The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Page 40

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40 THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

A Colored Christian Confesses.

_ For some time Mr. A. of listened patiently
to the. high-sounding arguments of a fellow-porter
who had been away to college and had imbibed a
smattering knowledge of the theory of evolution.
At first he tried to reason with the young man by
pointing out some of the loopholes in this unscien-
tific theory — all to no avail. Finally, realizing the
futility of further discussion, he tackled the aspir-
ing evolutionist in the following manner : —

“See here, Mr. B., you are everlastingly trying
to ridicule my faith in Jesus Christ by setting it up
as an ‘old-fogy’ conception, which the modern mind
can no longer accept. Supposing you succeeded in
tearing down this faith in my Savior, what could
you offer me in its stead? Christ is a real power in
my life for good, He is my inspiration, and I trust
in Him for this life and the life to come. Can
you replace Him in my heart with anything that
is equally good or even better? If not, why are
you so intent on destroying the best thing I pos-
sess?” The college-man rejoined: “I would merely
help you to become free of the shackles of tradition
and superstition by which you are enslaved and have
you understand things in the light of modern re-
search.” “No,” our Christian friend, who is now
a member of our Lutheran Church, answered, “I’m
made free through Christ, my Savior. His truth
has made me free. I stand in the light, while you
are still in darkness, enslaved, fettered by your own
reason. Besides, I’m afraid it will do no good to
argue any longer. We have no common ground for
a discussion, since you do not accept the Bible.
Furthermore, if you believe in evolution, you are
not responsible to the same God I am. You are a
descendant of irresponsible apes, while I am a crea-
tion of God; He has given me life and still pre-
serves it, and I am responsible to Him for my every
action. I hope that some day you, too, will see the
truth and that the truth will make you free.”

Would to God all our Christians were as bold
to confess their faith publicly as this humble child
of God. The pastor is happy to report that he was

a Lutheran even before instruction for the simple
reason that he had been a sane Bible student
throughout his life. Both the pastor and his new
member enjoyed the private “get-togethers” and
derived a great deal of benefit from them. Tor the
_ layman it was a simple and clear revelation of
_ Bible truth as he had found it nowhere. For the
pastor it was a real course in practical theology.

On another occasion this same Mr. A. met a
friend of his youth who had now risen to a high
position in the Masonic Order. In the course of
their conversation this friend chided him for not
having joined the Masons when he advised him to.
To-day he would probably be as “high up” as his
friend. Mr. A. quietly put a few questions which
caused his friend to admit unwittingly that the re-
ligion of masonry is the religion of work-righteous-
ness. Then he drove home his lesson with the per-
tinent remark: “I see your Masonic teaching may
make a good citizen out of you, but it will never
make a Christian of you. It may help you in this
world, but it will never prepare you for the world
to come. Jesus Christ is a splendid example, a fine
ideal after which to strive, according to your point
of view, but He is not your Savior. E. R. P.

“She Goes Without Ice-Cream.”’

A little girl, Viola Mae Young, age eight, the
niece of the undersigned, declined to buy ice-cream
with her nickel at the league’s monthly social in
order to save it for Sunday-school the next day. On
the evening of the social the undersigned gave all
the small children a nickel to buy themselves some
cream. Little Viola, receiving hers, replied: “Thank
you, Aunt Rosa. I am going to save my nickel for
Sunday-school to-morrow.” “Well, you won’t get
anything to eat,” replied the other children. “I don’t
care,” answered little Viola. That evening little
Viola was sitting among some thirty or forty pupils
buying and eating cream, quietly looking on, when
the undersigned discovered her and thought about
the nickel. Calling little Viola to her, she inquired
whether she had had any cream. “No, ma’am,” an-
swered Viola, “I am saving my nickel for Sunday-
school.” Pleased with the answer, I cheerfully gave
little Viola another nickel and related the matter
to the pastor and his wife, and in order to encourage
little Viola, the kind wife gave her another heaping
saucerful of cream. On Sunday morning little Viola,
showing her mother her nickel, said, “I have my
nickel yet.” When she came to Sunday-school, she
had her nickel changed into pennies and gave the
other children a penny each for Sunday-school as
far as her nickel would go. Rosa J. Youna.

ee cence

THE only good of having things is the good we
do with them. : 3