Introduction by J.P. Sewell

Introduction by J.P. Sewell
INTRODUCTION
BY J. P. SEWELL.
It is with an earnest desire that it may contribute some­thing to the extension and exaltation of the kingdom of Christ that we send forth this the first volume of A. C. C. Lectures. We hope each year to present a similar volume. In this way we trust to add something of permanent value to Christian Literature.
A. C. C. Bible Lecture Week is a regular part of the program of Abilene Christian College, —the last week of February each year. The lectures begin on Sunday morn­ing and continue until Friday night with three each day. Brethren, preachers and laymen, who are outstanding in their Christian living and teaching are invited to deliver the lectures. An effort is made to cover a broad field of Chris­tian- thought and activity.
This week was inaugurated for the purpose of deepen­ing and strengthening the teaching and influence of the col­lege with its students. The service proved to be so rich that we decided to invite our patrons and friends to be our guests during the time to enjoy it with us. Large numbers have accepted this invitation and our memories are filled with sweet association and communion. In this the service has been very greatly extended. That it may be extended still more we have decided to present these volumes each year.
Abilene Christian College exists for the purpose of promulgating Christian teaching and influence. If we can extend some of the rich blessings which we are permitted to enjoy here to those who cannot be present we count it a duty to do so. And practically all who are present for A. C. C. Lecture Week desire to keep the lectures. The first order was for five volumes, from a gentleman who was present and desired a volume for each of his children.
We desire to record permanently the sincere apprecia­tion of the trustees, faculty and students of Abilene Chris­tian College for the work done in preparing and delivering the lectures which appear in this book. Each of them gave his time and labor without pay and the profit, if any should be made, is to go to the religious section of the college library. Special mention is made of Bro. G. Dallas Smith who delivered the excellent series of five.
This volume is offered to the public by Abilene Christian College as a part of its educational program. We feel that our mission is a worthy one. As the people are educated to know and appreciate the truths and principles of Christi­anity they are saved and developed in Christian manhood and Christian womanhood. We believe there is no greater service than Christian education so I close this introduction with a little sermon on that subject.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION.
Text: Matthew 28:28 , "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations."

I. Introduction, —Education.
By education I mean that teaching, training, develop­ment which equips the individual to live his life in such a manner as to achieve the greatest amount of real success and happiness for himself and to give the greatest amount of genuine service to the world. This education enables the farmer to make the soil pro­duce more and better, the stockman to make his stock yield more profits, the school-teacher to give better service to his students, the merchant and banker to better serve their patrons, the doctor and lawyer to better protect the interest of their patients and clients, the preacher to more effectively preach the gospel, in fact, the individual, in every activity of life, to better meet the obligations and duties oi life, and to find more real joy in living.

Any process through which the individual may be taken which does not thus equip him does not deserve to be called education. It may result in knowledge, information and a certain kind of culture; but if it fails to equip the individual for life as it must be lived it is not education.

11 . Christian Education.
By Christian education I mean the training suggested given from a Christian viewpoint, in schools where not only the body and mind may be trained but the heart also. This is the only way in which man may be equipped for the high­est, broadest, fullest, richest, noblest living and happiness.

I care not how perfectly you may develop and train the body and the mind, if you fail to plant in the heart an un­wavering faith in the justice and power of an eternal God, and a strong moral character to guide, direct, support and restrain that body and mind in the activities of life, you fail to fully educate; and the man becomes a greater injury and hindrance to society than he would be with no training at all.

1. Christianity is preeminently a religion of teaching.
Our Lord says to us, "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations." Why? This binds on us a vast responsibility. It is an obligation demanding vast thinking, effort and sacri­fice. Again I ask, Why? "Neither for these only do I pray, but for all them also that believe on me through their word." Jesus included in his prayer those who were disciples then; but he expected them to obey his commands and teach the gospel to others. He understood that at least some of these others would be led by this "word" to believe on him; and he included them in his prayer. Here is one answer. We must teach the gospel; for through it men are made be­lievers. "So belief cometh of hearing and hearing by the word of God."

