St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-06-20
Mental Unrest OF Christians
Is Fast Acec mplishing
This End.
Rev. John w. Crooks Reads a
Notable Paper to the
Ministers.
The God of a Cruel People
Losing His Alleged Bad
Attributes.
Light Of Progressive Times
Clearing Away Mists Of
Old Days.

One of the strangest phenomena In
spiritual life today is the radical
changes that are taking place in the
franks of the clergy of various Protes-
tant denominations on those questions
hat have been considered Of vital i'm
portance. We hear vastly less OF the
matters of doctrinal differences that
were common forty years ago. when
the questions of baptism, communion
and church discipline were as tocslns OF
war to the differing brethren; but on
the future life there is constant discus
sion. 1t is as If these reverend gentle
men had begun to realize that the things
that are worthy the consideration of
thinkers were only those that relate
elthe. to the lettering Of the life OF man
in this world or those that are connect
ed with his ultimate destiny.
The peWs have been talking these
things over for years in quiet way.
until they have at last reached point
where it is imperative that the pulplts.
the captains of the army, should at least
state where they stand. In the light OF
these later days of the nineteenth CEN
tury the God portrayed in the theology
of its early day cannot be received.
He was the conception OF cruel peo-
pie, ~and the attitude of Christians TO-DAY
toward this personality is that OF de-
NAL. The ministers are oblige !. being
what thew are, the kindest-hearted
and most sympathetic Of men, to eX-
plain away some of the things that
have been taught in regard to the
Feelings of the Father
towards his erring children. We hear
It, n,,tx tIla
one of the deepest thinkers OF the East
was tried for heresy because he would
not say he believed that all the count
less millions who had died without hay
ing heard the story of the life OF Jesus.
and so had had no possible chance to re-
iect him, would be eternaily sentenced
to that endless bell that only the cruel
est mind could conceive.
And now in our own city at minis
ters' meeting another is found who is
brave enough to recognize the crisis and
meet it like a man. The usual weekly
minis terial meeting yesterday afternoon
was the scene OF this event. Rev John
W.Crooks, pastor of the Burr Street Bap-
fist church, read a paper to the as
sembled ministers in which he pre-
sented the arguments against the ortho-
dex view of hell, his purpose seemingly
being to provoke argument. Following
is the synopsis OF the paper:
1T is foolish for us to shut our eyes,
as it is mental suicide for us 70 fear to
face the present condition OF unrest IN
the great world of thought regarding
the doctrine OF eternal punishment.
There is not congregation in our city
which has not within its membership
those who are at unrest on this vital
subject. The reasons for this mental
unrest are not far removed from thought,
and may easily be discussed. believe
it TO be a reaction from an oyerstate-
ment, a needless repetition, an undue
prominence. The preaching of such
men.as Whitfield. Wesley and Jonathan
Edwards is largely responsible for this
condition. Fake, for instance, the ser
mon by Jonathan Edwards on Sinners
in the Hands of an Angry God, wherein
he pOrtrayS God TO be
). AGreat sIohster.
who is gloating over the lost in hell as
he tramps them under his feet, one
crushed bleeding mass OF humanity.
The blood is squirting in every direction
while their SnriekS ring through the air.
which is filled with flames and smoke.
I'VE have such statements on the
one hand. and the fear of an etfemi-
nate class of clergy on the other. who
are always afraid to do anything which
others do not do, or say anything which
their superiors do not say, who live III
a negative nutshell. In my mind such
men are as much responsible for this
condition as the first.
1.-The arguments presented In this
paper are not OF necessity my own, but
| are presented as food for discussion.
| The doctrine as stated in The New
I |, nf
as follows: we believe that the Script
ures teach that at the last day Christ
| will descend from heaven and raise the
| dead for final retribution; that solemn
| separation will then take place, that the
| wicked will then be adjudged to end
| less punishment, and that the judgment
| will fix forever the final state OF men In
| heaven or hell on principles OF right
! eousness' This statement is generally
accepted by Baptist Christians.
Theol o.y,s Hinge.
On your answer to the three follow
| ing questions will depend the whole OF
your theology:
81. Is the suffering to which Christ
sentences the wicked for the purpose of
correcting and educating the trans
| gressor?
I
satisfy the law he has broken?
.'3. Is it partially for both?
IF the Individual criminal is OF great
er consequence than the universal law,
then the sutferings must refer prInci
| pally to him and his interests. but if the
| law is of more Importance than any in
| diyIduai, then the sutferings must refer
principally to it, The whole discussion
must rally around the following seven
propositions:
THAT the impenitent dead are to be
annihilated, either Immediately upon
| their resurrection or at some subse-
4 ouent period after having endured
/ given amount Of suffering.
| THAT the impenitent dead enter i'm
mediately upon life of perfect and
! everlasting happiness.
| THAT they are all restored i'll the ages
! of eternity to state OF virtue and hap
i piness.
I "Their final state is uncertain, the
4 Scriptures plainly affirming future pun
i ishment, but leaving the duration of it
4 undetermined.
THAT they are to continue forever in
a state of probation, in which all may.
| and some will from time to time, accept
i the salvation offered in Christ.
! "That those who have not decisively
i rejected Christ IN this world will COD
4 tinue till decisive action is taken in
4 accepting or rejecting Christ.
"That their condition is to be one of
4 endless torment. <sssSSN 49,
1.-The only propositions which l will
dwell upon are the second and fifth.
The statement of the theory of annihil-
alton as given by its latest exponent,
DR.. F. o. Holman, of Minneapolis, is
that the nature of the retribution seems
to be the more or less graduated extlnc-
ton of personality by the inexorable
power of retrlbutive forces inherent in
sin itself; and viewed from oDe stand
point, this is the doctrine of conditional
Immortality. That is to say, immortal
ity, according to this view. does not in
here by nature in fallen man, but he
was brought into this world in order
| that he might win or achieve it through
the free gift of God in Jesus Christi"