H a n t e n o t
D I S C E R N T H E S IG N S O F T H E T IM E S ? M t. 16:3
—E^er learning, and never able to come to the know ledge of tne truth. 2 Tim. 3:7
Signs of the Times Number—AUGUST, 1921
Invest Your Influence!
(Money Is Not the Only Thing to Invest)
YOU ARE A SUBSCRIBER or reader of The King’s Business. YOU HÂVE BEEN HELPED by its message.
H é ^
HUNDREDS,of people write us of the help received. OFTEN ONE COPY has revolutionized a life. W H Y NOT help some one else? USE YOUR INFLUENCE to get SUBSCRIBERS Make it a labor of love for the Master. You will never know perhaps what will eventuate from SECURING ONE SUBSCRIBER It’s Not Your Money— It’s YOU We W an t 2 CENTS A WEEK STOP R IGHT HERE AND PRAY ABOUT IT! You can be a blessing to others by using your influence. THE KING’S BUSINESS is published at a loss in cash but it is a great investment for God. If you are willing to help others with your influence sign the slip attached and mail to us and we will send you some helpful suggestions on How to Use Your (Not Money) INFLUENCE. YOUR TESTIMONY will secure others. It costs subscribers LESS THAN
Manager The King*s Business,
536 So. Hope Street, Los Angeles, Cal. I would like to use my influence for The King’s Business.
Name Address
T H E K IN G ’S B U S IN E S S MOTTO■"I lhe Lord, do keep it, I will water it every moment, lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. r= = = ^= = i= s= = = = - = Isa. 27:3 - PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 536-558 SO U T H H O PE STREET, LOS ANGELES, CAL. Entered as Second-Class Matter November 17, 1910 at tke Office et Lss Angeles, California * under the Act pf March 3, 1879 r .__ Rev. T . C . H O R T O N . Editor in Chief Rev. KEITH L. BROOKS. Managing Editor A LA N S. PEARCE, Ad'?. Manager Contributing Editors DR. F. W . FARR DR. FRENCH E. OLIVER REV. WM . H . PIKE DR. A . C D IXON CONTENTS E d ito rials: Playing w ith th e People (749 ), Menace of th e Machine (750 ), Profound P resbyterian P latitud es (752 ), S traigh t Ahead (754 ), The F unn iest One You Have H eard Yet (756 ), Modern B roth ers-of-Jesus Movement (757) Sentence Sermons (759) Signposts on th e W orld’s Crossroads— By Rev. Wm. H. Pike (760) Missions and Modernism— By Rev. John Horsch (762) The L ast Word on Christ’s Coming— By Dr. R. A. Torrey (767) E x tracts from th e Devil’s Bible-—By K. L. B. (771) W eather Signs fo r Believers— By Rev. E. R- Black (773) Methodism and Modernism— a letter (775) The Social Service P rog ram—By Dr. E li Reece (776) Bible Institute Happenings (783) Evangelistic Stories— By In stitu te Workers (785) B ible In stitu te in Hunan— By Dr. F ra n k Keller (790) Hom iletical Helps (793) Notes on th e Jew s (795) Sunday School Lessons (796) Daily Devotional Readings— By Dr. F. W. F a rr ('823) E d ito rial A fterthough ts (830) Book Review (832) Thoughts fo r th e Unsaved (833) Our Next Number Will Be “Laymen’s Number” PLEASE W h en se n d in g s u b s c rip tio n s , a d d re ss c o rre sp o n d e n c e to Office of T h e K in g ’s B u sin ess, B ib le I n s titu te o f L o s A n g eles, 636- 658 S o u th H o p e S tre e t. C h eck s m a y be m ad e p a y a b le to B ib le I n s titu te of L o s A n g eles. Do h o t m a k e c h e c k s o r m o n ey o rd e rs to in d iv id u a ls c o n n ected w ith th e B ib le I n s titu te . Y E A R FOREIGN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CANADA $1.24 - SINGLE COPIES 15 CENTS O N L Y O N E D O L L A R A Working For You WITHOUT WORRY TO YOU The Bible Institute of Los Angeles K t 1“ INVEST YOUR FUNDS for you in ^definite Gospel Work, where the WORD OF GOD is honored, thus GIVING YOU A LIFE INTEREST from FOUR to N I NE percent, according to your age and GIVING YOU A DAILY JOY in the consciousness that your investment can never be used for other purposes 1 Write Us For Full Particulars T. C. HORTON, Supt. Bible Institute of Los Angeles In P au l’s prophecy (2 Timothy 3 :1 -5 ) he sets fo rth nineteen definite, signifi can t signs as follows: “This know, also, th a t in th e la st days perilous tim es shall corné. F o r men shall be lovers of th e ir own selves, Covetous, Boasters, P roud, Blasphemers, D isobedient to parents, U nthankful, Unholy, W ithou t n a tu ra l affection, Trucebreakers, F alse accusers, Incontinent, Fierce, Despisers of those th a t are good, T raitors, Heady, H ighm inded, Dovers of pleasures, more th a n lovers of God; H aving a form of godliness, b u t denying th e power th ereo f.” Are these signs app aren t in p resen t day conditions? Let our read ers answer. PLAYING W ITH THE PEOPLE What is the pulpit for? The airing of the little views of men ordained to preach the Gospel? The giving of messages on what they do not believe, instead of what God’s unchangeable Word says? 750 THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S What is the matter with the men who used to be called “ the men of God ’’? Do our pulpiteers know what the men of this world think of their petty performances? Here is a comment from a reeent article in The Saturday Evening Post which speaks with no uncertain tone: “An obvious evidence of th e cu rren t sp iritual obfuscation in th e churches finds its Way weekly in to th e new spaper repo rts of m in isterial meetings. I f one were to judge religion by these g atherings of th e city clergy he would be surely justified in assum ing th a t th e m ajo r in terests of th e churches are such m a tte rs as th e u se of cigarettes, th e leng th of women’s sk irts, fashions in th e movies, Sunday baseball, local politics and th e m inu tiae of ecclesiastical mechanics. W ith th e whole ea rth in such agony as it has never before known; w ith v ast sp iritu al fer m entation and u n re st a world-wide condition; w ith th e very foundation of Chris tia n civilization imperiled; w ith a n ation steadily loosening its hold upon th e elem entáis of fa ith—th e sp iritu al shepherds of m ankind seem too busy w ith triv ial and ephem eral m a tte rs of individual ta ste and practice to give heed to th e deep and desperate needs of th e ir flocks.” T. C. H. THE MENACE OF THE MACHINE In the June number of this magazine we gave some statistics regarding the number of vacant churches in this country, which were not quite re liable, and we are taking this opportunity to correct the mistake and give more exact information. Our former statement was to the effect that there were probably twenty thousand vacant churches in this country, but after a more careful scrutiny of Dr. Carroll’s report, we present the following figures: ^ . Number of Number of Churches Denom ination Churches Ministers W ithout Ministers B aptist .......................................... 58,933 47,983. 10,950 Congregational ............................ 