Christians and Tobacco

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 28, 1896

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 22.

Christians and Tobacco.

It is a sad thing that Christian denominations have to wrestle with the tobacco question among themselves. The great Methodist Episcopal Conference has the matter under discussion. On the proposition that the bishops be directed not to appoint at the annual conference officers addicted to the use of tobacco, the Committee on Itinerancy stood 24 for to 22 against. And a hot debate is promised over the question in the General Conference. Not only ought there to be no tobacco-using ministers, but no tobacco-using Christians. What is needed is conversion to Christ and the essential and foundation principles of Christianity. The matter is then easily settled. It will settle itself, but the tobacco will be outside the church. There is more expended for it now than for foreign missions.