The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-06-22

posed of young men in communion with
evangelical churches provided that in
places where Associations are formed
by a single denomination, members of
other denominations are not excluded
therefrom), and active membership and
the right to hold Office be conferred
only upon young men who are members
in good standing Of evangelical church
Here is the basis of active fellowship
in the Y. M. G. A., and there is not
syllable or hint Of any thought bearing
on the "Babble Of Liberalism" That
'babble" comes from another quarter,
seen in the scent issue of The UNIvER-
sALIsT. DIR. Straub says perhaps Uni
versalism as opposed to endless punish
ment exerts an influence that way" 4. e.
tends to discrimination against us.
But here is an express affirmation of
endless punishment in the Y. M. @. A.
recognitions, and that doctrine rejected,
would forever bar us from membership.
There is no perhaps about it. Our de-
nominational fathers from the begin
ming 80 babbled that the discrimination
against us would be inevitable by men
believing in endless punishment. Here
too il this Portland resolution is be-
lief in the vicarious or retributive death
OF Christ as another ground of discrim-
ination against us. and our great denom-
national leader. Hosea Ballou, swept the
denomination from that opinion and de-
clared the death of Christ to be sympa-
thetic instead Of retributiye. He knew
nothing about Jesus Christ becoming
sin for us in the sense implied by the
evangelical church. He rejected this
dogma in 1905 when he published his
work on 1.-THE Atonement." Hosea
Ballou started the babbling, very much
to his credit. which separated us from
the evangelical type. And yet in the
face Of this report made by Howard
Crosby at Portland and unanimously
adopted. DIR. Straub writes that it can
not be our views on the atonement that
induce the discrimination against us. 1t
is we'll known that the Universalist
Church rejects the so-called evangelical
doctrine Of the atonement and has re-
jected it for century and from the Of
fetal action of the National Convention
of the Y. M G. A. in 1869. the ortho-
dox or retributive death of Christ was
made the chief corner stone OF the Y.
M. G. A. structure.
Instead Of the "Babble of Liberalism"
being the cause Of any discrimination
against the Universalist Church venture
the assertion that that question has
never been discussed even in any Ma
tional Convention OF the Z. M. G. A. or
at any session of the international Evan
gelical Alliance. / asked the secretary
of our Columbus Y. M. G. A., who has
for years been active in that body here
and in Providence, r. l., and Gloucester,
Mass, if he had ever heard word said
in their Conventions, about the Liberal
ism of the Universalist Church, and he
replied: Never word"
This chapter of authentic history 1
submit for the benefit of the UNIVERSAL
lists readers. am willing to take my
share of responsibility for the attitudes
and utterances of the so-called Liberal"
party in the Universalist Church, but
when prejudice or ignorance or both
shall charge 80 widely away from the
manifest history the first and only justi-
fable course is that of protest. Let us
not babble, but speak the plain truth.
E. L. RExFoRD.
COLUMBUS, o., MAY 8.