CHURCH WHAT IS PROTESTANTISM GOING TO DO WITH CHRIST? W HATEVER greatness or glory there is attached to Protestantism to-day, she owes it in common with all other Christian forces to the cardinal doctrine of the Divine Personality of Christ. In making this statement we are not setting up any claim to His divinity, but we are simply recording a well established fact. Every Protestant Church for four centuries has challenged the world with this question, “What think ye of Christ?” and the answer which the Church has demanded as one of the essential conditions of membership has been “He is the Son of the Living God.” Until recent years it has been claimed by every evangelical or orthodox Church that upon the divinity of Christ the whole super¬ structure of Christianity rests. It has been pointed out in hundreds of volumes and thou¬ sands of pulpits that if He is not divine, then the whole system of His teachings, miracles and sacrifice loses their significance and power as constituting a world religion. Strange indeed, that it is no longer the masses to whom the above question needs to be put, hut to-day we find ourselves under the 201 painful necessity of asking the ministers, the professors and presidents of our seminaries who have the moulding of our future ministry “What think YE of Christ?” Fortunately those who would betray their heterodoxy are in the minority, but it is this minority and their annual output of graduates for the ministry with which Protestantism will have to reckon. If, for instance, we were thinking of the Catholic Church and such a condition existed there, we might fall back upon authority and leadership, with the hope and expectation that the evil might be checked or held within certain bounds. But here is Protestantism, in which every man is a law unto himself, where with certain reservations and modes of expression any minister can pass out to his people ideas, which with constant repetition and conceal¬ ment of their real meaning finally become ac- cej)table to his members but, which in time change the thought and conceptions of an en¬ tire congregation, until the name it bears does not correspond to the faith it holds. PROTESTANTISM IS IN DANGER OF BEING OVER¬ THROWN BY ITS ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE FOUNDER OF CHRISTIANITY If we question His origin, deny His di¬ vinity, and divest His teachings of their su- 202 pernatural authority, then the Protestant churches have no adequate foundation left upon which to continue building a Church capable of meeting the world’s needs and re¬ deeming mankind. We shall have a philos¬ ophy, a system of character building, a social reform movement, but not a religion, and cer¬ tainly not a supernatural religion capable of linking men up with God and bringing God into the midst of men. If Christ was not divine, then He is no longer in the world by His spiritual presence, to see, to hear, to pity, or to save. He simply was, but is no more, only as a memory, a re- 7 7 V 7 corded fact of historv. He is less to mankind than Socrates who lived longer and did more, than Milton who wrote more, than Shakes¬ peare who left more behind him, He is inferior to these in actual accomplishments, unless we concede to Him the fact of His divinity which alone makes the little He did and said divine and renders his contribution greater than all others combined. What the Church and the world needs is not a HUMAN CHRIST in the sense of His not being divine. It needs a REDISCOVERED CHRIST, One who has not only come, but is here, and is coming all the time in a grander form and to a greater degree to meet human 203 needs. We do not want a diminishing Christ, but a Saviour who is growing upon the minds of men, anything less than this will disappoint the hope of mankind and nullify His teach¬ ings. If Protestantism takes its stand anew upon the divinity of the Son of God and seeks to unite its forces into one great Church founded upon the fundamentals of the Christian relig¬ ion, then its overthrow need not be feared, nor need it fear for its final victory. But if our institutions and ministry are not delivered from the sanctified skepticism of so-called leaders by which they are threatened, the com¬ ing years may bring failure or even defeat. We have learned by sad experiences with material things that PUBLIC SENTI¬ MENT IS A HARD TASKMASTER and in these days of changing opinions the world has its ear to the ground as never be¬ fore. It may be thought by some that one way of saving men is to flatter them, but a dying man does not think so, neither does a dying world. The world wants Christ, the Christ of the manger and the cross, the Christ the Son of God, Christ the world’s redeemer— the Christ who is at once the meeting place in human history for the “exaltation of man and the condescension of God,” the Christ who not 204 only CAME to the world but who was GIVEN to the world for a purpose with a supreme mission and a complete program. The Church lias plead with the world to place its confidence in a divine plan and a divine Christ, it has accused it of turning its hack upon the Son of God, it has depicted the shame and consequences attendant upon the rejection of the Church as a divine institution. It has held the Bible up as an infallible guide of conduct and life. It has proclaimed that the supernatural element in Christianity was and is its crowning glory. How, in the face of these claims, can it permit its teachers and leaders of religious thought to belittle its teach¬ ings and disappoint its hopes and to wreck its future? It is frankly admitted that there are historic and scientific errors in the Old Testament, that there may he misconceptions of doctrinal truths expressed in the New Testament ema¬ nating from the minds and teachings of the early followers. We have no quarrel with the men who feel called upon to expose or explain these matters giving us the benefit of their scholarship and devotion to reason and logic, but we cannot see how the men who are ap¬ pointed and paid to further the high aims of the Christian religion in institutions dedicated to its interests can, with impunity, attack those very fundamentals upon which the Church stands and by which it proposed to carry out its divinely appointed mission in the world. There are millions of people among the masses who are beginning to see the shadow of unbelief which like a film is passing over the once clear faith of men, they are conscious of the lowering temperature of spiritual life and they are gradually coming to feel that the trouble is not alone with the pew but that its baneful influence is having its rise in the pulpit and in those institutions from which our modern pulpits are being filled. It has often been said that in politics and upon all great issues “the people can be trusted.” Let us hope that the time is not far distant when they will rise and demand that the leaders of religious thought shall keep their faith with the people and give them a system of thought and truth in keeping with the high ideals of the “Faith of Our Fathers” who pur¬ chased these great truths with sacrifice and blood. We can understand the infamy which led the ancient king to cut up the parchment of the Old Testament with his penknife, we can comprehend how the higher critic may be led to slash away at the King James version of the 206 same Book, but it is past our understanding how men who are consecrated to the high office of educating ministers and these ministers themselves who have devoted their lives to sav¬ ing souls can mar the face of the Christ by at¬ tempting to rob Him of the “express image of the Father full of grace and truth.” Protestantism on its human side has many weaknesses, as we have attempted to show, all of which may and probably will be remedied by the devotion and consecration of its loyal supporters, hut nothing can withstand a suc¬ cessful attack of the enemies of its own house¬ hold against the divine nature and person of the Founder of Christiannity. Once this un¬ righteous leaven permeates the body of the Church, Her hope of world conquest for Christ and human redemption will fade away and God will raise up another people who will know and understand Him better. 