CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS
Modern schemes of raising money for God's cause as picnics, church fairs, lotteries, socials, bazaars, tea meetings, election cakes, etc., are sinful for the following reasons:
1. These methods are contrary to tho precepts and examples of the Bible. The simple method of freewill offerings alone is approved. See Ex. 35:5-29; 2 Cor. 8 and 9 chaps.; Luke 6:35; Matt. 10:8. Suppose Moses had got up a great bazaar to draw the surrounding heathen into his camp to get means to build a tabernacle? How would it harmonize with the character of the early Christians, to read in one of Paul's epistles a suggestion that the saints at Corinth should get up some festivals to raise money for the poor saints at Jerusalem; or an exhortation to Lydia to stir up the godly women at Philippi to get up a grand concert, like our modern devices? The idea is erroneous and impious, that for every dollar contributed to the Church of Christ, there must be received a consideration in music, or in tea, oysters, or fancy articles, as a return for money given. God demands freewill offerings, not expenditures that come from selfish motives, as a sort of investment looking to the largest return of carnal pleasure and profit as an inducement to engage in them. Must we be bribed to duty with a stick of candy, or a piece of cake? The money given in such ways is equivalent to saying: "Dear Lord, I'll take half of this money to have a good time with it, and you can have the other half." How can anyone call this benevolence? If, in the spirit of willing and cheerful obedience, men can not be persuaded to give to the Lord, "hoping for nothing again," we have the best reason to believe that He does not want them to give at all. Said a Presbyterian elder: "And now, brethren, let us get up a supper, and eat ourselves rich. Buy your food, then give it to the church. Then go buy it back again. Then eat it up, and your church debt is paid."
2. To seek the assistance of the world instead of obeying God and trusting Him for help is a flagrant sin. What would be thought of a wife whose faithful husband had promised to supply all her wants, if she should distrust and dishonor him, by going to his enemies for money; or, to obtain it, should open his house for the entertainment of sensual pleasure seekers? Yet such is the course pursued in these church entertainments. "Ye adulterers, and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God." "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help." The world loves its own. Of course the churches that depend on the world for support, are obliged to please the world and conform to it. H. L. Hastings says: "If churches cannot live without dishonoring the Lord, then let them die decently and speedily; and when such cumberers of the ground are cut down, there may be room for other trees that will bear good fruit. If ministers of the Gospel cannot be supported without resorting to such means to obtain a livelihood, let them go into their worldly business, with their backslidden churches, and leave their room for men whom God has really sent to preach His Word. The commissioned messengers of Almighty God, sent to warn a slumbering world of approaching judgment, will not be dependent upon such sources for their support. This whole system of supporting religious worship by the sale of gimcracks and the giving of entertainments is a fraud: A religion that cannot be sustained without such devices is not worth sustaining; and the ministry which is dependent for its support on this sort of 'backsheesh' -- begged from the votaries of the world, the flesh and the Devil -- is a disgrace to the Gospel which it professes to proclaim." "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, and see if I will not open the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it."
3. These methods of church amusement, and moneymaking, greatly blight the spiritual life, the influence and soul-saving power of the Church. Long observation confirms this view. These fun-loving church members are merely a dead weight of baptized wordlings. Professing godliness and practicing worldliness, they are making more infidels than all our enemies outside the Church. Many wonder why they do not have such powerful revivals as they had in by-gone days. The real cause is to be found in the extreme worldliness, darkness and death that generally prevail among the ministers and members of modern churches. Their own sins are blocking up the way of souls, and causing the awful desolations in Zion. The craze for money, to gratify pride and ambition, absorbs so much of the time and labor of these proud, Laodicean churches that the salvation of souls is made a secondary consideration. Money first, salary first -- then a revival effort. If these so-called revival meetings should come in the way of another entertainment, they are easily postponed, for money must be had, whether souls are saved or not. This is not a fancied representation of the condition of things around us in Christendom; but truly stubborn facts, as constantly occurring events show. A brother writing to us concerning a protracted meeting held in his church says: "As yet only one soul has been converted. Yet it is not much wonder. During three weeks the meetings were closed three times for Christmas trees and the like." "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame."
