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Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · December 8, 1892

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 7, No. 48

Degradation of Sacred Things.

It has long been a subject of remark that our Northern brethren mix religion and politics in a way which seems strange to us in this latitude. Not a few preachers and editors of religious journals have boldly entered the political arena. A New York pastor has recently published an astonishing plea for this sort of thing, in which he says:—

‘A preacher will not be degrading the dignity of his pulpit by taking advantage of a presidential election campaign for the announcement of great moral principles which bear upon political duties.

If we put the spirit of Christ rightly into political discussion, it will cease to be secular and become truly sacred teaching.’

As if this were not enough he closes his somewhat heated argument with those words:—

Rightly understood, the ballot box, in its place and time, is as sacred to the devout Christian as the waters of holy baptism or the table of holy communion in their time and place. No man may claim the honors and enjoy the blessings of a fervent Christian except he perform the duties and meet the obligation of a patriotic citizen.

As the political affiliations of the author of these remarkable utterances are perfectly well known to the people for whom they were written it is difficult to avoid the suspicion that this pastor was purposely writing a shrewd campaign document. We have no words to express our utter repugnance for such degradation of sacred things.—Christian Index, Baptist, Georgia.