New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-14

t,onarv reaction against dogma Scarcely Is
a p,ss;np reference now made to the divine sover-
eighty: the divine DEGREES and predcstination
have been exercised election has been meta
morrboscd. In dealing with man, our starting
noint is less and less distinctly the fall inherited
deprayity guilt, anu moral inability; instead
we dwell on his filial relation TO God, either
by nature or in Christ, on the good that is to
no found even in the worst, on his weakness,
conflicts sorrows, msfortunes, and assert either
bis freedom or bamelessness for the lack there
of. On the question OF mans future destiny
we are in the main divided between UNIVERSAL
ism. the doctrine of life in Christ the Larger
Hope, and various phases OF non-commlttal
position-the sterner views OF generation ago
seem to have well-nigh disappeared"
Now. what these men say of English Congre-
catioualism is true in measure of the whole
of British Professionalism, including the Angli-
can Church. Mr.. Surgeons denuncia-
ton of the liberal drift in the Bap-
fist churches as the "down grade in
theology" will be recalled by all, and becomes
especially significant when it is remembered that
Mr.. Sturgeon is almost the only conspicuous
English Baptist who adheres to the old views
The liberalism of English Methodists has already
been referred to- Broad Churchism in the Eng
lish Establishment is rapidly growing in power
and influence, and the younger wing OF the High
Church party, represented by the authors OF
"Lux Mund" is busiy engaged in minimizing
dogmas that are unacceptable to the CONSCIOUS
ness of the age. When we turn to the great
Presbyterian branch of British Professionalism, we
find the revolution in thought and belief equally
startling. In all its divisions it has SO radically
changed its theology that, as DIR. Bradford re-
Gently said, such controversy as that over Pro
fessor Briggs would be laughed Oft the stage III
Great Britain.
Now. why is it that while British Protestant
ism is thus moving forward or backward, II you
will-at any rate, it is moving-Amerlcan Protest.
antism is virtually standing still intellectually
There are many answers to this question. For
one thing Europe is the centre and source OF all
original religious speculation, and so we get
fresh religious ideas in this country only after
thew have become commonplaces there. Then
again. as Dr. Munger well points out, England
has revised its theology because its social prop
lens have made such revision necessary.
American social problems have not yet reached
stage where the good offices OF religion seem
necessary. And so our preachers go on preach
ing the old theology, which is almost wholly
concerned with the personal salvation OF the in
dividual and his happiness in the world to come
The English preachers say much less about the
divinity of Christ than about His humanity, be-
cause in England, with its congested population
and its terrible contrasts between wealth and
poverty, they need Christ who is human. The
ology, however true speculatively, is utterly un-
able to solve the sociological problems which now
confront English Christianity.
But orthodox. American Professionals must
not suppose that this state of affairs will con-
tinue indefinitely. The liberal drift has already
gained good Roadway in this country, and be-
fore many years the revolutionary reaction
against dogma will be quite as marked among
MS as it is to-day in Great Britain