FORETOKENS OF OUR LORD'S RETURN
By Prof. George W. Rine
SPIRITUAL DECADENCE IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD.
The Church and Tainted Money.
HAS the church, in the main, become commercialized? Unprejudiced thinkers everywhere answer with a ringing "Yes." It is a fact notoriously in evidence that the churches generally are counting the friendship and patronage of the unscrupulous and even rapacious "trust barons." A very large majority of these devourers "of widows' houses" are members of popular churches, in "good and regular standing." The recent controversy over the Rockefeller gift of $100,000 to the American Board of Foreign Missions (Congregational) has demonstrated the fact that an overwhelming majority of the clergy of the numerically stronger denominations favor the acceptance by the church of all moneys proffered, without reference to the moral or immoral methods by which the money was earned. In spite of the vehement protests of Dr. Washington Gladden, the aforesaid gift has been accepted by the said Board. It can not be denied that this Board, representing one of the most influential Protestant denominations, tacitly approved the devious methods by which the Standard Oil Company has become the most opulent corporation in the world. Regarding the acceptance of this now famous gift, Rev. R. Thomas writes: Mr. Rockefeller stands before the whole country as the representative of un-Christian, oppressive, and cruel business methods. Clergymen can not consistently endorse monopoly, tyranny, heartlessness. The effect of applauding success of this kind before young men everywhere is morally disastrous. Commenting on the action of the Board, Dr. Gladden makes the following drastic remarks: The Prudential Committee has placed itself on the broad and intelligible position that all gifts must be received, no matter what may be the character of the giver nor by what immoralities or crimes his gains may have been gathered.
No discrimination is henceforth to be made. The pirate or the train-robber may bring his booty to the treasury of the American Board, and it will be thankfully received, and if sufficiently large will be described as a "magnificent gift."
By the decision the Prudential Committee rejects the word of Him who said, "I hate robbery for burnt-offerings," and reverses the ethical judgment respecting the rewards of iniquity which has guided Christendom hitherto. It openly proclaims that money to which the giver has no moral right may be rightfully given to a missionary society if only his motive is to do good with it; and it assumes the power of judging the motive of the giver. The Rev. Josiah Strong adds these suggestive reflections: "Modern civilization, and especially American civilization, is beset by no greater peril than the worship of wealth. It is corrupting both business and politics; it is commercializing the very atmosphere we breathe; it is 'Drowning men in destruction and perdition.' This peril is growing with the enormous increase of wealth. . . . This god, Mammon, is become only less than omnipotent, and his glory is dazzling and blinding even the church. The conscience of the church touching wealth profoundly needs quickening." What is sincerely to be deplored in connection with this controversy is, first, that it is typical of the general attitude of the great denominations toward the acceptance by the church of what may be designated as "tainted" money; and, secondly, that the spokesmen of the various religious bodies, ten to one applaud the action of the American Board in its accepting Mr. Rockefeller's donation. Mr. Robert Hunter says: "In my opinion corruption took root in the church at the moment it began to accept tainted money. Corruption will not be rooted out of the church until the church prefers poverty and godliness to wealth and insincerity. Good can not come out of a church which subsists on the patronage of the rapacious." Why So Few Able Men Prepare for the Ministry.
An interdenominational conference was recently held in New York for the express purpose of determining the reasons why so few gifted young men enter the Christian ministry. Some of the causes set forth by the conferees are— (1) The Decay of Home Religion.
This was declared to be the most potent cause. How true. No one would expect to grow bananas in Labrador. No more can one expect to develop Christian workers in the atmosphere of a worldly home. Godless churches make godless homes, and such homes produce few real Christian ministers. (2) The Opposition of Parents.
"Christian" parents are here meant. Of course parents imbued with the spirit of the world would be ambitious to have their sons prepare for the lucrative careers of secular life. (3) An Unspiritual Environment Which Prevents Discerning the Call of the Spirit of God.
This third cause is merely a strikingly-apt comment on the first, given above. (4) The Great Openings in Other Lines of Activity, especially Business.
Ah, there you have it. Business, money-getting, gaining the world at the expense of the soul—all this expresses the very genius, the essential passion, aye, the madness, of these closing years of history! One of the speakers discerned wisely when, among other remedies, he emphasized the following: "A revival of spiritual religion will produce more candidates for the ministry." This undoubtedly expresses the one great crying need of the hour. Such a "revival" will revolutionize society. When John the Baptist declared that the ax was laid to the root of the tree, the Jewish religion was passing through a serious crisis. The spiritual apostasy of the Jewish world was well-nigh universal. The Hebrew Church—because of her obstinate blindness—knew not the day of her visitation. She was saturated to the core with the spirit of national pride and of arrogant self-righteousness; hence she was incapable of discerning and appreciating the things that belonged to her peace, and accordingly her house was left unto her desolate. So now, nominal Christianity is experiencing a crisis equally momentous, equally grave. About two years ago Dr. Lorimer declared that "the most superficial acquaintance with current literature will convince the extremist optimist that in the estimate of the public, religion, particularly of the evangelical type, is contending against fierce odds and does not seem to have vitality enough [in the hearts of its professed devotees] to maintain its authority and influence." It must be apparent to all candid observers that in the churches generally there are ominous signs of disintegration and final collapse; that they are full of half-hearted members who habitually subordinate their religion to business and pleasure; that popular lectures and essays are superseding the Gospel sermon; that many ministers avoid discussing doctrines except for the purpose of explaining them away; that the laity do not give to the cause of Christ in proportion to their expenditures in other directions; and there prevails an air of apathy, of skepticism and agnosticism. Did not the terrible apostasy in the Jewish church in the time of the preaching of the Baptist betoken the imminent appearing of her long-heralded Messiah? Exactly as foretold by Malachi, the Christ came suddenly "to His temple," and found it a "house of merchandise." "He came to His own," but they were spiritually unprepared to receive Him. So likewise the present awful spiritual barrenness of the nominal Christian church betokens the imminence of His appearing in glory to set up His timeless kingdom and gather His subjects. Is not the evidence overwhelming that He will again find many of the sacred edifices desecrated with the spirit of commercialism, with the service of Mammon? How painful to contemplate that He may again come "to His own" and they receive Him not. "Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" But some are discerning the signs of the times, and, accordingly, they "look for Him," just as Simeon and Anna and the "wise men from the East" discerned the omens of His first advent and joyfully received Him. To the few who watch, and pray, and look for Him, He even now says, "Fear not, LITTLE flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." And may the Father graciously grant that every reader may be one of the number who shall comprise that happy "little flock."