207 CHAPTER XIII WILL PROTESTANTISM BE OVERTHROWN? WILL PROTESTANTISM BE OVERTHROWN? W HO can tell? Protestantism is a human institution, Christianity alone is divine. Greater organizations than this have risen and fallen by reason of their own weakness and folly. It is marvelous in view of centuries of mistakes and omissions how God has patiently tried us out. It is equally amaz¬ ing what great things have been accomplished, in the midst of which we have dreamed and hoped for the ‘CROWNING DAY” of Christendom, but that day will never come until we admit and maintain the divine Roy- alty of the King and declare His supremacy over all human competitors. We can have no SPIRITUAL kingdom without a divine Head. The world wants nothing less and will not be satisfied with a religion that offers less. A GREAT ISSUE WHICH MUST BE FACED In that popular magazine known as “The World’s Work” there appeared recently an article styled, “A Clear Statement of the Strange Situation That is Now Troubling Many Protestant Churches,” which is further described as being a dispute between the “Fundamentalists” and the “New School” of the Protestant churches. 211 The article referred to relates at consider¬ able length the experiences of a minister who has spent forty years in the Methodist minis¬ try and who has been retired on account of his modern views concerning certain parts of the Old Testament. It does not appear that he has declared himself at variance with the fun¬ damentals of Christianity, such as the divinity of Christ or the divine origin of the Christian religion. His advanced thought, so-called, seems to have been arrested on the threshold of the New Testament and as he says “I must stand with Christ and His teachings” by which we presume that he means all of His teach¬ ings. We were impressed with the fact that there is nothing unusual in this article and at first the question raised in our minds was this: “Why did so important a publication give space and prominence to what appears upon its face to be a commonplace incident of purely personal interest to a few parties concerned?” But its importance to the general public lies in the fact that it is a “straw” indicating the di¬ rection in which the winds of liberal thought and “New School” ideas are blowing. This we venture to say is not the only Meth¬ odist pulpit, by many a score, from which sim¬ ilar ideas are being advanced. But what would 212 John Wesley, Knox, Newman, Jonathan Ed¬ wards and many others think if visit the churches bearing their distinctive names and listen to some of the discourses de¬ livered under the title of sermons supposed to contain at least some of the old doctrine and fervor ? But if this is the condition in many Metho¬ dist churches, how shall we view the situation in that larger aggregation of churches whose seminaries, theological training and Church polity offer a greater liberty of thought that have in recent years thrown down the bars and in many instances have thrown them away ? The writer happened to be present a few months ago in a church where a young man from one of the leading theological schools was being examined for the ministry. The learned Council asked the candidate this question, "What are your ideas concerning the divinity of Christ?” He promptly replied, “I feel that Christ was inspired, but He was inspired in the same sense that Dante, Milton and Shake¬ speare were inspired, perhaps even to a greater extent.” No further questions were asked and he was ordained. If our theological schools can only go on turning out a sufficiently large percentage of such candidates for the “holy office” and such they were to 213 men can get into the pulpits in sufficiently large numbers, another half century will wit¬ ness THE OVERTHROW OF PROT¬ ESTANTISM. What we are saying is not a protest against the “New School.” It must be conceded that on its human side and in its varied activities the Church must keep pace with modern life and needs. If there are, as indeed it would appear there are, scientific and historical errors in the language or statements of the Bible which might prove confusing to the un¬ trained reader, then it is the duty of the Church to correct these errors where correction is needed and explain them where explanation is sufficient. But to the man who assumes the right to change or eliminate fundamentals necessary to the existence and mission of Christianity and attempts to teach others so to do, to such a man the Church should deliver the ultimatum which it has a right to deliver and exercise the prerogatives which are inher¬ ent in an institution representing six hundred millions of the human race. It may give a thrill to the young preacher who starts out to practice upon his first con¬ gregation to feel that his new thought and ad¬ vanced theories are a challenge to his people and that he is bearing to them a highly sea- 214 soned viand upon the golden platter of intel¬ lectual superiority. It may even seem to him that he is making a profound impression upon the immature minds of his audience, but a later discoverv will alarm him for the safetv of «/ •/ his new found ideas, for these same people will do as the French did who saw Louis XVI pro¬ ceeding to Paris in his gilded coach, they will ask for bread; they will cry for the bread of life, and when it is not forthcoming they will ignore the gold and glitter and demand satis¬ faction at any cost. In other words, it is quite within the range of possibilities that in at¬ tempting what seems to be a reform in re¬ ligion, we may later on be called upon to face a revolution in Christian thought which will awake the Church from its apathy and the pul¬ pit to its duty. Then again we must reflect that all the countries of the world are open to us. What are we going to take into these lands, if we enter them with a religion shorn of its super¬ natural power and its divine authority? If its Author is represented as being no greater and not as well known as the founders of other re¬ ligions, then we had better conserve our re¬ sources for some wiser scheme. Our mission¬ aries have been telling these peoples that the Christian religion is of divine origin, that 215 Christ is the Son of God, that this fact fits Him to be what He claimed to be, “the Way, the Truth and the Life.” That His teachings are infallible and final, that they, the mission¬ aries have been duly and especially ordained to deliver these truths, than which there are none greater. That it is the wish and prayer the Church at Home, that they, the benighted or misled peoples of the world shall be bene¬ fited in time and