5,959 5,695 264 Christian ....................... 14,416 8,506 5,910 L u th eran .........................,............. 14,955 10,061 4,894 P resbyterian ..................... 15,844 14,309 1,535 Episcopal ......................... 7,993 5,806 2,187 Methodist ........... ......................... 63,645 42,426 . 21,219 United B rethren ............................ 3,923 2,098 1,825 Reformed ...........,......................... 2,721 2,286 435 Leaving Total Churches W ithout M inisters.......................................49,219 It will be seen that these figures do not include the smaller denomina tions and sects, many of whom are loyal to the Word of God and to the fundamentals of our faith. When it is remembered that a very large number of the ministers num bered in these statistics are retired, and that many others are not pastors of churches hut are engaged in other lines of Christian work, the figures become appalling. What Shall We Do? First of all,—face the facts. Look them straight in the face. If there are nearly fifty thousand vacant churches in this country, and there is abso lutely no prospect of filling the pulpits from graduates of the seminaries; and the ecclesiasts demand that only seminary men shall.be ordained for THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 751 the ministry; and these seminaries—all combined—cannot furnish enough men to meet the growing yearly need of the increasing population; then L, 1S Obvious that there is- something materially wrong with the machine. nere is a failure in functioning somewhere. Perhaps th&re is too much gas and not enough gasoline. Perhaps the training schools are turning out the wrong kind of mechanics and they are trying to run the machine in the air instead of on the earth. There is evidently a lack of ballast. It is a little strange at a time when the commercial and industrial inter ests are going forward with good progress that the greatest business in the world, and^ the business that is the foundation of all prosperity in other .lines God s business —should he run in such a slipshod fashion. Have we too many “ jawsmiths” and not enough blacksmiths,—men that can handle the hammer instead of men that beat the air? Is the machine getting top-heavy? Well, then, le t’s take off the top, and get somewhere. Whose business is this anyhow ? God’s business. Are there any direc tions or instructions for carrying on the business, and who has issued them? Are the orders in the Order Book—the Bible? Well, then, le t’s get down the old Book and see what they are. Let us find out what is wrong. What kind of mechanics are demanded to run the machine? Turn to the instructions given to Timothy and Titus and you will soon find out what the matter is. Someone has been throwing dust into the eyes of the people —devil-dust. Where did these mechanics get that dust? In the theological dust-factory. What should we do? Show them the orders, and if they do not follow them, discharge them. Who is it pays the bills? The people. Whose people? God’s people, bought with a blood price. Can the orders be modified? No. Must the orders be carried out? Yes. 'By whom? By. God’s people,—the men and women of the church, the people who make sacrifices, the bone and sinew, the people who must answer to God. Look at the Picture! If there are nearly fifty thousand vacant churches in ouf country need ing ministers, and other thousands which are presided over by ministers that know not or care not for the orders which God has given to His ministers, then there are millions of hungry people who ought to be fed. We have responded gladly to the cry of the millions.in the Near Bast and in China, but our ears seem to be closed to the cry that comes from our own land from people famishing for the Bread of Life. Do you see the multitudes? “ Give ye them to eat!” Men and women of the church,— you are the church; you are the responsible ones; you have a duty, God-given. Make a demand upon the leaders that the starving shall be fed, and make it now! And pray— pray that God will open the eyes- of the “ blind leaders of the blind” who have assumed places of leadership and authority in the Church of God, but who are unfaithful to the ministry which has been com mitted to them. Love all men—but be loyal to the truth of God! Be a good soldier of the cross! Fight the good fight of fa ith! Upon the laity of the church has rested—from the beginning-Sthe re sponsibility for the giving of the Gospel to the masses (Acts 8:1b, 4).' 752 THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S “And they w ere all scattered abroad th roughou t th e regions of Ju d e a and Samaria, except th e apostles * * * Therefore they th a t were scattered abroad w ent everywhere, preaching th e Word.” (1 Pet. 4:10) : “As every-m an h a th received th e gift, even so m in ister th e same one to an other, as good stew ards of th e m anifold grace of God.” (1 Cor. 1:26-29): \ , - “F o r ye see your calling, b reth ren , how th a t no t many wise men a fte r th e flesh, no t many m ighty, n o t many noble, are called; B u t God h a th chosen th e foolish th ing s of th is world to confound th e wise, and God h a th chosen th e w eak th ing s of th e world to confound th e th ing s which are m ighty; And base th ing s of th e world, and things which are despised, h a th God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to b ring to nought th ing s th a t are; T hat no flesh should glory in his presence.” . The appeal is to every honest, loyal, Bible-loving, Christ-following lay man,—do your best for Him who did His best for you, and DO IT NOW! ; T. C. H. PROFOUND PRESBYTERIAN PLATITUDES We are an old-fashioned Presbyterian. We have never had the advan tages so graciously bestowed upon the latter-day Seminary saints, having been taught that the Bible was God’s Word and that it meant what it said, and have jogged along for more than forty years with full confidence in its integrity. We have had the joy of seeing thousands of sinners saved and hundreds of saints separated to service, by this same simple faith, and have known of its wonder-working power in all lands. But now we are confronted with a remarkable sermon delivered by a prominent Presbyterian minister, pastor of a large and wealthy church in Southern California. This sermon is evidently intended to shatter our faith in the Book and awaken within our bosom an intense desire to be forgiven for our child-like simplicity during all these years, and to wish that we might have been gifted with brains rather than with belief. We love all men, and for over 40 years have given the best we have, in a humble way, in behalf of our fellow men. We love our fellow-ministers. We would gladly serve any one of them who are loyal follower^ of