Again. "Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life in his name." Jesus, the Son of God, came to give life. To enjoy this life men must believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God. And the gospel, —the words of the Holy Spirit, written in the Rook of God, —are written for the express purpose that men "May believe" this very thing. And again. "It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God." Why? "Every one that hath heard from the Father and hath learned, cometh unto me." Rather strong, isn't it? "They shall all be taught of God." We are to do the teaching. There is no other way to draw men to Christ. They must be taught the gospel, —the words heard from the Father,---until they learn. "Every one" thus taught comes to Christ.

And, beloved, just here lies the great obligation and op­portunity of God's church. Are we meeting and using it as we should? The extension of the kingdom of heaven depends on teaching.
And just here I desire to say that the greatest ambition of every Christian heart should be the extension of the borders of the kingdom of God, and its exaltation, honor and glory. You desire it, of course. We can't take guns and swords and go out and capture citizens for God's kingdom. There is just one way to do it. Teach them the gospel, —the words heard from the Father, —until they learn; then they will come. They will fall out with sin, Satan and his king­dom; fall in love with Christ, righteousness and his king­dom; obey the gospel and become citizens of his kingdom. This is why Paul says the gospel is God's power to save, ft is what Jesus meant when he said, " Ye shall know the truth; and the truth shall make you free."

It is what Paul had in mind when he said, "Take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God." Christianity is not a negative, defensive religion only. Not only are Christians to put on the protective armor provided for them, and to plant themselves in the trenches of sound doctrine and pure living and defend themselves; but they are to take their weapon of offensive warfare, —the word of God, —and under the leadership of Christ, go out and charge the trenches of error and sin. And, beloved, we have re­mained in the trenches too much. It makes no difference how pure our lives, if we fail to get this doctrine into the mind of others and this purity into other lives, we are fail­ing in the purpose of God's church.

Christians may teach the word of God at any pos­sible time and place.
It is scriptural and right to teach (he Bible anywhere, any time. The gospel is God's power to save when vou get it into an honest mind and heart, regardless of time and place. But, of course, this greatest of all services should be performed with the greatest of care and the best possible judgement. It should be done where the greatest good will result to the greatest number.

"Now while Paul waited for them at Athens his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him." Just in the home, or in the home and church only? Paul didn't wait for a church. He saw a city lost and ruined in sin. His great Christian heart was stirred. He couldn't wait; he didn't wait. He began teaching them that they might be saved. He taught them in the synagogue; but that didn't satisfy him. It was too slow. It would take too long. There was the market place. Many people frequented it daily. He could teach them there. It was an opportunity. Paul used it.

"He went into the synagogue, and spoke boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spoke evil of that way be­fore the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus. And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks." Great, wonderful work! This time Paul is teaching in a school. He kept it up for two years. And the Holy Spirit says "all Asia" heard the gospel as a result of it. Do you think of a more fruitful work in the lives of any of the apostles?

Why these quotations and observations? That we may see that it is our duty to teach the word of God anywhere, anytime, —even in school.

It is with reference to the opportunity for accomplish­ing God's purpose by teaching the word of God in schools and colleges that I speak at this time. The school is not the only place furnishing an opportunity for obedience to Our Lord's command, "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations." There are hundreds of others. But the school does furnish an opportunity for this greatest of all services, so wonderful in its possibilities that Christians cannot afford to neglect it.

While in school the individual is passing through the formative period. He is in the making. His body, mind and heart are being formed. His faith and notions and con­ceptions of life are being formed and fixed. He is being developed, very largely, into what he is to be in time and eternity. Very few people are very radically changed in faith or in life after full maturity. In spite of the fact that most of our sermons are prepared and preached with the adult mind and heart in view a vast majority of the souls converted by them are still in the formation period.

During this important period shall we train the body and mind and neglect the heart? But, you say, the school is for training the mind and the home and the church for training the heart; and surely the great work of the home and church may not be overlooked without disastrous results. The school cannot possibly take their places or do their work. Neither can it overcome defects of character resulting from their failure. Too often this is expected.

