The record-union., 1896-12-13
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From Various Religious
Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day as
Expressed in the Sectarian
Press.

| Press
| "The church, In reality, never makes
herself responsible for the truth OF the
science Of any period says the Living
Church" (P. Ed Of Chicago. She Will,
| in her own defense do what she can
with it, and will try by means of it,
as molding the thought of the men
with whom she has to deal in any gen
Grafton, to make acceptable to men the
message with which she is intrusted.
But she does not take up that science
| and make it a part of her message
| Wherever well-intentioned defenders OF
religion have done this. they have come
to grief in the end. Defense of theol-
ogy is one thing, theology itself is an
other. The manner of the defense may,
and, indeed, must, change from time to
| time. but the thing to be defended re-
mains the same. Theological science
properly understood is that embodi-
ment of divine knowledge called dog
matte theology This is the orderly
and systematic presentation of the
knowledge of God and His relation TO
men which has come to us from super
natural sources. 1t is not in form apo
logetic, but positive. The fluctuations
of human thought and of scientific
systems cannot touch this divine de-
postum. Doubtless it is necessary
that apologetics should be framed and
| that the church should make use Of
secular knowledge to commend divine
| truth and reasSure doubtful souls, but
/ the strength of religion consists. and
4 fp
deliver divine message, to assert un
changeable truths capable of molding
and Transforming the human soul after
the image of divine perfection. To the
majority of men the simple and stead
| fast proclamation of these truths is
the strongest of all apologetics. For
after all is said and done the weary
soul seeks some sphere in which it can
| find rest from ceaseess f1uX and change
and take it's stand upon divine reali-
ties"
| "Creeds have always been under fire.
says the New York observer" (Pres.),
''and probably always will be, until all
believers know as they are known And,
| indeed, with regard to the question of
the degree to which credal construction
can or should be carried, opinions may
| naturally be expected to differ There
| is no one church SO ecumenical as to
| be able to say with absolute authority to
all Christendom: Your creed both as re-
| CARDS extent and content must be pre-
cisely so much and this much.' In the
exercise of a broad and yet just charity,
something must be conceded, unless the
Reformation itself is to be reformed to
| individual differences of Interpretation
| of the minor matters of revelation. But
| a limit must be set somewhere to the
extension of this notion of minor mat
| ters to the doctrines of the Bible. Not
all teachings by any means can be. put
upon kind of theological free list, ex-
| empt from duty to certain eternal stan
dards of judgment. No religious system
can sustain itself long in the world as
a broadly and deeply helpful fact that
consists entirely of 'unessentials,' and
scarcely at all Of essentials. There must
be some major matters in every religion
or the whole thing will prove to be a
very systemless system and a decidedly
minor historic factor. The line must be
drawn somewhere. And the fight might
as well be sharply defined conflict
over definite creed Of moderate pro-
portions, as a promiscuous melee of
forces contending in the vacuum of no
creed and all 'credos!'"
1T is stated in press dispatches that
cal seminary in Pennsylvania are at
| TOW 70 i,,l
pass a bill which will empower the
courts of the State to pass judgment on
all alleged misuses of trust funds held
by theological and similar educational
| institutions says the STANDARD"
Bapt) of Chicago. I'm other words, the
courts will have to decide, if the bill be-
comes law, whether, in case charges of
| teaching heresy are made, such teach
| ings constitute misuse of funds The
| dispatch adds that this is part of the
| plan of the General Assembly of the
| Presbyterian Church to provide legal
means for bringing to terms any insti-
tuition which in it's opinion is msusing
denomnational funds by employing
them in the dissemination of unsound
doctrine. The question is a delicate one
under any circumstances. just how far
the doctrines to be taught in a theo-
logical school shall be prescribed by the
denomination at large, whether official
ly as in the Presbyterian denomination.
| or by the religious press and the pulpit
in the Congregationalist and Baptist
Churches. But we think that in at
tempting to give complainants a stand
ing in courts of law the directors re-
ferred to are making great mistake.
A heresy trial in an ecclesiastical court
is bad enough, and may heaven preserve
us from any more of them: but a heresy
trial in civil court would be an abomi-
nation and mockery. Such things
have been heard of occasionally, but
we supposed they were condemned by
the better sense of the denomination in
which they occurred. If the State of
Pennsylvania should pass any such laws
it would be dark day for the cause of
theological education"
while Mr. Moody lives and draws
large audiences there will not be want
ing proof that people are not tired Of
Gospel sermons" says the New York
Independent. Mr.. Moody breaches
the Gospel. There is no doubt about
that. He sets forth the fact of sin as
uncompromisingly as John the Baptist,
and the fact of salvation for the re-
pentant as confidently as Paul or any
Of the apostles. His style is homely,
but direct. He is sometimes brusuue.
but he never fails to win. There are
few men who have as much power to
force truth upon the convictions. His