the Christ of God. We are saying these things in preparation for something which it pains our heart to say, but which we feel must be faithfully said, concerning this printed sermon which lies before us, which is filled with speculative sug gestions, having no foundation in the Word of God, but calculated to create doubts concerning the integrity of the Scriptures; calculated to hurt the heart's of God’s believing children; calculated to hurt the heart of Christ HimselfS-whom the preacher says he loves and honors. Lack of space forbids our quoting at length, although it is not our intention to do the preacher any injustice and we shall endeavor to avoid giving extracts in such a way as to do violence to the spirit and thought of the discourse. He says: “He (Jesus) does n o t ask th a t we receive anything th a t involves doing vio lence to ou r intellect. My m ind is th e C reator’s g ift by which I am able to prove all things an d determ ine th a t to which I am to hold fast. * * * There are some th ing s in th e records (th e Bible) which are given as statem en ts of fact THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 753 which, in th e n a tu re of th e case, are now qu ite impossible of proof and which fu rth e r in th e ir own n a tu re were impossible of proof even if we had been on th e ground a t th e time. We have to rely on th e testim ony of one o r two o th e r hum an beings. * * * I t is n o t lik e him to in sist upon acquiescence in th a t which is con trary to th e reason given us. F o r example, ta k e th e m a tte r of th e V irgin B irth . Have you noticed th a t Jesu s says nothing of it himself? You say, you would no t expect him to. I should, if it were to be a fundam ental article of my faith. Our theologians have argued hack from th e records of Matthew and Jjuke to fram e reasons fo r th e sup ern atu ral advent, and th e reason they reach is th a t Christ had to be born w ithou t sin, and th erefo re w ithout th e aid of an earthly fath e r. B u t th e re is many a m ind th a t asks how h e th u s escapes th e ¿a in t; whether, since Eve was involved in th e fa ll as well as Adam, th e re may n o t be conveyed by h e r th e sta in of soul.” These statements concerning the sacred person of the Lord Jesus Christ we view as blasphemous; and it is not true that Jesus “ says nothing of.it Himself. ” If you will read the 24th chapter of Luke’s Gospel and the 44th verse you will see that Jesus certifies to every message in the Old Testa ment concerning Himself, including 'Gen. 3:15, “And I will p u t enm ity between th ee and th e woman, and between th y seed and h er seed; it shall bruise th y head, and th o u sh alt bruise h is heel.” It would be absurd to imagine that any man ever invented that verse which God spoke to Satan and which involves the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ, His Crucifixion, His Resurrection and. His final victory over Satan. And remember that this passage in Luke refers to Jesus as He walked in His resurrection body and communed with His disciples. To insinuate that there might be a “ taint of sin” on the soul of the Son of God is an outrage. Let Us quote again : “Another may ask, ‘How about th e Apostles’ C reed?’ * * * I do no t be lieve in th e resu rrection of th e body, b u t I believe w h at I m ean when I rep eat th a t phrase in th e Creed. We live in symbols. We speak in symbols. A word is b u t a symbol fo r an idea, and ‘th e resu rrection of th e body’ is a phrase symbolic of o u r faith in th e persistence of identity- * * * The Creed has become a col lection of symbols. I t is n o t an in te rp re tatio n any longer. I t leaves room for each individual’s own in te rp re tatio n of h is own confession. * * * Twenty years ago Christ came to me in a way I would never th in k to have H im come now. He stooped to my ignorance and sp iritu al stupidity. * * * If o u r clumsy hands he all we have w ith which to find th e Cord,— no sharpened intellect, no sensitive sp irit,— still H e will say ‘Reach h ith e r thy hand .’ ”, Is it not remarkable that the phrase “ I believe in the resurrection of the body’’ means ‘‘I believe in the persistence of identity” ? If this is true;* then God pity the fathers who framed that phrase, who certainly intended it to mean exactly what it says. And of course, we must remember that Paul says, “ If the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised; And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” Notice the preacher says he “ would not care to have Christ come to him now as he came twenty years ago” when, presumably, as a poor, hell- bound sinner he accepted the living, loving Christ as his Saviour and Lord and went out to preadh the Gospel and had the joy of seeing many poor sinners saved. Now he has another Christ—One who no longer needs to “ stoop to his ignorance” but who looks up to his splendid, intellectual, literary achievements as a great'Presbyterian preacher! His definition of a Christian, also, is of interest: 754 THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S “A Christian responds to th e challenges of Jesus—moral, ethical, social, sp iritual. A Christian approves and pursues Christ; he subm its to Christ’s m as te ry of his life- Are you game to subscribe to th a t in te rp re tatio n of a Christian? A re you responding to these m eanings of Christ which have been b rough t home to you? Then, surely you have th e rig h t to b ear H is nam e.” But we are" thinking, in contrast to this, of Paul’s definition in 1 Cor. 1 : 18 - 21 : “F o r th e preaching of th e cross is to them th a t perish, foolishness; b u t unto u s which are saved, it is th e power of God. F o r a fte r th a t in th e wisdom of God th e world by w isdom knew no t God, it pleased God by th e foolishness of preaching to save th em th a t believe.” Notice Paul did not say “ by foolish preaching. ” Were that true, then this sermon would have produced a large number of converts, for it is about as foolish as any sermon we have eyer read. ' We cannot give any better advice to this Presbyterian pastor than that contained in a recent editorial in “ The Presbyterian” entitled “ A Manly and Timely Action” : “Rev. H. M. Gesner, who h as been p asto r of th e F irs t P resby terian Church of F a ston, P a., fo r seven years, h as resigned to jo in th e Unitarians. He has done th is fo r th e sole reason th a t h e h as reached th e conclusion th a t h is views and beliefs are such th a t it is no longer rig h t o r p roper fo r him to occupy an evangeli cal pulpit. I t would be well if men of sim ilar belief would do likew ise.” T. C. H. W l 3 k STRA IGHTAHEAD ! This is the motto of the City of Los Angeles which boasts of its won derful achievements during the last few