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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S says, “ Go work in my vineyard” . You have been telling us about the vacant fields, now take a vacation from the “ talk-fest” , and try the “ work-fest” awhile and give us a little “ rest-fest”-, and when you have made good in some real “ test-fest” , come back and we promise you a real good time at a festival. —T. C. H. F inancing Salvation It is helpful, sometimes, to see ourselves as others see us and the secular newspapers often prove good photographers of the Church. The Los Angeles Times in a recent issue had an editorial on ‘ ‘ Financing Salvation” which had a little iron in it, as well as some irony. It was com menting on the big, newsy advertisements of the Inter-Church Movement. We wish we could give the whole editorial, hut must content ourselves with a few extracts which evidence its trend: _ “We have all heard about the campaign drive due April 25th to raise a few hundred million dollars for Christian salvation. * * * The thirty Christian denominations represented are not exactly united on little matters of creed and ceremony; our souls are still offered an embarrassment of choice of ways and means; but they speak as one voice in exhorting us to ‘come through’ with the filthy lucre, by which alone the simple creed of Jesus and His humble fishermen disciples can be perpetuated. In short, religion has decided to adopt the methods of big business and brilliant financial co-operation, whatever its other multi tudinous differences may be. Our Christian pastors and masters tell us, vide the advertisements, that ‘nothing but millions can buy salvation for a world torn with war’, and they are probably right, since that same world which we are told ‘a shaft of light has struck’ boasts few humble carpenters and fishermen to renounce all worldly comforts, to follow a possessionless Master today. * * * These expensive advertisements teem with ironical truths. They demand ‘In America we must have Sunday School experts, 'Bible teachers, skilled fishers of men.’ How very far we have travelled from the simplicity of Jesus, from the Sermon On the Mount, from that sublime doctrine, free and gratis for all who cared to take. They, say ‘The realization of humanity’s need for Christ at this time has followed with sudden, blinding brilliance, not unlike that which came to Saul of Tarsus’. But Sauls of Tarsus seem to be peculiarly rare. Rather are they forsaking the ministry on all sides because of the meager worldly reward entailed. Nothing but millions can lure them back or create new Sauls. Our modern Sauls don’t accrue without expert training and the promised reward of high salaries. * * * Every item in these expensive advertisements is quite logical. One cannot take issue with a single assertion. They all rec k of efficient promise; of indubitable statements as to conditions and needed reforms. And yet, somehow, they leave us with a feeling of irony that Christianity should have come to such a pass. Per haps it is due to the glaring omission of exhortation to our spiritual duty— only our financial duty is emphasized. We are not asked to each and every one of us constitute ourselves a personal missionary without pay. We are not asked to examine the condition of our own souls, our own lives, our own spiritual prac tices. We are only exhorted to pay for the religious education of others; the religious improvement of others. There are numerous paragraphs beginning “ Your money will buy * * * etc.’ explaining just, how much other people’s service it will buy. In fact there is a general impression of buying ourselves off from personal duties other than money. ‘We must continue to send out men and women who will carry the Christ-life into their businesses, their recreations and their homes.’ Send other people out, you see; not necessarily be those other people ourselves. * * * They will raise their hundred millions and doubtless we shall all give, just as we have always given,—but unless most of us take our Christianity more per-
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