March 1931
B u s i n e s s
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K i n g ’ s
Thy Kingdom Come B y R oy T almage B rumbaugh * ( Tacoma, Wash.)
‘Thy kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10). ’HUS Christ taught His disciples to pray. His kingdom has not yet come. But it shall come, for Christ’s prayers shall be answered. The millennial kingdom shall be set up. The king doms of this world shall become the kingdom of our Lord. In the meantime, the devil is the god of this world. There is a tendency to substitute reformation for re generation, and salvation by character for salvation by
Russia is struggling in the throes of political death. Greece has lost herself in the intricate maze of diplomatic subterfuge. China is passing through the melting pot. Mexico is ashake with chronic political ague. Great Brit ain is sailing over troubled waters. Tomorrow will find the Gentile nations on the rocks or in the port of a new era. America is not immune. Lawlessness smears her red hand over the front pages of metropolitan newspapers. The capital of our national life is periodically beclouded with suspicion, scandal, and upheaval. “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown,” be it the head of king, pre
mier, or president. The sword will not rest in its scabbard nor the sea of hu manity in its bed. To league or not to league—that is the question; and no one seems able to answer it satisfac torily. Uncertainty and mis trust are conspicuous by their menacing presence. Righteousness alone exalteth a nation. Thrones totter; but The Throne is still set in heaven. Jehovah reigns! I n S ocial A ffairs Consider the social as pect. Social conditions in America are better than elsewhere. Are they ideal here? Millions of hands are idle. Myriads of people are in absolute poverty. We see the awful,spectacle of sweatshop and factory, crushing the very life out of boys and girls of gram mar school age. The sac rifice of more than a half million injured industrial workers is offered annually Many mothers are toiling
blood. Pagan philosophy and social service have pushed Christianity into a dark closet, from whence they bring it out every now and then in order to give to sham the appearance of reali ty. Religious dupes throng ecclesiastical bargain coun ters, clamoring for the sac erdotal pa ten t medicines which they have been de luded into believing will cure the leprosy of the soul. Many have left their first love. Others are fal tering. The zeal of the once ardent has dwindled into a caricature of service. Error has set profane step upon holy ground. Un truth has been mitered. Rebellion walks boldly up church aisles. This is not His kingdom. But we are not discouraged. We are to pray on and watch. All will be changed. His king dom will come.
Thy Kingdom Come, O God
Thy kindgcnn come, 0 God;
Thy rule, 0 Christ, begin; .
Break with Thine iron rod
The grievous tyrannies of sin.
Where is Thy reign of peace And purity and love? When shall all hatred cease, As in the realms above? Men scorn Thy sacred name,
And wolves devour Thy fold;
By many deeds of shame
We learn that love grows sadly cold;
O’er heathen lands afar
Thick darkness broodeth yet;
Arise, 0 Morning Star, -
Arise and, never set!
—Lewis Hensley.
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I n t h e R ealm of M orals Consider the realm of morals. Purity is no long er numbered among the much-sought-after virtues. Di vorce has prostituted holy matrimony. Decency has turned harlot. Vice and mock virtue stroll down lovers’ lane to gether, in dim twilight, whispering the dialogue of death. Bigamy stalks abroad at noontime unmolested. We hurl our anathemas at Turkish harems and look with compla cency upon Salt Lake City and Hollywood. “Petting parties” and flasks in hand bags have no place in His kingdom. General reformation must be preceded by in dividual redemption. Purity shall yet come into her own. I n th e F ield of P olitics . Consider the realm of politics. The world is seeth ing. Every nation is rent and torn with many a thorn.
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to the god Mammon. like slaves to provide sustenance for sick and hungry chil dren. Maternal energy needed to create and maintain a happy, healthful, and holy home atmosphere is given over almost entirely to bread earning. A vast army of young folk is marching to maturity keeping step with the voluptu ous eruptions of jazz. This is not Christ’s kingdom. But we are not cast down. We pray on, “Thy kingdom come.” I n N ature Nature seems to be at variance with God. Con flagrations break out in unsuspected places, destroying in a few hours the work of a lifetime. Earthquakes snuff out the lives of populous commercial cities. The seas gnash their teeth in rage, driving white argosies of commerce and cargoes of precious lives upon the white (Continued on page 111)
*Pastor First Presbyterian Church, Tacoma, Wash.
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