The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-04
THE NEW PULPIT.
Mr.. Haweis on the Demand for View
style or Preaching


- shere demand for q new and rc-to-
date style % pr~achsnx- Ii 50. Is that de-
mana unsafisGede Rev. H. r. Hzweis.
the Eell-known English champion OF the
Broad Charch," prcclasms. through the
North American Review. the need OF
new pulpit. giving some serse and cpl
grammztic reasons therefor. number OF
which are here presented.
The Early Christian Pulpit OF Clement.
Peiycarp and Ignatius was kept alive
with the personal recoliecsions OF Jesus
Christ T. as PoIycarp used to say. who
have seen the Apostles
The Medieval Pulpit lived on church
eerenoniaIs and the lives Of the saints:
the Reformation Pulpit lived ON the Bible.
chiefly seen through the eyes OF Luther.
But what does the Modern Pulpf live on,
Doetrinaiiy. Gu the dried pippins OF the
past. It has nothing distinctive. Its
methods are q uaixure-.The mixture as
before
We'll. but asks sae anxious inquirer.
what can yon want more-if you are .
Chrtssisn--than the life OF Christ. the
organization OF worship the records of
sanity kves and the study OF the Bible
l. not thar enough for the puipitr-Ht,zch
sounds very Vel until you come to ask
one question-sHow does the modern pull
pit deal with ali this materiair AS Ham,
let says. the readiness is ailr
.It may be asked what / mean by the
New Pulpit.
"A pulpit Ia touch with the life OF the
period A pulpit mp 80 date: interested IN
what Is interesting: capable of refocusing
religion; quick 10 note when q phrase is
oatworn; resolved TO find why clever men
won't listen TO sermons; convinced that
every pursuit. occupation, discovery and
faculty of man should have a moral
thrust and prepared TO give 1t. A pulpit
OF this kind has little TO fear but some
thing to learn. from leading articles. The
Press can never be the Preachers master.
but 1t may and ehoule be his indicator:
let him keep his finger upon ats pulse il
he would play upon the hearts OF the
people.
Sermons will never be crowded gu. by
the press As long as people crowd in to
the preacher. The old pulpit not emily Will
be. IL has been superseded-it Is stricken
with dogmatio. ague. IL is paisled with
fear; IL would prosecute If 1t could. but
1t can't, for it has ceased to inspire con-
yietions worth prosecuting. The New
Pulpit has nothing~to tear except a GER
tain timidity and distrust which eyes all
novelty askance-as those who taste a new
food turn away, yet soon after may be
ready 10 fall on it rayenously.
Between the Old and the New Pulpit
stands the Transition Pulpit. just as be-
tween Moses and Christ stood the Talmud
and beween Mohammed and the New
World stand the elaborate commentaries
and traditions Of Isiamism. Were it not
for the Transition Pulpit no one would
ever listen TO sermons. No. one could sit
through Tillotson. Barrow, or even
Simeon, or a Wesley now. A Latimer, q
South or Sterns might get q partial
hearing-not because of the doctrine, or
the once much admired form. but on ac-
count of the wit.
Because many doctrines, evolved by
the church, and put forward as essential
to Christianity, are not TO be found In the
direct teaching of Christ, 1t does not follow
that they are not true, or that the dogma.
which once enshrined but now obscures
them, does not hold in suspension GER
tain amount of true teaching or doctrine
Ii ID the business OF the new pulpit
steadily to deliver theology from the ex-
ploded watchwords. which, like the
blessed word Mesopotamia,' lulu the list
ener TO sleep. in order that living doc
trine may come out of dead dogma. We
must'never forget that what Is now dead
dogma was once living doctrine--it Was
the aikeliest statement--what seemed most
true at the time. It is not clear state
ment that we renounce-but rivetfng the
form of statement suitable TO one age
upon all succeeding ages.
For instance, the Old Pulpit said. The
Bible is the word of God
"rhe New Pulpit says. The word of
Gcd Ia In the Bible
.sThe Old Pulpit said. The Bible Is an
snspired history
The New Pulpit says. The Bible is the
history of an inspired people
..The Old Pulpit said. The Bible Is In
falIibly inspired
.srhe New Pulpit says. The Bible Is In
spired, but not infallible.'
"The Old Pulpit said. Il believe In the
resurrection OF the body
THE New Pulpit adds, I believe In the
survival of the ego and the continuity CT
the Individual In some suitable, though at
present unknown, form, under some suit
auiP, 1tftsuSst 1T pESstdie uhAAS"uf WIZ"
ditions, and SO forth.
"A great deal of superannuated nom
sense is talked about preaching the Cos
pei There IS no age which does not
md fault with the past age; there Is no
sect which does not find fault with every
other sect, for not preaching the Cos
pei; and never yet knew an able minis
ter who could I'LL his church who was not
denounced by the ass across the way
whose church was empty. for not preach
ing the Gospel.
There is only one way OF preaching the
Gospel as Christ preached IL. and that is
to make teaching cling close 10. deal with
and control current life.
1.-THE relations between a clever swind-
Ter and his employer. a woman plying her
broom diligently, clamorous widow wor-
rying police magistrate. the children in
the street playing their vulgar little
games and singing their vulgar little
songs, the processes OF digestion, the
weather Chat inexhaustlble and invari-
ably Interesting top4cl, the occupations OF
Hodge. the secrets Of fishing, the art OF
making bread or bottiin3 wire-these
were the topics Of the Divine Preacher"
Mr.. Hawels here discusses the relations
OF the pulpit 10 the various affairs Of the
social the political. and the scientific
worai. arguing that each has a special and
necessary function ard that all are in
tin1ateiy correlated. that neither should
ever BE- singled out as . class. for, says
he. the moment you have church and