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CONTENTS PAGE I. Moral and Spiritual Forces in the War 11 Charles Reynolds Brown, D.D., LL.D., Dean of the School of Religion and Pastor of the University Church II. God and History 22 Douglas Clyde Macintosh, Ph.D., Professor of Theology III. The Christian Hope in Times of War 33 Frank Chamberlin Porter, Ph.D., Professor of Biblical Theology IV. Non-Resistance: Christian or Pagan? 59 Benjamin Wisner Bacon, D.D., Litt.D., LL.D., Professor of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation V. The Ministry and the War 82 Henry Hallam Tweedy, M.A., Professor of Practical Theology VI. The Effect of the War upon Religious Education 105 Luther Allan Weigle, Ph.D., D.D., Professor of Christian Nurture VII. Foreign Missions and the War, Today and Tomorrow 122 Harlan P. Beach, D.D., F.R.G.S., Professor of the Theory and Practice of Missions VIII. The War and Social Work 141 William Bacon Bailey, Ph.D., Professor of Practical Philanthropy IX. The War and Church Unity 151 Williston Walker, Ph.D., D.D., Professor of Ecclesiastical History X. The Religious Basis of World Re-Organization 161 E. Hershey Sneath, Ph.D., LL.D., Professor of the Philosophy of Religion and Religious EducationIMORAL AND SPIRITUAL FORCES IN THE WARCHARLES REYNOLDS BROWNIn one of our more thoughtful magazines we were favored last Februarywith an article entitled, Peter Sat by the Fire Warming Himself. Itwas a bitter, undiscriminating arraignment of the ministers andchurches of the United States for their alleged lack of intelligent,sympathetic interest in the war. It was written by an Englishman whofor several years has been vacillating between the ministry andsecular journalism, but is now the pastor of a small church innorthern New York. The vigor of his literary style in trenchantcriticism was matched by an equally vigorous disregard for many of theplain facts in the case. His tone, however, was loud and confident, sothat the article secured for itself a wide reading.What became of the spiritual leaders of America during thosethirty-two months when Europe and parts of Asia were passing throughGehenna? the writer of this article asked in scornful fashion. Andthen after listing the enormities of the mad military caste whichheads up at Potsdam, he asked the clergymen of the United States, Whywere you so scrupulously neutral, so benignly dumb? His maincontention was to the effect that the religious leaders of thiscountry had been altogether negligent of their duty in the presentworld struggle, and that the churches were small potatoes and few in ahill.It has been regarded as very good form in certain quarters to castaspersion upon the ministers of the Gospel. When the war came menbegan to ask, sometimes with a sneer, and sometimes with a look ofpain, Why did not Christianity prevent the war? It never seemed tooccur to anyone to ask, Why did not Science prevent the war? No onesupposed that Science would or could. It was the most scientificnation on earth which brought on the war.It never occurred to anyone to ask, Why did not Big Business, or theNewspapers, or the Universities prevent the war? No one supposed thatcommerce or the press or education could avert such disasters. Theseuseful forms of social energy are not strong enough. They do not godeep enough in their hold upon the lives of men to curb those forcesof evil which let loose upon the world this frightful war. It was amagnificent tribute which men paid to the might of spiritual forceswhen they asked, sometimes wistfully, and sometimes scornfully, Whydid not Christianity prevent the war?The terrible events of the last four years have taught the world a fewlessons which it will not soon forget. They have shown us the utterimpotence of certain forces in which some shortsighted people wereinclined to put their whole trust: The little toy gods of theAmorites--Evolution, with a capital E, not as the designation of amethod which all intelligent people recognize, but as a kind ofhome-made deity operating on its own behalf!
