The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-06-30
AGGRESSIVE INFIDELITY USING ITS
ADVANTAGE
FROM THE JUNE ANDovEf REVIEW

The attacks made by Mr. Robert G..
Ingersoll on Christiansg, and the
replies made by Mr.. Maidstone and
others, should be instructive to Chris
tian believers as showing the exposed
places of current opinions concerning
the Gospel. Apart from the merits of
the argument, it is profitable to learn
what advantage infdelity really has in
a pitched battle. On a certain and
very large class of minds a strong
impression is made by the writings of
Mr.. Ingersoll. After thai part of the
effect is subtracted, which may be
traced to the brilliancy ard audacity of
the writer and to the felicity of his
illustrations, something must remain
to account for the conviction he carries
to multitudes of readers4 He does not,
it is true, address hinseE to educated
and discriminating minds. His inaccur-
acles and bad logic, toS; say nothing of
lrreverence, are evidenta at every turn.
His reasoning breaks dCVn under the
dispossionate criticisms pf Mr.. Glad
stone. His mistakes and contradictions
are easily exposed. Yet Mr.. Ingersoll
convinces ten persons while Mr.. Glad
stone convinces two43afad not one of
the ten is found In the audience of two.
Mr.. Ingersoll addresses the jury, Mr..
Gladstone addresses the bench, The
bench sees that the jnry is wrong, but
the jury does not see that the bench is
right. Meantime, what shall be done
about the Jury?
The chief ADVANTAGES of aggressive
infidelity is in doemas and theories
which have had v{aa aceeptance and
a good reputa for sbuYs{ s.ess, but which
do not adequately represent or do act
ually misrepresent Christianity itself
These have been set up for pure GOSPEL.
or for complete expressions of the
Christian religion. and against these
infidelity proceeds. 1t takes advantage
OF those narrow and even erroneous
theories of Christianity which some
branches of the church hold sacred.
and which other branches have not re-
pudiated. Mr.. Gladstone endeavors.
at the beginning of his reply, to raise
discussion to the level of the true and
simple Gospel. declaring. in tie hest
paragraph of his article. that Wa should
ssresolutely decline to be held bound TO
tenets, or to consequences of tenets
which represent not the great Christen.
dom of the past and present. but ONLY
some hole and corner of its vast organ
ization; and not the heavenly treasure.
bnt the rust of the canker to which
that treasure has been exposed through
the incidents of it's custody in earthen
vessels" Mr.. Ingersoll mistakes. or
rather as he probably knows what he
is doing substitutes Calvinism for
Christianity, and Mr.. Gladstone Oh
serves that he cannot undertake to
defend Calvin all along the line.
From time to time in its history the
church has been Obliged by its disad.
vantage in intellectual controversy to
lay aside the incumbering weights of
erroneous opinion. The necessity. bit
ter at the moment. has often aided the
rejuvenation of Christianity. It is
noticeable that recen, attacks on relig-
ion are directed, not to the incon-
sistencies of Christian life and the
defects of Christian civilization. but
almost exclusively to current beliefs.
which are opposed on the ground of
their unreasonableness or cruelty. The
distinction has at last become clear to
nearly all between evils, pers sonaI and
ecclesiastical. which persist in spite of
Christianity. and Christianity itself.
A similar distinction needs to be made
between dogmatic theories which are
untenable. and the essential truths of
the GOSPEL. There is little occasion.