years. We are thinking they got this idea from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, for that has been our motto and policy from the beginning. “Straight ahead!” With an old-fashioned statement of doctrine, based upon the old Bible and the whole Bible ; in spite of criticism from some of the “ new theologians” who pretend to know more than God does, and assure us that the old Book will .not stand because the larger light of the Twentieth Century, radiating from the Chicago University, and percolating through their brilliant brains has shattered forever those shallow, crude and childish views which once upon a time dominated the thinking of our fathers. We commend this motto to you. It is splendid; it is inspiring; it is God’s message; ' “Straight ahead!” Playing no favorites; telling the truth; magnify ing the Son of God who came from heaven and took upon Him the form of a servant,, was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, dead and buried, ascended into Heaven, sat down at the riglit hand of God where He ever liveth to make intercession for us, and who is coming in the clouds of glory to have us- with Himself. “Straight ahead!” Willing to make any sacrifice in behalf of a lost world, excepting the sacrifice of our honor, or the sacrifice of the integ rity of God’s own Book. “ Straight ahead!” In response to His call “ Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. ” “Straight ahead!” In obedience to His command to give the Gospel to every creature. THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 755 “Straight ahead!” In the path that the fathers trod. “Straight ahead!” With all the faithful sons of God, singing anthems of praise^ “Straight ahead!” For Christ and the church. “Straight ahead!” Don’t look to the right;; don’t look to the left; keep in the middle of the road. * T. C. H. IS IT MASTER OR MISTER? Some years ago a Unitarian national convention was held in New York State. A resolution was introduced whieh contained the words. “ Lord Jesus Christ.” A New England minister by thé name of Potter moved that the word “ Lord” be stricken out and the word “ Mister” substituted there for. While the suggestion was perfectly in keeping with the Unitarian view, which denies the Deity of Christ, it was a little too much for the con vention and did not pass. Not only the Unitarians but many who hold membership in orthodox churches would, if they were consistent, speak of Christ as “ Mr.” instead of as “ Lord.” The writings of Mrs. Eddy are full of the expression “ our Lord,” yet she makes nothing more of Him than the “ highest human con cept of the divine idea.” Mr. Russell’s teaching also leads t'o the conclu sion.that those who addressed Christ as “ Lord” during His earthly career, were blasphemers, for Russell insists that Jesus did not have a divine nature until after His exaltation and that He was only “ a perfect human being” while now He is a spirit being. Ministers in evangelical churches who look upon Christ as the “ flower of humanity” are so inconsistent as to refer to Him as “ our Lord” in a communion service. Why not be consistent? To them He is “ Mister,” not “ Master,” a leader, not THE LORD. A few years ago there was an issue about the “ divinity” of Christ. The Unitarians and their offspring quickly saw the point and now firmly declare their belief in His divinity. They tell us that ‘‘God is immanent in human nature and we are ALL sons of God” and that “ no one disputes Christ’s divinity or their own either.” It is therefore necessary to talk in Scriptural terms. The New. Testa ment teaches the Deity of Christ. No scholar can deny it. There is but one escape—disparage the testimony of the writers. One class affirm that the writers were Christ’s personal friends and were not impartial witnesses. They colored the story for effect. The other class affirm that the writers were men of a later age, not the disciples, and that they concocted their story. | But the fact remains that in the record His Deity was acknowledged by men who were His enemies, and His claims can be fully established by hostile witnesses. The religious and moral men of His day condemned Him not because He wanted to overthrow the Roman government and set up a throne, but because “ He made Himself equal with God.” The question is,—Is He what He claimed to be ? If. He is not, and is merely a human being, He is far from being “ an idyllic figure.” He is made out to be the champion of liars. “ Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm.” 756 THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S (Jer. 17:5.) If Christ is merely “ the flower of humanity,” to refer to Him as “ our Lord” is blasphemy and ta hope for any kind of salvation from Him is utterly vain. K. L. B. THE FUNNIEST ONE YOU HAVE HEARD YET A b right lad had im parted to th e m inister th e inform ation th a t his daddy had a. new set of teeth. “ Indeed,” said th e m inister, “ and w hat is he going to do w ith his old ones?” W ith a sigh, th e youngster replied, “Oh, I ’spose they’ll cut ’em down and make me wear ’em .” . Some of our liberal minded friends are beginning to wake up to th e fact th a t th ere are many in th e church who cling to the old Book. Our nation was bu ilt on th a t Book, and to throw it on th e jjink pile is a little too much for some. So the modernists are trying now to cut the thing over to fit th e new ideas,. Some have tried to cut the objectionable features out of th e Book, b u t failing in this, they are now giving us improved in terp retation s on th e portions which have heretofore failed to be of service to the modern propaganda. An amusing sample of th is comes out in “The B aptist,” organ of th a t denomi nation, made up in Chicago. It is an attem p t to cut over th e parable of the ten virgins so it can be worn by those who reject the teaching of the Second Coming of Christ. Prof. John E arl tells us th a t the foolish virgins were those who reasoned th a t th e Bridegroom would come quickly, hence th ere was no necessity for making careful preparation. It was enough for them to pu t oil in th e ir lamps; they couldn’t be burdened w ith an extra supply.