The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1930, Page 120

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120

he settles down among the people as one of them,
often marrying two or three native wives. If the
missionary is an African, as he often is, he under-
stands the language and customs of the people.
Then, again, the social ideals of Islam are a strong
weapon. Polygamy is always a great difficulty in
the path of Christianity; but the Moslem is him-

Mohammedan Women of North Africa.

self polygamous, so that the pagan may turn to
Mohammedanism and remain as he was in this
respect. So also do the animistic beliefs of Islam,
its faith in jinns (spirits) and magic, make very
easy its approach to animistic pagans. They have
only to add the doctrines of Islam to what they al-
ready hold. The result is often an amalgam instead
of a change.”

Islam may shear off some of the most flagrant
excrescences of paganism, such as human sacrifices,

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

cannibalism, drunkenness, gambling, and others, but
besides encouraging slavery and the degradation of
womanhood, it leaves its converts in the same con-
dition of alienation from God as it found them.
That is undoubtedly the reason‘ why Mohamme-
danism appeals more to savage instinct than does
Christianity. The former is a religion suited to the
flesh; the latter requires the cruci-
fixion of the flesh with its affections
and lusts. Islam can produce in the
human heart only spiritual pride, but
Chrisianity brings to the heart that
peace which the world cannot give; for
whereas the former teaches man to
establish his own righteousness before
God by fasting, praying, and giving
alms, the latter offers to him the perfect
righteousness of Christ, the Savior,
who by His great sacrifice on the cross
appeased the wrath of God and opened
to man the gates of heaven. Thus the
world goes on in its darkness and
refuses the light. Nevertheless the
Christians must continue as a city on
a hill and must proclaim God’s truth
to an apostate world, so that at least
a remnant may be saved.
Australian Lutheran.

Lutheran ‘‘Potentialities.’’

“The Commission on Evangeliza-
tion of the United Lutheran Church in
America in a recent issue of the Lu-
theran discusses in its regular column
the denominational gains between 1916
and 1926 as based on the figures of the
United States Religious Census and the
proportion of Lutherans among the for-
eign-born as estimated by Professor
Lundquist. The discussion which fol-
lows is a distinct contribution to the thought of
the day on Lutheran increases.

“According to the 1928 Statistical Abstract of
the United States Census we American Lutherans
might pride ourselves on conducting efficient church
organizations as far as evangelizing souls is con-
cerned, for our Lutheran increases led all other
denominations, writes H. E. K. in the Lutheran
Standard. Towever, Prof. G. A. Lundguist, Ph. D.,
writing on ‘Potential Lutherans in the United