MY IDEAL CHURCH IS CHARACTERIZED SOLELY BY THE VERY SIMPLESTINTERPRETATION OF THE OLD, OLD STORY, AND EACH MEMBER DESERVES THENAME OF THE "FRIEND OF ALL THE WORLD"
WHAT HAS THE CHURCH MEANT TO ME? IT HAS MEANT THE AGENCY THROUGHWHICH I RECEIVED SUCH SPIRITUAL SIGHT AS I HAVE. IT HAS MEANT THEBODY THROUGH WHICH HAS COME TO ME STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS MANY TIMES,COMFORT IN TRIAL, HELP IN TIME OF NEED
WHAT THE CHURCH MEANS TO ME
WHAT THE CHURCH MEANS TO ME
A FRANK CONFESSION AND A FRIENDLY ESTIMATE BY AN INSIDER
BY
WILFRED T. GRENFELL, M.D. (Oxon.)
Superintendent Labrador Medical Mission
THE PILGRIM PRESS
BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO
Copyright, 1911
By Wilfred T. Grenfell
THE PLIMPTON PRESS
[W · D · O]
NORWOOD · MASS · U·S·A
WHAT THE CHURCH MEANS TO ME
The Church to me means all who, consciously or unconsciously, areforwarding God's kingdom on earth. In the broad definition of the Masterit means "all those who are not against us." The way in which menassociate for worship, or in which they consider it most remunerative toinvest their efforts to forward the kingdom, gives them no right toarrogate to themselves the title of God's Church. Any body of mensaying, "We are the Church," seems to me ridiculous.
If they try to exclude at the same time those who approach their Maker,or who are endeavoring to do faithfully the things Christ would approve,only in some other way, then they become offensive also. I am firmlyconvinced the world is coming to this view, and I[Pg 8] am glad it is alreadybeginning to express it. Through "the Church" the salvation of the worldmust come. I have no use whatever for the critic whose heart is set onher destruction or who muckrakes it for a revenue. By this I mean theChurch Invisible, known only to God's Holy Spirit.
Standards which Christ would Condemn
The "offense" of the visible churches that tells most against them todayin the minds of educated men is not worldliness or unfaithfulness; it istheir inability to shake off their untenable position as judges ofothers. The "Church" in Jesus' day judged him unfit to live. UponLuther, Wesley, and many of the best servants of the human race thechurches to which they belonged passed similar sentences. Even thesuggestion of the "holding-up-of-skirts," of this"I-am-holier-than-thou" attitude, because I think differently, isrepellent and has not yet met the fate that certainly awaits it, beforethere can be[Pg 9] a reign of universal peace. Science has taught us thatdoubt, quite as much as faith, leads to the apprehension of truth. Thereare countless men, skilled in the exact s