Christian Science or the Science of Christianity
Christian Science or the Science of Christianity CHRISTIAN SCIENCE OR THE SCIENCE
OF CHRISTIANITY
By JUDGE R. 0. KENLEY
Ladies and Gentlemen: By this subject I do not have reference to any cult or sect, or any discoveries claimed by the living or dead, but the working, artful and skillful doing of the things commanded and expected of us as Christians. As a concrete definition of science we may say it is the putting into practice of a theory. After having been a practicing attorney for thirty years, I have observed the great difficulty, not of the learning of the law and its theory, but the application of its principles. A lawyer may become greatly skilled in the knowledge of the law, but when he takes the bench as a judge and tries to apply or administer the law, we find him a miserable weakling. Today it is nearly impossible, under our system of jurisprudence, for a trial judge to try a hotly contested case where considerable property is involved, or where the liberty or life of a man of wealth is at stake, arid correctly apply the law to the facts at issue, so that said case will be affirmed by our higher courts. This is due to a lack of ability on the part of our trial judges to make proper application of the principles of the law. It is said by the members of our supreme courts that seventy-five per cent of all cases that are reversed for new trials by the appellate courts of our State and Nation, is due to the inability of the trial court to make proper application of the law, and not through a lack of knowledge of the theory of the law. For many years I have watched with interest the planting of the gospel and the establishing of congregations throughout the country, -only to see them, in the course of a few years, go to pieces, and, like the church of Ephesus, have their candlesticks removed. There is a cause.
After Adam was expelled from the garden of Eden, God commanded and required that he and his posterity should till the soil and make a livelihood by the sweat of their brows: He did not tell or command them specifically how to do this, but left the method to man’s ingenuity, and for many years man probably tilled the soil by hand, with crude implements, such as crooked sticks; later he harnessed the ox and the ass and had them drawing a forked or crooked stick with which he scratched the soil. God did not expect any people to remain in any satisfied state or condition, and history shows that any and every nation that did not progress, deteriorated and went back to heathenism. Within our '"Sives we have witnessed marvelous development in the manner and methods of agriculture, until today, with one-third of the people of the United States engaged in agricultural pursuits, a surplus of nearly all farm products is annually produced; whereas a century ago, with ninety per cent of the people engaged in agricultural pursuits, a bare sufficiency was obtained. This increase of production was brought about through the study of the science of agriculture.
Close kin to agriculture, and which comes by its side, is the production of meats. I can well recall the prophecies of my father, uttered not more than thirty-five years ago, that long before this time beef and pork would sell for $1.00 a pound, and that people of ordinary means could not afford to eat it. His prophecy was based upon then conditions,—a five or six year old longhorn Texas steer weighing from 400 to 600 pounds. The study and application of science gave us the white- face, shorthorn and other improved breeds of cattle that weigh from 500 to 1000 pounds at one and two years of age, and as a result the price of meats has kept within the reach of the humblest citizen of. the country. It is said that but for Luther Burbank, the Irish potato, today the most universal and cheapest article of food in the world, would be a luxury, served only on the tables .of the very wealthy. Wheat, corn and cotton have undergone similar improvements, and the fact that the many necessary articles of food are now daily enjoyed in abundance by the people of this land, is due wholly to science, and not to any change in God’s law with respect thereto since he commanded Adam to till the soil. These discoveries and improvements were, in every age, achieved by educated and thinking people. I do not mean by this, in every instance, college people, for many men, through individual study, coupled with practical experience, have been our greatest thinkers and scientists.
