Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-11-14
THE CONGREGATIONAL COUNCIL.

The triennial convention of the Oongrega-
tional church, now in session at st. Louis,
pr omises to be one of the most important
ecclesiastical gatherings that has convened IN
this country for many years. The clergymen
attached to this denomination stand high as
gentlemen of liberal views, wide informa-
ton and general intelligence. They are not
bound hand and foot by a creed, and can
therefore express their views on all questions
of public import and theological interest
with freedom and independence that other
preachers can not employ. There is no less
piety in this denomination than in others "a fact
that goes to show that reverence is not in
consistent with freedom of thought and ex-
preston.
In the sitting council there are many men
of eminence in the theological world. 1t
seems that majority of them are of the
opinion that even the present liberal polity
of the church is too restraining upon liberty
of conscience and action. Prof. Mead, of
Oberlin college, perhaps expressed the SEN
timents of the more progressive element
in the church when he declared that either
the old statement of belief should be- modi-
fed and made to conform to the light of the
present age, or that en- entire new statement
should be formulated, or that all statements
should be abolished. He made strong de-
Tense of the right of the council to deal with
the question by itself or througha commit
tee, and closed with a powerful demand that
this council take time enough and manifest
determination enough to give the churches
such an expression of the general belief of
its orders as should be guide to the minis
tiers, the church and the Individual member
A really democratic church, such as tho
Congregational was intended to be, would
be far better without any formal creed or
statement save declaration of belief in the
generally accepted doctrines of Christianity,
broad enough to admit of liberation for Diff
ferences of opinion upon technical and non
essential points. No person honestly en-
deavoring to live Christian life should be
debarred from the church because he refuses
to accept the definitions of certain passages
of scripture given by some one
hundreds of years ago, especially if that de-
inition conflicts with his reason or is re-
pugnant to his ideal of the character and
attributes OF. the diety. To do so is to ex-
clude from membership some of the most
earnest of Christian and philanthropic
workers as well as some of the brightest in
tslligences with which society is adorned.
ALI sincere well-wishers of the cause of re-
ligion will be rejoicsd to notice the DISPOSE
ton to still farther hberalize the Congrega-
tional church. If it shall throw wide it's
doors to all who are, in the broadcast sense,
Christian men and women, without exscting
from them an acknowledgement of belief
of obsolete and repugnant dogmas, it will do
much to counte-act the tide of infidelity that
is now sweeping in the country, and bring
into the fold of the church thousands who
would prove ornaMents TO it, but who are
now kept away from the sanctuary by req.
son of the barriers raised against liberty of
conscience and freedom of theological dis
o,,eo;or