Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-02-13
A HERETO
So the Baptist Council
Decides
DIR. FORTUNES TRIAL ENDED, AND
HE WAS FOUND GUILTY ON
EIGHT COUNTS. sSk
A SCENE ENACTED
DR.. FORTUNE APPEARS BEFORE
HIS AcousERs IN PERSON.
Calls for the Man who Has Cnst
Aspersion. ON His Private
Character.
A SCENE ENACTED
DIR. FORTUNE APPEARS BEFORE
HIS AcCUsERs IN PERSON.

! Baptist council, which met here yester-
/ day to try DR.. G. NJ. Fortune, pastor
of the First Baptist church. for heresy.
/ concluded its lahors this afternoon,
finding him guilty on eight counts. The
charges being:
1. That he is unbaptistic In all his
sympathies and predictions. repud-
Eating Baptist theological institutions
! and ignoring Baptist literature.
.. That he has no Just conception
of the unapproachable truths of chris
tianity and its incompatible super
iority over other forms Of worship. and
has openly taught that the substitution
| Of one system of worship for another
| Is OF no moment whatever, and Is not
worth the utterance OF sigh or the
| falling OF a single tear.
3. It is further alleged that said g.
| NJ Fortune does not believe and does
not teach the full inspiration and
authenticity of the Holy Scriptures.
| but does teach that nothing is abso-
| lutely settled and accepts that only
as truth which is verified by Scriptural
| Investigation, and that W man is re-
quired to believe what he cannot un-
| derstand
4. lie denies that Bible account of
| the Introduction OF sin and transgres-
sion into the garden of Eden and the
| fall OF Satan, etc, and teaches that
| Satan did not tempt Adam and Eve.
8. He denies and repudiates the doc
| trine OF the Nicarlous Atonement OF
| Jesus Christ, denies that he died for
| and instead OF sinners and became
their substitute, aud denies that Christ's
Righteousness Is imputed to BIO right
eous.
Besides the foregoing fundamental
heresles, We further charge that said
| G. NJ. Fortune In his capacity of pastor
of said church has ignored and de-
parted from the established faith of
the church and the subject Of the COM
munion of the Lords supper and has so
taught In the pulpit.
G. We show further that j. NJ. Fort.
who Ia n member of said church, is the
leader and controlling power of the
Fortune party in said church. on whom
said @. NJ. Fortune depends to propa-
gate his heresies and unsound dogmas,
and as such must be regarded and
treated as the exponent Of said For
tune and Fortune party In said church;
that said j. NJ. Fort has In the public
prints denounced Baptist churches as
'unscriptural associations and man
made societies." has declared that the
communion Of the Lords supper is not
church ordinance, has denied the
full inspiration of the Holy Bible and
the full authenticity OF the Scriptures:
and, we allege, also, has denied the
miraculous conception. and birth OF
| Christ and has propagated many other
| unsound and absurd dogmas Charges
seven and eight refer to local dissen-
| sions
After hearing the evidence the coun-
| Gil unanimously adopted the follow
| ing:
I'm view of the above facts and other
nnt Ia1
llevc that said G. NJ. Fortune and j. NJ.
| Fort are not entitled to the fellowship
| of Baptist churches, and that the min
| GRITTY followed the scriptures in their
| faith. and practices and protest. should
be regarded the First Baptist church
| of Paris"
| During the proceedings Rev. ID. C.
Hardin pastor Of the West Paris Bap-
fist church. objected to referring 10
the accused as Doctor Fortune. a
| title that had been tackled on to him
| by his adherents After some discus
sion on the offensive title 1t was strick-
| On out wherever 1t appeared In the
proceedings, A dramatic scene was
enacted this morning. DR. Fortune
| entered the church with some friends
and walked down the aisle near the
| moderator and said he desired TO be
| heard on a question of privilege: that
he cared nothing for what the council
to nothing; but he had heard that his
| personal character had been brought
in question and he desired to know II II
was true.
DR. Moody of Hot Springs. Ark, stat
ed that committee had been appoint
ed and had notified DIR. Fortune that
| his teachings and chnra Hter would he
| investigated. DIR. Fortune replied that
any statement that he Rad been notified
that any charge would be brought
ag llnst his personal character was not
true. His remarks caused flutter of
| excitement The moderator ruled him
| out OF order, as he had been invited
to appear at first and had not done go,
| DIR. Miller said no charges had been
brought before the council against DIR
| Fortu res character. but only rumors
| had been mentioned.
| Dr. Fortune said II II was only ru-
| mors he cared no more for II than for
the rest of their proceedings But I
stand on the Bible and my moral char
acter, and VIII maintain them" He
then retired from the meeting.
Later on DR.. Moody read letter
from DIR, Fortune stating that he had
heard from reliable sources that he had
reflected on his moral character. that
| he wanted the sources of his informa-
| ton. and thnt he intended to hold him
DIR. Fortune and the majority of Tho
members OF the church do not seem
disturbed in the least at the action OF
the council They have possession of
the church property. What further
action the minority, who called the
council Will take, remains to be seen.
l