EVANGELISTS AND THEIR WORK.
By J.B. Frisbie
[I CLIP from the Michigan Christian Advocate, of Detroit, the appended remarks, by A. E. Ketchum, on the work of these traveling, sensational, affecting-anecdote evangelists that are now going over the country. I saw some of those spiritual songs printed on a sheet, with the remark that “the singing converted more than the preaching.” I thought at once what a mistake the Saviour made in giving his commission,—“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” It should have been, if they are right, “Go ye into all the world, and sing songs to every creature, and tell affecting anecdotes.” I have read with interest your article on “The Work of an Evangelist.” We are having some experience in these things just now. We have had a Rev. Mr. Potter with us for eight days holding revival meetings day and night. Some have been reclaimed and many have arisen for prayers. This was followed by union meetings conducted by the resident pastors for one week, when lo! another reverend gentleman appears bringing a singer with him, and commences meetings in a public hall. He is now at work, and of necessity our meetings have closed, as we did not deem it advisable to divide the interest. But that is not all. We are informed that a lady preacher desires to make us a visit and in turn duplicate, or triplicate, these efforts. Now we resident ministers are thrown into a train of reflection upon the state of things, which it would be difficult to describe. We are in doubt whereunto this thing will grow. We are inclined to endorse everything that is good, and rejoice to see the church stirred into action and the people seeking Christ, if so be it shall eventuate in permanent blessing to society. But this is the question, and time must elapse in this case before it can be determined. But here is a consideration: either the stationed ministers have become so stupid, backslidden, and worthless as to make the multiplication and call of these so-called evangelists a necessity, or their employment should be discontinued. For the inevitable tendency of the system is to destroy the confidence of the church in the ability of their own preachers to lead them on to battle and victory, and they are fast coming to think they can do nothing without them. That is not all. These persons make this work a specialty. They prepare a few discourses of the most sensational character, interwoven and almost wholly composed of affecting anecdotes by which the sympathies of the people are wrought up to the fever heat, and under the excitement of the moment, they are moved to the inquiry room in great numbers, to make a profession of religion, and then the evangelist pockets seventy-five or a hundred dollars, and moves off on the wave of his popularity, to create a spasmodic sensation in some other locality. Then comes the tug of war. The pastors work, and church works, to prevent the converts from losing their interest in religion and to get them “rooted and grounded in the love and knowledge of God;” but the instrument of sensation has gone, the excitement dies out, and notwithstanding the prodigious efforts of pastor and people, one after another drops into obscurity, and relapses into a worse state than ever, until nearly all the fruits of the wondrous movement have vanished like the “early cloud and the morning dew.” The secret of this is, they have been converted to the man and not to Christ, which is always the case more or less, where the preaching is of a purely sensational character. The Spirit and truth of God are the only effective forces ever employed in producing deep conviction and sound conversion. “It is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord.”