p. 130 | EGYPTIANS

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 24, 1878

EGYPTIANS

The New Haven Union of May 26, in an article respecting Mr. Pentecost, the evangelist, speaks as follows of one of the sermons which he delivered in that city:—

“We desire to commend him for the bold stand he took against what he is pleased to call the ‘Egyptians’ in the church, in his discourse at the First Baptist church on Thursday afternoon. This is one of the most commendable as it is one of the most remarkable sermons that was ever delivered in this city. It is a severe assault on hypocrisy in the church, a terrible arraignment of the godless creatures who manipulate Christianity for unholy ends, and yet, with brazen effrontery, point the finger of scorn at those who choose to remain outside the ‘Egyptian’ organization. No settled pastor could preach such a sermon and retain his hold on his congregation. Mr. Pentecost presented a fair picture of the average church of to-day. The desire is for extravagant edifices, professional music, eloquent but not spiritual preaching, and a toleration of hypocrites. As Mr. Pentecost says, the members want a minister who will fill the house with auditors, not their hearts with grace, charity, and true piety. A pastor who will deal tenderly with the wealthy of his congregation, overlook their sins, and affectionately call them ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters,’ is in constant demand; but one who lifts the veil of hypocrisy and demands a square living up to the faith, is sent adrift. This thing is so notorious that the church members discipline the ministers instead of the ministers disciplining the church members. The average pastor dare not bring the every-day sins of his parishioners home to them. See what Mr. Pentecost says:—

“‘A man can be in a New Haven church and be an adulterer, if he has good Egyptian connections. He can fail in business and defraud his creditors. He can desert his wife, and, if he wishes, rob her, and spend her substance with harlots; and there is not power enough in the church of God to remove these things. I haven’t been in the inquiry room a night for three weeks without hearing of such things. And it is not peculiar to New Haven. It was so in Hartford, in Providence, and in Boston.’

“We do not doubt Mr. Pentecost’s word. Our own observations confirm his statements. The church is honeycombed with such men as he describes. Unfortunately they are the ‘pillars’ of the church because of their ‘good Egyptian connections.’ The poor are excluded by them; for they surround their edifices with all the cold formalities of fashion, and by their hauteur make the lowly feel that they are not wanted. If Mr. Pentecost will devote himself to the work of driving these men out of the church, or of making sincere and humble Christians of them, he will engage in the field of Christian work that is most in need of missionaries. Let him fling creeds and dogmas to the wind, and plant himself on the broad ground of practical Christianity. A religion which ignores humanity can never attract the multitude. It is such a religion that is exemplified by our churches to-day. We want more of the religion preached by Christ in his sermon on the mount. When the church makes men better—less selfish and uncharitable—than those beyond its pale, then it will be a much easier task to reach the hearts of the people.

“There is in this world what we may call ‘respectable’ wickedness, which is a thousand times more deadly in its general influence on society than statute crime. It is the wickedness which, when formulated into law, steals the liberties, the earnings, and the happiness of an industrious people; creates criminals, paupers, and tramps; engenders bloody wars; sets man against man; rears up monied oligarchies, and rules with a merciless hand God’s creatures here below. This wickedness is upheld by the church organizations the world over. It is the work of true Christianity to wipe it out of the universe. The ministers of the gospel should preach against it in all its various phases, in and out of season. That they do not do it, is evidence that, as a class, they are as worldly as the rest of us, and are ready to uphold doctrines of political and social economy that militate against the common weal, because these doctrines have become ‘respectable’ by the usage that has been given them by so-called Christian governments.”

Did it use to be so with the church? Previous to the great Advent movement, did ministers have occasion to bring such charges against their congregations? Did the world notice and comment upon these things then as now? If not, then a great and sad change has come over the professedly religious world. And if a pastor cannot point out these departures from godliness without losing his place, as the Union asserts, then have we not reached the time when 2 Tim. 3:1–5; 4:3; and Rev. 14:8, are having their fulfillment?