Sermon: "Is the Church on the Breakers?" or "The Great Apostasy"

Elyria, Ohio, 1919

Sunday was a memorable day at the First Baptist. Three large audiences heard Pastor R. K. Neighbor and Singer R. W. Carr.

It is impossible to report the three addresses, but we can give our readers a sketch of the afternoon sermon, which was on prophetical lines. The matter discussed by the preacher was an answer to the question: "Is the Church on the Breakers," or, "The Great Apostasy."

After the preacher had clearly shown from the gospels and from the epistles that Christ and the Apostles never promised that the church would conquer commerce and inaugurate a reign of righteousness on earth, but the church was until the return to the Lord to remain and suffer in sincerity he gave the picture of the present condition of the church.

He showed the drift of at least two of the great denominations, the Methodist and Baptists from their meetings. He showed how the Y.M.C.A. had left the first great note of their organization, which was the salvation of young men, and for a great part had gone over to social and mental uplift.

The preacher declares that present church conditions need not shake the faith of any in the Lord Jesus Christ nor in the power of the gospel to save. Christ had clearly foretold the very conditions that exist today. The failure is not with God but with man.

In bringing his message to a close the minister spoke very rapidly and threw forth many sentences that should make Christians think. We give some of his concluding statements, just as he spoke them:

"God's call to His church is to come out of the world. Let us go forth there unto Him, without the camp. The friend of this world is the enemy of God.

"God's testimony through his church is against the world. John the Baptist did not face Herod with fawning flatteries; Jesus Christ did not seek the praises of the Pharisees.

"Peter and John did not smooth down their message to please the men in authority; Paul did not strike for freedom by condemning the corruption of Felix.

"The ministry must bear witness that the world has taken and with wicked hands has crucified the Lord.

"The ministry must do as Christ did — testify to the world that her works are evil.

"The church cannot take the witness stand for the world; she must condemn it.

"The church cannot accept the righteousness of the world, she must spurn it.

"The church cannot run with the world, she must leave it.

"We have no fluttering flags of truce to tender; we have no peace parleys to publish; we have no ringing compromises to consider. Union with the world is impossible, communion is forbidden.

"The church of God is not an entertainment bureau, vicing with the vaudeville and teaming with the theatre.

"The church is not to be furnished with equipment for fancy fairs.

"The church is not detailed to delight the world with dramatic displays and comic concerts.

"The Lord never commissioned the church to provide recreation and to furnish amusement.

"The social committee is not the sword of the Spirit; the fun and frolic league is not quick and powerful unto salvation; the amusement bureau is not the power of God unto salvation.

"The Lord Jesus never developed new and startling stunts to hold the masses.

"Peter never started a baked bean bazaar to catch the masses. Paul never led sinners down to Egypt, where he furnished garlic and onions to suit the taste of the fastidious.

"Were Elijahs and Daniels and Peters ever manufactured by pink tea socials? Were Luthers and Knoxes and Melancthons and Wesleys ever sent forth from magic lantern entertainments? Was D. L. Moody the mighty evangelist because he knew the cunning art of presiding at a church oyster supper? Was Chas. H. Spurgeon the mighty man of God because he was an adept at serving soup?

"The church must forever abandon catching the wily world by rat trap methods.

"Away with the kitchen, back to the cross,
Away with the gravy and back to grace,
Away with pastry and back to purity and power in life.

"The line of demarcation between the church and the world is being lost; the church is becoming secularized; the bride of Christ hath forgotten her first love."

Preaching tonight at 7:30. The children's choir will sing.

—The Evening Telegram, Elyria, Ohio, April 28, 1919, page 10.

Note: "rat trap" methods is my guess. I couldn't figure out the word that was printed, something like "eatch." The whole last section, the preacher's remarks only had quote marks for the first couple paragraphs, but clearly they're meant to be his quotes throughout. I made a few other touch ups to help clarify the apparent intent. The typesetter had some troubles. As far as the preacher's concluding remarks, I think they're very powerful. He makes some excellent points and the way it's all phrased — it even says he said this last part quickly — you can tell it came across in a powerful way. Great points! I left "vicing," that's pretty clearly what he said, and a neat phrase, too, "vicing with the vaudeville." Also the whole last section shouldn't be so many paragraphs, but it sets it off nicely and is how it was originally presented. I like this article, which has a weird heading "ADD TO CHURCH," which has to be just the phrase the guy meant to say to the newspaper, "hey, add this to the church news, " and they mistakenly printed it. And last thing, then, the Church News cut (graphic) they used was inserted in the typeset page upside down.