Missions—New Style: Force Versus the Spirit of Christ
By Editor
“Missions—New Style.”—The New York Nation of October 3 has an editorial with the above heading, in which it takes to task those missionaries who are clamoring for China’s punishment. It does this in no flippant, skeptical mood; it even seeks excuse for the utterances, yet it shows nevertheless that the spirit demanding summary and extreme punishment for China is not the Spirit of Christ. It quotes the joke made some years ago by Punch: “Missions, Old Style, Henry Martyn; Missions, New Style, Martini-Henry.” The latter term, we may say to our peace-loving readers, relates to a rifle, the former to a devoted missionary. This is illustrative of the drift of popular Christianity. The Spirit of Christ does not change. It is still love, and not force, and there are many missionaries yet who, we believe, still hold to the old way, as set forth in 2 Corinthians, chapters 5 and 6.