Neglect Not the Foundations

One of the obvious needs of the world today is a revival of genuine Christianity in the home, and to a large degree the same need is apparent in the homes of professing Christians, a fact that we as ministers should recognize. The home of yesterday was a sanctuary, a haven of spiritual refuge; but today it is hardly more than a place to eat and sleep. The ques­tion used to be, "What shall we do tonight?" and the answer was found in the radiant com­panionship that encircled the family hearth. But today the question is, "Where shall we go tonight?" and the answer is generally found in a series of suggestions which lead very defi­nitely away from the home.

We as ministers are face to face with this unavoidable problem, and must grapple with the situation. Perhaps nothing is doing more to destroy the saving influence of the home than the lack of Christian instruction on the part of the parents, and we need to recognize and help to correct this. Many turn their chil­dren over to the church for a short period each week, though some do not even do that. In the rush of modern life, the family altar is sadly forgotten, and lowered standards result.

That the home life of its pecple constitutes the unwritten history of a nation is generally recognized. And the same may be said of the church. The church goes up or down accord­ing as the homes of its members are godly or ungodly. This statement is supported by all that we know of the past and the present. The decay of the church, as well as of governments, begins at the fireside. No wonder, then, that parental responsibility is so emphasized in the Holy Scriptures and in the Spirit of prophecy. Verily, there is no place like home to make or unmake the church. Thus we read:

"The restoration and uplifting of humanity begins in the home. The work of parents un­derlies every other. Society is composed of families, and is what the heads of families make it. Out of the heart are the issues of life;' and the heart of the community, of the church, and of the nation, is the household. The well-being of society, the success of the church, the prosperity of the nation, depend upon home influences."—"Ministry of Healing," p. 349.

"In all that pertains to the success of God's work, the very first victories are to be won in the home life."—"Testimonies," Vol. VI, p. 354.

There are many problems confronting the church at the present time, but most of them may be solved by a revival of true godliness in the homes of our people. If the home life and training are what they should be, the members will be in their places for the various services of the church. They will take an active part in the missionary endeavors of the church, and through their faithfulness there will be a con­stant stream of funds turned into the treasury for the support of God's work. Such a revival would result in a greatly increased attendance in our denominational schools, from the pri­mary grades to the college, and would thus place about many of our youth a hedge of pro­tection and helpfulness of which they now know nothing. In fact, if the home life is meeting God's ideal, the problems confronting the youth of the church will be practically solved.

This being true, the home question deserves the most careful consideration of every minis­ter. It deserves carefully planned and well-delivered sermons. It calls for the support and cooperation of the worker in helping to organ­ize and maintain parents' societies in our churches. It demands the personal touch in the homes of church members which will make possible the rendering of that most delicate service of aiding parents in establishing their homes on the foundation defined in the Scrip­tures and the writings of the Spirit of proph­ecy.

Much has been lost to the cause because of a lack of interest in this phase of God's work. True, we have the Home Commission that has been formed to give continuous emphasis along this line, but the burden of this responsibility must rest back upon those of us who have as our parishioners, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, boys and girls, in the form of home units.

However, it is not enough that there should be action in the pulpit,—there must be a re­action in the pews. It will not be sufficient to have exalted preaching by the clergy unless there is exalted living by the laity. There must be a return to the good, old-fashioned vir­tues that were once practiced in the Christian home, in which the whole family constituted a unit, and the wise influence of the parents was made a constant part of the children's lives. May God help us as His ambassadors to do what we can to bring about a revival of primi­tive godliness, first in our own homes, then in the homes of all our people.

Washington, D. C.