What the Church Means to Me: A Frank Confession and a Friendly Estimate by an InsiderGrenfell, Wilfred Thomason, Sir
Religion
What the Church Means to Me: A Frank Confession and a Friendly Estimate by an Insider
Grenfell, Wilfred Thomason, Sir
Church; Church work
Thank God for all the illustrations of her direct watchful vitality that
she does show. As, for instance, when the Christian Endeavorers fought
the question of prize-fight moving-picture shows and won out or when a
Parkhurst fought bravely for a clean police force. Even if the world
today does not vex itself so much as formerly about predestination,
original sin, the "actual presence," or even the correct mental attitude
to insure heaven hereafter, the churches may surely count it as a
product of their work that the people _do_ trust God more simply for
the past and future, and are more in earnest about securing justice for
the downtrodden and the square deal in the present. In this they need as
much as ever the Church's leading.
WHAT MAKES THE CHURCH ATTRACTIVE
That which attracts to a church today is not higher criticism, elaborate
ritual, hair-splitting creeds, but fearless fighting for public health,
for good government, for righteous labor conditions, for clean courts of
justice. It was the leader of a darky revival who, when asked why he
didn't _sometimes_ read the Old Testament, replied: "No, sah. Dem
commandments just upset de whol' revival." There is no need that taking
up politics and social questions should exclude the preaching of the
Christ. Men will follow today a Kingsley and a Maurice, a Lincoln, a
Beecher, a Brooks, or a Worcester as they will a Heney, a Hughes, or a
Folk or any man in whom they see plainly reflected the unselfish love
of the Christ.
Who cares, as a matter of fact, which way these men said their prayers?
They may have been Catholic or Protestant, or in honest doubt, but we
love them and will follow them. To us they stand for real love to man,
and so real faith in God; for true pluck and willingness to take up
their cross. Oh, if every member of the churches and every wearer of
"the cloth" realized the privilege of standing by every uplifting
effort, and was always so valiant for truth as to make a Rueff or any
agent of the devil occasionally think it worth while to take the risk of
trying to kill them--as in the case of this same Lincoln, of Heney, of
Lindsey, and of the Master--the world would recognize then that the
Church _was_ worth while, and there would be no discussing whether it
was going to die out or not. A little physical shooting wouldn't hurt
the Church. The world wants a Church Militant, not a backboneless
intellectualism. Only the "great Church victorious" can be the "Church
at rest."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account