Mennonites in the World War/XVI

by Jonas Smucker Hartzler

Military Training in the Schools

There are a number of problems which have grown out of the war confronting our Church. Oth ers existed earlier, but the great upheaval brought them more forcibly to the brotherhood and they are demanding a solution. Not the least of these is the question of military training in the schools. Some high schools, colleges, and universities have that in their courses of study, and to refuse to take the training means to be expelled from school. In many states the child is obliged to attend school until it is fourteen years of age, and some are in high school before that age. To obey their convictions and the teachings of the Church drives them away from the place which they were obliged to attend under a heavy penalty. This needs a solution.

Universal Military Training

There are a number of bills before Congress providing for universal military training. These bills differ somewhat in their wording, but roughly speak ing, they all finally aim at a two-year course of training somewhere between the ages of eighteen and twenty-six, and as stated in one of the bills, "All persons trained under this act shall automatically become members of the national reserve upon the completion of their training." In other words, if any one of these bills became a law, with out exception aside from physical and mental unfit- ness, every young man in the land must take at least six months of training (the least time required by any of the bills now pending), and once trained, he "automatically" becomes a soldier subject to Call at any time; his only escape being the passing of his forty-sixth birthday. A number of petitions have come to some of the congressmen opposing the pass ing of such a bill, one signed by more than twenty thousand members of the Mennonite Church asks for exemption for nonresistants in case such a law is passed.

The final result regarding such a law is not yet known. The young men of this country need to be saved from such a situation if that is possible, and if not possible then our young brethren need to know exactly what the position of the Church is on the question of military training, that as a body she is ready to suffer with them if that is necessary. Military training and nonresistance are diametrically opposed to each other. Only one of these can live and thrive in the minds of the young people. As to which it shall be depends on the training and prac tice of the present time in the home, in the school, and in the Church. Will the Church rise to her powers and responsibilities in Christ Jesus? Her interest in this question is shown in the quick re sponses to the petition, and in the earnest prayers for protection and divine overruling.

Indoctrination

The Church needs to be ably, carefully, prayerfully taught. Theories as well as subjects that are not Biblical, should be banished from the pulpit. The place is too sacred and the time too short to present anything which is not deeply rooted in God's Word. Truth needs to be thoroughly expounded so that the hearer may grasp it. The preacher should have no hobbies. The people want to hear all that is necessary to salvation. If the Church is properly taught there is not nearly so much danger of her getting away from the truth.

There is a great weakness in the work of in doctrination in many pulpits at this time. Even Mennonite ministers are not clear enough on the issues which are popular. Desperate efforts are be ing made at confederation, union, and the building up of a religion minus self-denial except as it is found in serving others, taking away sin without the blood of Christ, leaving the cross out of life, and leaving the unpopular out of Christianity. Let the ministry be thoroughly posted on what the Word of God teaches, let them listen quietly for the direc tions of the Spirit, and let them study plans of im pressing the truth in the most convincing ways. Let the teaching be done with all the tenderness of a father, and yet with the thunderings of Sinai, and, under God, results are sure to follow.

Trench Salvation

The trench salvation which was held up both in pulpit and camp has had a very damaging effect. Many ministers held that when one gave his life for his country he had a pretty sure passport to heaven. One minister in preaching to a large audience said, "The man who goes into this war and sheds his blood to save his country, to protect your home and mine, to preserve this United States as a land of the free, is as much a savior of men as Jesus Christ was. God and the angels would welcome such a man at the pearly gates of immortal glory." Is it surprising that some of the denominations which were most enthusiastic in encouraging men to go to war have lost most heavily in membership in the last few years? H. K. Carroll, compiler of the first official census of religions in the United States, claims that one of the leading Protestant denominations, in 1919, had a decrease of more than sixty-nine thousand ; another, more than thirty-five thousand ; and another, more than thirty-two thousand. To overcome this, partially a result of religious attitude of pulpit orations during the war, is a task. The Church needs to stand "four square" on the teachings of Eternal Truth. "Neither is there salvation in any other ; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Dying for country, for home, for wife and children, may be a seeming need, but it brings salvation to no man. The closer a church remained to the Gospel during the war, the more she is in a position now to win men back to the truth.

Consistent Separation

The Bible teaches a separation from the world. "Ye are not of the world." This position was taken by our brethren in camp, and as a rule was met with some consideration from the officers; but they ex pected words and actions to correspond with the profession. When a C. O. smoked, chewed tobacco, swore, used vulgar language, or did a number of other things not consistent with his profession, his chances to get into the regular service in the army increased very materially.

