SOME of the popular revival efforts of these days do not lose anything in the public mind by their methods. The more sensational they are, the more they cater to flamboyant passion, the more they draw the curious crowd, the more successful are the revivalists regarded. Sensational advertising, street parades, brass bands, waving banners, and other sensational methods are employed to attract people to the place of meeting.
We do not deny that some good may be accomplished by these services. It is quite possible that some honest souls attending them may be led to give themselves to Christ. It is greatly to be questioned, however, if the good accomplished outweighs the evil which results from lowering the standard and dignity of Christian ethics by some of the methods employed by these modern revivalists. We feel confident that it does not.
As a result of some of these efforts during the last few years, the cause of Christianity has been seriously injured. Many Christian people of good judgment and fine sensibilities have been shocked and pained at the cheap, vulgar methods employed. The enemies of the cross have found occasion to blaspheme. In some instances the language of the revivalist has been so coarse and crude, so dishonoring to God, whose servant he professes to be, as was better befitting the man of the street than the one who stands in the sacred desk.
Regarding this particular phase of modern evangelism, Washington Gladden, D.D., LL.D., contributes an article to the "Independent" of May 23, 1912. Dr. Gladden has been the pastor of the First Congregational Church of Columbus, Ohio, for thirty years, and was at one time moderator of the National Council of the Congregational Church. He quotes "portions of sermons which have been recently preached to large American audiences. They are the utterances of more than one preacher." The ministers from whom he quotes are all of "good and regular standing in one or the other of the leading evangelical denominations." Dr. Gladden further states that these sermons have been delivered in the presence of the evangelical Protestant ministers of the cities where the efforts have been held, and never called forth, to his knowledge, any dissent or disapproval from them. Below is given a portion of the extracts referred to.
Speaking of those who resist the gospel, one revivalist said:
"A young man or woman who fights against the Christian life can not measure character with a grizzly ape or a yellow dog. It takes a little weazen-headed, jug-headed man to doubt God — I've sure got down to the size of some of the muts of your town this morning."
Referring to the matter of playing cards, another revivalist declared:
"A preacher who says that the right or wrong of card playing is just a matter of conscience should be kicked out of the ministry. He couldn't slop hogs for me."
Referring to a minister of the city where he was preaching who did not accord with his views in the matter of popular amusements, another revivalist states:
"The statement has been made here in —— by some dirty little puppet of the pulpit that there is no harm in the dance, the theater, or cards. . . . A preacher of that sort is worse than a bull-necked bartender."
On another occasion, a preacher, finding that his efforts had not met that hearty response which he hoped to see, sought to work upon the fears of his audience. In his prayer he besought the Lord to visit "death if necessary upon the heads of those who were standing in the way of the progress of the meeting." He urged Providence further "to adorn the doors of all in the city with crape who were not fighting on the right side of the battle for souls." The next day this same evangelist was reported as saying: "If this hardness of heart continues until the end of this meeting, I say to you that God's wrath will fall upon this community. There will be more funerals following this revival than you have had in your town for ten years. Mark that prophecy."
Trans-Atlantic Co. photo.
These are not the most vulgar quotations made by Dr. Gladden in his article. There are some not only vulgar, but so clearly profane that we would not care to reproduce them in the columns of the "Signs." In concluding, the writer says:
"I should not venture to report these words if they had not received the approval of a great many good men. Surely it can not be improper to spread before the Christian public, for its information and inspiration, some of the most characteristic portions of an evangel which is being enthusiastically received in a good many of our best American cities."
These are a few of the many samples which might be given. If such language and such methods were met with only occasionally, in some peculiar erratic type of evangelist, it would not seem so bad; but it is such preaching as this that thousands of people throughout the world, and many professed Christian people as well, desire. As stated in the article in question:
"It must not be supposed that these things have been said in a corner. They have been listened to by audiences numbering many thousands; the evangelists who utter them carry with them, from city to city, the unqualified commendation of large numbers of Protestant ministers."
While Dr. Gladden himself expresses no decided personal views with reference to these methods, it is not difficult to understand his position in the matter. He truly says, "It is a phase of modern religious life which deserves the careful consideration of intelligent Christians." It shows the depraved sentimental taste which has been created. This sort of preaching and revival work, and the favor accorded it by professed Christians, are a sign of the growing spiritual decadence of the church of God. And yet there are those who believe they see in the excitement, the passion, the magnetism present as such meetings, the mighty power of God. Such mistake the character of the movings of the Spirit of God.
Contrast this sort of preaching, this character of appeal to sinners, with the words and ways of the Lord Jesus Christ; with the simple, earnest, dignified appeal of Peter on the Day of Pentecost; with the proclaiming of the gospel by Paul when arraigned before Felix; with the plain, simple presentation of gospel truth by D. L. Moody and even several present-day eminent and successful soul savers.
When the minister of Christ obtains a view of the dignity and purity and gentleness that are in the Lord Jesus Christ, and has experienced the converting, sanctifying, uplifting power of the gospel of Christ in his own life, the kind of language quoted above and the sensationalism seen in much of the so-called modern evangelism will be discarded as unbecoming the work of the representative of the Great Teacher of truth.
