New-York tribune., 1895-06-16
rrTDFNCFS or CHRISTIANITY

Two ar three CORES pondcnts have denied with
much hnat , statement in The Tribune that th'
,.,.d,nc. for fh. dogma II Christs bodily rcsur-
r..,ion /. insufficient Bui If the evidence is
sufficient as they say II is how do they account
tor th. fact that 50 many intelligent people. pre-
disro,,.d bv temperament and training To accept
,,b,f urovcs Itself 10 he true. find The 'NW'h''
insufficient: Are they prepared To- tax" the posi-
,ion tho, while the question may b" inv"sil'
o,,.J only one conclusion. that which they have
ol,u.,d may lawfuy be rclchcdt surely they
.,unnt mean that: but If they do not, then th'y
,viu huxc 40 admit that "A Large number OF people
,ui,. ,s honest and intelligent as themselves.
and we may add. quite rs competent 10 wclEh
vid.nc. find the evidence for the bodily rcsur-
r.,tion If Jesus insufficient. To say that they
,ucht f., find il sufficient is wide Of the mark.
a.. mr.. not dealing with what ought To be- but
,yi,h what is Some one might say that men
,u,ht not To accept dogma as true on the mere
authority Of a book alleged to be divine. Ru'
a.. know they do and 50 long aS they do. IL Il Il
fact that must bc taken into account In any hon
est review Of crccds
~. do not desire. however. to discuss this
noint further but To refer briefly 10 the general
suhi...t Of Christian evidences The eighteenth
rsn
vision of theology palcys evidences and
Hutlcr's Analogy" represent the best frultage
# This eighteenth century apologize literature:
but every intelligent iheologian to-day KNOWS
,ho, those hooks have little influence on thought
| N the present time. The field OF inquiry mas
h.on shifted. The dcism Of Bollngbroke. Hume
and Hobbies and the inndcliiy OF Noltairc ana
pain. h,v, been thrown into the cruciblc Of mod
| crn thought and have come out III other forhs'
| uhu,. q, tho same time the traditional dogmas
| Of the Church have themselves been profoundly
| modincd II not In form. ut least In mems appr'~
henson Of them What MIR. Balfour happily
| calls the psychological atmosphere OF this age Is
| entirely different from that or the preceding
century. The new science OF Biblical study and
criticism. though yet in its infancy has itself
made the old literature Of Christian evidences
entirely obsolete. 1t has done more; II mas nade
II impossiblc for any new literature OF evidences
| 10 he written until the question Is settled whether
modern Biblical criticism shall be finally accept
cd or rejected by the Church There Is. as we
| know a yolumino,is current literature or dog
| matte evidences which Is built on the assumption
that tbc Bible Is a final authority. But until the
status of the Bible Is settled, II II ever Is, 1t Is
plain that such dogmatc evidences can d" ac
ceptcd only professionally.
The evidence for dogmas. however. Is one
| thing; that for christianity AS system Oh HE
and conduct Is another. The dogmas OF 'he
Church have ever been subject To modihca
ton and change What Bishop Potter said OF
one dogma in The Tribune last February Is true
Of them ALL when they shall be proved to rest OH
no basis OF fact they need no longer be believed
But while that is true. Christianity still remains
Its continued existence through all the vicssi
tudes Of time Is Its own sufficient evidence