Christianity at the Grave of the Nineteenth Century
In the North American Review for December, Frederick Harrison writes upon the subject of “Christianity at the Grave of the Nineteenth Century.” He affirms that there has been a marked debasement in the purposes and ideals of Christians during recent decades. They are not so high as they were at the middle of the century. He thinks that the beginning of this degeneracy is quite largely traceable to Bismarck’s policy of “blood and iron,” and the war fever that has grown out of it in all the world. One of his paragraphs is as follows:— “We have been dwelling to-day on the evil things in our modern life, on the chase after money, the rampant love of gambling, the extravagance, the coarseness, the materialistic spirit growing on all sides. What have the churches done to purify and check all this? Who would care if they did try? Who would believe them in earnest in doing so? What were they doing and saying yesterday? They were offering up, from 10,000 altars, prayers to the God of battles to bless our armies; that is, to enable us to slaughter our enemies and possess their land. Not a voice comes from the official churches to raise a doubt as to the justice, good faith and Christian charity of those who have thrust England into a wanton war of spoliation. Not a word is breathed from their pulpits of respect for the brave civilians who are defending their homes and their freedom.”