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Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · June 23, 1892

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 7, No. 25

A Faithful Press and a False Pulpit.

At this particular time it is more than ever essential that newspapers should be conducted by Christian men, guided and controlled by Christian principles and convictions. The pulpit in several conspicuous instances has gone utterly astray in its teachings. Instead of proclaiming the great principles of Christianity and thus glorifying God, it is disseminating satanic doctrines ruinous to the soul. It is betraying the cause which it was appointed to defend. Ministers of the gospel are showing that their hearts are hardened to its teachings and that their minds have become so far perverted that they can not perceive its sublime philosophy. They are teaching men doctrines which are subversive of the foundations of the moral order and destructive of every valuable safeguard of social virtue. They are justifying anarchy and every crime which men can commit against society. They say that because Parkhurst's motives were to expose crime, he was right in himself committing a crime against the moral law. They justify him in deceiving, tempting, and hiring harlots to make a shameful exhibition of themselves before him in order that he might betray them.

In order to detect a murderer, then, they would have to justify the hiring of him to commit murder. Dr. Rainsford says that the saloon is an evil, but he would have the Church take charge of it, so that the evil might be used for good.

Other ministers are showing that they have no belief in the Christian principle of dealing with evil by opposing to it good. They think it is too slow and too tiresome in its workings. It takes too long to change the hearts of men, so that they shall hate evil and love good. They instruct them to take a short cut by doing evil in order to get good. If the purpose is to use the money for charity, they can steal it. If they think a man is a swindler, they can themselves swindle in order to catch him. If people are licentious, they can descend into any depths of licentiousness in order to expose them. If others sacrifice their self-respect, you can sacrifice yours in order to see them do it. If they will not degrade themselves for nothing, pay them to degrade themselves.

These are vile principles, and as pulpits are teaching them, the newspaper must take the place of such pulpits and proclaim the heavenly doctrines essential for the preservation of society. Hence, editors should be Christian men who work for the glory of God by inculcating sound Christian principles.

The public should hold every newspaper up to the highest religious standard always, and more especially at this day when that standard has fallen so low among many sensational ministers.—The Sun.