- Probably they rebuked the wise vir gins, charging th a t they rejected th e prom ise of the B ridegroom ’s coming. This speaks of those in our day, says th e professor, who are neglecting th e hard work of producing a Christlike social order, while waiting for some speedy windup of affairs by Christ’s sudden coming. This element of risk, he says, may heighten th e th rill of religious experience, b u t those who th u s look to the Lord’s coming, are those whose lamps have gone out and who will be shu t out when He comes. Can you beat it? P arable of the ten virgins— the parable of the Lord’s re jection of the prem illennialists! They are the loafers in the church! They won’t fall in w ith th e idea of reform ing society; therefo re they have no oil in th eir vessels and will be sent to hell! Wonderful in terp retation this, if th e read er will only swallow it w ith his Bible shut. The idea of having the prem illennialists fast asleep while th e modernists are out reform ing the social order, would be fine if th e fifth verse did not say th a t “ they ALL slumbered and slept” un til the announcement was suddenly made th a t the Lord had come. The sp iritu al drowsiness is pictured as being general in Christendom. The higher critics (if such be th e wise virgins) are not excepted here- F u rth erm o re the idea of the foolish virgins sleeping because they thought the Bridegroom was soon coming and th ere was no need of doing anything, doesn’t seem to hitch w ith th e though t th a t they slept because “ the Bridegroom ta rrie d .” The identity of th e foolish virgins is not left in th e dark, for th e tw elfth verse declares th a t they were those who were unknown to the Lord. The pro fessor wants th e world to know th a t prem illennialists do not know th e Lord, THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 757 nor are they known of Him. However, the Scriptures, speaking of those who are bofn again through faith in th e finished work of Christ upon th e cross, declare th a t they are known of th e Lord (2 Tim. 2 :1 9 ). The Lord Jesus H imself tells us who it is th a t He will not recognize a t His coming, for-H e says in Matt. 7:22, 23: “Many will say to me in th a t day....*....*....*....have we not in thy nam e done many wonderful works? And then will X profess unto them , I never knew you.” Who is it th a t He refuses to recognize? The prem illennialists? It seems to be those who are devoid of th e power of th e Holy Spirit (typified by oil) who u tterly disregard the program of God as given in H is inspired Word, and who set up th eir own program s instead. Where are these lazy prem illennialists who cumber th e earth and do nothing in th e Lord’s service? The g reat m ajority of th e most successful m issionaries, evangelists and pastors, past and present, seem to have believed th is way. Then where does Prof. E a rl’s in terp retation fit in? You tell us. K. L. B. §&» a s THE MODERN “BROTHERS OF JESUS” MOVEMENT “Religious Publicity Associations” are springing up in th e larger cities. Space is purchased in the newspapers and the modern liberal in terp retation s of the Scriptures are exploited, evidently w ith th e though t of draw ing to the churches the element who regard th e teachings of orthodoxy as unsuited to the modern mind. ■ A predom inating though t in these ads is th a t “ all are the children of God.” From such an ad in a San Francisco paper, we quote th e following: “Let us be b etter brothers of Jesus.” “Man is th e image of God.” “ Jesus shows the way of etern al life— ‘inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of th e least of these my breth ren , ye have done it unto me-’ ” “ God is no respecter of persons.” “The kingdom of God is w ithin you.” Such teaching is false to the very core. Nevertheless it is to be found every where-in modern church literatu re, and always passed off as the teaching of the Scripture. Rev. H. M. Dodd has well said: “ If all men are sons of God, w hat a sad lot of sons God has. This universal F atherhood doctrine begets laxness of life. It is one of our most dangerous errors. It is fascinating to th e carnal heart. It humanizes Deity and deifies humanity, and is death to vital piety.” There is only one teaching in the Bible. God is the F ath e r only of those who have been born into His family by the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3 :3 -5 ). God is th e C reator of air men (“F ath e r of our Spirits,” Heb. 1 2 :9 ), bu t His F atherhood is based on something beside the mere fact of creation. “That which is born of th e flesh is flesh, and th a t which is born of th e Spirit is sp irit.” “The n atu ra l man cannot please God.” We are no t His children un til by the processes.of the Holy Spirit, we are made p artak ers of th e divine n atu re (2 Pet- 1 :4 ). Bigoted Jews in our Lord’s tim e claimed the F atherhood of God, bu t Jesu s’ answer was (Jn. 8 :44 ),' “Ye are of your fath er the devil.” “ If God were your F ath e r ye.would love me, for I proceeded fo rth and came from God” (v. 42). , 758 THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S Such doctrine destroys altogether the distinction th e Bible makes between th e saved and the lost and does away w ith the doctrine of grace, for if God is F a th e r of all, He is obligated to His children. It ignores th e fall of man and reduces Christ to a mere hum an being. F u rth erm o re it is not tru e in actual experience. H ere is % fine passage from a deeply sp iritual book, “Christian Fellowship in Thought and P ray er,” by Basil Matthews and H arry B isseker: “Fellowship is impossible a p a rt from personal intercourse on a common footing. We believe th at, when we get down to th e bed-rock realities of life, th ere is no common footing in the fact of being human. The brotherhood of man, as biologically or ethnologically man, simply does not exist either in his history or his make-up or his prospects. Inter-class prejudices and diversities, in tern ation al differences and distastes, inter-racial antipathies and even loathing, make it impossible to secure a common footing here. There is no basis for inter-racial relationship save on. a spiritual plane. There is no real basis for a real fellowship on a world scale b u t in sp iritual fellowship. Men, in a word, are not brothers by b irth in th e human sense; they are b ro th ers by new b irth superhuman. Through th e power of such fellowship separate personalities blend in a society of friends th a t has an identity, a characteristic quality, and a power of concerted action th a t increase the potentialities of each individual. A group in real fellowship has, in fact, many of th e qualities of a personality.” helpless to expose th e fallacies or warn the people. To decide a question of the Scripturalness or unscripturalness of any teaching would be out of the ques tion before any average jury. If a sect is brought into disfavor, it can bring this law to bear and a publisher can be prosecuted anywhere on as many counts as th e inquisitors can find. W here do such bills get a backing? Ju s t stop and consider. Only those sects which dare not subm it to th e test of widely published facts need to seek th e protection of such censorship. It has been claimed th a t the Jews are back of this movement bu t Jewish organiza tions have declared th a t they do not favor gagging