I recall when I was a boy, fifteen or sixteen years of age, most of my neighbor boys and girls were taken out of school by their parents, with the suggestion that they had only intended for their children to become farmers and the wives of farmers, and most of them did, and very poor ones at that, and because of a lack of education many of them were unable to keep pace with the progress made in agricultural lines; so gave up and became common laborers for daily wage, all because their parents were ignorant of the science of agriculture and the need of an education to employ it. About twenty years ago the Congress of the .United States made provision for an agricultural agent, one for each county in most parts of the country. These agents were to be paid $100 per month for their services, their entire time to be spent among the farmers, advising them with respect to the growing of better crops. One-half of the salary of these agents was to be paid by the United States and one-half by each county where such agents were employed. The employment of such agent was placed before the commissioners’ court of my county, which bitterly resented it and refused to appropriate one dollar toward his salary, in fact, regarded this threatened employment by the United States Government as an infringement upon State rights. About one-half dozen progressive citizens of my county, realizing the ignorance of the commissioners’ court, raised the $600.00 required to be paid by the county, and accepted the farm advisor so graciously tendered by the United States. During the first year many “farmers” of the county resented this advisor’s calls and advice, declared that they did not need him to show or tell them how to farm; that they had spent their lives at it and knew all about it, the truth being that they did not even know how to select proper seed-corn. The poultry business in the United States is suffering more than any other great industry today from lack of applied science. Statistics show that a hen should lay an average of eighty eggs per year in order to pay for her keep, and further that the hens in Texas lay an average of only sixteen eggs per hen per year, yet most every one has raised poultry all their lives and know all about it. M. Johnson of Bowie, Texas, who has for years applied science to the raising of chickens, last year had 3000 pullets which laid an average of around 200 eggs each. He has recently completed a $50,000 residence, which is a monument to chicken science. In producing these wonderful results, no laws of God, with respect to the animal or vegetable kingdom, have been violated, but on the other hand, they have been studied and fostered to the end that the natural laws of God may not be impeded.
We often reason by or from analogy with respect to the natural or material birth and the spiritual birth. If our reasoning is sound, why not an analogy between the science employed with respect to things in the material or natural kingdom and to those in the spiritual kingdom. Both sacred and profane writings tell us that when the gospel was first preached by the apostles and others of that age, many accepted and obeyed it. (Acts 2:38:40).
We further learn that the apostles and all early preachers, were schooled and trained; the apostles, with the exception of Paul, by about three years’ association with Jesus; Paul, as well as the other apostles, by the baptism of the Holy Spirit; Timothy, Titus and others by instruction from the' apostles. Other than the apostles, no man has received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and thereby had all knowledge of the gospel imparted to him, but since their death, we have had the gospel in some language or other, and from it we could learn both the theory and science of Christianity. We are given only one means of understanding the gospel— knowledge; but we are given two means of obtaining knowledge: (1) Personal study, (2) Being taught by others. Both methods are enjoined upon us in the New Testament. In reaching an understanding of God’s plans and of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we first conceive something of his great plan or theory. With our further study, this wonderful theory or plan of God continues to unfold itself to us, the seeming conflicts and mysteries begin to disappear, and harmony appears. Then, so far as it is necessary for man, we comprehend God’s theory of creation, of existence, what is required of us, and our destiny. Then we obey the primary commands of the New Testament and become great theorists. We learn to quote the great commission: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned.” And also quote Acts 2:38 : “Then Peter said unto them: Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” The evangelist who taught us this theory probably was only theoretical himself, and left us to quote the above Scripture and argue with our neighbors. We are in just about as helpless a state as a rescued drowning man would be with a pulmotor, if left to use it himself or to be used by some one ignorant of its operation. What is our trouble? We are untrained in the science of Christian warfare, and like untrained soldiers, we are liable to use an offensive or defensive weapon to our own hurt or to the hurt or injury of our comrades, instead of the enemy. We lack the science of Christianity. A convert should not be left with only a partial understanding of the theory of the gospel, without first being taught—(a) The command to meet on the first day of the week, and its purpose, (b) The Christian graces as given by Peter, adding to your faith virtue (courage), knowledge (this grace should be stressed and emphasized), temperance (self-control), patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. The convert should be made to understand that the doing and application of above to his individual life is Christianity, and that his theory, without the doing of above, is but a mere shell. To illustrate more forcibly the point I am trying to make, I quote from “The School of Life,” by William R. Alger:
“And now there is one more lesson for us to learn, the climax of all the rest; namely, to make a personal application to ourselves of everything which we know. Unless we master this lesson, and act on it, the other lessons are virtually useless, and thus robbed of their essential glory. The only living end or aim of everything we experience, of every truth we are taught, is the practical use we make of it for the enrichment of the soul, the attuning of the thoughts and passions, the exaltation of life. . . . When we do what we know, then first does it put on vital lustre and become divinely precious.”
How shall above things be done? Crudely, as man cultivated the soil many years ago? From the conduct of many of our breathren, you would say, “Yes,” but I say, “No.” God has prescribed specifically certain things to be done, for example—to sing and make melody in our hearts, sing spiritual songs and psalms, hut he did not tell us that we should do this crudely, as our fathers did years ago, but to grow in our knowledge and science of singing, to the end that real melody will be made in all hearts that hear us; in fact, we should become highly skilled in the art of singing. Our song leaders should be men of refinement, and know how to behave themselves in the house of the Lord, while conducting the. song service. How many good songs have you seen ruined, and sometimes a good sermon ruined, by an ignorant comment or introduction made by the song leader; the truth being no good song, or any sermon that is going to be preached by a preacher needs any introduction or comment from anyone; and song leaders, above all, should learn to leave off their sermonettes.
