Article March 11, 1911 Issue

FROM OUR EXCHANGES

with contributions from Daniel Evans, Frank S. Dietrich

[Rev. Daniel Evans, D.D., as reported in Boston Transcript.]

In Germany there are various creeds in religion—just now all in the melting-pot—because of the existence of various kinds of schools, which are breaking up—the theology becoming more philosophical and the philosophy more theological. The religion of the people is more in the heart than in the church, the great mass not being in the church at all. Another thing is the presence of the Socialist-Democratic party, in which there are millions of intelligent, vigorous, determined men who want to reconstruct the government on more economic and liberal lines. They are not in the church because they have found that the church is against the working men getting a living. Therefore, the ominous peril of Germany is the great working class without religion. The great movements of the people of Europe are outside the church. The churches are not keeping in touch with them and have little hold upon them. The intellectual forces are outside all the churches of Germany. The rights of the people in Europe underlie all the turmoil, and the people are rising to demand what we have promised them, and which is their right. They want not charity, but justice. The external support of religion is gone. There was never so much thought on religion as now, but you cannot reach the man merely through thought; you must reach and touch the man.

[Standard.]

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