Business and Religion

1900

The People's Forum

Do business and religion go together? — JAMES CRAIG, Starkville, Colo.

Why not? Is religion merely for dress parade on the Sabbath? Is it possible for a Christian man not to carry his religion with him into his business, professional or social life? If religion transforms a man thoroughly he would no sooner think of dealing unjustly with his fellows than he would of committing highway robbery. That a Christian business man is beset by many temptations and surrounded with pitfalls we are all candid enough to admit. Keen competition on the part of rivals, who are less scrupulous than he, threatens oftentimes to destroy both income and capital. Many have gone down to financial ruin in such extremity, but their Christian light sustained them and made them shining examples of Christian heroism. The majority of failures are not among Christian men, but rather among those who temporized, falsified statements and finally buried their good name with the financial wreck. In extremity the true Christian business man always has an enormous leverage in his hold upon public opinion where his non-Christian rival has not. Therefore, considered from any point of view we say religion and business do go together to uplift humanity and place all transactions on a higher level. Mr. Moody once said to J. V. Farwell, "Don't you see anything more in business than these boxes and goods?" The inquiry was characteristic of him, and through it he reached a great merchant's heart. It made transactions which footed up yearly into millions sink into insignificance compared with a conscience void of offence toward God and man, the blessings of a Christian life and the salvation of men.

—The Ram's Horn, March 17, 1900, p. 8.

Why Be A Christian?

1900

The Well-Known Business Men's Evangelist Answers This Query of The Ram's Horn

By William Phillips Hall

I answer, first, because God commands me to be a Christian. For He "now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." Acts 17:30. To be a Christian means to be obedient to God. To be obedient to God means to do right. If I do right, by becoming a Christian, I am right. For as Faber beautifully writes:

"Right is right, since God is God,
And right the day must win:
To doubt would be disloyalty,
To falter would be sin."

If I am not a Christian, if I fail to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, I am wrong. For "to him that knoweth to do good (or right) and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17. I am, therefore, a Christian because, it would be wrong for me to be anything but a Christian. As obedience to God's laws in nature is necessary to insure His blessings in the natural world, likewise obedience to His moral law is necessary to insure His blessings in the moral and spiritual world. Positive and continued disobedience to God's laws in the natural world results in natural death. Positive and continued disobedience to His moral and spiritual laws results in moral and spiritual death. All those who are not Christians — all those who have failed to "believe on the name of the Son of God," — are "dead in trespasses and sins." For "he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36.

My second answer to the question, "Why be a Christian?" is, because I can become spiritually alive, — "alive unto God," — only by becoming a Christian; and that by being "born again." For "except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3. And "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:6. Becoming a Christian is being born again. When my darling baby boy lay dead in his little coffin; when I looked for the last time on earth down upon that baby form, those golden curls, those wee waxen hands, that sweet infant face upon which the lines of sin never had been traced, and, thank God, never would be, I would have given a prince's ransom to have opened once more, in life, those lovely blue eyes, then closed in their last long sleep; I would have gladly given all the property I then possessed on earth, and mortgaged all that I might possess in the future, to have unsealed once more in life those sweet little lips then sealed in death, — but I did not possess the price that would purchase such a priceless boon. But, after all, I had the blessed consciousness of the fact that as that darling babe was one of God's own, an infant Christian, — "for of such is the kingdom of heaven," — I should be privileged to press that loved boy again to my heart in life, in the better, heavenly country above, because God's dear Son had already paid his ransom from death and the grave, as He also did for every one, — and the price was His own precious blood. So with Charlotte Elliott I sing:

"Just as I am without one plea
but that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee,
0 Lamb of God, I come, I come!"

My third answer to your question, "Why be a Christian?" is, that I may be saved from my sins. For "thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." Matt. 1:21. If I become one of His people, He has promised to save me from my sins; and in meeting the condition I find, from personal experience, that the promise is made good. No sinner lives so low in sin but that the Savior will save him if he will become a Christian. While holding an evangelistic service last spring in one of our eastern towns, I spoke on the text, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." Prov. 28:30. I illustrated, as best I could, the awful truth of the first part of the text, and then told how God, for Christ's sake, would have mercy on the sinner who forsook his sins and accepted Christ as his Savior. Eleven men then publicly announced their intention of forsaking sin and accepting Christ as their personal Savior.

After the service was dismissed, the leading man of the town, a man whose name is familiar in almost every household in the land, came to me and said: "I know you will be delighted to learn that one of those eleven men who accepted Christ this afternoon was the wickedest man in our town. He not only sold liquor, but committed other crimes of equal magnitude against society. He has just come home after serving a term in states prison, and today gives himself to God." Another friend said: "That man, when he was sentenced to states prison, vowed that when he gat out again he would shoot the man upon whose complaint he was tried and sentenced. When he entered the church this afternoon the man whom he had threatened to kill ushered him to a seat." Several months passed by, then, at the Northfield Christian Workers' Conference, a man of fine appearance held out his hand and said: "I am very glad to see you, Mr. Hall." I did not recognize him at first, he was so changed for the better; but a word from a friend revealed the fact that I held by the hand he who had been "the wickedest man in B — ," but who was now, by the grace of God, a Christian gentleman, a prince of heaven, a son of God!

