As popularly understood, the Christian task is to preach the gospel to the lost. This popular understanding is basically correct. Conservative Christians have rightfully reproached the liberals for having substituted a social gospel of pacifism for the gospel of the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ. Let us always insist that the cross of Christ be never obscured.
The popular understanding, however, may err in not going far enough, in not carrying out the implications of redeeming grace much beyond sermons preached in religious meetings or personal work among acquaintances. And, as a result, the burden of the Christian task falls more and more on the ministers; or if laymen engage in Christian work they see little connection between Christian and secular employment. In the minds of too many people, there is between these two types of activity a great gulf fixed.
Because of this gulf, opportunities for important Christian service remain unnoticed. A layman who wishes to serve Christ will consider the ordinary phases of church work and fail to examine other fields in which possibly he might be of immense value.
To illustrate only one such field of service, let us notice the paganizing influence of the American magazines of general circulation. There are few Christian editors and few Christian writers. Consequently, when the magazine touches on religious themes, it is never helpful and often it is destructive of Christian faith. On the other hand, think what an advantage it would be to the minister in conducting divine worship if the congregation had been reading material with a Christian viewpoint instead of pagan literature. One need but open his eyes to see the prejudice the Christian minister must contend with because of the irreligion that the populace absorbs in its general reading.
If it be not amiss, it might be well to mention two magazines just for the sake of being specific. The two chosen are not chosen because they are particularly antichristian. On the contrary, they are rather innocuous religiously. They are mentioned not as examples of how bad a magazine can be, but as examples of a type of magazine through which incalculable Christian good could be done by a Christian editor. They are Parents Magazine and Children's Activities.
If a
competent and Christian editor could speak to the general public through
magazines of such reputable character, he would be preaching the gospel as
truly as any minister. He would be serving the Lord as truly as an elder on the
session or a teacher in the Sunday school. And if a wealthy layman would buy
such- a magazine and put it into hands that were both competent and Christian,
he ought to realize a return on his investment and have, as well, the
satisfaction of knowing that he has made possible a widespread proclamation of
the gospel to people whom ministers never meet.
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