This is a book review written during the American Civil War, of a British work titled, Does the Bible Sanction American Slavery by a well known anti-imperialist of the time named Goldwin Smith (1823-1910). "The Southern people tell us, that, under their training, the African has become a Christian. When they receive their runaway negroes, who are sent back to them in obedience to the law, as fellow-Christians, "not as servants, but as brothers beloved", the mission of St. Paul and his Master to both will be accomplished". Presbyterian preacher Billy Sunday (William Ashley Sunday, 1862 - 1935) was, without a doubt, one of the leading figures advocating for the adoption of Prohibition in 1919. When it became clear to many that Prohibition was causing far more problems than it solved, he continued to strongly support the legislation, and after its repeal in 1933, the Preacher called for its reinstatement. "Mr. Sunday pays his compliments to New York and gratefully revises his first impressions. He declares that when he first saw the big building(s) he believed "they were right when they called it the 'graveyard of evangelism'". Texas is today an American state that is almost entirely Catholic, however this was not always the case, as this short article makes clear. During the young Twentieth Century the Catholic Arch Dioces saw fit to harness the wonders of the internal combustion engine and create a "mobile chapel" in order to help bring an end to the Protestant dominance of Texas. However, in the end it was not the Churchmobile per se that raised the number of Catholics in the region so much as the rising tide of uncontrolled immigration from the bordering nation of Mexico. In it's defense, however, it should be noted that the "Churchmobile" did get remarkable mileage. After the slaughter of the First World War, the Christian Churches were under heavy scrutiny for essentially serving as "enablers" in each of the individual combatant nations - failing utterly to bring an end to the violence. In their monthly collaboration, "Repition Generale", George Jean Nathan (1882 - 1958) and H.L. Mencken (1880 - 1956) launched a broadside at the Christian Bishops for their elite, "bullet-proof" status in the world. In 1900 people wanted to know why men didn't like going to church... Assorted reasons were put forth in the attached article from 1900 as to why the Christian male prefers to remove himself from the pews every Sunday; here is one:
"If we consider the minister, and his power in the pulpit, sincerity must be at the heart of all that comes from him. Men are drawn by earnestness and honesty, and frankness, more than by beauty and the fragrance of flowers. Truth is what man wants, not the straining after effect, which results in verboseness, for he will come only to hear the unvarnished truth, red-hot from a courageous heart."
Click here to read a 1929 article on the same exact topic. |
