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Show Great Need of Church Is Increased Sense of Authority in the Ministry By BISHOP FREEMAN (Protestant Episcopal). A CHURCH without problems, is undesirable. But it is miraculous mi-raculous that the church should persistently outlive the faults and follies of its exponents and yet hold the affection of men over the world. More aggressiveness is needed because of increased in-creased opposition from without and a development of supineness with-, in the church. The thing that is conspicuously lacking in the ministry is its sense of authority. Affirmations and pronouncements based on certain words of Christ which once had incisive authority now are yield ing to speculation and negation. That there have been, within recent years, disclosures of inefficiency in the ch jreh, must give any thoughtful man pause. There is serious need for statesmanship and the employment of the best strategy in thf present situation. There may be need for a new alignment of the forces, and possibly for a change in the personnel of our leaders. That there is need of consolidating the ranks and a simultaneous and, aggressive forward movement is conspicuously evident. The church needs authority and conviction. A day where every man indulges in personal liberty to such an extent that he does that which is right in his own eyes, independent of what its effect may be upon others, will mark the beginnings of disorder, and the break-up of those things that, by long experience, have proved indispensable to the orderly ways of. decent and profitable living. Men are groping for the truth, they are yearning for a new manifestation mani-festation of spiritual power, they are insisting that speculation and negation shall give place to deep conviction born of experience. They will heed only him whose message and whose ministry bear the unmistakable un-mistakable evidences of a divine imprimatur. |