through all eternity by the acceptance of the CHRIST WHO WAS SENT to save a world. This is what we have said, what we are still saying with some mental reservations and ex¬ ceptions. Where are the men coming from in the next generations who will unflinchingly utter these same truths and if necessary attest them with their blood? They certainly are not coming in any great numbers from our theo¬ logical schools, nor can many of our Churches be said to be hot houses in which such minds are being matured, then where in sufficient numbers are they coming from? We have sur¬ rounded the ministry with social advantages, so-called, to the point of obscuring the old time distinction. We have raised salaries all along the line in order to create independence and make the calling attractive. We have thrown down barrier after barrier in the hope 216 of keeping the courageous and worth while men in the ecclesiastical ranks and yet the best and brainiest, the keenest and most promising are going over to the commercial world in larger numbers than ever before to find what? Not only financial remuneration but fields of practical usefulness where they can minister satisfactorily with a clear conscience to the world and to themselves. Contrary to what might be expected, these conditions prevail more commonly among the Protestant Churches where there is a lack of central organization and supreme authority, whilst that part of the Church where authority and the old standards of Truth are still main¬ tained continues to attract and hold men to its ministry. This fact need not be stressed here, because its significance is evident and ought to arouse the attention of thinking people. That which has attracted men to the min¬ istry in the past is the claims of the Church to a divine Leadership and Gospel and these alone will hold us to our supreme task. 217 ONE OF ENGLAND’S DISTIN¬ GUISHED DIVINES, DR. OR¬ CHARD OF LONDON, HAS THIS TO SAY Nr^lUCH HOPES CAN ONLY BE REALIZED AS WE GO BACK TO THE CATHOLICITY OF THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST. . . . IT IS FOLLOWING NAMES INSTEAD OF CHRIST THAT HAS RUINED US ALL. IT IS THE ATTEMPT TO EMPLOY WORLDLY POWER INSTEAD OF THE WISDOM OF THE CROSS THAT HAS ENSLAVED US. IT IS FALSE SCHOLAR¬ SHIP THAT HAS GIVEN US A DIVIDED CHRIST. ONLY AS WE REDISCOVER THE ONE CATHOLIC CHRIST SHALL WE BE ABLE TO BUILD THE ONE CATHOLIC CHURCH.” I T IS NOT A UNITED BRITISH CHURCH OR A UNITED AMERICAN CHURCH THAT WE NEED. WE CANNOT REMAIN CONTENT WITH ANYTHING LESS THAN A UNITED CHRISTENDOM. CHAPTER XIV A DREAM THAT MAY COME TRUE A DREAM THAT MAY COME TRUE J UST as civilized nations have determined upon a limitation of armaments unless for defensive purposes, so the Church is going to scrap her offensive weapons with which one denomination has been fighting the other for centuries. Not only so, but there is a rapidly growing feeling among great think¬ ers that the time is approaching when an all- inclusive Catholic church will replace the hundred and one contending sects now repre¬ senting Christendom. It would not be a rash statement to sav that there are millions both inside and outside our churches who would hail such a movement with delight. Such a church would, of course, include all parts of Protestantism, now known as denomi¬ nations. It would also include the Com¬ munion known as the Roman Catholic church, but it would not include any of these because of the names they now bear, or the different non-essential beliefs they may now have, but because of the fundamental doctrines and Faith which we all share in common. And for a still greater reason, namely that the world and the churches are weary of divisions and inefficiency and are longing to come together 223 under one great Name and unifying Power for the purpose of meeting their obligations to mankind. Any league of churches which excludes from its communion any one of the Christian communions willing to enter it must fail, just as a league of nations excluding any civilized nations willing to join will be a failure. No world-wide Christian movement will achieve any measure of success which does not include within its union all the Christians of the world it claims to serve. Even to suggest the exclusion of any part of Christendom is to prejudge it and to assume what we have no right to assume, that it is unable or unwilling to meet the issue upon fair and equitable grounds. Just as we are unable to foresee and predict concerning any other great event just what may happen at the crucial moment, so we are unable to pre¬ dict what may transpire when this great issue is placed squarely up to the Christian people of the world. Already we think we can hear the protest of Protestant reader against the autocracy and mysticism of the Catholic church, its rigid observance of ceremonials and the much talked of but little understood doctrine of “Transub- 224 stantiation,” the reverence shown to martyrs; and the cry will be raised, “Are we going over to Rome?” But over against those things which seem to Protestants to be meaningless and even objec¬ tionable, things to which they find it hard to consent because perhaps they have not trained their minds to view them in the same light in which they are viewed by the Catholics. Over gainst these the great thinkers in Protestant¬ ism are beginning to place some outstanding facts. First, just as the enterprising business men of the world are learning that people are reached and interested through their outward senses and that it is possible to reach the soul through the medium of the body, so the Catho¬ lic church has for centuries used these cere¬ monials to introduce and instill great and pro¬ found truths into the minds and souls of their communicants. This may be one of the reasons why every class of people of every degree of intelligence belong to that Church; it may also suggest a degree of democracy. Second, it is freely admitted by Protestants that they would be willing to sacrifice much, if the devotion, reverence and loyalty of the members of the Catholic church for its worship and service could be duplicated in all 22 5 the Protestant churches of the world, for in these days of worldliness it is coming to be recognized that the lack of reverence for spir¬ itual things and sacred places is one of the out¬ standing weaknesses of our times. Third, we are forced to admit cheerfully that the Catholic church has given the world the greatest example of unity among her own people that has ever been witnessed. What¬ ever may be the cause for this great united purpose and action, the fact remains and has attracted universal attention. We are aware that we shall he met with various explanations of this unique condition and that many insinu¬ ations may be made by uncharitable critics, hut when all is said and done, this unity within her own borders has amazed the world. Fourth, there is another still more satisfac¬ tory condition existing in the Catholic church; it is the position which the Founder of Christi¬ anity occupies in its worship and service. The very ritual of the Church makes it impossible for the priest to obscure the Christ or to limit His presence, power or person. Christ and the Cross are so intimately interwoven with all the ceremonies of the Church that it matters not what personal prejudices or mental reserva¬ tions the priest may have he is compelled to keep Christ, in all His divine