The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-07-05
THE REAL ENEMIES or THE
CHURCH.

1 run XXI al HAEA1E6 OP THE
CHURCH.
Nes York Sun: There IL an organI.
zAliOn Df inliIels called she New York
State Fre-thinkers' association, which
will hold is annual meeting Al Roches.
ter on the 29ih Of August. In aniicipa-
tsOn II that convention, the secretary OF
the infidel society has Issued the follow
log challenge 70 the Evangelical
Church Of the United 6tAtss:''
.The orthodox Church OF the United
t3eAsts az either b1aash Of iE, 10 cordially
and lreeutly invited TO appoint some
one Or their representative men rs q
n nIssionaFy 10 atteud the Rochester
| convention, and the association
will agree To give hIm two
hours. On their platform, without IN
Ierrupt;ou, sc any session Of lhe first
three days Of the convention. e. make
an address defending ar sustaining the
claims ct the CHRISTIAN religion, or
against 'i0adeIity.' or both. - he may
choose. The association win also agree
10 pay the actual expenses Of such rep
i rbseatatiVe 70 and from the convention
and while. IN attendance thereon, And
will treat him in all respects in the most
decorous manner"
OF cnurse no sensible man would ae
cept that offer, and gO % Rochester 10
deiel,d his religious faith Al thai Infidsl
mesiiag. The argums MS In favor Of
revealed religion have already been for
IRulAItd thousand times. and the
Rochester fretthinkers know very we'll
what they are II they are Al all capable
Of conducting q controversy like that
they invite. Not having been convinced
before, there Is no chance that their
minds,would be changed by what any
advocate OF faith could say IN two
hours speech. They only want the fun
Of wordy battle.
Such infiAels As those are worth very
little attention from the church. They
belong 10 the blatant class Of anbelIeV-
ers, and instead VI drawing Intelligent
men away from religious Eaith, they are
moro likely TO make their InIldelity obi
Gus. n tne csuTch- had no other skep-
tcSl Sn1ss1EnA % gal WITH is could |
Heb afdplil tefsef secure. Men who
call themselves EreeIhTnkers specifically
Ia hssd days. Ana Land themselves To- |
geIllsp aadeF thai name. are pretty sure
70 bS-PhiIosOphicAHquAc They are
not any sseer In THAR thinking than 9TH |
er people. but are only reader than wise |
md Learned men TO- express decided
opinions about profound subjects, sub
jssts yet nnfathomed by the human in
tellect, and which are perhaps unfath-
'ofhable by1t- $3.50
! Tic inddelHy the church needs to
fear, aud which is really dangerous TO
It, Is OF very different SOFT. IL Is not
blatant, bat qniet and reasonable II
does Orassail christianity, and delight
itself by picking flaWs in Christian
priests and believers, as the old skep-
tics did, but is PeEsistenIly Al work IN
dermining the foundations OF modern
theology with scientific dispassiOnate-
ness. And the worst of it Is, this de-
structiVe force is active In the church
ITSELF
The general assembly of the Presby-
terrain church, ct It's late meeting at
Saratoga, thUs attacked In = formal ode I
liverance" this most dangerous foe TO
revealed religion:
"rhe general assembly feels c0nsIrain-
ed To express itself clearly and decided
ly ON the ratiOnsltsltc treatment OF the |
HOly Scriptures by Protestant teachers
In Europe, whose works are Introduced
into our country and wh0ae evil iu-
huence Is felt in our church. Our con-
fession of faith (ehspter /, sec
ton p, after giving the
names of the books Of the old and New
Testaments, adds: 'AIl Of which are
gwen 10y inspiration Of God 70 be the
rule of faith and life.' The denial OF
tire -z0thehtieity oE trllshEnlRess OF the
Holy Scriptures is denial of their an
SEPARATION, and any teacher thai suggests
such denial should be not only carefully
avoided, but sludtously repealed. The
assembly would not discourage the full
use Of all light in critical study, nor does
il assume that any erroneous teaching
is welcomed or offered within the
bounds of the church, but It would
warn all pastors and teachers of the dan
ger To young and inexperienced minds
in the free use of cFude theories and
improved speculations on the part of
religious instructors, and would remind
them of the paramount importance of
sustaining in positive doctrine the au-
inspiration of the Holy Scriptures
against the upsanctifed learning by
which an unbelieVing world, through
nominally Christian channels. assaults
the church nf God.
"The Assembly would also remind
the Presbyterles Of their special re-
sponsibility as guardians OF The faith,
and that, In view of the appreheRsions
excited throughout the church by the
railroads.&c. handling of the word OF
God, it 10 incumbent upon thea TO see 10
10 that the appropriate constitutional &C
ton be taken, If at any time Il should
become manifest that any minister OF
our church was prOmuigating theories
of dangerous tendency or cOntra-confes-
sionAl doctElne concerning the Holy
Scriptures"
The Presbyterian church could hardly l
do less than that in self-defense. The
Biblical critIcism It snathematiEes tends
to the utter destruction Of Christian
theology, for Il Il directed against the
foundation upon which thai theology |
rests, The inspiration of the Bible. II
the Bible is not the word Of God. the |
unimpeachAble revelation Of the divine |
will, the ch urch has lest lis chart and |
its compass. Yet we End Christian
ministers and Christian scholars in these
days treating the Scriptures as If they
were no more than human writings |
handed down to Us from rsRaSte age.
The Rochester fresthinkers are OF
small importance, but these Biblical
critics inside the church are dangerous |
enemies.
Several OF the papers in this state
have commented rather severely upon |
the address Of Judge Brewer OF the su- |
preme court, delivered at the recent
commeaeeDent At Washburns college, |
Topeka, but nose TOO severely II, As il