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K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
June 1924
estim ation of the people in general, replied: “ I cannot see how th a t is possible.” A U n itarian w riter in th e Christian R egister Dec. 26, 1918, P. 1236, said: “Under th e higher criticism the religious value of th e Bible tends to disap p ear.” Another U nitarian w riter in th e same paper of Ja n u ary 8, 1920, P. 22, says: “M aterialistic and Biblical criticism have brought m ultitudes to th e brink of despair.” LIBERALISM AN ENEMY TO THE BIBLE. Dr. A. C. Dixon of B altimore says: “When the B ritish and Foreign Bible Society gave a copy of Scripture to each of th e graduates of certain Universities in India on the day of th eir graduation, a free th in k er presented them w ith a book on th e Bible w ritten by a prom inent B ritish clergyman as an antidote;” Dr. J. M. Savage, P asto r of a Boston U nitarian Church says: “We are gradually d rifting away from th e idea th a t the Bible has any special significance or au tho rity .” (Dun ning, Congregationalists in America, 1894, P. 316). A U nitarian m inister in New York says: “ If th e whole tru th is to be told, and th a t is w hat I am striving to do as far a s lim itations of space will perm it, U nitarians ou tstrip all o th ers in th e ir ignorance of th e Scriptures and in th e ir ability to appreciate th e perm anent value of th e sacred w ritings. The danger of liberalism now is th a t it will dis card the Bible altogether. If it does, then liberalism , as we have it, will deserve only death and th e world were b etter off w ithout it.” (The Christian Register, Aug. 26, 1920, P. 14). WITHOUT GOD, NO HOPE, CONCERNING EVEN THIS WORLD H erbert Spencer regarded the social trend of his time w ith alarm . There was no sign of an evolution toward bet te r things for th e race th a t he could see, though of course as an evolutionist he does not say it. And professor Hux ley, in a wellknown passage, declares: “ Even th e best of modern civilization neither embodies any w orthy ideal nor even possesses th e m erit of stability. The increase of knowl edge, w inning g reater dominion over n atu re, and th e wealth which follows has its concom itant physical and moral deg rad ation of th e masses ci the people, and if this continues a s seems true, I should hail the advent of some kindly com et th a t would sweep th e whole affair away as a desir ab le consummation.” Henry George’s “ Progress and Pov e r ty ” sounds the same note of despair w ith all other evolu tion ists. But now comes Prof. W illiam Jam es in an article in the ■Century desperately trying to find grounds for hope in th e promise of b etter things coming from hum an n atu re itself .and from th e signs of th e times. The article is reviewed ;very keenly and trenchan tly in th e second best paper of the •current Methodist Review by Rev. Charles E. Schofield. It :is well worth reading more th a n once. Professor Jam es quetes H. G. Wells, “Not since the fall ■of the Roman Empire or at least since th e Th irty Years War, which swept away one-third of the population of Europe, has th e western world faced so many troubles or had so many prophets of disaster as a t present.” And then P rofessor Jam es tries to find, outside of religion, in which he has little of hope evidently, other indications of develop m ent to b etter conditions. But he tu rn s from all these to such an expression: “ I should despair bu t for my in vincible faith in the creed of evolution.” Yet he can see no evidences except in the past where all the progress, ac co rd ing to his own statem ents, has been by the power of the
Christian religion, and his only hope now is th a t the pre sent-day human n atu re will undergo in some way some rad ical change. Not by the fundam en talists’ movement, nor in th e old orthodox regeneration and salvation for these he sneers a t as “ a cowardly flight from reality and a treason to the higher powers of m an,” whatever all th a t may mean. In o th er words, as Mr. Schofield finely shows, when P ro fessor Jam es leaves the tru e faith in Christ as a remedy for hum anity’s fearfu l conditions he escapes the philosophy of despair only by an u tterly blind, baseless, and wild faith in Evolution. No m atter though he and all other evolutionists see th a t instead of going upward m ankind are rapidly plunging into chaos and crime they still believe in something they have made th e ir god and called him Evolu tion. To Evolution all things are possible; all th e good in th e past has come from Evolution; and all things heretofore attrib u ted to God and Christ m ust be claimed as inherently in man for the purposes of Evolution. Astonishing! Is th e re not really more hope of converting th e Pope to P ro testan tism th an of forcing any illum ination of ordinary sense into Evolution brains? And meanwhile remember th a t its only outcome for the fu tu re of hum anity is th e philosophy of despair, the wish th a t a friendly comet m ight sweep th e world'! tM3. R. in “E astern Methodist.” “ PRAY ING HYDE ” The above is th e title of a little book (to which th is is a wholly unsolicited reference) published a t 25 cents by The Sunday School Times Co., Philadelphia; a book which, care fully read, should revolutionize the prayer life of any Chris tian. John Hyde, th e son of a P resbyterian m inister, went to India as a missionary. How he received th e fulness of the Spirit and became until his death one of the g reatest of intercesssors, and how under God revival fires were kindled in answer to his prayers— these and other things are re lated in simple, touching language. It is ju st such a testi mony as th e Christian world needs today. Let m ultitudes read it, and manifold will be th e results. Said a g rea t editor recently: “ Every city in America should m ain tain a noon-day prayer meeting to pray fo r re vival.” True, and should no t also every Christian home and church become (as in 1858) recru iting centers of in tercession, and every regenerated h eart th e throne-room of the interceding Spirit of God? Not alone a t 12 ,o’clock, but “ evening and morning and noon” let larg er numbers of God’s people “ cry aloud” (Psa. . 5 5 :1 7 ); and let more churches have set seasons, weekly and monthly, to plead for revival, and to pray th a t God w ill p u t simultaneously upon H is people everywhere a bu rden of prayer. One Mighty B rea th F rom Heaven W ill Do I t All God will quickly “ tu rn to flight the arm ies of th e aliens” encamping in th e m idst of His people, when His people have by th e “w restling” of prayer p u t to flight th e hosts of sp iritu al wickedness encamping above them ; in other words, when the Church retu rn s to the faith fu l observance of the apostolic order (Acts 6 :4 )— prevailing prayer first, and afterw ards prevailing preaching— th e form er indis pensably, the la tte r inevitably. Missionary conventions? Bible conferences? W orkers’ gatherings, good, all good! But when th e good leaves little room for th e best, w hat then? The calling of well-nigh prayerless assemblies God “cannot away w ith; it is iniquity, even th e solemn m eeting.” Therefore Modernism grows apace in th e Church! Strategic centers continue being cap tu red ! The enemy goes on gaining ground! The devil loves controversy, b u t w h at effectual weapon has h e wherew ith to combat a Church upon its knees? “How long, O Lord, how long?” Canst no t Thou who a rt soverign move “w ith one accord” upon th e h earts of Thy praying people? Canst Thou not make th is th e day, the year, when Thou sh alt summon heaven and ea rth to witness th a t th e God of E lijah still lives— the God who condescends to answer mercifully the cry of His confessing children who day and night in behalf of the Church
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