Obstacles of the Church

1901

Obstructions to Progress of Religion Set Forth In Alphabetical Order.

At last ministers spiritual have discovered after long investigation the causes obstructing the progress of the church. They were presented the other day to the annual meeting of the Chicago presbytery by the Rev. H. A. Percival, says the New York World. Here they are:

(a) Ambition to be on equal footing with others, in style of living and dress and, if possible, to outstrip them; apathy after giving energies to outside organizations.
(b) Blaming the church for coldness.
(c) Covetousness; card playing; craze for pulpit novelties.
(d) Debt; divisions among Christians; dancing; dyspepsia of spirit, so that neither the milk nor the meat of the word can by assimilated.
(e) Erroneous views of God's word.
(f) Frivolity; formality; false teaching.
(g) Gambling; gossip.
(h) Haste to be rich and scarcity of homes.
(i) Intemperance; indifference and inconsistency.
(j) Jealousy in the ranks.
(k) Knee drill neglected.
(l) Love of gain; low moral tone of politics.
(m) Mistaking means of grace for grace.
(n) Neglect of family religion.
(o) Ordinances irregularly attended.
(p) Pleasure seeking; political corruption; poverty.
(q) Quack evangelists.
(r) Rivalry between denominations.
(s) Sabbath desecration; skepticism; slander.
(t) Trinity of the world, the flesh and the devil; theater.
(u) Uncharitableness; universalism.
(v) Vanity in individuals and churches.
(w) Worldliness.
(x) Extravagance. Exodus of good families.
(y) Young and old dominated by the principle, "Enjoy yourself and don't get hurt."
(z) Zeal wanting for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

The Rev. Mr. Percival sent out hundreds of cards with the question, "What is the chief end of man?"

The first answer he received said, "The chief end of man is to have good time."