11/6/34
Worldly Amusements
Our views about separating from the
world and belonging to God have led us
to. be careful with reference to worldly
amusements. Just as the early Methodists
did, so we discountenance dancing, the-
atregoing, card playing, and competitive
sports, and everything of like nature that
would lead away from God and prevent
our leading consistent Christian lives.
These have been our standards from
the beginning. They are our standards
now. They are going to remain our
standards.
Bat, as is the case of others, so in ours,
when a denomination becomes established,
and develops size, and creates large
churches, and the early rigours of eppo-
sition subside, there is always a tendency
to lay aside or modify these standards.
In every large church there are always
two classes of believers. One class is
determined that these standards of the
faith shall be maintained. The other class
believes these standards are unnecessarily
high, and should be modified or discarded
altogether,
It sometimes happens this second class
enlarges its numbers and influence until
its representatives come to occupy places
of prestige and power in the church.
Then church standards come to be vio-
lated and overridden with impunity. They
are not enforced When members are
known to be going to dances, or card
parties, or shows, a quiet and indulgent
smile is about all that follows.
I desire to emphasise, my brethren, that
when that time comes and charch stan-
dards are dealt with in that way, the
church is in serious danger. I would have
you remember that God places His mark
of approval and acceptance on those who
sigh and cry for the abominations that
are done in the church. (See Ezekiel 9.)
When such laxness becomes prevalent,
then the opinion begins to be expressed
that these old church standards are too
rigid, that the landmarks of the fathers
should be removed, that in order to
win the rising generation we must soft
pedal these things, and permit the youth
to adopt lower standards. I assure you
with all earnestness that such a course
wins no respect for the church or its
divine Head.
Think of the anomaly of a leader in
the church, an officer, a Sabbath school
teacher, teaching these church standards
on the Sabbath, and being discovered
at other times violating them. [t is not
unknown among us for leaders of the
church to smugly and complacently dress
in accordance with church standards on
the Sabbath and at church affairs, but
when invited to some worldly banquet or
social occasion to dress like worldlings.
Pageantry in Services
But there is another matter in which
our standards are endangered. One can-
not help observing that pageants and
shows are being given in our services, in
both the church and at the young people’s
meetings. At these it is noticeable that
rouge and make-up and paint and costume.
ing are being more and more used. Some
of our young people are asked to do a bit
of acting. Little playlets with definite
plots are being put on. Theatricals are
pressing their way into the church. Our
Christmas and New Year's celebrations,
our graduation exercises, and other pro-
grammes of the church are witnessing
more and more of this kind of question-
able thing.
I raise the question, Where are we go-
ing? What are we heading for? Are
our church standards to be altogether
ignored? Are we to remain silent while
these things are being forced upon us?
And if we remain silent and let these
things grow, what will become of our
church standards? TI notice that there is
always some one who will carry these
affairs on to the very verge of the ques-
tionable, and then sit back and see if any-
thing is said about it. If nothing is said
about it, then the next time the affair be-
comes a little more daring. If still nothing
is said and no opposition is expressed,
these things are pressed to the point where
there is outright acting, make-up, and
dramatic portrayal of character parts.
For myself I have come to the place
where I can be silent no longer. I want
it known by every one that I deplore the
laxity that leads to this abandonment of
our church standards. I want to be on
record, so that my influence may be most
positively against the theatrical, the make-
believe, and against acting in the church.
I propose to introduce the foliowing reso.
lation, and press its adoption. I read it
to you now, so that all may know what it
contains:
WHEREAS, The Seventh-day Adventist
movement and teaching are essentially
Biblical, placing emphasis on the basic, the
fundamental, and the actual in Christian
living and experience, leading to simplic-
ity, plainness, and earnestness in our daily
walk with God ; and,
WHEREAS, This naturally results in the
individual believer's cultivating the attri-
butes of candour, sincerity, and reality in
dealing with the essential facts of daily
life ; and,
WHEREAS, In literature the very genius
and spirit of our message led to an aban-
donment of all that is imaginary, fanciful,
and fictional, and the study and reading of
that only which is true, solid, and real;
and,
WHEREAS, In entertainment we dis.
countenance all that is theatrical, and turn
away from the dangerous fascination and
glitter of the world of unreality and make-
believe, and encourage only the informa-
tive, the educational, the wholesome, and
the character and body building ; and,
WHEREAS, There is need of sounding a
warning in the interests of safeguarding
our members, and particularly our youth,
from the evils inherent in theatricals, and
with the desire to avoid all pretence,
sham, unreality, artificiality, and make-
believe in the activities of the tabernacle,
and to have all our work in every depart.’
ment of the church represent only that
which is genuine, sincere, real, and true;
therefore,
We Recommend, That all our officers,
leaders, teachers, and helpers co-operate
with us in discountenancisg and eliminat-
ing from our programmes, exercises, and
celebrations, any pageant, play show, per-
formance, or representation of any kind
‘lectures under the general title,
whatsoever which requires or employs anv
acting, make-up, costuming, or taking of
character parts, even of Biblical and re-
ligious incidents, scenes, and characters;
it being understood that this is not de-
signed to prevent children in the Sabbath
school from using a costume, or reciting
a part which may represent the native
dress, or speak in the name of a foreign or
home mission field.
I want to know whether you think we
have come in this church to the time when
we should discard or enforce the old stan-
dards? Do you want your pastor and
your board to wink at violations of these
old established standards? Shall we
modify our standards to meet lowered
ideals? or shall we uphold them and insist
on their observance? My own position
in this matter you wili find stated clearly
and emphatically in the text for today,
“Remcve not the ancient landmark,
which thy fathers have set,”
CARLYLE B. HAYNES.
A New Thing in India
IN the cities of Bombay and Surat, we
are witnessing a movement for which our
workers in India, from the beginning of
our work, have earnestly hoped and
prayed. In common with other mission-
ary bodies, we have aiways had more or
less ready access to the poorer classes, and
our work for the Indian people has been
largely confined to them. But through
the years there have always been earnest
desires and prayers that the time would
come when the more favoured and en-
lightened classes, who have so proudly
and persistently held themselves aloof
from every effort to teach them the gos-
pel, would consent to hear the last and
only message for a lost world.
Recently plans were laid for a series of
evangelistic meetings in Bombay, the third
city in size in the British Empire. We
were successful in securing one of the
largest public halls in the city, located at
the confluence of six main arteries of
traffic, and here we began a series of
“ This
Mighty Hour.”
Our first meeting was attended by ap-
proximately 700 people, consisting of
Hindus, Mohammedans, Christians, and
Parsces, the last being in the majority.
It was quite apparent that the audience
was made up of a thinking, serious type
of Bombay’s best citizens, there being
perfect order and attention throughout
the meeting. One very noticeable thing
about the andience was the predominant
number of young men of the college and
university type, At the close of the
lecture, scores crowded around the plat-
form and in the front lobby to get further
information and make appointments for
private interviews, and secured literature
we had to distribute.
This interest has deepened until we
now have about the same people every
night. The attendance now holds pretty