The record-union., 1897-01-10
IN RELIGIONS REALM
Expressions From Various Religious
Newspapers.
The Religious Thought of the Day
as Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.

Replying to a letter from the Rev. A.
T. George ON the broad church move
nent in Massachusetts, the Living
Church (P Ed of Chicago says; 10
insist upon the doctrines of the prayer
book and of our church formMarles
upon such subjects as the Trinity, the
Deity OF Christ, the Incarnation, nhe
Atonement, the resurrection OF the nesn
and the like, is not the mark OF a par
tisan spirit. 1t is simply truth against
falSehood. The gist of our correspond
ent's contention seems to be that lib
81 alism which plays fast and loose with
truth is to be tolerated and condoned,
If only 1T concihates UnitarianS and In
creases the number of people in ex-
ternal connection with the church.
Numbers may be won at far too dear
a price. Most certainly it is so when
people are invited to come in ON the
footing of believing what they please.
We are told that 'Unitarianism is dying
out in Boston, But, by the same show
irg, that liberalism of which Unitarian
ism is the exponent is not dying; on
the contrary, it's friends assure us that
it was never more alive; that it is gain
lIlS d IlGW lease VI lllC Ny iohhA5 POo
session of the Episcopal Church and,
within the lines of Catholic organiza-
ton, substituting it's own progressive
liberalism for the true spirit OF the
church. 1t is not necessary that men
should be 'ritualists' in order to view
with apprehension and dismay such a
policy as that which our amiable cor
respondent describes. We are told,
finally, that the Episcopal Church un-
der these circumstances is gaining
in strength, popularity and numbers,
and this is offered as sufficient justif1-
cation for a breadth of liberality which
f, ees men from the trammels of a def
mite belief while at the same time de-
lighting to call itself Catholic The
church has ever been nearest the divine
ideal when most disesteemed of men,
mot when, by giving way to heresy and
the spirit of the age, it has taken away
all motive for opposition. A liberal
church is likely to be popular because
1T no longer requires anything of men
which they find difficult or irksome."
''The theology which is entitled to be
called broad and comprehensive takes
in all theological specialtles," remarks
the Independent Pres) of Chicago.
Because we accept the prophecies
found in the twenty second Psalm, in
the ninth and fifty-third of Isaiah, and
many others, as intended to describe
the then coming Redeerner, specifically
and personally, this does not exclude
from our view the prophetic and pre-
paratory purpose of all the Old Testa-
ment history. 1t is not new theology
to recognize the foreshadowing of
Christ in it all. Nothing in gospel
preaching has been more familiar than
this in all the Christian ages. 1t has
been a constantly recurring theme in
every pulpit, especially for the past 300
years 1t is the old theology, old as
the church. That recognition of the
fcreshadowing prophesies Of Christ in
all the old religions has not been equal
ly exhibited, is because they were only
recently known Nothing IN the dis
coveries of the Eeyptologists is more
marvellous than Osiris, the Egyptian
Messiah-a figure which pref1gures our
Lord with startling fidelity. We take
this all in as a part of Christianity.
We take every converging ray which
concenters upon the cross from all the
DlSlOTy pT6NFOuS 70 dlHu SuDSSNuSAl "
the incarnation as a part of Christian
ity Our faith is broad as the world
and as inclusive as the sky. The only
narrowneSs there is in our orthodoxy
comes of lack of knowledge. AS fast as
knowledge is acquired we take 1T into
the gospel 1t is all tributary to our
Lord Jesus Christ
''It Is proposed, and indeed urged,
says the New York Christian Intelli-
gencer" (Ref), that the children Of
Christian families and Sabbath school
scholars shall be instructed In the re-
suits of the higher criticism, and that
books be prepared for the use of parents
and teachers to enable them to give
this instruction. We move that the
proposition be laid on the table for ten
years. No injury has come during the
last 300 years from receiving the Bible
with simple faith, while unbeGef has
wrought incalculable disaster. To con-
tinue to believe the Bible for ten years
longer will harm no one. In that time
a great deal of the higher criticism
viii be overthrown, as a great deal ot
It has been in the past ten years. The
effect of the higher criticism in Ger
many upon evangelical belief does not
commend it to other nations professed-
~ Christians
"One Of the convincing proofs of the
divine character of Christ's teachings"
So VS. the New York Independent, lis
that they do not, like pagan systems,
become obsolete. The progress of the
world has not made them appear un-
fitted TO any stage of moral and intel
1ectual development, however adyanc-
Cd Nineteen centuries have shown no
5rsoral defect in them. and though
freeds which men have drawn, as the
expression OF those teachings, may
Rave gradually become outworn, the
teachings themselves stand more firmly
than ever The best of mankind have
s.ot vet come to the point where they
can say: We have passed beyond this
doctrine Of the Great Teacher; we have
improved upon that doctrine; some of
hts savings can no longer be reconciled
with sound moral views The defects
and inconsistencies and unsoundneSs of
rhe teachings of Confucius, of Buddha,
OF Nohammed, of Zoroaster are so OBJ
vious that they do not need TO be ar
gued: they are self-evident 10 the en-
iightened. Their standards are far be-
low the ideal But 1t Is not so with
Christ's standard. We have no broader
or deeper humanity than he showed TO
the world ages and ages ago; we have
no loftier aspirations. no higher ideal,
than we get from his system. In fact,
we have not measured up TO the stat
ure of the full manhood which he por-
trayed. We have left far behind us the
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