p. 10 | Causes and Remedy

Pacific Press Publishing Association

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 37, No. 14.

Causes and Remedy

FROM time to time the SIGNS OF THE TIMES has, with no desire to criticize other denominations, with no desire to point out existing sins, set forth the trend in religious life in the Christian world. It has shown conclusively from the testimony of men in the great churches themselves that the whole drift is away from the Word of God; away from the simplicity of faith; away from the great moral standards. It mourns because of this; and yet if faithful to the Gospel and to the prophecies which have been given by the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles, it must point out these signs of the times. That there has been increase in vigorous, virile Roman Catholicism in America during the last thirty years is admitted by nearly all. The record which has been made by Christian Science has been a marvel. Other isms, such as Spiritualism and Buddhism, have gathered thousands of converts. It seems strange on the face of it that this is so; and yet when we come to look more deeply into the matter, it is seen that Protestantism itself is lacking in that decided faith, that conviction in its preaching, that grasp of the great need of mankind, that burden for men's souls, which would win the world to its standard, and strengthen faith in the Word of God.

Not long ago the editor of the St. Louis Christian Advocate spoke of various sermons which he had NOT heard,—sermons on vital subjects, sermons which it would seem that a true pastor must preach if he wishes to save his flock. In the Christian Advocate of February 24, the matter is referred to the second time. It has elicited a great deal of correspondence.

Some ministers think that the editor of the St. Louis paper is altogether too pessimistic, and yet the New York editor is bound to feel that this minister who thus speaks is himself perhaps an exception. Some of those who write upon it declare that they preach just such sermons as the St. Louis Christian Advocate editor did not hear. That of course would be the experience of a few; but another, a layman, a business man, who is in a large city for several months at a time, away from home, visits various churches. The Advocate says that he visited successively eight out of nine of the Methodist Episcopal churches in a certain city, and *"only heard one discourse that could either comfort a mourner, convict a sinner, or help a penitent. In a large suburban town he found a similar condition; and after trying the Methodist churches two or three Sundays, he went to those of another denomination, and found but one minister who preached with any spiritual power.

*"An aged brother declares that there is a vast difference between the preaching of former years and that of to-day; that the burden of souls in the ministry in those days was the salvation of the people; that the cry of the preacher was, 'Flee from the wrath to come,' and their prayer of faith, 'Thy kingdom come.' He says he has lived where he now dwells for several years, with twelve churches in the vicinity, and with one exception there has not been a revival. He attributes it in large part to the fact of the dying out of the class-meeting, family prayer, and prayer-meeting, and the consequent worldliness which prevails. Young ministers, he observes, frequently try to imitate by language and manner some college professor or noted preacher; that a short time ago some person from another part of the country preached, and one of the members said it was the first Bible sermon he had heard for years."

Another brother who writes clearly, strongly, and with penetration, is of the opinion that the complaint of the editor of the St. Louis Christian Advocate is "undoubtedly well founded even if the indictment is not applicable to all preaching."

This last correspondent says, "I believe the problem lies deeper than the subject; for when these topics are preached upon, it is not often that they bring heartfelt conviction to the soul." And the editor closes the quotation by saying,

"Yet it seems apparent that the great problems of sin, personal salvation through Christ, the work of the atonement, the renewing power of the Spirit, do not take such a deep hold upon their own convictions as to be the ruling passions of their lives." The editor says further he thinks that the opinions of their spirituality are clipped by TOO MUCH PSYCHOLOGY of regeneration from irresponsible sources.

Some of this can be traced back to the Higher Critics, those who have so mutilated God's Word that the ministers, many of them, looking to these learned men, have lost real conviction themselves. How can they preach with conviction if they do not themselves possess it? Many of the young men who have come into the pulpit the last score of years, are those who have received this pseudo-scientific critical education in the universities and theological seminaries.

Mr. Harold Bolce showed in his articles last year, that were widely copied and commented upon, that many of the teachers in the large schools were men who were openly and unqualifiedly infidel. There were many noble exceptions to this charge; but on the other hand it was clearly shown that these teachings had permeated schools throughout the entire country, and in most cases the great molding institutions of learning. While all professors would not agree with these professors, yet at the same time the skeptical professors are retained, oftentimes very bright men, with a great show of learning and experience which they do not really possess.

It generally seems smart to the young men to hear criticism and doubt raised concerning the established ways of the past. We think that our cartoonist on this page has given something of a representation of the actual facts of the case. The great institutions of learning which are turning out the teachers and the professors, are themselves poisoned by the skeptical teachings of some of the brightest tho not the deepest men on the faculty. Because of this, isms which are considered false and misleading prosper.

The Roman Catholic Church has something positive to say. It may not be true, it may be unscriptural; but her teachers believe it, and they teach it with conviction. The same is true of Christian Science advocates, and of the heralds of Mormonism; and the great sad fact is that the people in the so-called orthodox churches are not sufficiently grounded in Bible truth to be able to meet the teachers of these various cults and beliefs. Because of this the churches are honeycombed with a

decadent faith in simple Biblical Christianity.

There is a remedy for it; that remedy lies in return to the Word of God; lies in the teaching of the doctrines of that Word as they were taught by Christ and the apostles; lies in the return to the great standard of human conduct, the detector of all sin, God's holy law; lies in simple faith in that Gospel which will save from sin, and which will bring men into harmony with the government of God; lies in the preaching of the prophecies of God's Word which point out the times in which we live, and point out also all the various delusions which the children of God will meet in the closing days of the world's work. That last great reform is embraced in the great threefold message of Revelation 14,—a message so broad that it compasses the whole Word of God, the truths of which are demanded for these times. It is in these days, the apostle declares, that Satan will work with "all power and signs and lying wonders" among those who receive not the love of the truth that they may be saved. And when Satan works in that way, it needs all the great truths of God which have met his devisings and his workings in the past to meet his working now. And that message will develop a class who are ready for His coming, of whom He declares, "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." God points out the awful disease, and correctly diagnoses it. He reveals in that diagnosis the causes; but praise to His name, He also gives the remedy. The question, reader, comes home to you, and to every soul, Will you accept of His plan?