The herald., 1895-02-24
THE ABSOLUTE RELIGION
Rev. Richard II. Gushee's Strong
Sermon
THERE is BUT ONE CHRIST
On the Pastoral Letter OF the House
OF Bishops
HERE is BUT. ONE CHRIST
The One Faith-Not Religion Evolved and
Clothed in Christian TerminoIogy for the
Sake OF Estheticsm

There were three historical elements at
she time of the birth OF Christianity
providentially provided we may not doubt
for the understanding, dissemination and
transmission of Christianity.
First-The fixed racial characteristics of
the Jews which are a standing wonder
in the world today and the stereotyped
social customs of Palestine
This has enabled succeeding centuries
10 understand the manner of life con-
temporaneous with the Bible narration,
thus making clear to us many scenes and
passages which would in other lands or
other races be obscurcd by their an
tiquity.
second-The growth of the Roman En-
pire which afforded means OF communi-
cation throughout Europe, thus accelerat-
Ing the spread OF Christianity.
lhlrd-Perhaps most important, the
Greek language and culture The Greek
language is the most exact of languages
and at the same time capable OF express
:Eg the most delicate shades of thought.
on account of this eXactness the Ian
Huage has been held a rival OF mathematics
as mind trainer, and thus was emf
nenty fitted for its task OF expressing to
crystalizng the Christian faith.
Ihe Importance OF this element is
corollary to the fact that the theology of
a revealed religion must, as regards the
essentials of the Faith be as exact as the
science OF mathematics. Any depreciat-
ing OF theology as an exact science can
only be the forerunner of a belttling of
teachlng of Christianity as absolute truth.
We have a saying we do not care one
iota.
That iota, that little i, convulsed the
world of the fourth century.
AS present or absent in the Greek words
Homoousion and Homoiousion, it was
70 decide the fate of Christianity.
1t was not enough, at the time of the
council OF Nice, to say that Jesus Christ
was God. That sacred name had been
Soided of its original meaning. Then as
NOW the idea conveyed by the name of
Sod had been so IMPOVERISHED and de-
graded as to be applied to a creature.
For instance, i'll our day Charming be-
tieved in a divinity of Christ; at the same
time believing that he was being dis
tinct from God.
This implied one Of two things first,
what is impossible, second God; or sec
ond, that divinity of the same kind if
not of degree might be found in
st. John, Bernard or an Augustine,
showing how completely language may
be empted of its original meaning.
1t was necessary, therefore, to define
the ancient Faith in more exact terms.
1oo tilc COnleSO TdIlBcu AROUND UnlS lOta
Which should it be Homoousion; that
our Lord. was OF like substance, that is to
say con-substantial with the Father, the
Church's ancient Faith, or what the Arian
heretics taught Homoiousion that is to
say simply like the Father which need
not OF necessity differentiate Him from
any other man.
1t is objected that it is barbarous to
spoil the beauty of the gospel narrative
by metaphysical and theological language,
and so it is if your religion is esthetic-
ism, so it is if the object of the Bible is
merely to nourish sentiment and not to
satisfy mems longing for truth.
So it is if your Bible be merely an epic.
Truly it were absurd to reduce the Had
or the Odyssey to bald sylogism.
But what was the issue which centered
around Homoonsion of the Nicene SYM
bol? Though the sneer that the fight for
orthodoxy or heresy was over the little
true, but it meant this:
What is Jesus Christ? Where is He
now? Does he only speak to us in pages
written 1S centuries ago?
Is He no more than shadow of the past,
a memory, the most perfect of human
ideals?
Is He at this moment a really living
being?
Is He present personally living power
in this world?
Does He think for you, care for you, act
upon you?
Can He help you and save you from
your sins?
Can He deliver you in your death-agony
from the fear of death and bid you live
with him forever?
The difference between Homoousion
and the Homoousion, the contest over
this little Greek iota convulsed the world
for the simple reason that in that Law
O W nf ba
falshood of our Lords actual Divinity.
| have purposely emphasized the fact
that this celebrated battle for truth in
the fourth century was over a small
point seemingly, the smallest letter in
the Greek alphabet, the iota, and |
First to show the necessity of exact
terms in theology; second, to show
that the enemies of the Christian faith are
won't to attack points which seem to us
of very little importance but which turn
out to be the very key-stones of the faith.
And this is the case in our day.
AS | have told you before there has
been an attempt to state rationalism in
terms of Christianity.
Very carefully the movement began
handling what were very foolishly called
non essentials, but now beginning to ap-
pear in their true colors.
Still however, it masquerades under the
guise of a healthy, broad minded tolerant
Christianity, very deceptive to people who
have not read the productions of that
school.
The pastoral of the Right Reverend
Bishops of America has spoken with no
uncertain voice as to the doctrine
of the Divinity of Christ and the inspira-
tion OF the Holy Scriptures as always held |
by the Catholic Church
1t may not be Improbable to know what
the disease is that needs such medicine.
1t is notorious that there are men in the |
church who deny fundamental dogmas. :
i | do not mean to say that they are |
inany in numbers or of great intellectual
'prce. But, physically speaking, disease
Nerm is small. Even so in the church the |
tlcillus of unbelief is dangerous.
~ There are men in the church who denv |
:. doctrine held by even the respectable |
heather, the Immortality of the soul. |
Others deny the miracles of the Old Testa- |
ment.
Others deny the Virgin-birth of our Lord. !
Others deny the infallibilty of our Lord |
when He tells them of earthly things, as |
an eastern divine tersely puts it-They |
excuse our Lord $ ignorance on the ground |
that He never enjoyed the advantage of |
going to Oxford or Germany to acquire a |
scientific and conjectural theory for
searching out the truth about the Bible. |
He did not know the Scriptures and the |
higher critics do.
A few weeks ago there was some little
stir in the San Francisco papers because
the Bishop of California had refused to |
allow an English clergyman to preach in
a Congregational Church.
The ppptIennan in or,os+;op r,l;lo ,..ox