"He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood avails for me."

My fourth, and last, answer to the question, "Why be a Christian?" is, because it pays. My father told me, when I was a little fellow, that he had become a Christian while listening to a sermon on the text, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these (necessary) things shall be added unto you." Matt. 6:33. I remember the narration of this fact very deeply impressed me as a boy, and as the years went by I learned by personal experience the truth of the text. The best paying investment any man can ever make is the investment of himself in Christ.

Several years ago, while conducting an evangelistic campaign in the city of Boston, I preached on the text that had led my father to Christ. I told my hearers that the promise of the Master was as good then as when it was originally given. One of those who listened was a young man who had apparently done his utmost to secure employment, but without success. Raised in a good home in the country, he had come down to the city expecting to better his condition in life, but failing to find employment, and falling in with sinful companions he soon fell into sinful ways, spent his last dollar, and then went shelterless and hungry, and that in the dead of winter. Like a drowning man grasping for a straw, he accepted Christ as his Savior, thus meeting God's condition for the fulfillment of His promise. He was immediately brought into contact with a man who furnished him employment, together with food and clothing for his pressing need, and returned the next day to tell us how God, for Christ's sake, had pardoned all his sins, and fully provided for his temporal necessities as well. Thus in becoming a Christian, I obey God, receive eternal life pardon of, and victory over, my sins, and have the glorious assurance that I have a home in heaven (as well as on earth) where I shall spend eternity with the loved ones to my heart so dear, and with the altogether lovely and incomparable Jesus, my Master and my God. Why should I be anything but a Christian?

—The Ram's Horn, Nov. 17, 1900, p. 10.

Pastor Stands by Saloonkeepers

1905

Rev. George M. Bock, pastor of a Lutheran church in Mahony City, Pa., has resigned from the Ministerial Association of that city because of some features connected with its war on saloons. The association opposed the granting of a license to a man whose saloon is opposite Mr. Bock's church. The clergyman declares that the man is "a good neighbor" and that his place is "clean, decent, quiet and respectable." Therefore the preacher can not endorse the fight that is being made. He adds: "I have been pastor of the church for the past twelve years and have always endeavored to mind my own business."


True Sayings Indeed

If a man is a coward he always claims to be conservative.

The truth is always the strongest argument. — Sophocles.

Instead of doing things today the wise man did them yesterday.

The boy who ate twenty-nine bananas to win a $1 prize probably needed the money.

A Place for Hosea

1896

Dean Hole, in his "Little Tour in America," gives the following good story, which was picked up at an entertainment given in his honor by the Lotos Club of New York. The quaintest story of the evening was told by Dr. Greer, of a tedious, monotonous preacher, who had exhausted the patience of his hearers by an elaborate dissertation on the four greater prophets, and when, to their sad disgust, he passed on to the minor, and asked, "And now, my brethren, where shall we place Hosea?" a man rose from the congregation and made answer, "You can place him here, sir. I'm off."


City Paved With Gold

Prescott, the capital of Arizona, boasts that it is the nearest approach to the New Jerusalem as described in the Bible, as its streets are being paved with gold. The granite used for pavements contains $4 in gold and twenty cents in silver to every ton, so that in time, when less expensive methods of reducing ores are used, it may pay the city to tear up and crush its street pavements. — New York Times.


Time for Prayer

If a praying machine were invented many would use it if it did not take too much time from business to wind it up.

Huz and Buz

1900

In one of the hill towns of Connecticut Parson Fuller, an eccentric minister of a century ago, is still a living tradition. He was rather austere in voice and manner, and quite imperious enough to suit his sacred profession at a time when a New England minister was expected to be the autocrat of his parish.

A larger church edifice had lately been built, and it happened that the first children to be "presented" in the new meeting-house were the twin baby boys of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Green. The happy couple felt the distinction of standing at the head of the record, and made every fond preparation.

Mrs. Green, while not exactly a literary woman, conceived herself a little superior to her neighbors on account of the number of books she had read. She had made up her mind what her little boys should be called, and at the appointed time she and her husband and the twins appeared before the minister, ready for the public ceremony.

"What are their names?" asked Parson Fuller, looking at the two infants.

Mrs. Green had carefully conned her lesson, but now she wished she had written it down. The eyes of the congregation were upon her. She was so overawed that she pronounced the names in a half whisper.

"Augustus Gerard Green and Gustavus Gerald Green."

"Speak louder, madam," said the minister.

A glance at her bashful husband convinced the flustered woman that any vocal attempt on his part would be less articulate than her own. Making a brave effort, therefore, she repeated the names.

"Augustus Gerard Green and Gustavus Gerald Green."

"Nonsense, good woman!" said the stern old man, loud enough to be heard by the whole congregation. "These helpless little creatures must not begin life with such a burden. I will christen them out of the Bible, after the two nephews of Abraham."

And christen them he did, with the names of Nahor's sons, "Huz his first-born, and Buz his brother."

