Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?

In 1889, Archibald Brown wrote The Devil’s Mission of Amusement. One excerpt from that book is the article called Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats. What he said is true, wise, and very applicable to the church today:

An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross, so impudent, that the most short-sighted can hardly fail to notice it. It has worked like leaven so that now the whole lump ferments. During the past few years, it has developed at an abnormal rate, ever evil. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing that hinting to the church that part of their mission was to provide entertainment for the people with a view to winning them. From speaking out, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day; then she has tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching for the masses.

My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in Scripture as a function of the church. If it is Christian work, why did Christ not speak of it? Go into all the world and preach the gospel, that is clear enough. So would it have been if He said, And provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel. No such words are found!

Then, He gave some apostles, some prophets, some pastors and teachers – for the work of the ministry. Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the disciples persecuted because they amused the people? The Gospel of Amusement has no martyr roll! Providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and of Christ and His apostles. What did He say? You are the salt, – not sugar-candy.

How did the apostles carry on their work? Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the Gospel and employed no other weapon. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the word. They turned the world upside down.

Over and over young people have come to me in tears who have followed the methods of the Gospel of Amusement and fallen into evil. When young converts begin to damp off and forsake prayer meetings, I almost always find that worldly Christianity was responsible. Under the pretence of reaching the world it is carrying its sons and daughters back into the world. It will be no wonder if the Holy Spirit withdraws His presence.

Come out is the call for today! Renounce the policy of the age. Grasp the Book of God. Trust the Spirit who wrote it. Fight with this weapon only! Cease to amuse and seek to arouse. Give up trying to please folk who have only the thickness of their ribs between their souls and hell. Let the Church again confront the world; testify against it; meet it only behind the cross and like her Lord, she shall overcome and share the victory.