nature, before 226 His people. We are aware that there are in¬ fluences named “modernism” creeping into the Catholic Communion, but as we have already noticed, the Church has the supreme authority and central organization with which to chal¬ lenge and check these evils, if they may be called such. In fine, it is dawning upon the world that both Catholicism and Protestantism have much to give and something to take from each other. It is not inconceiveable that out of all the great factors and forces represented in both, we might attempt and ought to attempt the great task of bringing the Christian world into one great organization to be known by a name which will adequately and worthily set its aims and ideals before mankind. WHAT IS TO BE GAINED BY SUCH A CHURCH? One great advantage would be the courage and faith it would inspire. A new hope would spring forth. The last shade of doubt as to the final outcome of Christianity would fade away. Nothing could withstand a united Christendom. Then the time, money and energy now used to support divided interests could be turned into the main channel of un¬ divided service and Christian effort. 227 Another result would be seen in the ability of the Church to prevent war with all its horrors. It could bring “peace on earth and good will to men.” It could prevent social disorders which, because of their age-long duration, are sometimes worse than war. It could meet the needs of a crushed world and restore it again to normalcy. It could stem the tide of crime and place moral force behind civic law. In a word, all the things which are now being attempted, with little or limited success, could then be accomplished by a UNITED CHURCH. What we are asking for is ONE CHURCH, broad enough, charitable enough, and loving enough to gather to itself all who love and serve Christ. Are we asking too much? Could we conscientiously ask LESS? Do we propose to answer the prayer of the Christ; if so, how are we going to do it with a hundred camps set up on the same field, each in the attitude of rivalry with the other? Let us remember that Christ’s wish is equivalent to a command. He commands us to BE ONE. Can we say, “Thy will be done?” It is either that or defeat and failure. Which is it to be? 228 CHAPTER XV MINISTERS WHO ARE ENGAGED IN OVERTHROWING PROT¬ ESTANTISM MINISTERS WHO ARE ENGAGED IN OVERTHROWING PROT¬ ESTANTISM A T THE time of this writing, from the front pages of practically all our lead¬ ing newspapers are blazing articles with sensational headlines concerning a clergy¬ man who has gone so far as to publicly deny the divinity of Christ and the consecration of churches. In a discourse recently, this man, who is the pastor of an important church, made many startling statements, such as “the consecration of churches is a survival of the ages of witchcraft. Christ did not have the power of God. He did perform miracles, but in the same wav as M. Coue. The sacredness «/ of marriage is not in its solemnization but in the conduct of the parties one toward the other. That a man when he goes into the pul¬ pit ought to feel as free as Voltaire. That ignorance and credulity favor the miracu¬ lous.” He also states, “Ministers are not natural in their pulpits, they do not say what they believe and that the way to know them and get the real things they believe is to meet them in clubs and at dinners.” If all this minister says in his discourse is true (which we are by no means ready to 231 admit) then, we need no better proof of our claim that, what we need is a united effort to SAVE PROTESTANTISM, and indeed Christianity itself, from being overthrown. For, if they are to be stripped of these spirit¬ ual elements by men who believe and feel as he does, the world will soon find itself bereft of a divine religion, which is the only kind capa¬ ble of controlling the natural conditions of the race. He declares that men who have attended our universities, studied mathematics and the sciences, cannot believe in the miraculous. Does he realize what a small percentage of the sixteen hundred millions of people in the world have, like himself, been privileged to study the sciences, to say nothing of the bil¬ lions who have already passed over without knowing about them? Was Christianity launched and designed to flatter the conceit of a mere handful of the human race who, be¬ cause they have studied science, would have us believe that they know more than Christ knew when He said, “ALL POWER IS GIVEN TO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN THE EARTH. I HAVE POWER TO LAY DOWN MY LIFE AND I HAVE POWER TO TAKE IT UP AGAIN.” Was not this the power of God? 232 Now as a matter of fact, the great scientists of the world, not those who have taken a text book course in our universities, but the men who have devoted their lives to science, who have been steeped in it and who have forgotten more than most of our so-called students of science ever knew, these are among the most reverent and devout men of all times. And why? Because in their long journey into the realm of science they have come to a place where reason and natural laws would conduct them no farther, they have come face to face with the supernatural, the spiritual, that is, to say with God. If there is anything clear and plain in the teachings and claims of Christ it is that He came forth from God, that He was ONE WITH GOD, that all power was given Him of God, that the Father sent the SON to be the Saviour of the world. If, as the Doctor says, “Christ did not possess the power of God;” then, these claims must be abandoned and with them the INTEGRITY AND TRUTHFULNESS OF CHRIST. This bold clergyman objects to the consecra¬ tion of church buildings because of the waste through their not being available for secular uses. We agree with him that churches should be used more than they are, but we cannot 233 concede his wish to use them for secular pur¬ poses. We believe that one of the outstanding weaknesses of the Protestant churches to-dav is the lack of reverence and respect for sacred buildings. If our church buildings are to be used as lecture halls and music academies, movies, etc., then, the spirit of worship will die out of the human heart. His statement that towns and cities do not have proper ac¬ commodations for such meetings is scarcely in keeping with the facts. Nothing is more noticeable in recent years than that, nearly every town and village has some hall or build¬ ing not only suited for gatherings such as he names; but in most cases, the supply of such buildings exceeds the demand. One of the strong points in the Catholic church is that she never permits secular gath¬ ering within the walls of the buildings conse¬ crated to worship. This also may explain the lack of other conditions which do not exist in Protestant churches. Why should a man when he goes into the pulpit feel as free as Voltaire? Not a very flattering comparison to make; nor, is Vol¬ taire, now that he has been dead so long, and his name is a stench in the nostrils of high minded men, very good company for a Prot¬ estant minister to be found in. Why bring 234 him out of the dim past? Why not speak of Phillips Brooks, Charming, Robertson of Brighton, men who died as they lived and lived so as to leave the world richer because they lived? These men were free. Voltaire was a slave to passion and hate. According to the declarations of this dis¬ course, which unfortunately secured a wide reading among many who might take it seri¬ ously, we are in more danger from attacks within the Church than from without. “Gone forever the sacredness of churches. Miracles are no longer believable. Marriage is only made sacred bv human relations. Christ has not the power of God, therefore is not Divine. Ministers are no longer loyal to their vows and the teachings of Christ.” The man who takes this position and teaches these things, it matters not where he lives or what church he belongs to, is consciously or unconsciously pointing the way to the over¬ throw of Protestantism; for, when the masses discover, if they ever should, that there is no more to Christianity than such men would have us believe, then public sentiment will crystalize into abhorrence of an institution that has turned its back upon its Founder and the fundamentals that offered so much and has given so little to the world. 