The mortified young parents, after a season of secret rebellion, submitted to the inevitable, realizing that, as the matter stood, "Huz" and "Buz" would stick to the boys beyond recall. Indeed, it is asserted that the queer names became such a "drawing card" for the Green family that not only curious visitors rode long distances to see the twins, but a leading citizen of the next town hired Timothy to run his grist-mill, and his wife to keep school in the mill-chamber. Huz and Buz would attract customers to the combination, he said.

And so it proved. The prosperity and popularity of the father and mother increased apace, we are told, and the twin boys grew to be respected and useful men. One survived the other to old age, but the single stone — now crumbled away — that marked both their graves in the country burial-ground bore, besides the dates, only the simple inscription: "Huz Green, and Buz his brother." — Youth's Companion.

Do Eminent Men Believe in Christianity?

1899

Two young men sat disputing one evening last June on the steps of their college dormitory. They were seniors, on the eve of graduation, and both were filled with the importance of their own views.

"I, for one," said the younger, "have no use for Christianity. It might do for savages, or even for the better class of Filipinos. If you believe in the trolley-car, you have outlived the tenets of Christ. Modern science has gone beyond them."

His companion, the son of a clergyman, had almost lost his father's faith during his college career; yet he was not absolutely convinced of its worthlessness. "A few great men still believe in Christ," he ventured, mildly: "His teachings have been the foundation of modern civilization."

"Pooh!" sneered the younger man. "Buddha paved the way for Christ, and Christ has built the foundation for a higher creed. I tell you, the men of the best intelligence in this country don't believe in Christianity."

Is this a true statement? At any rate, it is not a new one, and it demands to be answered with facts, which are the most effective arguments. The Christian Herald recently addressed letters to the leading men of the nation, asking them if they were believers in Christ. Senators, ambassadors, sailors, soldiers and business men, eminent in their respective stations, have responded. The following were some of the first to reply:

President McKinley wrote, "My belief embraces the divinity of Christ and a recognition of Christianity as the mightiest factor in the world's civilization."

Six cabinet ministers affirmed that they were firm believers in the transcendent value of Christianity. Three justices of the United States Supreme Court announced their belief in the Christian faith, Chief Justice Fuller being among the number. Every naval officer who was interrogated responded affirmatively. Admiral Sampson said, "I claim to be a friend of Christianity. I was thus brought up and thus taught to believe. I have never had occasion to change my belief." In fact, all the heroes of Santiago and Manila acknowledge allegiance to Christianity.

The army makes a remarkable showing. Miles, Shafter, Brooke, Flagler, Corbin, Sternberg, Breckinridge, Howard, and a host of other high officers explicitly declare their faith. The chief of engineers writes, "I fully believe in the divinity of the Saviour and the surpassing potency of Christianity."

The majority of the United States Senate uphold Christianity. The same may be said of the House. Senator Tillman of South Carolina thinks "he would be a fool who should deny the beneficent influence of the Christian religion." Senator Jones of Arkansas says, "I am a firm believer in the Christian religion, in the immortality of the soul and in the beneficence and wisdom of an all-wise God, and but for this belief this life, in my opinion, would not be worth living."

Marshall Field of Chicago and Mr. Wanamaker of Philadelphia are typical of the leading business men who believe in God. Nearly every university and college president is a representative for Christianity. The Chinese minister and the Russian ambassador recognize the "potency of the Christian religion as a civilizing influence." When all the answers are in, it is thought that ninety-nine hundredths of those who represent the highest intelligence and success in this country will have declared their professed belief in Christ and in the principles taught by Him.

Such testimony ought not to be overlooked by the young men who think it a sign of cleverness to boast of unbelief. It is rather the sign of a mental condition less acceptable to conceit. Science today, in common with the eminent men whose names have been given, accepts as the strongest force in the moral development of the race, the influence of the marvelous life by which the fatherhood of God has been declared to men. Here science is not agnostic. In its own deliberate way it accepts the facts of Christianity, and acknowledges its renovating power and its domination in modern civilization. — Youth's Companion.

$10,000,000 Business Turned Over To Church

1953

PENDLETON. Ore. — A pious businessman and his wife said today they gave their $10,000,000 lumber business to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church because they "wanted to do right by God."

Clyde H. Harris, 62, and his wife, Mary, said they felt God helped them build up the firm since it was only a small box factory 40 years ago.

"God expects his share of a man's income," Harris said.

The entire assets and plant of Harris Pine Hills, Inc. was turned over to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church Wednesday. W. H. Branson of Washington, D.C. world president of the denomination, said it was the largest gift ever received by the church, which has a program reaching into 179 countries.

Mr. and Mrs. Harris joined the church a short time after they were married 38 years ago in Milton, Ore. She was a co-owner and officer in the business.

They said the firm was the largest manufacturer of unfinished furniture in the world, shipping 2,000 pieces a day. It also manufactures and sells 50,000,000 board feet of lumber and 5,000,000 fruit boxes a year.

The firm has 700 employees, 600 in Oregon. It has small assembly plants at Chicago Heights, Ill.; Alexandria, Va., and Cleburne, Tex.

—The Chronicle Telegram, Elyria, Ohio, January 28, 1953, page 11.