Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-03-12
PASTOR DIXON OUT.
Reads a Letter Of Resignation In Lieu
Of the Sunday Sermon.
PRoCLAIMs A NEW CREED.
VIII Organize an Undcnominntion"i
Undertaking to Reach Non-Church-
gocrs-To Lay Aside His Denom'-
national baggage.
CNew York Herald.)

nounced theme, Spectacle We. Sensation
alism-Reply to An )ld-Fashioned Ger
gyman." the Rev. Thomas Dixon Jr.
electrified the large audience assembled
by reading a sensational letter addressed
10 the trustees OF the Twenty-thlrd-Stree'
Baptist church, resignlng his pastorat'
and announcing a new creed, which ioi
want of a better name may be termec
Union Evangellcalism." Many portions
Of the letter were loudly applauded' Inc
resignation is to take effect May lst.
The main features OF the new Chris
tianity to be introduced In the new hai'~
not church-to be founded by Mr.. Dixor
and his friends are adjustment OF DE
nominational lines, Of rituals ana paper
| creeds. Of ecclesiastical buildings anu th'
| full appreciation Of the "sacredness OF th'
| secular"
Mr. Dixon thus hopes 10 reach the grea'
masses who never go 10 church for real
Of hearing the old platltudes. and IL Is
In order to gain these lost ones that M
filings aside what he Is pleased 10 call III
"denomnatonal baggage
| At the conclusion Of the services MI
| Dixon was asked TO detail his plans MOI
at length, and in general way ne uiu
| so as follows:
He said that It was the intention Of
| himself and his friends to secure one OF
the largest halls in New York for the pur'
| nose of carving on the work so auspi
| ciouslv begun in Association han. ne
was prepared TO pass for a Univer5aiis'
| or a Presbyterian, II only he could liiuuS'
men 10 listen TO the Word OF Goa h'
| said he had eight young men In mihd Wn'
would become the first trustees OIL un'
new enterprise. Some OF these were men
beers Of the Authors and some Oh 'h'
Lambs Club.
NO OLD FOGIES WANTED.
Proceeding. Mr.. Dixon said that M
should from time TO time increase I'M
| number OF the trustees until there WeI'
| twenty Of them. He wanted these uuS
tees to be young men fun OF Vim an
push, who would be willing to teheVe MN
| ~ the care Of the temporal things anf
| not old fellows standing about win thtH
| bosOms puffed up with prie.
Mr.. Dixon went on TO say That ne must
certainly have an assistant, lnasmucn as
! pastoral work was not his forte, ana ne
| should scarcely otherwise be able TO MI
the post of preacher accephbly. Al 'he
same time he professek the kndliest ,t tse1-
! ings for his brethren ~ the Twenty-thifu-
| Street Baptist church.
Two Of these brethren. however. very
! strongly limited yesterday that The as
| ruption Of the Association Hall enterprise
was rather forced upon than sought by
| Mr. Dixon. They denied tnat his reign
| had been prosperous. and intimated thar
the congregation had been houndering IN
financial quicksands owing 10 his advance
ment in liberal IDEAS.
But Mr. Dixons change OF belief VIII be
more clearly seen in the following letter
Of resignation read yesterday before his
| congregation in Association Hall:
| To the Society Of the Twenty third-Street
| Baptist Church:
Or James 4. Bennett. Chairman Board
| Of Trustees beg leave herewith to pre-
sent to the society my resignation as
pastor. 10 take effect on May LIST, for the
/ following reasons:
/ First In the particular work TO which
I have devoted my life in New York
namely. the reaching Of the non-church-
| going masses-I am convinced that the
! machinery of a strict Baptist church Is n
! hindrance 10 the best work. While I re-
main in fundamental creed a Baptist. !
| belive the time has come to make Chris
tian union a reality in our great cities
| If the city is 10 be reached with the Cos
! pel I have accepted II as my working
| basis and propose TO place my work
| on union evangelical platform. with but
| one principle only recognized IN its mem
| bership-vitdl faith In Jesus Christ ]
| believe II is more important TO If, many
! men out Of the ditch than TO spend my
time making a few men Baptists
CHURCH BUILDINGS DERiDED.
| Second. Some of the older members Of
| the Church have for some time desired 10
| leave the hall to return TO their pews
1 IN the church building Your board has
| three times EXPRESSED this desire 10 me.
I r..,et \ lrp
ougbly convinced that an ecclesiastical
| building is the poorest instrument FOR
| reaching and saving men that IL now
! in use. NV heart Is with the great multi
| tude we have gathered and held through
the last five years. To leave this sea Of
eager uplifted faces shadowed by doubts
and hungry for truth to return to the
| quiet and narrowness Of your church
building would he to me the betrayal Of
a divine trust
Third. I wish to have a perfectly free
| pulpit. In which 10 push 10 their last
| logical conclusion those things which have
become TO me of supreme Importance.
Among them:
l. To insist upon the absolute non-es-
sentialitv 10 true religion Of all forms.
| ceremonies. rituals. places, paper creeds.
| and church Oflicialsm. emphasizing as
| ~ first importance the freedom Of the in
Church. Here | would build squarely on
all that Is really fundamental in the faith
Of my fathers.
, To r state in the language Of modern
life. grateful for oil the light Of science.
philosophy. and criticism the Gospel Of
| Jesus Christ in its beauty. Joy. simplicity.
| and power, presenting old faiths in new
lights in the effort 10 rebuild the crum-
bling faiths of the thousands who have
d serted the churches, sick OF the plati-
tudes Of dead traditions
| g. To proclaim the sacredness OF the
secular in that all channels through which
truth and beauty. life and love. enter the
soul OF man are divine. and therefore
that education, art, literature science, and
society political and economic. are holy
ground.
T. To proclaim this as the hour In which
the Gospel Of Jesus must have It's social
fulflment, II society be saved from an
| archy That the State Is even now the
outline of the Kingdom Of God, baing the
only organ through which the people can
act as one man in the pursuit OF right
eousness. That politics is religious mac
ton. That political action is sacrament
That political economy must be human
ICED until men know that production is
communion with God and distribution a
human fellowship. the brotherhood Of
|
| not fancies.
| HIS UNCONVENTIONAL BAGGAGE.
1 have preached these truths for five
years. wish now TO lay aside my de-
nOminatiOnal baggage, that / may preach
them with a whole heart. j have deter
mined, therefore, TO reorganize and es-
tablish our hail work upon a permanent
basis.
Even If the movement fail-and we are
assured Of at least 100 Members at thu
start--its failure would be nothing more
than the fate that has already befallen
the average traditional church in New
York out OF our 100000 OF inhabitants
there are not 5000 men who regularly at
tend Protestant churches. But to my
mind this decay of church oficialism iT
its hold upon the people Is but the break
! ing up Of the ice at the breath OF the new
life of the coming Kingdom OF God
! landmarks may disappear. but we VIII
see IN the spring ths bad and blossom
| OF the divine in the great Church outside
| the Church.
To those Of you who leave us j extend
| my regrets and kindest wishes. The re-
! cord of my pas'orate OF your church Tor
! five years speaks for itself. We have
! turned thousands from the hall VINO conld
not gain admission, made our influence
felt in the community for righteousness
| witnessed the confession of faith Of over
| 100 people. received AS new members,
| raised in our congregations $4,000. and
| without single rich member or friend
| to help paid all your expenses, and gave
$4,000 TO outside missions and benevo-
lence.