235 But, that time wilt never come. The com¬ mon sense and good judgment of the average church member and follower of Christ is going to rise superior to that of some of its leaders and they are going to demand that Chris¬ tianity shall keep the Christ who died and rose again for it. The doctrines for which its martyrs perished and the Gospel which has given it the greatest hope, “For the life that now is and that which is to come.” 236 LOVE IS THE ONLY TIE P AUL SAID THAT NOTHING SHALL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE “US,” NOT ME, FROM THE LOVE OF GOD. THE CHRIS¬ TIAN TIE IS NOT AN INDIVIDUAL TIE, BUT A FRATERNAL TIE. IT IS A TIE THAT BINDS CHRISTIANS TOGETHER, AND THUS UNITED THEY ARE UNITED TO GOD. NO CHRISTIAN CAN SEPARATE HIMSELF FROM HIS BRETHREN, AND CLAIM AN INDIVIDUAL TIE WITH GOD. “FOR HE THAT LOVETH NOT HIS BROTHER WHOM HE HATH SEEN, CAN¬ NOT LOVE GOD WHOM HE HATH NOT SEEN.” LOVE IS THE ONLY INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD THAT CAN BRING PEO¬ PLE TOGETHER AND KEEP THEM TO¬ GETHER. LOVE IS THE ONLY TIE THAT CAN KEEP A HOME TOGETHER, AND IT IS THE ONLY TIE THAT CAN KEEP A CHURCH TOGETHER. MANY CHRIS¬ TIANS HAVE TRUSTED A COMMON FAITH TO KEEP THEM TOGETHER. THEY BELIEVED THE SAME THINGS, AND THEY TRUSTED THIS TIE TO KEEP THEM TOGETHER IN THE BOND OF PEACE; BUT IT FAILED. A COMMON FAITH, HOWEVER STRONG, CANNOT MAINTAIN THE BOND OF CHRISTIAN BROTHERHOOD. ONLY A COMMON LOVE CAN DO THIS. THE STRONG HEAT OF A FERVENT COMMON LOVE IS THE ONLY INFLUENCE THAT CAN MELT AND UNITE HEARTS IN A LAST¬ ING BOND OF CHRISTIAN UNITY; BUT THIS, AS STATED BY PAUL, CAN AND WILL UNITE ALL CHRISTIANS THAT ALLOW THE LOVE OF GOD TO HAVE ITS WAY IN THEIR HEARTS AND OVER THEIR LIVES. —Rev. John B. Cowden in Christian Worship, West Nashville, Tenn. WAS THIS ENEMY OF ORGANIZED CHRISTIANITY RIGHT? T hirty-five years ago Robert in- GERSOLL SAID: “THE PULPIT IS LOS¬ ING ITS POSITION. IT SPEAKS NO LONGER WITH AUTHORITY. THE PEW DETERMINES WHAT IT SHALL SAY. PEOPLE PAY FOR WHAT THEY WISH TO HEAR. NOW AND THEN THE PREACHER SAYS A RADICAL THING. THE NEXT SUNDAY HE TAKES IT BACK OR MODIFIES IT TO SUIT THE OTHER HALF OF HIS CONGREGATION. MOST OF THEM RIDE TWO HORSES AND THEIR TIME IS TAKEN UP IN URGING ONE FORDWARD AND KEEPING THE OTHER BACK.” O F THIS WE ARE AT LEAST CERTAIN, IF THE FUTURE OF THE PULPIT IS NOT SAFEGUARDED, THE FUTURE OF PROTESTANTISM IS UNCERTAIN AND UNSAFE. T his conviction is deeper seated AND MORE COMMON THAN SOME OF OUR LEADERS CARE TO ADMIT. CHAPTER XVI SPIRITUAL UNITY SPIRITUAL UNITY T HIS is the first great essential. With this we can Do all things, without it we can accomplish nothing that will stand. It is THE SUPREME FACTOR— HOW MAY WE SECURE IT? Some existing organization, sufficiently rep¬ resentative of all other Christian bodies could commence a world propaganda for the secur¬ ing of three results. Proposing first, that every minister or Christian worker include in %j their public prayers each Sunday a petition for all churches bearing the Christian name and for definite unity. Second, that at stated in- tervals, say once a month, ministers of all de¬ nominations should be asked to embody in their sermon reports, statements or favorable opin¬ ions of what is being done by some other branch of the CHURCH outside their own denomination. Third, that all church papers should carry a page or some part of their re¬ spective organs, open to friendly comments and notices of what other denominations are doing and urging the churches and ministers not “To look upon their own things alone, but upon the things of others.” 243 WHAT EACH DENOMINATION CAN DO TO HELP Every large denomination could appoint a special representative of Church Unity to represent it at conferences and to visit the churches in the interest of unity, conveying messages and greetings from the churches of his own denomination to others. A Church Unity department could be maintained in the educational departments of the various bodies, publishing fundamental facts and features concerning the great movement for unity and giving modern views of doctrines. New and popular hymns could be written containing sentiments of unity such as could be used in any or all churches. LOOKING TOWARD ORGANIC UNION We use this term because we appreciate the fact that nothing definite in this direction can be attempted now. But a Commission should be chosen, composed of the greatest minds among the laity and clergy of all Christian churches, to consider and determine upon the available and possible grounds of unity which might be acceptable to the peoples of all shades of Christian faith and doctrine. This Commission should publish its findings and conclusions to the world, also explain to the ministers of all denominations the precise 244 meaning of certain conflicting beliefs and the possible means of blending these beliefs, so that by modification or better interpretation they can be made the basis of unity. In their turn the ministers could present these views to their respective churches. Such a High Commission would have to consider a vast number of problems bearing directly upon the supreme matter of Church Unity and others correlated to the main ques¬ tion. It might also act as an advisory body to stimulate adherence to the Fundamental Doc¬ trines of Christianity. In this manner, a decade might pass during which time the denominations and churches under the influence of PRAYER, PROPA¬ GANDA and mutual relation would be brought into sympathy with the movement and its aims. Then, with so much devotion, knowledge and mutual interest created, it would be strange indeed if some new light should not dawn and with it an opportunity present itself to commence the building for which the foundation would have been laid. THE CHURCH MUST TAKE THE PEOPLE INTO ITS CONFIDENCE It must also take sixteen hundred millions of them under consideration. It would not 245 be an easy task. It is much more difficult to build up a new country or civilization than it is to rebuild an old one. It may also cost more in sacrifice and surrender to rebuild Christian¬ ity into one great Church than it did to build what we now have; but, with the good will of the people, the consecrated genius of wise leaders and Divine guidance, it would seem to be possible of accomplishment. TWO THINGS OF WHICH WE ARE SURE In the dim shadows of the evening, when the world is fearful lest they may again lose the Christ and are saying, “ABIDE WITH US.” He is saying to a