Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-05-08
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah,
May s, 1897.

Rev. FRANK 6WHtWOuiB SupeiiO',
VIE:
Dssr SRA friend OF mino now re-
aiding in Chicago, Illinois, recently
cent to me the follo9ing clipping from
The Chicago Record Of April goth,
1897:
SUPERIOR, Wis, April 25.-At the con-
c-usion Of service in the First Baptist
,hutch here last night the Rev. Frank
swartwout, the pastor, resigned. In DO
ing so he SAID j.,
the present system OF churches, and lie
has shown me the apostasy among the
people who are protesting false doc
irine and making the church an Hmu-e-
ment bureau. have also learned that
the clergymen of today have 40 sanction
of the word of God and that they stoop
TO please an unregene ated people. They
discuss secular, ethical ana popular
themes, and hardly ever Gospel no!o Is
sounded by them from God 10 the LOST.
Therefore, AS a protest. God LEADS me 10
entire separation from his man-made
system Tor he rest of my life. The re-
licious people of today have no scripture
TO back their apos,asy, aud he conditions
are rapidly becoming worso. l now We
up yulun arily every thing that mas
marked me ns belonging to the clergy
ordained OF man, but do not 20 out oil
Gods ministry"
When 1 read the above clipping, 1
Immediately resolved upon wiring
you personal letter upon the subject
which led to your Tesig alton OF the
pastorship OF the First Baptist church
Of your city, e., the apostate condi-
tiun OF Chrisienuom. After e0nsuita'
ton, how ever, with several filler d., for
wn.se judgment L have & prf uno
respect, L concluded to address you In
an open Iettor published In the Desc
RET NEws, of Salt Lake CITY, beiiev'
lug that while such manner OF address
Will answer all the purposes OF per.
SINAI letter to you, 1t may also per-
chance meet the attention oil others
who are interested in the gu 'stion in-
volved 10 your act OF resignation.
First, sir, let me compliment you
fryour courageous act; tlr TO resign q
losi,iou such as you occnpsd, ana 10
fearlessly tell the religious world that
their systems are vain, tnd the condl-
ton OF the Christian churches apes ate,
ia a courag eous act. Especially II you
.pur, ciated what 1t my yet
est you. Saying this and Oh
pOut cling q restoration OF the G1spe!
has cost some men their llVt' mot III
primitive q rlssian timts aloue, anu
In psgan cOuptrles, but in our own
nineteenth century, proud OF its sup
pOsed tolerance and enlightenment,
anu IN lands supposed TO be Cbristia
In their civil ziti n-wiihin the con.
Il les Il the UuIteu Staies, to be more
particular Ia a ianu where the guar
Antees Of religious ireeuom Is part OF
the Jun smentsl law Of the ianu. The
man Therefore That can siand up anu
esy what you did to your church
NJ mbere deserves TO be ooDnenled,
not Only ior honest fraukuese, but tor
his COURAGE.
You, eli, have evidently fsIien upon
ayr, al trutu-lne spostsse cJndiliou
Of Christsud IN. Whie II ~ a very
bold thii X to Afli IN, IL is, nevertheless,
easy OF utmOustIatiUD. TDeIe are
tevera! lines VI evider CO and OF argu-
ment by which 1t may be proven.
Frat, the effect OF the long and severe
peIsecution lttiIctGd upon tue early
Christian cbuich by the pagan
II mans, by which the leaders OF the
Christian church were stricken OWE,
leaving ouiy weak and imOToue me .
to cope with q srhstquent age when
@ mptom sss viii. phgauism were TO
be Effected, ami 1aI 'ry, and wealth,
ana the priIe oil worldiy honors were
to be the meal OF sill further break
lug down the Church OF Christ. N II
need 1t he matter Tor wonder that
force as manifested in the pagan Pc
stculiuns OF tue Christiaus SHOULD
operate as a means OF destroying the
church that had been organ'z d. We
have the wOTus OF ChTist that before
that DAY "the kingdom of heaven suf
fsred violence, and the violent took IL
by loIce,n ami 1t IL not
matter Ior astonishheDt II the same
Ioics shOu u again bs found opeIat ng
against II, anu to some extent contri-
buting to condition which should
make 1t easy 10 corrupt the Christian
religion.
SeconJ, the feet OF that age OF ease
wealth anu luxury which came TO the
Cnristian m,nlstty and the cbutcb
generally when the Emperor CJnstau.
line, changed Chr s.Ianity from a
despised aud persecuted religion to
shat OF tie state Religion oil thu
empire, ana loaded lis ministry witb
wealth anu worldly hOnJrs, Ruu by
the insidiOus II nIencs oil tina par u
aye made 1t po slDle to effect that
c0-mingllng OF pagan philosophy with
Christien doctrins, that forever alter
That The simple religion Of Jesus OF
Nazareth snU morz ~ he found la thu
nptrale cerem uial anu ,ver iu'
crea.iug dogm VI the chulch.
Thiru, the history OF the 2ctua
changes that TOOK Place Ia the 10
irlneS OF the Chils,!an charch
may be historically traced or,
showing wherein there WIS dspar.
ture from the beautifully simple rellp.