It has been suggested that should there be an other war, there be more attention given by officials to the attitude on separation from the world. Those whose appearance and actions showed actual separa tion would likely be excused from service while those who simply professed and did not show it would not be granted the rights that a C. O. had in this war. On the other hand, if the ministry does not teach a consistent separation from the world, two things are also very evident : first, that the young men are not likely to be separate; second, that it would be much harder for their brethren to get such freedom even if they were separate them selves.

But the ministry is not alone responsible for this teaching. The Sunday school teacher is as responsi ble as the minister, and possibly more so because he comes into such close touch with the pupil, and in his "follow-up work" does not have so many to look after. Possibly a still greater responsibility comes to the home. If the child is trained for the world from infancy, it will be very hard to train it for Je sus Christ when it is grown up. Then, too, separa tion is not only a Bible doctrine in theory. The Lord would never have incorporated it in His Book if He did not expect it to be practiced. Here is a responsibility for every member of the Church.

Abnormal Conditions

War itself is abnormal and tends to make every thing else so. Much more food will be needed than in times of peace because it must be expected that much will be destroyed by the enemy, some go to the bottom of the sea or otherwise be lost in transit or by improper storage. All due allowance must be made for waste in the process of preparation be cause of inexperienced cooks. The number of food producers and factory workers will be materially decreased because these producers have gone to war and will be consumers and not producers. Money will be inflated and large investments will be made in wild schemes to get rich quick. All these things tend to increase prices of food-stuffs and manufac tured articles. It costs more to live and the price of labor rises rapidly, which only tends to raise the prices of the necessities of life still more, and labor asks for another raise; and so it goes.

When the war closes there must be a period of re-adjustment and here is where the trial comes. Labor has had higher wages and shorter hours. There is a general demand for a reduction of prices on food-stuffs to pre-war levels. Self-interest says, "It cost me so much; I can not sell it at a sacrifice." Labor aids in the cry against high prices but says, "There must be no change in price of labor or in the length of hours." At once unrest and even riots are started. Strikes become the order of the day, and there is a general unrest. Creation of public sentiment, legislation, and what not are tried but without the desired results. Everything is tried except the right thing. Let humanity try the Gospel plan of looking toward the welfare of others as well as to its own and see how quickly these things change.

The problem of unrest is not so much a problem for the Church as a body as for the individuals composing that body. This spirit of unrest is destruc tive to the best interests of the home, the community, and the nation. It requires the spirit of Jesus Christ to help us to be patient, to show that we live above these things and for a better purpose. The darkness of the world is great, but the darker the night the more effective the light. Now, as very few times in the history of the nation, it is extremely necessary for every Christian to show a spirit of calmness, cheerfulness (with sobriety) and confi dence, all of which are clearly rooted in Jesus Christ such a spirit as only the Christian can show. "I can do all things through Christ which strengthen- eth me."

Evangelizing America

The year 1919 shows the smallest gains in church membership (all churches) since 1907 and possibly for many years before that. Think of it, only about four and one-fifth per cent, of the gains of 1917. The showing for the Mennonite Church is much better than that, some of the conferences having gains in 1919 equal to or greater than those of 1917, but that larger increase in membership means larger responsibilities in evangelizing America. By this we do not mean that every one must be gathered into the fold of Christ, but the bringing of the Gospel to America so that every one may know something about Christ, and be intelligently enough informed on the question of salvation that he could find Christ if he so desired. This is necessary for our own maintenance. If we will not work system atically and persistently to this end for any other reason, we should be awakened to the need from that standpoint; but above all we should remember that the Great Commission, in the words of Jesus Christ, commands it. We absolutely ought not to rest until all "from the least unto the greatest" shall have the opportunity to personally know our Savior, first, be cause He has commanded it and, second, that we be not swallowed up by the world.

Our Place in the Mission Field

If the Mennonite Church does not bring some thing essential to the world which other churches are leaving out, especially in the next two decades; if she will not reach out and fill some place with the Gospel which other churches will not fill; if she will not supply workers where other churches fail to sup ply, she will be missing the opportunities of a century. God has favored her as He has very few others in the last five years. We can show our apprecia tion in no better way than to carry the Gospel to His creation in other parts of the world. We have the young people to send and we have the money to send them. The fact that we hold our membership in that religious organization says to the world that we believe that she has the right doctrine, that salvation through Christ comes to those who accept that teaching, and that those who do not have Jesus Christ are lost. Believing all this, the Mennonite Church should re-double her efforts and work un ceasingly with the aim of establishing Christian work in every foreign mission field in the world, and establishing churches by the score west of the Mis sissippi River, where there are areas of a thousand square miles, and even cities of considerable size with no established Protestant Christian Church of any kind. Is it not selfish and un-Christlike to be willing to enjoy the benefits of a religion without making an earnest effort to have others to enjoy the same benefit? It is a real problem for us to educate our people to the need and so lay the matter upon their hearts that they will do much more for the spreading of the Gospel than has been done to this time.