He further directs that all things should be done in decency and order. We should worship him in spirit and truth, that is, do the things that he has commanded us, with due respect to his word, and with proper enthusiasm on our part. How shall we do them? Skillfully and scientifically, like man has dealt and is dealing with the animal and vegetable kingdom? Most cer- tanly. I believe the apostles and early Christians recognized this great principle of Christian science, and as a result, they were blessed with a great harvest of souls. Since the Restoration movement put in motion by Campbell, Stone, and others, we have been largely a bunch of theorists. Like the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, living now as they lived in the days of Christ, and refusing to apply science to material things, thereby failing to- become the light to humanity that we should become.
God communicates with Christians through his word. God communicates with the world through Christians' and their lives. No man or woman has become a Christian through the influence of other Christians, without the Christian exerting such influence, making an application of the theory and practice of Christianity to his life. In my criticism of professed Christians of this age, you may ask to what specific thing or things do I refer I answer, to everything we do or attempt to do in connection with our lives and worship as Christians. The first and greatest sin we commit is spending our force, talents and lives fighting and hating one another over the way and manner of doing things which God has commanded by his word that we should do, and where the exact method of doing such things is left to our intelligence, skill and science—e. g. (a) Communion cup--one or individual, (b) Time of taking emblems—forenoon, afternoon or evening, (c) Teaching the word —Bible or Sunday schools, homes, Bible colleges; one or all. (d) Taking up collections—passing basket, or letting members go forward and place on table, (e) Baptism—in baptistry, or in open pond, creek or river.
All adherents to above practices recognize a common theory as to the gospel, but notwithstanding adherence to a common theory, they have divided themselves into warring sects over its application, many refusing fellowship, or giving personal recognition to those who do not ride a like “hobby” to them. What is the trouble? Lack of skill in the application of the theory and science of Christianity. Congregations affected by any of the above well-known and prevalent diseases, have eating in their very lungs as it were, tubercular germs, and in the end will prove just as deadly, unless the sunlight of knowledge, common sense, skill and business science is permitted to cast its light preserving rays upon it. No congregation can properly function without the application of business rules and methods.
There are certain business and economic rules that are common to the home, bank, church, or to any business, and unless these rules are rightly adhered to, a. congregation, as any other business institution, will collapse. A successful and Scriptural congregation has a dual purpose—spiritual worship, temporal aid and benevolence, or as Paul puts it, fellowship, a, great partnership with all humanity, for the purpose of- rendering temporal and spiritual aid. The New Testament prescribes not the number, but the names and qualifications and duties of the officers of a congregation as specifically as the laws of a State or the United States prescribes the duties of a director of a State or National bank. These qualifications are specifically enumerated in Timothy and Titus, the qua! ications of an elder or a bishop being named by Timothy and Titus respectively, as follows:
TIMOTHY||||||TITUS||
1. Without reproach.
2. Husband of one wife.
3. Temperate.
4. Sooer minded.
5. Orderly.
6. Ctiven to hospitality.
7. Apt to teach.
8. No brawler.
9. No striker.
10. Gentle.
11. Not contentious.
12. Nc lover of money.
13. Rules own house.well
14. Not a novice
15. Good Testimony from without||||||1.Blameless.
2.Husband of one wife.
3.Have children that believe
4. Not self willed.
5. Not soon angry.
6. No brawler.
7. No striker.
8. Not greedy of filthy
9. Given to hospitality.
10. Lover of good.
11. Sober imnded
12. Just.
13. Holy
14, Self-controlled
15. Sound in the faith||
Timothy and Titus each name fifteen qualifications for an elder or a bishop of a congregation of the church of Christ, but each names five that are not named by the other, thereby making twenty specific qualifications for an elder or a bishop of a congregation of the church of Christ.