disappointed human¬ ity, “LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS.” It is also certain that He will keep His prom¬ ise to us if WE KEEP FAITH WITH HIM. “In Union There Is Strength” 246 G od has a plan of w o r l d re¬ demption. ONE UNITED CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP OR CHURCH IS THE MEANS OF CARRYING OUT THIS PLAN. A DIVINE CHRIST AND AN INSPIRED GOSPEL ARE FUNDAMENTAL FAC¬ TORS. ITS MISSION IS TO PREACH GOOD TIDINGS TO THE PEOPLE, TO BIND UP THE BROKENHEARTED, TO OFFER LIBERTY, TO PROCLAIM THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD, TO SAVE MEN AND TPIUS GLORIFY GOD. CHAPTER XVII WHAT THE MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST PROFESS TO BELIEVE NOTE THE COMMON GROUNDS FOR POSSIBLE UNITY A STATEMENT OF THE DOC¬ TRINAL BELIEFS OF NINE OF THE LARGEST CHURCHES OF THE WORLD T HESE brief statements are inserted here for the information of the general reader. We think their study will show that fundamentally, and upon those matters vital to human redemption and progress, we are already allied. In matters of non-essen- %/ tials and administration, we can afford to differ for the sake of speedily and loyally car¬ rying out our Great mission to the World. WHAT BAPTISTS BELIEVE The cardinal principle of Baptists is im¬ plicit obedience to the plain teachings of the Word of God. Under this principle, while maintaining with other evangelical bodies the great truths of the Christian religion, they hold: (1) That the churches are independent in their local affairs; (2) that there should be an entire separation of church and state; (3) that liberty or freedom in matters of religion is an inherent right of the human soul; (4) that a church is a body of regenerated people who have been baptized on profession of personal faith in Christ, and have associated themselves 251 in the fellowship of the gospel; (5) that infant baptism is not only not taught in the Scrip¬ tures, but is fatal to the spirituality of the church; ((>) that from the meaning of the word used in the Greek text of the Scriptures, the symbolism of the ordinance, and the prac¬ tice of the early church, immersion in water is the only proper mode of baptism; (7) that the scriptural officers of a church are pastors and deacons; and (8) that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the church observed in the commemoration of the sufferings and death of Christ. THE PRINCIPAL DOCTRINES OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH The Roman Catholic Church bases its doc¬ trines upon the Canonical Books of the Sacred Scriptures, explaining and supplementing them by tradition expressed in written docu¬ ments, the more important of which are the dogmatic definitions issued either by an Ecu¬ menical or General Council, or by the Pope speaking “ex Cathedra,” or as Head of the Church. Such definitions are not considered as constituting or establishing new doctrines, but only as official statements that the particu¬ lar doctrine was revealed by God and is con- 252 tained in the “Depositum Fidei,” or Sacred Depository of Faith of the Church. The Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed are regarded as containing the essential truths accepted by the church. A general formula of doctrine is presented in the '‘profession of faith,” to which the assent must be given by those who join the church. It includes the rejection of all such doctrines as have been declared by the church to be wrong, a promise of obedience to the church’s authority in matters of faith, and ac¬ ceptance of the following statement of belief: One onlv God, in three divine Persons, distinct, and equal to each other—that is to say, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Catholic doctrine of the Incarnation, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; and the personal union of the two Natures, the divine and the human; the divine Maternity of the most holy Mary, to¬ gether with her most spotless Virginity; The true, real, and substantial presence of the Body and Blood, together with the Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist; The seven Sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind; that is to 253 say, Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Pen¬ ance, Extreme Unction, Orders, Matrimony. THE CONFESSION OF FAITH OF THE CONGREGA¬ TIONAL CHURCH A Confession of Faith Article 1 . We confess our faith in one God, and in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as His Word to men, reveal¬ ing our ride of faith and practice. Art. 2. In accordance with our under¬ standing of that Word, we confess our faith, in the Three Persons of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost; in the Divine eternity omniscience, omnipotence, and infinite holi¬ ness, and in God’s righteous Providence over men. We further confess our sinfulness by nature and practice; our trust in the way of salvation graciously provided, for all men who will accept the same by faith, through the vol¬ untary sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ; our obligation to all Christian obedi¬ ence; and our confidence that He who begins His good work in the hearts of men will per¬ form it until the dav of Jesus Christ. Art. 3. We further confess our faith in the Lord’s Day as day of secular rest and religious 254 privilege and duty; in the church local and visible, including those who covenant together in one place, and universal and invisible, em¬ bracing all them that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours; in the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the heritage of the church and of the church alone; in the resur¬ rection of the dead, and the final judgment, (in which God shall declare his righteousness) in the salvation of His people, and the eter¬ nal rejection of His enemies. THE DOCTRINAL BELIEF OF THE DISCIPLE CHURCH In addition to beliefs, in which they are in general accord with other Protestant churches, the Disciples hold certain positions which they regard as distinctive: 1. Feeling that “to believe and to do none other things than those enjoined by our Lord and His Apostles must be infallibly safe,” they aim “to restore in faith and spirit and practice the Christianity of Christ and His Apostles as found in the pages of the New Testament.” 255 2. Affirming that “the sacred Scriptures as given of God answer all purposes of a rule of faith and practice, and a law for the govern¬ ment of the church, and that human creeds and confessions of faith spring out of contro¬ versy and, instead of being bonds of union, tend to divison and strife,” they reject all such creed and confessions. 3. They place special emphasis upon “the Divine Sonship of Jesus, as the fundamental fact of Holy Scripture, the essential creed of Christianity, and one article of faith in order to baptism and church membership.” 4. Believing that in the Scriptures “a clear distinction is made between the law and the gospel,” they “do not regard the Old and New Testament as of equally binding authority upon Christians,” but that “the New Testa¬ ment is a perfect constitution for the worship, government, and discipline of the New Testa¬ ment church as the Old was for the Old Testa¬ ment church.” 5. While claiming for themselves the New Testament names of “Christians,” or “Dis¬ ciples,” “they do not deny that others are Christians or that other churches are Churches of Christ.” 