The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-01-25
PULPIT AND PEW.
NEWS EXTRACTS OF INTEREST
10 CHURCH PEOPLE

=
10 CHURCH PEOPLE,
u.,,s,ou. Opinion In the United states
v,.w. of "a Member Of the Institute OF
rr.,cs--IitoratnTo Of the Bible-h"k'
u.n La, Brotherhood-Noies.
American Protestant will, rs a matter ]
of course. change his church because N'
prefers one preacher TO another; and
asked 10 what sect he belongs, he VIII MOI
saw he is a Baptist or Congrosauona"s''
lint will answer 81 20 to hear Mr.. so''ho-
sou The smaller Protestant commu"iohs
.s,ocially are inclined not TO regard the
scripture as sacred text which must D.
accepted in IFS entirety, but rather to ue"'
If ec,ecucally and. as rule 10 reject al
that ia somhre and menacing IN Us teach
,rgs in short 10 relax aud brighten dogma
In exclamation Of this tendency, 10 may Doc
conieetured that toe population Of the Oni-
,od tates are 50 accustomed 60 freedom in
Iii things. that they cannot accominodat
themselves TO the tyranny OF uehhlto u'c-
frine. The tendency may also DE I'd some
cxtrni n result of material prosperity. 10 q
country where every thing succeeds Mh'It
NJ the FEAST If life there Is room iof all ID
must be- difficult 90 conceive a heaven WIN
n narrow gateway and a salvation limited
- mo few. The American is Therefore
naturally an optimi-t. lie Is accustomed
hero below 10 "A comfortable income anu tae
,,rosuoci of a final surplus, ana, being M
tned with the idea that this happy expert
once will bc repeated ln the Moiiu 20 CON.
ne il constantly wandering lafther a""
farther away. from the state Oh mlnu th"l
characterize taiNini-m. ,..
'rhis general relaxation OF dogma Us no,
In nr.ctice attended with disastrous results
a. line community at large. bacanse inc
nractical beut of iho American mind, ana
Tho limitless resources of the country con-
sti,ute wba mi.ht be cal ed. ~ the IAN
guagc of the cOuntiug-hou,e' suIplu lhal
counfer.balanccs the dOctrinal Gehct. A.
an Illustration Of this remark IL may ut
observed that lastingly benenciu results
have been achieved by associations whose
fenets are not only crude and incohercnt
but dissolute. The class whose position II
directly affected by the prevalence OF theO-
logical iaXity are the clergy. OWING 10 the
absence Of definite religious dogma. the
church in the United States does not reign
bv divine right. II il only one OF the yari-
ous departments Of human ne; II is spcia
Of magistra non domino aut regina VltUi
the work expected Of preacher Is nOrta-
tory rather than didactic; and his success
DEFENDS on his own merit and industry.
The clergy therefore do not speak in the
downright tone of transcendental superOri-
~ that characteriIes the sacerdOtal
class in Europe. They readily adapt
themselves % the position which
Is assigned % them by popular opinion. A.
an instance of the hsNibllty displayed IN
this respect by preates Of even the severely
intOlerant Roman Catholic Church, 10 seems
worth while % cite the case Of Cardinal
Gibbons. who votes against the doctrine al
Papal infillibiuty, condemns the Inquest
tion. cCnsures tha massacre Of saint Bar
tholomew, is significantly reticent with re-
gard 70 contemporary miracle ana Pilgrim
ages. c9urteOusly refers 90 Pr0teslants as
..my dissenting BRETHREN calls the m M
bers Of the Anglican Church "our friends
the EpiscOpallans,' and oilers. mctaphOric-
ally speaking. 10 shake hands with an secis
that believe IA the divine mission OIL the
Lord Jesus Christ. The foregoing remarks
apply with peculiar force 10 religious eNo-
luton in the Far West. In ala parts of the
United States the population Is shifting.
but in the Far West IL is more than shit
ing. II is n0madic; and it cannot be pur-
sued i'm lis peTcgrnatiOns by sdcerdoial re-
ligiOns. encountered with the heavy bag
gage of complicated rights and numerous
~
an elaborate religion like Roman Catholic
ism behind them. Their religious develop
ment if il can be so called, Is almost eNclu-
sively ethical.
1t may not De out Of place 20 say few
words there with regard TO the religion
OF the future Up to the present
time religious evolution i'm the United states
has been affected 10y four distinct nhn-
ences. namely, the vigorous puut lnlsm of
the population of The Northeastern states,
the ''indiyidualism' the disposition % es-
cape from social DISQUALIFICATION marks
the people of the West. the absence Of e. ll-
ture-Of superior culture no least-ainong
other sections of the descendants of me early
coionists, and tie crushing propOnderancc
throughout the country OF practical, over
speculative, activity; but the strength of
these influences II steadily diminishing. Iuc
unity OF the purtanic Northeast Is being
DESTROYED from without, 10y the in
flux into that region of Irish and
French anadian Roman Catholic, and
from within. by the spread of
Unitarianism, IuiVersalism and 4 -nustic-
ism; the indiNidualsm, aud with be- the de
yersity OF religious beliefs. in the W c-t, are
gradually yielding TO the growing influence
OF civilization; the rapid multiplication OF
universities Is causing wider diffusion of
high culture; the complete occupation and
cultivation of the soil are tending to dlml-
nish practical activity. 10y depriNing ~ OF
one OF its principal objects, tine acquisition
of land; and. lastly, the accumulation OF
riches is creating wealthy class with lei
sure and taste for speculation. Whether
all these changes will eventually produce
some new, but definite. system of theology,
or will simply result in still Greater laNitl
in the Interpretation ol religious dogma, Is
question which seems 40 present tO Toe nl-
most nsoiube.-Mousleur BloWiW in Lon
don Quarterly Review.