424 THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S by reason of this fatal disease. We want you, dear readers, to help us to find a church over which we can place the epitaph “ Put to death by too much premillennial preaching and teaching. ” Now, of course, we must ask you to remember that we mean an evangelical church. Not an Adventist church, nor a Russellite church, nor a “Holy Roller” church,—but just a good, old-fashioned, orthodox, evan gelical church, believing in the whole Bible as the Word of God, and believ ing that it contains this ‘‘dangerous ’’. doctrine of the Second Coming of our Lord. We have had an intimate acquaintance with churches for forty-five years and have had the joyful privilege of knowing of hundreds of pre millennial preachers and churches, but we have yet to know of one (other things being equal; that is, a church with a morally clean pastor and officials), that does not .disprove the assertion that the premillennial teaching is deadening. More than this, we do not know of one that has not been characterized by these qualities: Faith in the inerrancy of the Scripture; belief in the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ; belief in His physical resurrection; belief in the'fact that men out' of Christ are lost; belief that the only remedy for lost men is through faith in the atoning blood of a crucified, risen Christ. We do not know of one that has not been a giving church; one that has not been a missionary church; one that has not been separated from the world and from worldly methods ; one that has not been a cheerful, happy church. Now, if these things be true, is it not true that the preaching of the premillennial doctrine has a life-giving, soul-inspiring influence ? When the charge is made that premillennialists are “ star-gazers,” “ hammock- swiilgers,” “ goody-goody sentimentalists,” is it not an attempt at camou flage? Premillennial churches are not, as a rule, raising money by oyster suppers, nor introducing smoking rooms, billiards, dancing or moving pic tures in order to draw the people. Their pastors are not sawing the air with attempts at rhetoric or oratory. They are not dishing up stale newspaper news, or silly jokes. They are not playing to the galleries. They are not telling the people what the words of the Bible do not mean, nor are they assuring the people that the world is getting better every minute. They are seeking to be faithful to a God-given trust and command: “Preach the Word; be instant in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2-5). These premillennial ministers and churches believe the Word of God and have the joyful consciousness of knowing that th,at Word suffices for the saving of souls and the sanctifying of the saints. Now we have thrown out a challenge to- o'ur good brethren and demand that they produce the proof, or else cease the effort to frighten and fool the people.. When the time comes for us to prove that a premillennial church commands the favor of God; appeals to the hearts and consciences of people;-produces the kind of Christians that are willing to pay the price for service,—we are prepared to name outstanding churches of all denom inations which are and have been premillennial, and which are among the best in the land.
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