(355-356) law and much advantage every way over them. If their knowledge of the Lord led them to kindly salutations and kindly actions, much more should the Christian’s greater knowledge of the divine will and his anointing of the holy Spirit enable him to be kind, considerate and affectionate toward others—doing good unto all men as we have oppor tunity, especially to the household of faith. Our Golden Text 1s an exhortation to spiritual] Israelites and is in full accord with the sentiments of this lesson as witnessed by the conduct of Naomi and Ruth and Boaz and ZION’S WATCH TOWER ALLEGHENY, Pa. his laborers. Let us with increasing light and knowledge and privilege make still further progress in all the fruits of the spirit of love. Finally,—It is unsafe to neglect to have the Lord for our God, and to neglect to make his people our people. Acceptance of the Lord means ultimately a change in all of life’s interests and affairs if we would abide in his love and favor. The sacrifice of earthly things may cost us tears and heartaches at first: but eventually we will be more than compensated—as was Ruth, only in higher, spiritual blessings, Vou. XXIII ALLEGHENY, PA., DECEMBER 1, 1902 No. 23 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER THE CHURCH AS THE MAKER OF THE WORLD’S CONSCIENCE This topic is treated in a manner with which we sympathize but do not agree, by Rev. S. Z. Batten, in an article in the American Journal of Sociology. He asserts that money and military glory are the “false ideals” before the world, and inquires whether or not the church has really spoken out against either of these. He thinks not and proceeds:— __ “In church and college, in society and in the press, rich men are honored and flattered and held up as models to be adored and imitated. The influence of all this, as any one can see, is to degrade the common morals; it is to set up a false ideal of life; it is to fire the imagination of the young with unholy and unworthy ambitions; it is to cast discredit on the poorer and humbler workers in the kingdom of God. Every careful student of modern society declares that the reign of commercialism has come, and with the reign of this commercialism there has come a sad confusion of moral values. This commercialism places money above life, and things before men, ‘Our whole society,’ says Felix Adler, ‘is infiltrated with the money-getting idea.’ There is danger lest a commercialism utterly destitute of moral and spiritual conceptions shall usurp the place which should be held by truer and Christlier ideals. “Closely akin to this is another false ideal which is set up before the people for honor and imitation. As every one knows, the miltary ideal has held sway for untold ages over the minds and hearts of men, and the great men of history are largely military leaders and conquerors. How far militarism is necessary in an imperfect and evolving society it does not concern us here to inquire. The military captain no doubt has had his work to do in the world, and let him have his wreath ot laurel leaves. But the military ideal, it is needless to say, is not the Christian ideal, and the two can never be completely harmonized.” Mr. Batten considers it the Church’s duty to quicken the political conscience of the world; and considers it a dangerous sign that people have ceased to expect unselfishness in politics, He continues :— “As every one knows, a double standard of morality prevails, and men have one kind of right for their persona] and family lives, and a different kind of right for their political and commercial lives. All such things as sentiment, conscience and love are ruled out of politics, and we are told that the Decalogue and the Sermon on the Mount have nothing to do with a political campaign. . . . The chancellor of the German empire has lately declared; ‘I can not conduct foreign policy from the point of view of pure moral philosophy. It is not ours to ask what is right and what is wrong. The politician is no judge of morals; he has solely to maintain the interests and rights of his country.’ Another man, not himself a practical politician, but a political philosopher, Professor Wiilloughby, declares: ‘It is, in fact, quite superfluous to show in this age that from their own inherent nature divine and moral sanctions can have no application to political matters’ So long as such sentiments prevail in high places, it is not surprising that they should appear in low places. And so long as such sentiments prevail, whether in high places or in low, that long the church of Jesus Christ will have a most fiery and relentless mission.” Inquiring into the church’s attitude on social questions, he declares that “in our time the power of Christianity is to be proved by its ability to create a Christian type of human society,’ and adds:— “Tt is intolerable to all right religion that numbers of people should be miserable and needy while there is plenty to spare in the Father’s house. No one who believes in Jesus Christ can believe that it is the will of the heavenly Father that one part of the human family shall go hungry and destitute while another part is living in luxury and ease. The most tragic fact about this poverty and ignorance is not the hunger and suffering, though these are sad enough. The sad dest feature about 1t all is the waste of human life, the fact that the wonderful possibilities in these human brothers are never unfolded and realized. A social and industrial system in which one man controls thousands of lives and is possessed of millions of money; in which able-bodied men willing to work walk the streets in desperation looking for a job; in which thousands of women, owing to oppressive labor and small remuneration, are under a continual temptation to barter womanhood for gain; in which are tenements not fit for pig-sties where women fight with fever, and infants pant for air and wail out their little lives; in which the sweater’s den and the giog-shop thrive—such a society is very far, indeed, from that order which God wishes and ordains.” To the query, Isn’t this a hazardous topic? he replies: — “That may be; but hazardous to whom? To the preacher? All the real hazard to him arises from the fact that he is faithless to his trust. To the hearers? Would to God it were more hazardous to those who are guilty of the monstrous arangs which hurt their fellows and hinder the kingdom of od! .... “The mission of the church is evident; the church's credentials are clear; the need of the world is great. Nothing could be more weak and pitiful than for the churches to confess that whole provinces of life lie beyond their interest. Nothing could be more cruel and cowardly than for the churches to say that they have no word to offer on the problems which make the peril and the opportunity of our time. Nothing could be more calamitous and short-sighted than for the churches to leave to outsiders, to unbelievers often, the discussion of current wrongs and the leadership in moral reform.” THE GENTLEMAN’S WRONG VIEW-POINT We admire Mr. Batten’s zeal and courage for the right, but discern that, like many more, he is in trouble by reason of a misconception of the divine plan of the ages and the church’s mission thereunder, The church should, indeed, “lift up a standard for the people,” the wo1ld;—in her pulpits, in her press, and in the “hving epistles” of her people. But she is not to blame that the world in general will not follow her precepts and example. Did our Lord himself or his apostles transform politics? or reconstruct society? or abolish wars and injustices in their day? Assuredly not. Unsatisfactory as is the condition of things at present it was much worse for the poor “groaning creation” then. (Rom. 8°22) Were our lord and the apostles at fault then? By no means. Neither is the church to blame that present conditions are what they are. But perhaps Rev. Batten would reply: The conditions now are different from what they were in the days of the apostles; —now we have what we call the “Christian World” of Europe and America and in these lands of “Christendom”; surely we should expect Christian methods in politics, finance and society, What folly, dear brother! Is it possible for us to deceive ourselves into thinking that the world is Christianized? Is it possible for us even to consider that the professed churchmembership is Christianized? Surely the term Christian world is as much a misnomer as the term Christian Scientist. Calling worldliness Christianity no more makes it so than calling black white would change it. The church “whose names are written in heaven” consists only of those who have the spirit, mind, will, disposition of their Lord and Master, their Redeemer. These, today ag ever, are but a “little flock” as compared to even the nominal church, and are scattered here and there throughout the sects, whose Babylonish, worldly, fleshly spirit troubles them, but whose wine of false doctrine deceives them. (Rev. 14:8; 17:2; 18:3) Wherever they are, they are striving after and more and more attaining to the high ideals of their Teacher, whose word they hear, reverence and follow. During the absence of the Chief Shepherd the flock has become greatly scattered by [3112]
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