New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-12
RELfGTOrS SPECULATION.

Strange as il may seem ~ first sight. tho West
is to-day the stronghold Of religious conservatism
During the last twenty-five years, religious >p''"
lailon has been exceedingly active III The last
lnlr"d il is not too much 10 SAY that the w"NlhS
Theology II all the Churches has been profoundly
modified, ~ that It Is in many respect" pra'tlc"IN
a new Theology In saying tins, "" by n" mr'ii>
imply that any Of tho fundamental doctrines or
hcirf, of Christianity nave been modified or
drnpprd 10y the s"-mllcd progressive thr"l"glAhs
of ia" East bui that they have given ii new III
tcrprrt At .un and new meaning 10 the old ldl'h
Even with this pruviSo. however II remains truc
thar a vast rhasm separates iii" christianity OF,
SAY forty years ago, from the christianity INV
/, preached IN any average orthod"A pulpit IN 'h'
Eastern States 10 day. In some ca~s with"it
their being aware Of IT, and In souc cases against
their frantic p,oi.,is, both the clergy and the
people on the Atlantic sr.bVarl haNc hr'n carrie"
.lon. on the stream al speculation that char
ac,rrilcs every department vi human Thought IA
the pr,>cut a-r.
I'm the West and for that matter in Tie Spnih
al>o dllrr'n; state Of Affairs rN>'N IN
,i.r pulpIi> Of ihn~' srrtiuu> there is hardly anS
alu>iou 10 the ir'w theories and sp'cuati"n> that
~ rIrnly interest the tlcolusIn> Of The Last And
on the part ni the people there is desire To learn
\tinrg about thrs' theories and sirrnlaiiom>
Ihrr cling closely to the oil conceptions OF re-
licl"is nciri that current twenty five or
thirty yraIs MOO, and look with Suspicion on even
the most innocent new ideas
The lcnsn'l iuI this apparent anomaly il not hard
10 find The people Of the West have been 50
busy in subduing nature and carving ont n great
material rmirr thar they have had neither the
time nor the inclination to work ont speculative
problems. Wien they left the Fast n generation
ago. they Carried with them the religious ideas
and beliefs of that day! These ideas and beliefs
they still retain, and they are ready to resent
their denial qu.t, as much because Of old assocl,
iions, a. hcrausc of any clear conviction Of their
truth In other words, tie West has been 81 busy
IN budding up material civilization that it has
lad no time TO think about formal Theology.
In the East, on the other hand. the pioneer
work of religion has been largely done \ l"s ire
elias, in the churches has gIown up Wealth has
vastly increased and education has been widely
dinuscd Naturally, under these circumstances.
tie attention of many Christians has been turned
10 the ductrinal structure OF religion Scholars
and investigators have lrcn encouraged t. study
anew many of the old problems OF this world and
the world to Nol all the thinking that has
been done has been either cdifyinG or valuable
Bnt on the other hand, much Of il has largely
added 10 the vitality Of the churches and on the
whole the renaissance Of theology in the East has
pit Christianity in IA much better position 10 do
| it> work in Vi, world II will not I've long before
the practical West discovers th. and having by
that time got ready To do some thinking on its
own account IL may hc trusted 10 go far beyond
the naturally cautious aud conservative East IN