Editorial April 30, 1904 Issue

"Churches Losing by their own Offspring"

In an address recently delivered before the Baptist Social Union of New York, the Rev. Dr. Russell H. Conwell declared that the Churches are showing no real growth in membership, and he lays the blame for the situation upon the founding of those institutions which may properly be termed the offspring of the Churches. The portion of the address in which the speaker dealt with this condition was quoted in a recent issue of the Sentinel, but we publish it again by request, and in doing so call attention to the fact that the views expressed are in harmony with the Mother Church By-law, “Church Organizations Ample," which appeared in last week's Sentinel. Dr. Conwell said:—

"And it's all the fault of the Churches, the blame alone is theirs. They are being submerged, swamped, as it were, by organizations they themselves started.

"The Young Men's Christian Association is a continued permanent protest against the failure of the Church to do what it ought to do, and it would have no existence had the Church done as it ought. The Churches started the hospitals, gave them their right of existence; now there is scarcely a denominational or even religious hospital to be found.

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