the press. Rome stands out naked.. O ther systems propagating erro r are quick to back it up financially. W ill P ro te sta n ts stand fo r it? It has been passed in Michigan 75 to 15. It is alarm ing and demands a rem edy. No one will be able to stand out openly for th e tru th if these meas u res go through. P ro te sta n t bodies everywhere should reg ister th e ir disap proval and put up a fight. ITS TIME TO WAKE UP! you know th a t attem p ts are ling made all over the Unit- l States to pass sta te laws aking it libelous to pub lish anything th a t “ exposes any re- igious sect to public hatred , con tempt, prejudice or disfavor?” A penalty of $1,000 fine and five years imprisonm ent for those found guilty is attached- These bills are being systematically pu t through in various states. I t has been introduced in Pennsylvania and in W ashington and has already passed th e House in Michi gan. W hat does it m ean? It is only necessary for a publication to expose th e unscripturalness of the teachings of a sect or point out any in consistency in its management, to be come involved in expensive litigation, if not to have its publication suppressed and its editors fined or pu t in jail. The doors are thrown wide open to propa gate any kind of infidelity or heresy, and unless one can prove a false motive on the p art of the propagators, they are H HE greater the man the more he sees o£ God outside of him self and the less within him- The generous- manI is he who feels himself most in debt. It is the irony of life th at though the h eart is above the stomach, yet it is the stomach th at supports it. Few can tell what they know without also showing what they do not know. Jealousy consists in much love for the other and still more for self. Many are able to fill a high place; few are worthy thereof, The best remedy against annoyance from small things is to battle with great things. The swollen arm is not the stronger for its size. To change iron into gold, you need only to work it into hair springs. To destroy one’s estate needs a con flagration; to rob him of his peace, a mosquito seems to be enough. To remain as good as we are, we must ever strive to become better than we are. While mischief is being done, it sel dom seems as great as it is; after it is done, the mischief is seldom as. small as it seems. He who is condemned by all is only a little worse off than he who is praised by all. Some men put all their money into their heads; others deposit much of it overhead. Selfishness is only another name for short-sightedness; Walk among apes and you will have coconuts shot at your head. It is easy to learn to speak several languages. The difficulty is to learn to be silent in one. To say something merely for the sake of saying something is the sure way of saying nothing. Two words where one will do weakens the effect of even that one. The devil is always inviting saints in on the ground floor but his elevator only runs to the basement. Some people testify th at they are going to heaven to live forever, when they are not making as much prepara tion as for a day’s outing. To pursue union a t the expense of tru th is treason to the Lord Jesus. Many business men are taking the O. K. out of “smoke.” Many people expect to get their re ward in heaven and no questions asked. Be on the job. Opportunity is no re specter of office hours. Those who are given to white lies soon become color blind. If church going would save anyone, the devil would have been saved long ago. The - tru th is might but some men would hate to have it told about them.. Spend the time you have spent in sigh ing for fruit in fulfilling the conditions of its growth. Christ didn’t say “Let your light so tw inkle” b u t-“shine.” , - Usually the man who shakes the tree gets the least fruit. The man who is always looking for mud never sees the sky. A lie can be dressed up to look a great deal like the tru th but the dress will wear out. Those who receive scars for Christ here will wear stars with Christ here after. Signposts on the W orlds Crossroads How the Prophecies are Being Fulfilled Before Our Eyes in the Present Day B? REV. WM. H. PIKE ESUS said much about blin’d and deaf people: “Having eyes see ye not? , And having ears hear ye n o t?” prayed and hoped. This cold world has felt the w in ter’s chill of sin for centur ies, bu't a Utopian summer is coming, when Jesus will usher in th e Kingdom age; The gathering of the Jews back to th e ir land to become again a nation among the nations, is a sign th a t the new age of righteousness is near. Again, the Ecclesiastical Sign- is before us, the condition of church life and wor ship. In Rev. 3:14-22 we read th a t the last condition of th e church was to be a luke-warm condition and when th is prevails, th e Lord will spue it out of His mouth like nauseating water. No one will doubt th e apostasy of th e church in general who reads 2 Tim. 3:1-7, for this description is fulfilled in our day and even secular papers are commenting on it. , Such a perfect po rtray al of our re ligious cults and occults is given in 1 Tim. 4:1-3, th a t only th e w ilfully blind do not see it. Jesus said th a t false Christs and false prophets would arise, and they are over-running every land. “F o r th ere shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; in so much th a t if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matt. 24:24. And again Jud e says, (17, 18), “But beloved, re member ye th e words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: How th a t they told you th ere should be mockers in the last time, who should walk afte r th e ir own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spir it.” Who can miss seeing th e se signs in the church to -d ay ?' There are th e Physical Signs, th e fre- a.uency of wars, fam ines, pestilences, and earthquakes. “For nation shall rise There are people going through the world who never see the m arks of pro gress or decay in it. They do not lo cate themselves on th e dial of time, be cause they are blind to the signs of the times. It has never occurred to them th a t th ere is a trend of events th a t speaks- loudly of th e future. The sacred Scriptures give some de finite signs of the coming end of the age, b u t th ere are many customs, events, and conditions of every-day life th a t point toward a coming change. There is th e sign of th e Gentile do minion. This period began in 606 B.C. w hen God gave the first Gentile King, Nebuchadnezzar, (Jer. 27), supremacy over th e nations. This king received a revelation from God in th e form of a g reat image, (Dan. 2 ), which represent ed the Times of Gentile Supremacy. Each p a rt of th a t image has been liter ally fulfilled, from th e head of gold in Nebuchadnezzar to the