256 THE STANDARDS OF DOCTRINE IN THE PRESBY¬ TERIAN CHURCH The standards of doctrine of the Presbv- terian Churcli in the United States of America are the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. These were first adopted in 1729. In 1788 certain amendments to the Confession and Larger Catechism were approved by the General Synod, giving expression to the American doctrine of the independence of the church and of religious opinion from control by the state. In 1886 the clause forbidding marriage with a deceased wife’s sister was stricken out, and in 1902 certain alterations were again made, and there were added two chapters, "Of the Holy Spirit,” and “Of the Love of God and Missions.” A declaratory statement was also adopted setting forth the universality of the gospel offer of salvation, declaring that sinners are condemned only on the ground of their sin, and affirming that all persons dying in infancy are elect and therefore saved. As a whole, these standards are distinctly Calvin- istic. They emphasize the sovereignty of God in Christ in the salvation of the individual; affirm that each believer’s salvation is a part of the eternal divine plan; that salvation is not 257 a reward for faith, but that both faith and sal¬ vation are gifts of God; that man is utterly unable to save himself; that regeneration is an act of God and of God alone; and that he who is once actually saved is always saved. Discipline is defined in the book of discip¬ line as “the exercise of that authority, and the application of that system of laws, which the Lord Jesus Christ has appointed in His church.” In practice it is controlled by a policy of guidance and regulation, rather than one of restriction and punishment. Christian liberty is regarded as consistent with the wise administration of Christian law. The Directory for Worship makes no re¬ striction as to place or form. The church insists upon the supreme importance of the spiritual element, and leaves both ministers and people at full liberty to worship God in accordance with the dictates of their own con¬ sciences. The sacraments are administered by ministers only, and ordinarily only min¬ isters and licentiates are authorized to teach officially. A book of common worship was approved by the General Assembly in 1906 for optional use by pastors and congregations. 258 A DOCTRINAL STATEMENT OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH In theology the Methodist Churches are Arminian and their doctrines are set forth in the articles of Religion formulated largely from the thirty-nine articles of the Church of %/ England, Wesley’s published sermons and his Notes on the New Testament. These empha¬ size belief in the Trinity, the fall of man, his need of repentance, freedom of the will, sanc¬ tification, future rewards and punishments, and a sufficiency of the Scriptures for Salva¬ tion. Two sacraments are recognized—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is admin¬ istered both to infants and adults. As to mode, sprinkling is preferred, though in the case of adults choice of sprinkling, pouring or immersion is given. THE DOCTRINES AND CREED OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH The doctrinal symbol of the Protestant Episcopal Church, so far as the laity is con¬ cerned, is the Apostles’ Creed. The Thirty- Nine Articles of the Church of England are, with some modifications, printed at the end of 259 the American Prayer Book, but subscription to them is not required. The Church, expects of her members loyalty to her doctrine, dis¬ cipline and worship, but allows considerable latitude in the interpretation of the Creeds. She recognizes all lawfully baptized into the name of the Holy Trinity as members of the Church, and requires that all who have been baptized shall be brought to the bishop for confirmation after they have been adequately instructed in the Catechism. By a strict inter¬ pretation of an ancient rubric only those who have been confirmed can come to the Holy Communion, but a more liberal view prevails in practice. Two Sacraments only are recog¬ nized—Baptism and the Supper of our Lord. The Episcopal Church recognizes three orders in the ministry-—Bishops, Priests and Deacons. Deacons must have reached the age of twenty-one. They can not administer the Holy Communion and their special duty is to care for the sick and poor of the parish and preach only when licensed by the bishop. No one can be ordained priest until he has been one year a deacon and is twenty-four years old. Both deacons and priests are required before ordination to sign the following decla¬ ration : 260 “I do believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary to sal¬ vation; and I do solemnly engage to conform to the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.” WHAT LUTHERANS BELIEVE The Lutherans of the United States and Canada accept the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and as the only infallible rule and standard of faith and practice. They ac¬ cept and confess the three ecumenical creeds: namely, the Apostles, the Nicene, and the Athanasian. They accept and hold the un¬ altered Augsburg Confession as the correct exhibition of the faith and doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, founded upon the Word of God. None reject any of the other Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, namely, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, the Large and Small Catechisms of Luther, and the Formula of Concord. Many accept all of these. All accept and use Luther’s Small Catechism. 261 THE DOCTRINAL STATEMENT OF THE UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH In doctrine the church holds to the Trinity the Deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, and an atonement unlimited as to the possibility of its application. Upon repentance, faith appropriates the benefits of the atonement to the salvation of the soul, and in this salvation the soul is spiritually baptized into Christ, and becomes a new creature— i. e., is born again—the doctrine upon which the early life of the church was based. A spiritually di¬ rected life is held to be a necessity to the main¬ tenance of the regenerate state, and the ordi¬ nances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are to be observed by all of God’s spiritual chil¬ dren, by each in the manner which he deems scripturally correct. On moral questions the church holds to the strict interpretation of the early laws on temperance, connection with secret combinations, and participation in aggressive warfare. THE DOCTRINAL POSITION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH The Christian and Missionary Alliance is strictly evangelistic in its doctrine. It stands firmly for the inspiration of the Scriptures, 262 the atonement of Christ, the supernaturalism of religious experience, and a life of separation and practical holiness. It has no strict creed, but expresses the great essential features of its testimony in a simple formula known as the fourfold gospel of Christ, as Savior, Sanc¬ tifier, Healer and Coming Lord. It is not a sectarian body, but allows liberty in the matter of baptism and church government, and is in fraternal union with evangelical Christians of all denominations, accepting missionaries from the various churches, provided they are in full sympathy with the evangelical standards of the