Ministers of the gospel have in the past done great service in the cause of religious liberty. Martin Luther, Roger Williams, John Bunyan, and ministers of the early Baptist churches are striking examples of what the clergy can do for the cause of religious freedom, when once they catch a vision of the great Christian ideals and fundamental principles underlying the religion of Jesus Christ. These men put Christianity in a new light before mankind, and were instrumental in transforming the governments of Europe and colonial America from autocratic tyrannies into governments of the people where freedom of worship for all sects has become a constitutional right—at least in theory, if not altogether in practice.
The churches are today drifting away from the ideals of the Author of Christianity, and the gospel ministry should, as never before in the history of the world, make its influence felt in the affairs of men and in legislative councils in defense of the fundamental principles of religious liberty and human rights. In many lands there is hardly a community where the Sunday law question is not being agitated. Whether the issue be local or national, it affords us a wonderful opportunity to present the true principles of religious liberty to the public.
There are many channels through which our ministers can work. They can widely advertise such subjects and enlighten the public from the pulpit. They have access to the open forum in the newspapers. They can hold mass meetings. They can speak before civic organizations and popular clubs. When a local issue is on, they can speak before town and city councils. They can send petitions and memorials to legislators. They can place the Liberty magazine and other religious liberty literature in the hands of public officials who deal with the Sunday observance question.
One of the great services our ministers can render the cause of religious liberty is to carry out faithfully the program on Religious Liberty Day, and urge our people to give a liberal offering on that day for the prosecution of the religious liberty work in the conferences. Many of our ministers have been remiss in this matter, and as a result our religious liberty witness languishes.
Our people are anxious to aid the religious liberty work whenever the opportunity is presented to them, but some pastors of churches become so engrossed in preaching along other lines that they scarcely give the religious liberty work a thought, even on Religious Liberty Day. Reports from some conferences indicate that the Religious Liberty Day program has been carried out in less than half of the churches. Who is to blame for it? You who are ministers can answer that question better than any one else.
A successful minister is one who seeks to build up the cause of God along all lines. He is not a specialist or "single track" preacher, but an all-round worker, giving due attention to every branch of our world-wide work, when the appointed time comes to consider those interests.
Washington, D. C.
