The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-11-08
A Declining Church.
N. Y. Sun-Nov. 5

at the Conference of the Congregations
churches of Connecticut, held last week,
much discussion was excited by the pre-
sentation of statistics which showed that
the churches in the ten cities of the State
had gained during 1879 only one member
in ALL The total of new members exceed
ed the losses by death by only one.
Like other organizations OF people for
the propagation of ideas, a church which
is not advancing is falling back. 1t has
lost its iml etus. 1t is lukewarm in the
faith. and is held together rather by the
force of habit than by the strength of con-
victiops, It's body of theology is no longer
alive, and it's enthusiasm is gone, 1t may
keep UP show of mem bership, and exhi-
bit spurts of zeal, but it has no vital hold
on its followers,
The statistics Of the membership of
those Congregational churches in the ten
Connecticut cities may present the figures
to prove that at least there was no falling
off last year. The summing up OF the
church rolls may show q gain of one; but
out Of the whole plumber put down as
commandments, how large proportion are
regular attendants on the churches and
uuquestioning believers 10 the doctrines
they confessf
LII the skeptics. the Agnostics. the Uni
tariaus, and the Upiversalists in the Con
cregationai churches of the ten cities were
faithfully separated from this total, there
is no doubt that the evidences OF the
decline of Puritsnism in Connecticut
would be startling. We fnd that although
conservative lndisposition TO make an
eccessias,ical change keeps the old me IA
bers in the communion, the churches can
barely get enough new members to join
| them to supply the places Of those who
| drop away by death.
Moreover. this staguation in the Con
| gregational churches occurs at a time when
the cities in which they are situated are
growing 10 population. They are far less
active and Influential than they used to
| be, and churches about them OF a different
| faith and order are passing them in the race,
| They are not advancing with the popula
ton, and they are not advsuci0g IN ac;ua
mum bers That of course meeus, as We
| have sad, that tEey arc declining.
| Thai this stsgnation is not a tetu porary
condition, ard that it is not e0nfined to tie
elties, are shown by other statistics, The
| Congregational churches oil Connecticut,
taken together, have gained oaly Is PEI
cent. during the last twenty years, while
| the Episcopal Church has gained in com.
municsuts 60 per cent, aud much more
than that 10 the number of its regular at
PENDANTS.
Yet Connecticut is the seat Of the chic
| Congregational college aud ono OF The chic
| CONGREGATIONAL theoloeicai schools, and i
has long been regarded as the fountain
head of Characterization. When the
| faith OF the Puritans declines in Nassa
| cbuset.s aud in Connecticut, we must re.
gard the indication. as Omiuous. And thai
the state o. things described as existing II
the vicinity CT Yale College is paraIeIed il
| Massachusetts cannot be denisd Little
Congregational zeal can be found there, fol
clergy and laity both are lacking in The
stimulus which vital faith gives, They
may believe after fashion. but they do
not believe so strongly that they feel i'm
PEELED to propagate their ideas with en-
thusiasm.
Some Of the Congregational minister:
are Univorsalists. and some are no
yet prepared TO give up hell. Some be-
lieve in the Bible, and others are arguing
lit away with fnely drawn distinction.
between inspiration and revelation. Some
cry out for a creed, and others have nc
| faith that can be so cryst2llized. anC
protest against a creed as involving spirit
ual bondage. One party is in sympathy
| with what is called the evangelical faith
and the other party IS nearer UnItarlanlsu
1t is hard to see how they can keer
together much longer.
Of all the orthodox churches, the one
which has been most weakened theologi
cally by infidelity is the Church of the
Puritans. Moreover, It's evasive. collusive
and cowsrdly course toward Beecherisu
has fatally impaired its moral force also
1t the National Conference of the Con
gregationalists. TO be held at St. Louis
next week. the evidences of this weakness
and Of these divisions are likely to appea,
more strikingly.