The Money Side

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof." "The cattle on a thousand hills are mine." "Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine." "All the earth is mine." This shows very clearly that all our possessions whether moneys, bonds, or lands all are the Lord s. Man's position is simply that of a steward. He is responsible for the way he uses it. When he uses it for himself, or puts it into the bank, or invests it in land when the Lord needs it and man will not give it, it is as much a sin as if he has another man's possessions and will not re turn them. It is a problem how to get this before the people in a way that they will receive it and do their duty.

The Other Side

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." "All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." Christ gave all that He had, finally life itself, that the world might know. He gave all that He had received. Dearly beloved ! we are not doing that. He wants us to do it. Money is needed, but that is not all.

We need to give ourselves. That is the way Christ did.

We should freely give our sons and daughters. We should encourage the young people of the Church to willingly give themselves. Instead of this many of the churches refuse to ordain young men so long as they are not needed for the work at home. How very different this is from the mind of Christ. The Mennonites have a very large percentage of their young people gathered into the Church, and many of them are active but could and would do much more if they were urged more. Nothing has a more wholesome effect than to have a work for every member and every member doing that work. If the Church wants a deeper work of grace in the home congregation, if she wants less of selfishness in short, if she wants Christ fully established she must have a greater interest in the salvation of the lost world. If your son or daughter wants to go to other lands to carry the Gospel to the lost, are you ready to lend encouragement from the first?

"The Field is the World"

That is what the Savior said, and if it was "white to harvest" then, what is the condition now? Since then it has enlarged and is over-ripe. The War has made about as much difference in the world from a missionary point of view as it has politically. The Moslem's confidence is shaken. Mecca, his sacred city; the cave of Machpelah, the tomb of Abraham; the Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem all places which are greatly reverred are in the hands of their enemies. Has the Allah of the Moslem forsaken His people? Either that, or the "Christian infidel" has been favored of God for some other purpose. Can the Moslem continue in this way? The Hindus, regardless of caste, have elbowed their way through the war, side by side, on an equal basis. Such a thing could never have occurred in India. Can their old system stand such a shock? The Czar of Russia was the head of the Greek Church, and many were the missionaries and native preachers who were compelled to quit preaching, or leave the country, or be banished to Siberia. The Czar is gone, the Greek Catholics are more or less at sea. O, the wonderful, wonderful open doors for mission work! The bankrupt condition of Europe and the numerical losses of some of the larger denominations in the last year, while the Mennonite Church has been blessed with an increased member ship, doubles our responsibilities. May she be humble and sufficiently consecrated to continue in this great work.

"Church of God, awake, arise."

Let these words be sung with the pathos of a burdened suol, laden with responsibility, a burden which can never be satisfied with anything less than the salvation of the lost, the upbuilding of God's kingdom, and the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. iWith the unsettled conditions in the world, how very necessary this is! May our loving Father help us to see the importance of this problem.

Why Was She Kept?

Other denominations have sprung up, have lived a while and were then swallowed up by newer ones, or have themselves grown until they number their adherents by the hundred thousands. The Mennonite Church has lived for four centuries, but in spite of her age she is still one of the smaller bodies. Why has she thus existed? She ranks fairly high in the amount of wealth per capita, and has that wealth quite evenly distributed. She has for the last two or three decades been gathering her young people into the Church remarkably well, and many are prepar ing themselves for special service. This is sugges tive of two things : first, that through all these cen turies God has had a purpose in sustaining her, and it was He who made it possible that the young peo ple could be thus gathered in and the wealth so evenly distributed ; second, that if the Church neg lects, at this time of great need, to send her young men and women and her money to other lands in such numbers and amounts as the Lord wants and rightly expects for the spreading of sound doctrine the doctrine of atonement through the substitution- ary death of Christ upon the cross, salvation in Him and in Him only unless she wakes up and does the will of the Lord in this she need not be surprised if God withdraws His blessings and allows those who had been favored to grope their way in darkness as best they can. That would mean decline and death in a few short years. He has wonderfully blest for a purpose. Let that purpose have our foremost thought, our best efforts, and our ardent prayers.

It is not the purpose of this book to parade the Mennonite Church, nor the boys in camp, nor those who in their homes have passed through severe trials, except in so far as may be needed to show the practical side of nonresistance, and the way that the question was met under pressure. May it be a means of strengthening the Church in the doctrine of our Savior, of pointing out this doctrine more fully to the world, and of helping future generations to meet the issues that grow out of opposition to it in a better way than we have met them, and thereby be better able to convince others of the practicability of this much neglected subject NONRESISTANCE. The degree of success or failure of this book depends on how well it accomplishes this end.