Friday, September 3, 2010

Atlanta Journal - 1909 "NATH OBJECTS TO TAKING OF TEXT"

Headline: "Evangelist at Wesley Memorial Tabernacle Amazes Congregation With Utterances on Old Custom."

A gale of amazement swept the crowded congregation at Wesley Memorial Tabernacle Monday night when Nath Thompson the evangelist, now conducting a series of meetings there, ripped boldly into the venerable custom of ministers taking texts when they go to preach a sermon.

"I want to know who started this text-taking business anyhow," said the unique evangelist bringing his boulder-like fist down upon the table with a crash. Christ didn't do it, nor Paul, nor any of the old teachers!"

Several of the brethren present glanced about in alarm but the speaker was indifferent to this."Nifty Nath" as he has come to be popularly called, is a mountaineer in a spiritual as well as a geographical sense. He breathes like a blacksmith's bellows, thinks as rapidly as a fox can run, and preaches like a hurricane cutting its way through the woods.

"There is too much sound in present day religion," he said, "and many Christians are out of breath. I don't like the bark of a dog unless there's a possum up the tree and whenever I go rabbit hunting I want to be able to show some rabbit hair in my teeth."

Tuesday night Nath will talk on "Thoroughbreds and Scrubs in Religion." Larger and larger crowds are coming out to hear him and President Roosevelt himself could not wish for anything more strenuous than what he gives. His sermons in fact are nothing short of religious bear hunts.