The San Francisco call., 1897-10-03
RAIDER HITS
DR.. THOMPSON
The Liberal Preacher Goes
to the Defense of
DR.. Cruzan.
He Fires Hot Shot at the
Reverend Editor of the
Oceident.
The Attack Upon the Congregation
alists Denounced as Narrow
Minded.


coast, published long article. in which
the editor, the Rev. James Marshal
Thompson, excoriated the Congregational
church in general and Rev. J: q. Cruzan
in particular. The article is under the
head, "Congresat ationalism and Heresy
About the Bay The attack was based
upon the action of the council of recog.
milton, held last week, at which Rev. Mr..
Cruzan and the little church at Berkeley
were received into fellowship by the me M
bers OF that gathering of the leading pas
tors and laymen OF the Congregations
church. In the introduction of his attack,
Mr.. Thompson of the Occident says:
There have been intimations and fndica-.
tions for year past that the strong tide of
skepticsm-known by the name of higher
critlcism-was sweeping many OF the minis
ters of the Congrega tional church about San
Francisco away from the system of belief a.
copied by the fathers. We have watched this
decadence OF evangelical fait h and the putting
on of the so-called modern liberal thought on
the part of several prominent ministers of
this church with profound sorrow. We con-
fess, however, 10 amazement at the distance
10 which this abandonment of recognized or
thodoxy has gone among the leaders of
thought in our sister denominations about the
bay. But there can no longer be any
leading clergymen of The congregational body
about this city OF the most pronounced
heresy. This is q serious charge ana we make
1t seriously.
The council, it will be rem embered. con-
sisted OF such leading lights of the Con-
gregationnl denomination. as DR.. j. X
Mclean, Rev. Z. K. Brown, Mr.. Q amber
lain and Rev. J. K. Knodell OF Oakland;
DR.. Hallock, DR.. Adams, DR.. Pond DIR.
William RAIDER, Rev. DIR: Stevens. Rev.
George Hatch. Professor r. r. Lloyd,
Rev. George Moore, Rev. Lyman Hood,
n nd 10
then proceeds to criticize the action of the
council in accepting the statement of Dr..
CruZan of his beliefs, and gives what pur-
ports TO be a synopsis of h S views as eX-
pressed on that occasion, and in conclu-
sion says:
We have given above summary, which we:
are assured Is correct, OF the remaTka Bile state
ment OF belief OF the Rey. Nj. Cruzafl. For
theological crudeness, for incons istenoies, f1T.
ignorance of Scripture or bold rejection of it,.
and for wild specu alton we have never seen
its equal i'll any one occupying a pulpit in a
church pretending to the least orthodoxy - =
And that which is far more remarka Bile :: The
council unanimously suS tanned the examine:
tion as satisfactory! If this is fair spec me n,
II wo1 d be incorrect 10 say that the GonPre-.
gaiional church IS drifting away. from
| rate toward Unltarianismr Uniyersaltsm and
infideliy.
To say that this attack created storm.
OF Indignation in the Congreg gationaL
| ranks is putting it mildly, and not a. few
| had some very pointed remarks to, make
OF the stand taken by the Rev. Mr..
| Thompson, the editor of the Oecident:
| One prominent Congregatiopalist, who
| refused 10 have his name used, said hat
| the animus Of the article in question dates
| back to last winter, when Rev. w. RAIDER
| delivered number of addresses in tn S
| city. in which he departed from the strict
orthodoxy OF the denomination and de.
clared that he did not believe that Jonah
| swallowed the whale or that the. whale:
swallowed Jonah.
On that occasion Mr.. Thompson, in the
| Occldent, severely criticized Mr.. RAIDER,
! and his subsequent articles showed that
| he was not at all pleased that the lead in g
| lights of the Congregational church sup
ported Mr.. RAIDER and showed no disposi.-
| tion to cast him out OF the church. One
| OF the genteman's most stanch support
ers was Mr.. CruZan, the editor of ihe Pa
citic, the organ of the Congrega tional
church, and according to tie party re-
ferred to, the Occident's editor has moi
lost chance since 10 prod, not only the
| church in general, but Mr. CruZan in par
tlcular, because OF their Endorsement OF
Mr.. RAIDER.
The latter gentleman was seen at his
| home last evening, and he was somewhat
| averse to say very much at first about the
attack, oat he was strong in his opinion
| that 1t was not at all becoming in the
editor OF the Occdent to go so far out OF
| his way to haul the members of the COL
| gregational church over the Goals for
| heresy, when, as he remarked. there are
enough neretcs in his own church to keep
| him busy tor some time 10 come DR..
| RAIDER said that under ordinary circum.
stances he would not have anything TO say
| 10 Dr. Thompson's attacks. He did not
wnen he (Rader) was the subject last
| winter, but let his friends make all the
answers necessary. Ole of his best de-
| tenders was none other than DR.. .CruZan
| and for whom he felt justified in de-
tense in the name of justice and right.
Continuing, DR.. RAIDER said:
Il a. not care TO enter into a discussion
With the Occident or ANYBODY else. AS
me mi Der of the council which recogniz ID
| MIR. Cruzan's fitness to preach, can say
that he expressed himself with character
istic frankness upon the great doctrines of
our faith. We donot expect every clergy
man to agree with every other clergyman
In one denomination. We are not like so
| many pegs-all of a siZe-but conserve our
freedom and individuality. Mr.. Cruzan
| was regarded as sound on the funda-
mental doctrines. He may have disagreed
| on smaller matters.
LAS to the attack OF this man Thonip-
| son OF the Occiuent it really: doesn't
| amountto anything, because he has no in
huence, doesn't know anything about the
1
| more than all else is ignorant OF: denomi-
national propriety. This attack upon the
| Congregational church is uudignlfed and
without a proper regard for The finer
| sense of inte terdenominatonal fellowship
| Mr.. Thompson has seen several ghosts
since he came 10 San Francisco. He is
making reputation for finding heretic<.
He can tell a hereto. by the cut of his
| coat. And once his eve is on him he hunts
/ him down with the Occident
"a mum Der of his brethren have apolo.
| gized for his behavior. Heis good man.
| but has not yet learned the lesson that ali
men will not think as he wishes them to
| think and that the great mass of the
ciergy are moving beyond the narrow
limits of his theological horizon. Nothing
Will come of this whatever, except little
newspaper advertising for the Occident.
| 1t is not fair to say that this is AN attack
of the Presbyterian brethren upon sister
body. 1t is not. 1t is simply the opinion
OF the editor of the Occident. Itis an un-
heard of thing for member ofone sect
| TO denounce the doctrinal statement OF
another, and the world Is too broad and
progressive to tolerate any such attack.
"Mr. Thompson has a perfect right to
| oppose by reason, but not by wrath. To