What is needed is a greater breadth of view possessed by the leaders of our seminaries and in many cases more practical men, such as our great and successful preachers are, ought to be on the teaching staff rather than some men who could not succeed in any eminent way as pastors; example has its effect on theologies as well as medicos and the man with the green bag. Every provision should be made for ministers to be well-equipped teachers and leaders of the people. Such training will make our ministers able to place the emphasis on their work where it belongs. Such men will as carefully consider the financial strength of their people as a physician considers the physical strength of a patient; and no more should we see churches built which are out of all proportion to the financial ability of the people who worship in them. We should not see a great debt hanging over the heads of a poor people, the most of whom do not own their own homes but live in narrow streets and alleys under very unsanitary conditions. But we should see neat houses of worship arranged so as to meet the needs of a given parish in its largest way and within the reach of the people’s financial ability. Further, we should see radiating from this center influences which will inspire people to own their own homes, to take proper care of their children, and to realize what it means to walk with God as men of old here on earth.
This training will enable men to be brought near enough to see that it is a waste of time merely to preach narrow denominationalism, but good men of all denominations will unite in combatting evil and in making a given community a desirable place for the habitation of the children of men. Greater care will be taken of the poor and orphans and more energy will be spent in building up the moral life of the young men and women of the community. This will be done by these trained men who will come fully as well equipped to discern what these problems of society are as the physician who comes to heal our bodies and who must necessarily understand disease and remedy. Such a minister’s thought will not be centered on making a great name for himself at the expense of an ignorant people. It will not matter to him whether he has the name of having built the largest church or the finest church, or whether he has the biggest congregation in his church, but it will be centered upon the most important thing, and that is the establishing of the kingdom of Jesus Christ among men on earth. His efforts will be to lift the burdens from the poor and unfortunate and make their lives happy and sweet and pleasant. He will be a leader in devising ways and means to get our people out of the crowded alleys into the bright sunshine of life that they may be where their little children may have a chance for true development. He will gather around him a band of faithful, trained men and women, who will visit the jail, the sick, the poor, and the oppressed. And he will call to mind the requirements which Jesus Christ laid down for all men who wish to walk with Jesus here and to enter with Him in eternal rest. “For I was hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? Or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
The above words are from the Master’s own lips and make plain and clear the duty of the church, the duty of Christian society as well as that of the individual. It is a clear indication that Jesus meant for his followers to acquaint themselves thoroughly with the conditions of society as He did himself. He was thoroughly familiar with all the evils and the needs of humanity which surrounded Him. And His work was the healing of every ill. Too long have men talked about the Father in such a cold, metaphysical way as to forget their brethren who are next door to them. Too long have men thought merely of individualistic religion. Our religion must be more effectively social in its aim and practice. It must so act and react on society that the whole lump will be leavened. Christianity has done more for the world than any other religion or principle and yet it has never been given the chance it should be given to do its complete work among men. When you look about you and behold the suffering and misery, the sin and shame, can you but offer a prayer that the day will soon come when a large number of our strong men shall receive a training for the ministry which shall fit them to battle effectively with these great problems which confront us in this modern age? Unless it is done we go backward. Here is the Negro’s great opportunity, viz: To let Christianity have a chance through him. Will he lose it?
The great reformers of the church have always been men of the broadest training. Luther and Calvin were not only preachers as we think of preachers, but also were men of splendid legal training. Dr. F. J. Grimke, (who is highly esteemed and respected as a minister), not only is a high honor man of the Divinity School of Princeton University, but also is a graduate in law as well. Henry Ward Beecher, the greatest preacher America ever produced, had a law library that any young lawyer would be glad to have, and a medical library that would be a credit to any young physician. There was not a phase of knowledge with which he did not have some acquaintance. The broad training these men had gave them the mastery of difficult problems. When we shall have a large number of thoroughly trained men of unquestioned character whose hearts are warm with the love of God and whose eyes behold the true condition of their people, and whose hands shall be ready to work for the good of an inspiring race, then we shall see the kingdom of God come among men in a larger way than it is possible for us now even to imagine. While many have not had the privilege of securing the training which fits us to understand in the most comprehensive way many of the problems which are round about us, it is still possible for every minister to qualify himself so that he may be a workman which needeth not to be ashamed. Unfortunately a great many of our ministers do not do what they might. For some cause they do not purchase books at all, or do not purchase them as wisely as they should. It is a poor plan to spend money for books which agents carry about from place to place. They are generally high-priced and little used after they are bought. Find out what you ought to buy by reading reviews and by consulting with men who certainly know. Every preacher should own, read, and ponder the following books and extend his reading as he may see fit: “The Social Crisis” by Rauschenbusch (published by Macmillan, New York); “The Social Message of the Modern Pulpit” by Brown (Scribner, New York); “The Religion of a Mature Mind” and “The Spiritual Life” by Coe (Revell, New York); “The Psychology of Religion” by Starbuck (Scribner, New York); “Elements of Sociology” by Giddings (Macmillan, New York); “United States Census Bulletin No. 8” (Washington, D. C.); “Proceedings of the Religious Education Association” (153 La Salle Street, Chicago); “Charities and Commons” (153 East 22nd Street, New York); “U. S. Census Bulletin on Religious Bodies.”
Again: Is it too much to urge those in charge of the training of our ministers to consider seriously the compelling need of so recasting the course of study that a higher grade of men shall be attracted to the ministry and that a thorough, comprehensive, yet practical, training shall be given which shall fit men to preach the Gospel of Christ with real meaning to men in the twentieth century? We ought to stop putting the good new wine in old skins. The hopeful sign is that there are picked men in seminary faculties, in the pulpit, and among laymen all over the country who are thinking about this most important question. May these thinkers soon crystallize their thoughts in a forceful movement which shall ever bless the people.
After many years of observation and of contact with almost every class of men and some different races, I come to the conclusion that there is nothing quite so interesting to the people as religion. People will go in crowds to hear a man like Gypsy Smith talk to them about their every day problems and will hear respectfully what Jesus Christ taught about these problems and their relations one with the other. In no place in life does a man of parts have so large opportunity to wield a helpful influence with his fellowmen as in the ministry. When we can show the great army of college men that they can be natural men, real men, with natural voice and methods, in the ministry, when they can be made to understand that it is the man under the garb and not the garb which designates the real minister to men, and that they have a chance and a right to go everywhere, finding out the conditions of society, touching it at its highest and at its lowest level, and that they will be supported in their work, morally and materially, there will be a larger supply than we have to-day, if not sufficient to meet the demands of the times. I have not dealt in statistics. This I leave for a future study. I have been as one crying in the wilderness, sounding the alarm, calling attention to our most vital need, to a problem which is worrying our best men. I plead with Christian parents to lay their promising sons on the Master’s altar, and to the Church and college I cry awake! and behold ruin of home and country if you fail to lead many of the ablest and best of those under you into the Master’s service.
Can we do better than carry away with us the words of the chief Shepherd of the sheep, the Master and Teacher of men, when he said: “Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.”