May, 1936
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
164
G ro u n d the K ing’s Tables B y P a u l W. R ood
This issue of the K in g ’ s B u siness is de voted to the subject of Child Evangelism. No theme should be regarded as of greater importance to the church and the nation. The greatest need of our nation is that of
5. Moreover, he seemed more interested in Socialism than in Salvation. 6. And the hearts of the people were heavy, for they longed for the Old-fashioned Gospel. 7. And, behold! they sent a delegation to the minister and asked him to preach something they did not read about six days out of seven. 8. And the minister was angry and said, I believe in the Freedom of the Pulpit. I know what you need much better than you know yourselves. I shall continue to preach the Social Gospel. If you do not like it, depart unto Gehenna. 9. And the hearts of the people were sore, but they held their peace. 10. Now the minister had purchased a farm in a far country, where the owner had starved to death, but there was a very fair set of buildings on the farm. 11. For the minister had said within himself, It may come to pass when I am old and well stricken in years, that no church will desire me, and I shall stand all day idle in the market place; so I will buy this farm as a place of refuge against that day. .T2. And, behold! he and his fatnily did spend their summer vacations there. 13. Now the buildings on the farm sorely needed paint, and the minister agreed with a local painter for two shekels a day to paint the buildings white. 14. And when the bill came in, the minister did send his check to pay it. 15. And in due time the minister visited his farm, and lo ! instead of painting the buildings white, the painter had painted them red. k 6. Arid the minister was very wroth and he sent for the painter and said unto him: 17. Thou wicked and deceitful painter! Did T not agree with thee to paint my buildings white, and, lo ! thou hast painted them red. 18. And the painter answered and said, Go to now! It is true thou didst order me to paint thy buildings white, but lislelieve in the Freedom of the Painter! Red is a much better color than white,” Moreover, it seemeth to be a popular color at this time. 19. And suddenly there shined around about the min ister a light from heaven, and he said, I do see my sin this day. Why should I rebuke this man for painting my build ings red when I commanded him to paint them white, when I am called to preach Christ and Him crucified and I preach the Social Gospel? 20. I will return to my people and I will say to them, I know now what Jesus meant when He said, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. C. McPheeters, pastor of Glide Memorial Church, San Francisco, Calif. Mrs. Glide is a Christian philanthropist who has built not only the Glide Memorial (M. E. South) Church but several other churches and institutions as well. Among these are the Mary Elizabeth Inn, a home for girls in San Francisco; Epworth Hall, a dormitory for girls attending the state university in Berkeley, Calif.; and a similar dormitory at Asbury College, Wilmore, Ky. She has established the Glide Foundation for the promotion of the work of the Glide Memorial Church. This foundation has recently acquired the Hotel Californian in San Fran cisco, a seventeen-story building having three hundred rooms,, one of the finest hotels in the city. This hotel is be- The Life Story of Lizzie H. Glide is the title of a book which has just come from the press, written by Julian Lizzie H. Glide
ls It
Well with the Child?
homes in which Christ is on the throne and in which boys and girls are brought into fellowship with the Lord Jesus in early childhood. Less than ten per cent of the homes in this country have a family altar. We greatly need a revival in America that will restore the broken-down family altar. The father is the priest in the home, and it is his respon sibility to see that family worship is maintained. If the father is not a Christian, the believing mother should gather her children around the Word of God and pray with them and teach them to pray. Parents should by precept and example show the value and importance of godliness. It is also the responsibility of parents to win their chil dren for the Lord. Inasmuch as eighty-five per cent of Christians have been converted before the age of eighteen, we can understand the necessity of emphasizing child and youth evangelism. The tendency in the average church has been to minimize the importance of the conversion of chil dren. This is a tragic mistake. Childhood is the normal time for conversion, and a child can have a genuine experi ence of regeneration at an earlier agSthan is generally assumed. Those who are converted in childhood escape the scars that many carry who are converted in later life. The converted child can have a long life of usefulness and blessing. There is significance in the quotation: “Win an adult and you win a un it; win a child and you win a multi plication table.” The way to evangelize a nation is to evangelize the chil dren of thfe'ination. The call of God in this hour is to His church to evangelize the twenty-seven million unreached children and young people of the nation. Pastors, evangel ists, Sunday-school teachers, church officers, parents, and Christians in general must catch this vision and give them selves in a new way to this, the supreme task of the church. May the careful study of this issue of the K in g ’ s B usiness contribute to this end and help bring in a revival of Child Evangelism. Meeting in Chicago some time ago, a A Parable group of laymen from one of the largest For denominations in America urged the minis- Preachers ters of their denomination to leave social and economic questions alone and preach the gospel. A pamphlet, “A Parable for Preachers,” written by Edgar Warren, which we quote in full, is being sent to the preachers by the laymen. 1. Now it came to pass in those days that a church called a certain man to be its minister; and the church agreed to pay him two thousand shekels in silver, a house., and a leave of absence each year. 2. And, lo 1the man was glad to accept the call. 3. Now the minister prided himself on being very much up to da t e and after a while he said to himself, This church is behind the times and it needeth the Social Gospel. 4. So instead of preaching Christ and Him crucified, he preached Old Age Insurance, Unemployment Relief, the Abolition of the Profit Motive, and Reduction of Armaments.
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