Christian fiction; Ku Klux Klan (1915- ) -- Fiction
This last remark was greeted by uproarious laughter from most of the
crowd. Hisses from a few. "Eat him up, preacher," a large man on the
edge of the crowd shouted. "That's right, we're for you," came from a
number.
Springer turned to Scripture to defend his position.
"I believe it's better to use love and forbearance. Didn't Paul say,
'If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world
standeth, lest I make my brother to offend'; and didn't Christ teach
the doctrine of non-resistance and say, 'Resist not evil: but whosoever
shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also'? I
believe in the policy of non-resistance in the spirit of love. Since
the Klan gives offense to my brother--if I were a Klansman I would
give it up." ("That's right, Springer, you've told it to him right," a
fourth degree Knight of Columbus exclaimed.)
"I believe in the doctrine of love and forebearance, too, but I
also believe in loyalty to principle. (The minister spoke in a well
controlled voice but with great earnestness.) When Paul spoke of not
eating meat if it caused his brother to offend he was speaking of meat
that had been offered to idols. It would give offense to some to eat
this meat and would do no violence to the conscience of any Christian
to refrain from eating it.
"When Christ said, 'Resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee
on one cheek turn to him the other also,' he was repudiating the
doctrine of 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' Nowhere did
Christ or Paul teach that one should surrender principles of truth and
righteousness in case someone became offended because of his advocacy.
Christ knew that His principles would stir up bitter opposition and
said, 'Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to
send peace but a sword.' Christ himself used force to clear the temple
of the money changers, and I haven't any idea that those grafters whose
game was interfered with liked it. It is the fellow whose game is
being interfered with by the Klan who is raising a big hullabaloo. I
am a lover of peace, but if my advocacy of the tenets of the Christian
religion, of the separation of church and state, free schools, pure
womanhood, freedom of speech and the press, the up-holding of the
constitution of the United States is an offense to any individual or
group of individuals--native or foreign-born--let them be offended. I
repeat it--let them be offended.
"As a method of judging the genuine from the spurious, Christ said,
'By their fruits ye shall know them.' What are the fruits of this
organization which you despise? It has done much benevolent work
in the way of assisting individuals and worthy institutions. It is
establishing hospitals and orphan homes. It has assisted in enforcement
of law in many localities; it has created more respect for law and
encouraged church attendance and----"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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