Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-10-08
AMERICAN BOARD OF MISSIONS.
what Is to Come Before 1t Mt the Des
MOines Meeting


The nth annual meeting of the Ameri-
eau board OF Commissioners of Foreign
4"issions Is 10 convene farther west than
ever before, at Des Moines, Iowa
Inc general character OF these meetings
IS well known. The corporation is a self
perpetuating one Of a few hundred mem.
oers scattered throughout the land and
they entrust the entire management oftbe
yearly income of halfa million dollars toa
prudential committee which numbers lin
Guiding the five executive officers) l6 mem.
oers, all living IN or near Boston. This
committee has virtually absolute con
trol over the management and policy of
the board.
Inc last few months have witnessed an
adverse criticism of the present policy Of
Ihe prudential committee and a spirited
uefence from its individual members and
It's friends. 1t is very different matter
from the captious and rash complaints
made year ago ny ~ single individual
and quickly refuted by publication of
documents. To-day the senior secretary
differs from his two companions /; a min
"rity OF the committee, small in numbers,
WI. not lnconsiderabe III standing and
influence, are radically opposed to the
majority Religious periodicals have
taken up the matter secular papers de-
Vo'e space to it and controversial pamph.
.eIs are widely distributed by mail These
| lactS- Elve special interest to the Des
MONIES meeting, and warrant "A compre-
henslve statement of the whole question
ut Issue.
Ihe present controversy is but a success
SlEe stage OF a struggle which has been
gong GU ever since the reformation won
| lot lhe world freedom of religions
thought the struggle between old and
| new views or the same truth The peniu,
OF New England history is favorable TO
the waging OF this ;contest. The Congre
sauiohal denomination Is peculiarly adapt
ed Tor being its battle ground, because
each church chooses for itself its C eed
ana religious teacher and there is no cen
! tlal ana binding symbol for final appeal
one side af1irms that the true is not new
and the new is therefore not true the
other believes that while the old is true,
the new may be also.
The discussion over the creed reported
oy the st. Louis commission, the fight
over the appointment of Prof. Parks sue
cessor at Andover. and the persistent eff
| lorts TO drive out the present professors
as heretlcs, these are all phases of the
same contest which is now going on over
the policy Of the American Board
Sertaln FACTS in this policy are admit
| ted by all and have received considerable lie
notice of late. The Home Secretary, DR..
Alden, conducts all preliminary negotia-
IONS with those applying to he missiona-
rles, IN which he is assisted by a "Man-
ual, officially adopted by the board Re
Gently he has sent to applicants, in add
| ton to the Manual, a copy of a new creed
hrst made public by Joseph Cook and
adopted by church in Worcester-a
creed which excludes any sympathy with
theological novelties. In ascertaininy
theological fitness this creed has been
| taken AS a basis. One missionary who has
heen IN this country on vacation and is
now anxious to return has been refused
reappOlntment because of sympathy with
| AndOver views Other CONNECTED facts
are in dispute, but these are admitted by
| both parties
| There is, however, radical disagreement
as to what is the real issue. The ultra
conservatives, represented by such men as
Secretary Alden, Joseph Cook and DR..
| Throw, and by such papers as the Con-
gregationalist, take their stand upon ira
dltlona ism. They claim that the present
policy Is the time-honOred one, therefore
not TO be changed without specific in
structlonS. They claim further that the
greater liberty OF thought asked by the
progressive party is semi Universalism
| therefore TO be denied at all hazards. They
| charge AndOver with striving to obtain
the sanction OF the board for heresy, and
| with schemlng Ito propagate the same
with the funds OF the churches They
term criticism OF the present policy an ''un-
parallelled assault upon Secretary AL
| den, an attack upon the board" On the
| other hand, the progressive party, cham
| pioned 10y Professor Smyth and supported
| up the Andover RCOictO and Christian
tnton' stand by the phrase, "In non-es
are excluded from the foreign field for
| holding views which are permitted at
| dome that the attack" on the board
consists solely of sincere, earnest applica-
lions of candidates and the discussion OF
their treat ment by Secretary Alden They
urge that the use of the new creed is con
trary to the spirit and letter OF the Official
Manual of the board that it is keeping
back promising and devoted applicants
when sorely needed, aud that ii consist
entity followed out it will call home many
missionaries now in the field.
II should be observed that there are
really three parties in this controversy
The ultra-conservatives believe that the
Bible teaches rs clearly as the existence of
Tod That the present is the only period OF
probation The progreSsives believe the
Bible 10 allow the hope that every human
soul will nave some personal knowledge
OF Christ before he sees Him as his inal
Judge-a conception which is variouSly
held as an expectation, probability, or
possibility. Between these two widely
SCNclt'a CIdSStS lLtIc II a tHlTu. IL Is rep
Resented by such men as Dr. Buckingham
of Springfield, whose letter was recently
published in the JOurHdl. They do not
mud in the Bible any clear teaching as to
the way IN which Christ will judge those
" no never heard of Him in this life nor
do they fluid any basis there for the And |
over view, or see any special usefulness in
it. They do see, however, an.essential diff |
ference between this view and Univer- |
salism they have no fear OF the newer |
hopes, and believe that holding them |
should not debar man from foreign work |
any more than from home work. Here |
are 10 be found most of the missionaries |
and all the native pastors in Japan most |
II not all OF those III the India mission,
from which Rev. Mr.. Hume is now being |
kept back they include, if mistake not,
such men us the venerable president of |
the board and the honored chairman of
the prudential committee. The number
and attitude OF these members of the de-
nomination is an important If not decis-
i've factor in the final solution of this prob
lem. There is no doubt that the ultra