Alliance. NOTE—The other denominations not represented in this group are for the most part outgrowths of these larger churches and in tlie main, their doctrinal beliefs or creeds accord with them. 263 THE MATERIAL FROM WHICH A WORLD CHURCH COULD BE FORMED FOLLOWING IS A FAIRLY ACCURATE LIST OF THE DENOMINATIONS AND CHURCHES REPRESENTING CHRISTIANITY IN THE UNITED STATES. IT WILL ALSO INDI¬ CATE THE VARIOUS PARTS INTO WHICH THE SPIRITUAL BODY OF CHRIST HAS BEEN DIVIDED. EVANGELICAL SYNOD OF NORTH AMERICA CHURCH OF GOD (NEW DUNKARDS) BRETHREN CHURCH (PROGRESSIVE DUNKARDS) CHURCH OF THE UNIVERSAL MESSIANIC MESSAGE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE THE HOLINESS CHURCH EVANGELICAL PROTESTANT CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA EVANGELICAL UNION OF BOHEMIAN AND MORAVIAN BRETHREN OF NORTH AMERICA INDEPENDENT BOHEMIAN AND MORAVIAN BRETHREN CHURCHES CHRISTIAN CHURCH (AMERICAN CHRISTIAN CONVENTION) GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 267 MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA REFORMED MENNONITE CHURCH INTERNATIONAL HOLINESS CHURCH REORGANIZED CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS MORAVIAN CHURCH (United Fratrum) EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCHES SOCIETY OF FRIENDS (Hicksite) RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH CHURCHES OF GOD IN NORTH AMERICA GENERAL ELDERSHIP OF THE NEW APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA CHURCH OF GOD AS ORGANIZED BY CHRIST FREE CHRISTIAN ZION CHURCH OF CHRIST (Colored) ROUMANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, GENERAL ASSEMBLY CHURCH OF GOD, ADVENTIST SYRIAN HOLY ORTHODOX GREEK CATHOLIC MISSION IN NORTH AMERICA 268 CHURCHES OF THE NEW JERUSALEM (SWEDENBORGIAN) METROPOLITAN CHURCH ASSOCIATION KRIMMER MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH THE UNITED SOCIETY OF BELIEVERS LATTER DAY SAINTS CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS CHRISTIAN AND MISSIONARY ALLIANCE CHRISTIAN CONGREGATION CHRISTIAN ADELPHIANS EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD ALBANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH CHURCHES OF CHRIST BULGARIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH BRETHREN, PLYMOUTH OLD ORDER, OR YORKER, BRETHREN CATHOLIC APOSTOLIC CHURCH BRETHREN IN CHRIST OF U. S. A. AND CANADA MENNONITE CHURCH UNITED ZION’S CHILDREN DISCIPLES OF CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHRISTIAN CHURCH INDEPENDENT CHURCHES SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION PRIMITIVE BAPTISTS (PROGRESSIVE) BRETHREN (GERMAN - AMERICAN BAPTIST DUNKERS) CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN SEPARATE BAPTISTS NORTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION BAPTISTS (COLORED)— NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION TWO-SEE-IN-THE-SPIRIT PREDESTINARIAN BAPTISTS OLD ORDER GERMAN BAPTIST BRETHREN SEVENTH DAY BAPTISTS FREE WILL BAPTISTS (BULLOCKITES) PRIMITIVE BAPTISTS FREE WILL BAPTISTS COLORED FREE WILL BAPTISTS SIX PRINCIPLE BAPTISTS FREE BAPTISTS UNITED BAPTISTS GENERAL BAPTISTS REGULAR BAPTISTS 270 GERMAN SEVENTH-DAY BAPTISTS CHURCHES OF GOD IN JESUS CHRIST, ADVENTIST PENTECOSTAL HOLINESS CHURCH SOCIETY OF FRIENDS (Orthodox) BRETHREN, RIVER APOSTOLIC FAITH MOVEMENT POLISH NATIONAL CATHOLIC CHURCH ARMENIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA ASSYRIAN JOCABITE APOSTOLIC CHURCH ADVENT CHRISTIAN CHURCH BAHAI MOVEMENT AMERICAN CATHOLIC CHURCH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AFRICAN UNION METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH COLORED METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH UNION AMERICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH CONGREGATIONAL METHODIST CHURCH 271 PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHURCH AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH WESLEYAN METHODIST CONNECTION OF AMERICA COLORED METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH OF GOD AND SAINTS OF CHRIST HUTTERIAN BRETHREN ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, GENERAL SYNOD ALLIANCE OF REFORMED CHURCHES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD HOLDING PRESBYTERIAN SYSTEM UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (Old School) COLORED CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES (South) 272 WELSH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (Calvinistic Methodist) PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH REFORMED CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA SWEDISH EVANGELISTIC MISSION COVENANT THE SALVATION ARMY THE UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA LUTHERAN FREE CHURCH NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN CHURCH DANISH EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA UNIVERSALIST CHURCHES CHURCH OF THE UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST (Old Constitution) NORWEGIAN SYNOD OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH LITHUANIAN NATIONAL CATHOLIC CHURCH THE VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA UNITED EVANGELICAL CHURCH CHURCH OF DANIEL’S BAND 273 EPILOGUE As the author was thinking of a fitting word with which to sum up what he has been trying to say in the preceding pages, his eyes fell upon a reported sermon by Joseph Fort New¬ ton, D. D., whose City Temple sermons and other writings have given him deserved and extended fame. In his address entitled “THE WILL TO FELLOWSHIP,” based upon the words “That they all may be one, that the world may know that thou hast sent me,” he says, these are tender but tremendous words. Jesus makes the proof of his person and gospel depend upon the unity and fraternity of His followers—until those who love Him and love one another well enough to live together in the spirit of His life—our religion awaits its final apologetic. “The proof of Christianity is not in learn¬ ing, but in living.” “If Christianity can not realize the will of loving fellowship in its own life, it will be impotent.” The mystics have been the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Keepers of a holy fire, guardians of a sacred treasure—it is in their gentle lives, silhouetted against a dark 27.5 background, that we trace the history of the Hidden Church: From heart to heart, from creed to creed, The hidden river runs. “Faced by issues such as confront us to-day, the old sectarianism is not only inadequate, but absurd.” George Eliot said, “What we believe divides us, whom we believe unites us.” “The worship of opinion is not the worship of God.” “What we want is not uniformity but fellow¬ ship.” “Not to legislate, but to learn the mind of Christ.” Such men as Dr. Newton are more than preachers, they are prophets of a new age; they are familiar with the “hidden forces,” which, after all, are the intrinsic values of all time, and are never actually lost, but reap¬ pear from age to age to rebuild the waste places of civilization and to reassure the world that there is no lost cause in the realm of the “spiritual.” What a united CHRISTENDOM could do for the world and what the world would be willing to contribute to the final glory of a UNITED CHRISTENDOM will not be known until the all-but-spent forces of sec¬ tarianism and discord are willing to accept the MIND OF CHRIST and do the WILL OF GOD. 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