The author of these sermons has had a feeling for a long time that the
great need in our churches in this day is systematic indoctrination.
He put his theory into practice last winter in his own church, and
these sermons are the result. We were having a great many accessions
to our church. In the two years of the church's history we had had
something like six hundred accessions to the church, and every month
considerable numbers of new members were being added. While many
of these came by letter from other churches, many of them were new
converts and had had practically no systematic instruction in the
fundamental truths of the Christian faith, so we announced a series
of sermons on The Fundamental Doctrines of the Christian Faith. There
was immediately a large increase in the attendance at the services
where these addresses were given, and this increase has kept up until
on the last Lord's Day we had much the largest attendance we have ever
had, excepting on Easter Sunday. Many have testified to the blessing
received from these sermons, and there has been a great demand that
the sermons be printed for general circulation. This request has come
from ministers of various denominations, Episcopalians, Presbyterians,
Methodists, Baptists, and others. It is hoped that this volume will
be useful to other pastors in suggesting lines of teaching in their
regular pastoral work, and also that it may be used widely by pastors
and others for circulation among Christians. We live in a day in which
many of our church members are all at sea as to what they believe on
the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. These sermons have
already helped many through their delivery. It is hoped they will reach
and help far more in the printed form.