Josiah Strong. The Gospel of the Kingdom. 1910.
"Doubtless more PERVERSIONS have arisen at this point than at any other in church history. The persistent effort of the Church to live on the past, instead of living in intelligent, vital reaction with the present, has made most of the dismal, even bloody, pages of her record. This record has been made in spite of the conspicuous face that Jesus was a man of his own time. His continuous and final offense was that he insisted on calling his own generation to turn away from the past, and take up the living, pressing questions of the day. "It was said by them of old time, but I say unto you." This formula was beyond forgiveness. In the end it proved to be his death warrant. Nearly every attack upon the Church today is focused on this point. . . Having eyes it sees not, having ears it hears not the present, with its imperative needs."
"The environment of every living thing is as surely in the present tense as life itself. The leaves that have just fallen are fallen forever. They have left behind them the vital buds. Even while the living tree was detaching its outworn leaves, it was sheathing and varnishing its new buds against the present cold. it holds them in touch with its inmost life, and even during the winter's apparent death is bringing them on to the fruition of spring. Throughout the year the living tree is in instant contact with its living environment. NOW AS SURELY AS HE IS THE LIVING GOD, AND WE LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING IN HIM, SO SURELY MUST THE CHURCH LIVE IN HIM IN INSTANT ONENESS OF LIFE.
"We may take the words uttered in lowest earthiness (ie. the fall of Jerusalem or the year 70AD) and exalt them to the highest, most heavenly meaning. (page 197)
