Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-10-12

.S9l.
monster took II place. Tie papa head
gone, there was nothing for the Prot
estant lo do but - ind - new pops
under some one of the denomluationsi
leaders. or, II these oId not snit hlfh,
~ start new church for himself. AZ
last Il occurred 10 some bright mind
that churches migh agree 20 dlgagres;
that there WAS no reason why church
IN one town might not 10 IN feliowship
with another church ia another town
and yet have a creed 10 suit them
selves aud be quite independent OF
each other. This Was the beginning OF
the great Independents or eongrega-
tionsl movement. By this each church
was left free 10 form for itself a creed
and 10 change that creed when II raw
fit without asking leave OF any one out
side of lie own congregation. The has
been a great factor IN the theological
process OF the world. IL hss been very
much more easy for such independent
congregations 10 get rld OF an Obsolete
doctrine or custom when each cougre-
CATION could make the change by ma
Jority vote at any time than IL 10 IA
churches that are thoroughly bound
together IN their organization. Ine
Presbyterian Church, Tor example. a-
the world has beca witnessing OF late
years, cannot change an article OF It's
ialth In any branch Oh the church with
ont tle wnole organization moves IN
the matter. That makes II aquestlon =
OF years and of wide agitation 70
change anything IN their creed or IN
theii method OF government. The
Congressional churches, however, can
change almost imperceptlbly. A hun
dred years ago the Congregational
church accepted the west minister con-
fession quite as generally As IT was IN
the Presbyterian church. Now, how
ever, hundreds Of their churches are
on basis that makes II quite con-
sistent 10 dlsbelleve the West Minister
Confession and some of their creeds
are very simple and broad. Many OF
them, indeed. in New England have
become Unitarian churches, i. e. no
creeds. without an organic change.
This Unitarian movement was con-
ditloned by another happy thought. Ii
| occurred to some one to question, why
is it that, if churches III neighporIng
| towns can differ IN their creed and yet
| be the same general church, why can
not people in the same town and IN the
same church differ in their creeds?
Why have a creed at alp
From the first the Unitarian church
has stood for freedom of opinion.
They have feared a creed but It took q
long time for them TO fully appreciate
what their new position meant. They
said: ave value what a man does
more than what he believes" but still
they took for granted that they should
believe some things: At first IL never
occurred to them that any one should
doubt the truth of the miracles. When
one of their brilliant preachers Parker
frankly avowed his disbelief IN every
thing supernatural, they were panied
and Mortified and could not quite feel
that he had right To be Unitarian.
The church is Growing Braver.
He was never formally dis-fellow-
SHIPPED, however, and gradually the
greater part of the church came to be
proud of him. A few years later the
body was startled to find some of their
| members questioned the unique and
superior position OF Christianity and its
leader. and for a while IL seemed as If
| they could not surely he recognized as
Umtarians, but they were in sifc end.
And 60 it has gone. In theory tue
church has wanted freedom of thought
| and has been gradually been growing
braver in cordially allowing it, but IL
| has only been within a few years that
we have squarly faced the meaning of
our no-creed position. And now we
know what we mean when we say 1--WE
have no creed" We see tnat we must
allow perfect liberty to the intellect
| and conscience. However erratlc the
| faith of some one of us may become.
| however conservative or old fashioned
| the view, and, on the other hand, no
matter how serious the doubts or de-
| mails that come TO others among US,
that we must he patient and tolerant.
| Do we wish TO continue the theological
/ wartares that have dlsgraced the cent
uries? Shall we continue TO split hairs
until every individual has separate
church organization Of mis- owny or
shall we cease TO try the impossible
task of making every body's theories
run in the same grove? But viii We
then have everything upon which
10 base our union? Yes, i think
we will have left all that ha.
been OF any worth throughout the
centuries. The churches OF Chrlsten.
dom have always been founded on the
least important things. They have
| united. not about the principle of love
that Jesus taught but about some
creedal theory as TO his special mission
in the world. The have tuilt, no; up
on the hercism and noble earnestnes'
OF Paul, but upon his theory of election
or of substitution, or his figures oi
speech regarding Jesus. To one who II
looking for the things of greatest worth
in the world. they will be quite as api
To find them qualities of love and
Justice in the heart of q pope as IN
| Luther. And looking at this distance
what we care for is their honesty, falth
fulness and devotion rather than th'
theory of justification by faith or ol
papsl supremacy. When, IN the history
o. religious warfare and persecution
we find a martyr burning at the stake,
we do not wait to admire until We md
ont what the creed was he was burnin,
for: the moral heroIsm was the SAM
whether he was disciple OF Seryetu
or Calvin, and when We remember tina
these theories which seem so trlvisi u
us were of crucial importance to ths
people Of their day, does II not make ul
feel as If we could never make ar
opinion about which men can differ.
barrier in the way Of religious unit,
and fellowship Can we not bravel
say, ave will dare 10 leave men free u
doubt or deny even the things that ar