feet, as it was given. Only the ten toes aw ait th eir fulfillment. We are living in the feet of the iron of monarchy mixed w ith the clay of democracy. Another is th a t sure sign of The F ig Tree, which is th e symbol of the Jew ish nation. Jesus said, “Now learn a Sparable of the fig tree; when his branch is yet tender, .and p u tte th forth leaves, ye know th a t summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall- see all these things, know th a t it is near, even a t the doors.” Matt. 24:32, 33. The summer mentioned is th e kingdom of . righteousness, for which saints have 761 THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S against nation, and kingdom against kingdom ; and th ere shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in div ers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matt. 24:7. And who shall say th a t the sorrows have not be gun ?. These Scriptural signs are enough to convince the honest seeker after tru th ; bu t besides th e s e ' are many p resen t day events th a t point to w ard a culm ination. Notice the ' ‘Safety” , cry on th e stree t cars, in the factories, on th e streets, in the newspapers. “F o r when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruc tion cometh upon them , as trav ail upon a woman w ith child; and they shall not escape.” 1 Thess. 5:3. The world has been crying, “ Peace and safety” for some time, and sw ift judgm ent follows th is condition. Never before has th e world been in such a position governmentally, th a t God could adm inister punishm ent upon it justly, because the form of govern m ent in the past has been largely some form of monarchy and the responsibility has been upon the ruling class. Now th e people ru le. They are responsible for th e life and conduct of the nation. Judgm ent can fall ju stly on all. Fu rth erm o re the sta r of empire has been moving west until now the strongest nation is not a European n a t ion. A victory for the yellow races in » KNOTT IN D A LLA S N E W S “ Looking after those things which are coming on the earth.“ Luke 21:26. THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 762 (? ) out of every religion in order make one common religion, th a : will su it all people. This is indeed Man's day. He will have it his way in spite of God’s abundan t offers of grace. ’But th e end is near. It may not be in our lifetime, b u t it is very liable to be. “Watch th erefo re: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” W orld wide conditions point to a g reat change. SURE PROOF. Major D. W. W hittle tells of a man who came to Mr. Finney and said: “ I don’t believe in the existence of a devil.” “Don’t you?” said the old man. “Well, you resist him for awhile, and you will believe in him .” I ou tlasts all th e cu rren ts and | counter-currents of hum an criti- j | cism and in terp retation , like th e § | rock w here seas meet. Jesu s | 1 Christ, th e living “Rock,” is th e i* | same, yesterday, today and for- §■ | ever. And when, from any causes, j§ ■| a la rg e num ber of sincere and 1 I though tfu l p e o p l e have been | I moved away from th e su re founda- | | tions of a Scriptural faith , it is | I ' to be reasonably expected th a t 1 | they, o r a t least th e ir children, 1 | should be moved back again,— | by th e wisdom of experience; by | 1 th e dem onstrated inefficiency an d I a failu re of th e ir speculative sys- | | terns; and, above all, by th e I | yearning of th e ir deeper life a fte r | | tru th s which impatience a t ex- | trem e dogmatism , o r p arty feel- 1 I ing, h as long hidden from them ; | | by' th e longing of th e ir hearts, 1 | und er th e touch of th e Holy B | Spirit,— fo r satisfactions found j | only in th e old an d everlasting g I doctrines of th e Church of Christ. | | — Dr. F . D. H untington, 1870. I THE ^Hiiiiiiim inuiismii)MrpiiiiimiiuiiiiiHimiiiiiiiijiiiiiiihiimij.rpiHiuiiuHiiiijHiiHiiiHiuiiuiiHiriMiiijf. PRIMITIVE CREED HE g rea t tru th s, both | n a tu ra l a n d revealed, | stand fast. The prim i- | tive Creed, drawn di- | rectly from th e Gospel, | . th e fu tu re will p u t the sta r of empire back where It started in th e land of an cient Babylon. H ints of a “ yellow peril” are already floating in the. air. Com mercialism is no longer a national fac to r in the world. It is international. Every day it is becoming more concen tra te d and consolidated. In a few years it will be set upon its own base in the land of Shinar, according to Zech. 5:11. This will mean th a t from one commer cial center in th e E uphrates Valley all the necessities of th e world’s life will be controlled. Then it will be possible for some wicked ru ler to say, “No man shall buy or sell unless he have th e m ark of the Beast.” Rev. 13:17. So th a t in ternational dinner, th a t you ate yes terday— for you ate food from many countries— is a sign of the approaching end of this age. Have you noticed th a t communication it, instantaneous, practically so’, in our telegraph, telephone, and w ireless ap pliances? Now we go th rough space w ith no obstacles b u t the friction of the air. Have you though t of th e variety of dress and architecture? In Abra h am ’s tim e they all wore the same style. Now it is a m ixture of all th e styles of th e nations, and becoming more cos mopolitan every day. Our buildings are a m ixture of Grecian, Roman, Gothii Corinthian, Mediaeval and Modern. Even our th eatrical stage and screen dis play not the life of one nation only, bu t th e mixing of all in th e ir characters. Even our social occasions appeal to the world a t large. Society now is the society of the whole world. Government now is be coming world government. Commerce is world-wide commerce. In other words we are tak ing th e best (?) from th e social life, from the commercial life, and from th e governmental life of all nations. We are crystalizing these into proper form to use in th e future. The ecclesiastical modernist and the. higher critics are tak ing w hat they th in k best M iiiiiiiiiin iiin iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiriiin iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiN iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiH iIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiu iH iiH iiiiiiu iiiK iviissions ana ivioaermsm A Chapter from a Recent Work, “Modern Religious Liberalism.” W hat of Future Missions? B>> JOHN HORSCH Bible faith. This testimony is altogether in accordance with fact. Cause for Decline The real cause for this negative, de clining attitude of liberalism to Christ ian missions is not far to seek. True missionary work is always based on the conviction th at you have the tru th and the tru th must be .given to others. “The real belief in absoluté truth,” says a w rit