We also learn from Timothy the qualifications for a deacon, which are similar in many respects to those of an elder, with the exception that one of the qualifications for an elder, that is, being able to teach, is not required of a deacon. However, a deacon must be sound in the faith, and in order to be so he must have a proper understanding of the teachings of the gospel, and above all things must make a personal application of them. From the above Scriptures we learn, or conclude rather, that the duties of the elders of a congregation are to look after its spiritual affairs, and the duties of the deacons are to look after its temporal affairs. The duties of an elder or bishop do not in any way conflict or encroach upon the duties of a deacon—both should be learned in the Scriptures, both skilled in the science of Christianity, but the elder more so than a deacon, but the deacon is required to be skilled in the science of business, but an elder or bishop is required to be able to judge of and teach spiritual things, while a deacon is not required to be able to teach spiritual things, yet he must be qualified to to judge of and perform temporal and business affairs. From the requirements enjoined by Paul, in order to qualify an elder or deacon, if possessed, would make him a good and efficient Business man, and would qualify him to successfully conduct and manage any secular business. If an elder or deacon does not attain some degree of success as a business man, it is pretty sure that he is lacking in qualifications prescribed by Paul for an elder or deacon. One of the qualifications of an elder or deacon 's that he must be the head of a family, and must have successfully managed and controlled his family If a man is reasonably successful in the busi ness of managing his home and his family, in most instances you will find him a reasonably successful man in business affairs. If he is not, there is lacking that judgment, reason and decision that are necessary qualifications for a man as an officer of a church. God bad a specific reason and purpose for prescribing the qualifications of officers of his church. "Why so—any institution, secular or spiritual, is judged by its officers and active advocates. Let a congregation become officered by men with a low conception of .morality, and you will see the moral standard of that congregation recede. You will see it filled with adulterers, swindlers and moral lepers of every type, in fact, you will see preachers of a low moral type begin frequenting such congregations, fairly flocking to it like the buzzards after a carcass; but the very moment that the officers of a congregation have a New Testament conception of morality, then people of low morals and base character, whether preachers or others, will shun them until such time as they feel the need and are willing to accept the healing balm offered by such congregations for their sickened characters.
Whenever a man in any age has neglected to observe God’s prescribed rules and laws, man has suffered and his undertakings have come to naught, but when God’s laws have been observed, men’s undertakings have prospered and advanced. The church of Christ, since the Restoration movement commenced, may be likened to the crippled child—takes the whole family to keep it from falling, with none to give aid to others. This condition is not as God designed and as Jesus and the apostles prayed. Therefore such conditions must be due to the weakness of man. I believe the worship of God as commanded and directed by the New Testament, would be both instructive and interesting if properly done, then why the trouble? When a bank runs an advertisement in a newspaper or by folder, with a statement of its financial condition, it takes great pride in publishing the names and occupations of its directors and officers, because it is well known to the public that a bank is as strong as its directors are, morally, financially and in ripened business experience, and no stronger. If officers are weak morally, they may embezzle deposits; financially, be unable to tide the institution over a panic owing to financial distress; or, lacking in business experience or judgment, they may lose the deposits through bad loans. A church or congregation of disciples of Christ, is just as strong as its elders and deacons are, spiritually, morally, and in sound business judgment and experience, and no stronger.
I am thoroughly convinced that the selection of elders and deacons, without Scriptural qualifications and the makeshift attempt, in an unskilled and unscientific way and manner, by them, to run a congregation, is the greatest impediment in the world to the progress and efficiency of the church, and growth of Christianity in this age. There is no reason why the officers of a congregation should not be of such good report among the world as to their spirituality, morality, and good business judgment, that in connection with all advertisements of the church, their names could be published and its officers pointed to with pride and admiration, not only by the members of the congregation, but by the world as well. This would be one of the means of reaching the world, through the lives of those in charge of and who represent a congregation of the church of Christ, which, no doubt, is one of God’s ways and methods of reaching the world. How many congregations do you know of that a regular publication of its officers’ names in connection with an advertisement of the church, would be considered, even by the members of the congregation, as an inducement to people not members to come and listen to our teaching ? Do not answer too loud. I spent fifteen years of my life studying and wondering if the theory and teaching of Christianity, as believed by my father and as taught by the church of Christ, was right. After convincing myself by careful study that it is, I have spent the past twenty years studying and wondering why it does not work better, and why all people do not accept it. The answer, as above stated, is lack of Christian science.
Uncouth, unbusinesslike and unscientific ways and methods of doing things in connection with the Lord’s business, is responsible for the course of many who have embraced digression; my sympathies go out to them, and I daily pray that they may return and assist in the restoration of true New Testament worship in the church of Christ.
