EVANCELISM.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1948, 3 January 1914, Page 9

EVANCELISM.

; HYSTERICAL EMOTIONALISM CGNDIiiIXJiD. s.s 1' i'om_ the chair.of the- National Coun#!i ' I'* 1 Amoricau Congregational yJiurchcs liold atrKansas i)r. Nehemiafi iJoviiioiij ihu Moderator, made sonio Irani; remarks about mechanical evangelism. . "We an; confronted with the problem of evangelism," (10 said, "and our., co-operation is continually asked for all, iorniß and kinds of religions activity. There is the mechanical evangelism,, relying upon pious tricks as worthy conservators ot tho works of God. There is blatant evangelism, relying upon coarseness of speech, vulgarity of manner,. horse-play, and tho caricaturing ol religious lives, as methods ot colluding crowds and opening to immortal souls the gates of tlio Kingdom of God. These arc extensively advertised, ,-inrl often one's personal allegiance to Christ • is, in tlie esteem or .some,; conditioned upon tho fellowshiping and pushing these religious uiidei takings... "It is a patent fad that tho good sense of the world turns to-day from that so-called which frorka .from the outsido in, from' the spectacular to tho .supposedly spiritual, which begins with tho presence of the advance agent announcing financial terms upon which spiritual blessings may be vouch-, safed, and continues by opening executive offices, advertising in most flamboyant manner, -conducting banquets at two dollars a plate for the workers, supplying energetic Press agents to regale the public with melodramatic stories which too often give tho simple truth an attack of chills and fever; this evangelism includes leaders of tho ministry of song, who drag tho sacredness of tSse worship of praise into the slum of vulgar, vaudeville emotionalism ; who make horse-plav a modern synonym for hqsanna, and who regard tho presence of a crowd as tho demonstration of a mighty overturning of.a community in the interests of righteousness. ■ ■■"For this typo of evangelism Conr grega'tionalism can have little sympathy, and with it Jess participation. Do wo, tJion, ceaso to have sympathy . with eager earnestness and with devoted consecration for the salvation of the wcrld? A thousand times "NO!" Ours .is the evangelism based on tlie principle j 'of length of days, of leaven hidden ill tho meal, of first tlio blade, then tho ear, then the full corn in the evj'of labouring faithfully and waiting patiently; of finding the wholes man ; of relying on a long, hard-fought campaign, rather J than upon a brilliant skirmish, or ai sjK'ctacular battle; of announcing the truth, the whole truth, as it is in Jesus; of cultivating reverence and godly fear; of preaching as living men to living men; of organising tho Church; of winning the confidence of society by our sympathy, sincerity, sad service; of dignifying evangelism till it be. recognised as "the great and abiding business of the Church and her ministry,' rather, than tlie occasional eruption of a-pass-ing enthusiasm stimulated' and exploited by clever tricks.and pious persiflage.' The chance for brave, decisive leadership in this, which Henry .J)r«mniond called felicitously the new „<syangelism, is to-day enlisting tho discriminating and devoted loyalty of many of our own Congregationalists who ..know;' arid teach that the Kingdom of God, is"not hysteria or ci\e.;ipness, of any kind,-hut righteousness, joy, and peaco in tho Holy Ghost."