er in The Unpopular Review, “is a mis sionary state of mind, and carries with it the faith th a t tru th is the one thing worth having.” Modern liberalism den ies the possibility of knowing absolute religious truth. Furthermore it consid ers all questions of religious doctrihe and tru th as secondary. Therefore it has no positive religious message. The best in Christianity and the best in heathen religions is, according to the new theology, only subjectively, or rela tively, good. If Christianity be better than some of the non-Christian religions, we are told, the difference is only in de gree, indeed in some instances in but slight degree. The fact is th a t some of th e .liberals-—the Unitarians, for example —frankly confess to their own substant ial unity w ith certain heathen religions. A Unitarian writer, having ■ called atten tion to the fact th a t religious liberalists have more in common w ith th e Re formed or Liberal Jews th a n with orthodox Christianity, proceeds to say: Then wê think of other non-Christian religions. Has it not been the Unitarian group th a t has led in the affirmation th a t there are no heathen religions, that there is one F ath er over all, and all true thought and feeling, yes, all dim groping after tru th and right, is as divine in ori- ELIGIOUS liberalism has from the beginning been either in different or antagonistic to Christian missions. In recent years there has been a change in its a ttitu d e to missions. Liberalism , as rep resented by those who have accepted the new theology, is now professing friendliness to m ission work. This change of attitude is due to a new view regarding the nature and purpose of mis sions which has come to prevail in liber- alistic circles. The modern view of m is sions stands in strong contrast to the evangelical view. Professor Edward Caldwell Moore, of Harvard University, in an article on The Liberal Movement and Missions, points out th a t “for th e missionary achieve ments of the nineteenth century the churches described as orthodox have been almost wholly responsible.” Lib eral churches, he says further, “have sustained missionary endeavor in but slight degree,” and “the liberal element within the so-called orthodox churches . . has frequently excluded itself from the missionary enterprise. Hostil ity to missions, lack of sympathy with th e aims, dissent from the methods of those eager in this (missionary) propaga- ganda, have'been almost a party badge of the so-called liberal Christianity.” The same author, in his book on The Spread of Christianity in the Modern World, shows th a t rationalists and liberalists were “hostile to missions” for the rea son th a t missions stood for the Biblical doctrine of salvation, ju st as the liberals were also “alienated from the church at home” for the same reason, namely be cause of th e fidelity of th e church to the 764 gin as the word of Hebrew seer or Christian lead er?” Indeed, the Unitarians, as will be presently pointed out, glory in th e ir co operation w ith pagans, such as the Brahmo Somaj of India, a H indu so ciety which is antagonistic to evangeli cal Christianity, bu t friendly to Unitar- ianism. The H indu poet Tagore, by the way, who is well-known for his enm ity to the Christian faith , represents the viewpoint of the Brahmo Somaj. Professor Francis A. Christie, of the Unitarian theological seminary, Mead- ville, Pa., in an article on Unitarianism, say s: Do Not Differ from Heathenism “W hat corresponds to the customary foreign mission work (in evangelical de nominations) exists (among the Unitar ians) in the relation sought by the Uni tarian body with (pagan) circles in India and Japan. The typical instance is the friendship and co-operation established w ith the Brahmo Somaj of India.” Professor Christie adds th a t -students of the said Hindu spciety who resort to Unitarian theological schools in Ameri ca “find an essential agreement in faith.” “The Unitarians think of th e Brahmo Somaj,” he says further, “as their own movement expressing itself in term s of Indian tradition.” “The bond of union among us all,” said another Unitarian professor, referring to Unitarians in Am erica, “is the fight against the deity of Jesus Christ:” Obviously and naturally heathen religionists are included in this bond of union. , It is to the Unitarians’ credit, however, th a t they do not claim their entering into relations w ith Hindu and other heathen bodies, and recognizing them as representing “their own movement”— th at they do not claim this to be mission work, though the w riter ju st quoted says it corresponds to mission work. Some of the liberals within evangelical church es, on the other hand, evidently think it the purpose of missions to enter into THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S “relations” and religious fellowship with non-Christian peoples. Representatives of religious liberalism in evangelical de nominations are of the opinion th at the missionary should not come to the heath en claiming that Christianity is the one true religion, but he should appreciate the heathen religions and learn of them, and in turn have the heathen people ap preciate Christianity and learn of it. The Social Gospel Only But the new view of missions includes more than mere mutual interpretation of religion. Its burden is the social gospel. Instead of working for the salvation of individuals by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, it undertakes to save society by socialization and reforms of various de scription. Dean Shailer Mathews, of the Divinity School, University of Chicago, says on this point: “We used to regard the foreign mis sionary as try in g -to save brands from burning. Now we can see he is also putting out the conflagration (making endeavor for individual salvation un necessary). He is a messenger of good will, an ambassador of th e higher in ternationalism of the kingdom of God. If Christianity can only rescue brands from the burning but has no power to put out the fire (then we have) a reli gion doomed to disappear with the ad vance of ethical liberalism. The new social in terest of P rotestant Christianity w ants to save men into heaven by embodying th e principles of th e kingdom of heaven in th e sta te .” Professor Gerald Birney Smith says: “Today the m issionary enterprise is being shifted from a program of rescuing a few souls, from eternal disaster to the ideal of a long campaign of education and social reconstruction in th e non- Christian nations. Increased emphasis is being -laid on the claims of the social and political future of the non-Christian peoples on this earth. The Great Com mission was (formerly) regarded as an autocratic (authoritative) command to
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs