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Is Religion the O n ly Realm Where E’Oerpone is Right and N o O n e is W rong? By R E V . W ILL H O U G H T O N
anything. If some man preached the gospel, well. If some “ good mixer” preached something else no one ob jected. They were not red hot with zeal for God. Neither had they taken up arms against the truth. They were indefinite, broad-minded. I have a complaint to make. This government will not allow me to manu facture money. It is not because mine would not be as well made as theirs. They refuse to give me a reason. They just won’t allow me to do it. They seem to be very narrow1on that subject. They say I am to use theirs or go without. God will not allow me to make a re ligion. He says I am to use His or go without. When you buy a yard of cotton in one state you get thirty-six inches just as you do in any other state. Four quarts make a gallon in Ohio, Califor nia, and all other states. This is not a coincidence. There is a standard of measurement. God has a standard of measurement. One day He held the entire human race up to the measuring stick and said, “ All have sinned and come short.” There are some people so narrow they think there is only one way to spell cat. They would object if even a very sin cere person , spelled it K-A-T. Some thing more than sincerity seems to be needed to spell correctly. I have read of the “ religion of the inarticulate.” It is time for someone to write on the spelling of the honest hearted. Why is there a dictionary? Only that there might be a standard in spell ing. Why a Bible? Only that there might be a standard in religion.
HE^ world is looking for broad-minded r e l i g i o u s leaders— according to men of standing and influence in church circles. The happiest thing to be said of any man, especially a
preacher, is that he is broad-minded. A tolerance that says we are all right is the proper and popular attitude to take toward the religion of other men. The only thing demanded of men is sincerity. It does not make a particle of difference what a man believes if he is only sin cere. Let’s put our arms around each others’ shoulders and whisper “ Broth er!” Tolerance —- Brotherhood ■— Broad mindedness— are the mystic words and ingredients that will solve the world’s problems. You are almost led to think God has had problems that have waited on this day and these words. To be narrow is the serious sin. To be broad is the greatest grace. No doubt there is such a thing as a narrow mind but there are plenty of people who are priding themselves on a broad mind who only have a flabby backbone. You must make a distinction between a broad mind and a flat one. Some men are proud of what they do not believe. Mrs. Browning once said, “ Entire intellectual toleration is the mark of those who believe nothing.” There is a letter in the New Testa ment written to a broad-minded church. This is what it says: “ Because thou art lukewarm I will spew thee out of my mouth.” I guess lukewarm means in definite— “ neither cold or hot.” That church would stand for a little bit of
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