4. To say that the Church of Christ cannot be sustained without these contrivances to beguile the world into its support, is to confess that Christianity is a failure. The practical effect of such a lamentable confession is to lower the religion of the Bible in the estimation of the very persons whom it seeks to bless. Said an infidel: "I think your God must be in great need of money, if I may judge by the tricks which the churches practice to get it for Him." Thus is the spread of the Gospel hindered by this confessed weakness. A locomotive with the steam up," says one, "not only goes without help, but it draws the train." Such is Christianity. Where there is real piety there is no need to call in flirts and fops to play and snicker over dolls and tomfooleries.
5. All these unseemly entertainments necessarily give sanction to an irreverent spirit in the places of worship, and educate society practically to disregard the sanctity of Jehovah's house. The sacredness of the sanctuary is soon forgotten in the roars of giddy laughter, stamping of feet, and rehearsal of silly anecdotes.
6. No indulgence is right which unfits us for holy communion with God. Just think of the gossiping, joking and fun in such meetings, and then attempting to pray! Often these giggling, fun-making entertainments lead to quarrels, disputes and divisions, and the Devil thus steals away all real inclination for prayer. "Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play."
7. These entertainments lead to a forgetfulness of God and beget in the minds of the young a taste for amusements elsewhere. The pieces and parts acted out on the platform engender a love for theatricals; and from the church performance they go to the theater. Facts prove this. A young man who had been employed in a theater said that he had received in Sunday-school concerts his first training and taste for the stage. A minister says: "The Romish Church of the middle ages abolished the 'mysteries and moralities,' because they found no good, but evil resulting from dramatizing any part of the sacred Scriptures. Those who favor such exhibitions of the sacred scenes and characters upon the stage will soon see their views consummated in the 'Passion Play.' What possible good can result from these juvenile exhibitions of elocution and song, finery and vanity, flowers and gilt pasteboard? They do indeed 'draw' immensely, but not to the truth or to Christ. Sunday night 'choral services,' and Sabbath-school concerts, advertised as entertainments, are really feeders of the opera and the theater, and not counter attractions. Probably a strict enforcement of the law would close both." "Evil communications corrupt good manners."
8. We are not permitted for pleasure's sake to enter into worldly fellowship. In all seriousness and sincerity we ask: What are festivals and tea-meetings, as usually held by modern churches, but parties of pleasure? What are the attractions on such occasions but worldly allurements, and the entertainment but worldly pleasure? How can those who so frequently enjoy pleasure parties in a church think it a sin to attend them outside of a church, even though it be in a circus or theater? "For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
9. These church bazaars, lotteries, etc, lead to extortion, extravagance and gambling. Often prices are asked for articles at bazaars, that bear no kind of honest relation to current and legitimate values -- thus teaching and practicing extortion. Sometimes young men are led into the sin of extravagance by the persuasion of some pretty young lady, and the first lesson leads to more. "What is gambling?" asks T. K. Lombard, "but a resort to a game of chance to make money?" Are not lotteries, grab-bags, guess-cakes, gold ring cakes, etc., all games of chance in the fullest sense of the word? Have not others as good a right to make money through games of chance as the Church has? May not church members, and others, as properly attend games of chance in other places as in a church? Is gambling any less so, when carried on in a church? by church members, and for church purposes? Will not such works constantly carried on by the Church tend to produce a dissolute life in society? "A minister," says Sabbath Reading, "went to visit a young man in prison convicted of forgery. He began by giving the mother's tender message, and then relating the interest all the church felt in his welfare. At last the prisoner impatiently replied: 'Do you not know that yourself caused me all this trouble? I began the business in your Sabbath-school. Don't you remember the Sunday-school fair, when they first set up raffling, and hid a gold ring in a loaf of cake? For 25 cents I got a whole box of little books. I was pleased with my luck, and went in afterwards for chances. Sometimes I gained and sometimes I lost. Money I would have for lotteries. Half crazy with excitement, I used the names of other men -- thus committing forgery. Here I am; don't let the Church come blubbering around me. They may thank themselves. Their raffling was what did it! It ruined me." "It is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves."
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