RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Evening Star, Issue 19664, 17 September 1927, Page 16

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

[By Forward.] Never think tho victory won, Nor lay thine armor down; Thy arduous work will not be done Till thou obtain tho crown. SERVICE. You cannot set the world aright or tho times, but you can do something for the truth, and all you do will certainly tell if the work is for the Master. This assurance makes peace, satisfaction, and repose possible even in the partial work done upon earth. Go to a man who is carving a stone for a building; ask him where is that stone going, to what part of the temple, and how he is going to get it into place. And what docs he do? He points you to the builder’s plans. This is only one stone of many. So when men shall ask where and how is your little achievement going into God’s plan, point them to your Master, who keeps the plans, and then go on doing your little service as faithfully as if the whole temple were yours to build —Phillips Brooks. God loves a cheerful giver— Not one who grudgingly Yields up a scanty service For all His bounties free. Let heart, and band, and brain, then Each its best work afford, “ With goodwill doing service As unto Christ tho Lord.” EDUCATIONAL EVANGELISM. Evangelism has always been the great mission of tho church. Its aim is to bring persons consciously to Christ, that they may grow into His likeness and live a life of fellowship and service. There are two kinds of evangelism—revival and educational—both of which are necessary Men have wandered far from God, and, like tho Prodigal, must bo brought to a sense of their need. For such revival is necessary, and is doing a groat work. It is, however, not the method lot children It is often said of tho modern church school that too much emphasis is being placed on the word “educational” and not enough on “evangelism.” 'Phis k not true of the school that is living_ up to tiro ideals of Christian education. Our attitude to this subject depends on our pre-couceived ideas with regard to children. If we believe that, human nature being what it is, children arc born bad, then revival evangelism becomes entirely necessary. It is an adult evangelism. This is not thov' point of most Christian educators, jiicy see a child come into the world with unsoilod soul, born in tho imago of God, as a child of God, with possibilities for good or evil. “ There are no heathen children in the world,” said Bishop Taylor, as his hand rested lovingly on tho curly head of a little African girl. “They may become heathen, but there are no heathen children in the world.” Jesus Himself teaches this when Ho says: “Of such is the Kingdom of God.” Children are not faultless, but because they have not consciously wandered from Cod, and have not come to tho ago when they understand the seriousness of it, they are nob accounted responsible. Psychology teaches that a child is neither moral nor immoral, but unmoral. Responsibility comes only with deliberate ciioicc. Conversion is for older people who have wandered from God, and who need to become again as little children, to come back t o that state from which they have wandered. The reason why so many have wandered is that they were not properly nurtured in childhood. The way to get hold of the hearts of children is never to let them go; during the impressionable period of childhood to win their love for tho Saviour. Conversion is a salvaging process; prevention is better than cure. Evangelism should lake in the whole of lire. It begins in tho borne with the tiny baby, receiving his first religious impressions from his mother’s actions, attitude, expression, tone of voice, as she kneels beside him and speaks to God. How important it is that little children should see in their homes an atttiudo of reverence for God’s name, God’s Book, and God’s Church. Children thus nurtured turn to God as naturally as a flower turns to the sun. In the beginners’ and primary departments they are taught to love tiro Heavenly Father, who loves and cares for them, who made the world and cares for all His creatures. They absorb their ideas from those about them. They learn of love by seeing it in action; they learn the love of tho Father-God through tho love of an earthly father. A little child needs no great spiritual change, as does the adult. Ho needs only to come to a realisation of God’s love for him and of his love for God, and there will follow the out-reaching of the heart towards Him and the desire to serve Him. Of course, tho child’s religion is not that of an adult any more than his body is, but it may be just as sincere; the loving trust of a little child is beautiful to see. Christian maturity comes through education and growth just as do other phases of development. The juniors at nine or ten years of age are coming to a most important stage in their development, and need careful handling. The hero-worship stage is approaching; there is no period which offers greater opportunities for formation of character, or for training

in right choices. Life choices are largely a matter of habit, and life is a series of choices,. small and great, good and evil. The church school must prepare the pupils to take control of their life and conduct, and bring them into right relationships with God and with men, developing right attitudes toward all people. The religion, of a junior is not mature; it is not one of inner experiences, but one of outward activity. He may not understand all the life and doctrine of a Christian, but ho can understand the essential things, love and, faith, sorrow for wrong-doing, desire for service. The Master sees the sincerity of his love, and it is accepted in His sight. We must lead him to God, the Creator of all; to Jesus, the wonder-worker, tho great hero, the friend and helper,_ who died for our sakes and rose_ again, tho ever-present friend. The juniors are approaching the years of early adolescence, when spiritual awakening will conic, when there will be a deeper consciousness of God, a greater desire to confess and serve Him. To the child who has been properly nurtured this step will be an easy one, and is chiefly confirmation and declaration of a choice already made. To others decision day will be a day of real decision, when tho great question is finally settled. All the departments are paving the way for this, and in laying the foundation each has its part to play. A strong faith is necessary to stand the storms and testing of adolescence. What a great opoprtunity lies before the teacher to lead a little child to Christ, to win for His service a growing life full of undeveloped possibilities, to keep a soul pure and true for God, to make a sense of God permeate the life before the sin of the world enters. “In tho heart of the child’s being God has laid the foundation; the nature of the superstructure reared upon it depends on the material _we teachers bring and the conditions which wo secure for tho building thereon.” OTAGO SCHOOL. Tho work for this year closed this week, and a thanksgiving service will bo conducted by Her. E. S. Tuckwell to-morrow evening in tho Hanover Street Baptist Church. Members of tbc_ Young People’s and Children’s Division Associations are asked to join with the school in this service. The closing banquet and recognition service, at which diplomas will bo presented to successful students, will probably be held on October 4. TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE. Under tho auspices of the Dunedin Presbyterian S.S. Union a conference for all Sunday school teachers of South Dunedin will be held at tho South Dunedin Presbyterian Church on Monday, September 26, beginning with a tea. Demonstrations and addresses will follow.