AfRIL 1, 1914 



^75 



Our Homes 



A. I. Root 



I pray that they may all be one, as thou, Father, 

 art in me, and I in thee, that they may also be one 

 in us, that the world may believe thou hast sent me. 

 John 17:21. 



I am come that they might have life, and that they 

 might have it more abundantly. — John 10:10. 



DOUBLING UP THE COUNTRY CHURCHES, ETC. 



Perhaps we could leave out the word 

 " country " and consider for a moment dou- 

 bling up churches in general — city churches 

 and all. Read the following: 



Mr. Root : — We like your Home talks. We wish 

 to ask you a few questions. Is the church of Christ 

 celestial only, or is it a part of the world? 



The Comforter is to guide us into all truth. How, 

 then, can Christians differ? 



Are not divisions carnal, and classed with the 

 fruits of the flesh ? 



Do you justify the existence of sects ? 



Rev. W. L. Beers, of Topeka, Kan., it is said, 

 killed his wife because she was a Catholic. Can you 

 not pray to God for some light on this subject, and 

 give us a sermon on unity ? 



Guilford, Kan., July 7. T. & H. Shoet. 



My good friends, I presume you have 

 read what we gave on the subject on page 

 059, Sept. 15. While I am hoping and 

 praying that there may be a " doubling-up " 

 instead of having a few more churches 

 started every little while, I think I realize 

 somewhat the diftieulty of rushing things in 

 this direction too fast. There are, all over 

 the world, people who are, comparatively 

 speaking, good and earnest Christians who 

 probably will not be persuaded to go into 

 this doubling business. I am inclined to 

 think it is the old and gTay-headed people, 

 mainly, who stick so tenaciously to their 

 own particular denomination. Some years 

 ago in Northern Michigan my good friend 

 Rev. A. T. Reed and I visited the homes 

 round about Bingham, Mich., in the endea- 

 i'or to collect the scattered Chi'istians and 

 revive the church in that community thai 

 seemed to have gone to pieces. The greater 

 part of them absolutely refused to drop 

 theological differences and unite in Chris- 

 tian fellowship. Almost the only hope was 

 among the younger members of the Sunday- 

 school who have never got hold of doctrinal 

 points. With childlike innocence — that is, 

 innocence of the things that our fathers and 

 mothers had quarreled over — they came 

 with enthusiasm, and in a little time the 

 community that had open saloons and 

 baseball on Sunday was made over. I told 

 you that, during my recent visit, the saloon 

 had died out for want of patronage, and a 

 very good congregation met in that little 

 Bingham church. 



Now, my good brothers, let us be careful 

 about huri-ying matters to such an extent 



that we stir up again old disputed points. 

 As thing's are now, 1 am inclined to think 

 it better that there should be different de- 

 nominations. You probably know how often 

 good people differ in regard not only to 

 theology but questionable amusements, etc. 

 Some are loose in their ideas, and others 

 are too strict, and quite a good many will 

 tenaciously stick to unimportant matters. 

 While this is true, is it not well, at least to 

 a certain degree, for people who think alike 

 to get together and hire a minister who 

 believes and thinks as they do, but who 

 are willing, notwithstanding, to leave minor 

 differences, and go to work unitedly for 

 temperance, for sanitary measures, for good 

 roads, and for good government, etc. Our 

 good friend E. E. Hasty, one of our old 

 shining lights in bee culture, will be remem- 

 bered by our older readers. He went so 

 far as to insist that sects be done away with 

 entirely, and let every man worship God 

 according to his own notion. Let us accept 

 the fact that there are almost no two people 

 exactly alike. God, in his gi'eat wisdom and 

 love, has probably thought best to make us 

 different; and what would the world be — 

 how could there be such a diversity of work 

 now going on as there is, were it not for 

 tliese differences? As it is, there are a mul- 

 titude of different things for us to study up 

 and work out. We can, each one of us, 

 have a different hobby ; and it is really a 

 delight to me to see one man or woman take 

 u]) one thing and another something else, 

 and push it to its fullest development. For 

 several years good people laughed at me, 

 and were almost afraid to trust me because 

 I was crazy on bee culture ; and yet God has 

 permitted me to live long enough to see our 

 institution buy and sell honey to an extent 

 tliat I would not have believed possible then. 

 In spite of the high cost of living, and 

 other difficulties that block our way, there 

 is room enough for all, and peace and plenty 

 for all, if we are only willing to reach out 

 and accept it from the hand of the loving 

 and gracious Father. 



EMPTY PEWS IN OUR CHURCHES; A SUGGES- 

 TION AS TO THE CAUSE. 

 Dear Mr. Root: — I am enclosing a clipping from 

 one of the New Brunswick papers which I thought 

 might interest you. It shows that all of our preach- 

 ers are not so busy reading ancient history or study- 

 ing Greek that they forget that they are living in an 

 age that has problems of its own. I wonder if the 

 reason for the empty pew is not to be found in the 

 fact that m-any of our ministers are so busy search- 