Why do a vast majority, practically all, of the children of Catholic homes become Catholics and remain Catholics? Are they more diligent in their homes and churches than Protestants? I don't like to think so, still a minority of Protestant children are not becoming members of any church. The difference is in the school rather than in the home and church. Catholic children are taught and trained religiously not only at home and church, but in school also. We see the results. Is it good judgment, and does the law of God require that we properly teach and train our children spiritually at home and church and then place them in school where every spiritual influence and all religious teaching are calculated to counteract and destroy our work in the home and the church? You may as well argue that it is proper to guard the health of your child at home and at church carefully, and then knowingly and deliberately send him to school where you know conditions are unsanitary, and where you know he will be exposed to all kinds of contagious diseases. As surely as there is anything true and worthy in Christian­ity, from the viewpoint of the undenominational Christian, our children are exposed to moral and spiritual diseases in the state and in many denominational schools far more seri­ous than mere physical malady; and we sec the social and spiritual disease that so often conies from thus exposing our children.

Christianity is not merely a delightful and helpful pro­fession for those specially inclined toward it and particularly adapted to it, as the practice of law, medicine, etc. If so we might talk about general education, professional education, vocational education, Christian education, etc. Christianity is for all men and for each one, not merely a profession but life itself. Hence from the Christian point of view all com­plete education must be Christian whether it be general, professional or vocational. The entire training of the child must be Christian not secular and Christian. The failure to understand and practice this great truth properly, is respons­ible for the fatally erroneous notion that the individual lives two lives, his secular life and his Christian life. This isn't true. Christianity either permeates the entire being and makes it every whit Christian or it isn't Christianity.

Christianity is not merely for those of your boys who are going to make preachers, but as well for those who are to be farmers, mechanics, doctors, lawyers, —for all. Chris­tianity is not for Church, prayer meeting, Sunday school and funerals alone. 'It is for plowing, hoeing, cutting wood, selling goods, cooking, sewing, playing, courting, every­thing, everywhere. Then from the Christian point of view all education must be Christian. In anything and every­thing the child is to be trained for, —educated for, —there must be Christianity in the training. This is why God had the Jews educate their own children, and prescribed his law as a part of the entire course. This is why early Christians did the same thing. This is what Brothers Lipscomb and Harding had in view when they started the Nashville Bible School. It is what "Uncle David" meant when he would say, "I long for the day when there will be not only colleges where the Bible is taught to every student, but when every congregation of disciples will have a school in which every child can be taught God's Word."

We have barely touched the hem of the garment! For us such terminology as secular education should be for­gotten. Everything that is taught our children should be Christianized in the process. Anything that cannot be Christianized should not be taught our children. Any sur­roundings, and conditions making impossible the teaching of Christianity are absolutely unfit for the education of children from the Christian point of view, Christians cannot afford to accept such conditions.

Why don't we send our children to the Catholic Sunday school and the Catholic church on Sunday? They will be taught error. That is a good reason. But our children are taught as much error in the state schools and many denomi­national schools and colleges during the process of their education as they would be in these Sunday schools and churches.

They are taught by people with the same conceptions, faith, and ideals exactly in the state and many denomina­tional schools as in the Sunday schools and churches re­ferred to. If it will affect our children to have them taught error on Sunday how may they be taught error five days in the week and escape?

Ah! You say Sunday school and church train for the religious life, the, school for the secular life. This is the fatal point in our thinking. The Christian life is not Chris­tian and secular. It is Christian. Christianity must per­meate, restrain, inspire and control every act of life just as genuinely as it does the praying, singing, teaching, taking the Lord's Supper or any other act of public worship or service, or the life is only part Christian.

If we meet the situation and educate our children as they must be educated if their education is to be genuinely Chris­tian there is a great task to be performed. It can't be done in a day. We have done something but we have fallen fear­fully behind. It will take time, sacrifice and study, prayer and work. It can be done. But if so all personal and sec­tional pride and ambition must be set aside. Every effort must be for the good of the work. If we are not big enough and good enough to proceed thus we will fail and should fail.
J. P. SEWELL.