If members of the local congregation acknowledge this science of Christianity, or are willing to study, learn and acquire this science, then the congregation will likewise grow and develop, and will soon become a great instrument of efficiency, and so long as congregations are officered by men who are unskilled in the science of Christianity, and tied to some old traditional way of doing things, as taught by some good old pre-historic preacher who has been dead for thirty years, then such congregation, instead of becoming a great light and magnet, shining and drawing men and women to it, becomes a cold and icy institution of forms and ceremonies, and repulsive to its thinking members and without attraction to the world. The church of Christ should be the liveliest and most active institution in the tvhole country, its members cheerful and full of hope and Happiness, and “rejoicing in the Lord.” It should supply all the needed fraternal relations between its members, in fact, becoming a member of such an institution should be synonomous with dropping membership in all fraternal orders of human origin. Its members should be referred to by the world as synonyms of morality and honesty. The fact that a person is a member of the church of Christ should carry with it such confidence that even the world would require no additional recommendation or further security of the obligation of such person. Until the name Christian carries with it such weight, the high degree of honesty and uprightness intended by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has not been reached. The great trouble with many of our so-called Christians is, when they obey that form of doctrine prescribed, they fail to leave off all of the things that they put on while in the world. A man will be loaded down with memberships in fraternal orders, which require much of his means, time and thought. He continues them all and thinks he can he the kind of a Christian that he should be with such weights hanging around his neck. Just as impossible for a man to be a true and faithful husband after marriage, and continue to suppor tand divide his affections and money with a half dozen concubines. Man is not capable, after he becomes a Christian, of looking after more than three institutions: The church, his family, and his private business from which he derives his means of livelihood, and when he has properly contributed to these three institutions, he will find that he has no time or money left. Should a preacher attempt to preach upon the application of the science of Christianity to our daily lives, he is denominated a sectarian or a college preacher, and ordered to move on. Like the farmers first above mentioned, they do not need his instructions. Many of our preachers fail to recognize the proper organization and setting in order of congregations of the church of Christ; in fact, many of them attempt to exercise all the functions of the officers of a congregation, instead of teaching its officers their respective duties, and letting them develop in the knowledge and discharge thereof. There should be no conflict between the duties of the minister, the duties of the elders or bishops, and the duties of the deacons. Most all trouble in congregations can be traced to an attempt on the part of the minister or some officer of the congregation to encroach upon the duties of the other, one or the other failing to do and perform their respective duties. The idea is for each and every one to learn the duties in connection with his official position, and then discharge them, and in the event anyone ill an official position is lax in the discharge of his duty, then the others should urge that such duty be performed. Above all things a Christian should understand the high and exalted position he holds as a Christian, and the officers of a congregation should fully understand the high and and exalted position that a congregation holds in the world, and at all times exert themselves to see that this high and exalted position is not compromised or lowered. This calls for a high moral and spiritual standard. This must be maintained in the congregation at all hazards. In the language of Edwin Markham, “We have committed the golden rule to memory, let us now commit it to life.” The great trouble with fhe churches today and the attempted administration of the worship in connection therewith, is that we are trying to use second century methods instead of twentieth century methods, thereby failing to interest members and attract those of the world. There is no more reason for a non-progressive church than there is for a digressive church. The church of Christ is a progressive institution, intended to be functioned by a progressive people, and when we recognize this fact and employ it in the furtherance of our spiritual affairs in this world, then the church will spread like fire in the dry forest, the whole world will be consumed, a mighty rush from all quarters of the globe will be made by humanity to accept the teachings of Christ, and Christ will then be a shining light in the world.
It is said that when ex-President Wilson was president of Princeton University, the boys, during one of its sessions, became turbulent and unruly, rebelled against all authority, and refused to restrain themselves. Several teachers connected with the institution made repeated addresses and appeals to them, attempting to reach their better side of life and make them understand the duty they owed themselves and that great institution of learning, and they would hold up to them the lives of great men who had lived in the past, but their appeals were in vain. At last Mr. Wilson came upon the platform one morning and made them a ten or fifteen minute address. In this time he took up the life and character and teachings of the lowly Man of Galilee, showed them how he submitted to all authority, whether from his Father in heaven or from kings upon earth. Then he called their attention to the reward that he received for such submissiveness. He then begged them to try to imitate the life, the character and the teachings of this one perfect man, with the assurance that neither they, nor any other man would ever, at any time, have cause to apologize for anything that Jesus ever taught, did, or said. That lesson is still controlling Princeton University.