The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-06-12

Through these changes of thought,
the psychologist traces the wondrous
evolutions of the soul seeking rela-
tions where it can be, in the highest
and best sense, faithful to itself and
to it's God.
True, these evolutions have wrought
great changes of opinion concerning
Christ, his relation to man and the
Eternal Dynasty,-but all has been
for Christ, and never against Christ;
so that in reality there is more of
Christ, his great loving nature and
spirit, in the world today, than when
the Marys sat at his feet.
The world is not atheistic, and will
never become 80. A band of school
boys might as we'll attempt to force
the sun to go around the earth, as
for any clique of men to force the
world into atheism. Belief in God
will abide. 1t is thoroughly ground
ed in the consciousness of men, and
while this remains, Christ will be
recognized as the one in whom the
divine projections are most clearly
seen. A revelation of the possibili
ties OF humanity, he is the moral
image of the divine person.
The religion of the future will not
be in the line of any of those ex-
tremes of opinion which ignore the
Christ of the New Testament. 1t
will not be religion which has no
anchorage ground, chart, sailing
papers; no home port wherein Sc
curity, rest and peace, may be found.
1t will be a religion having Truth
for it's foundation, truth which will
find its embodiment in life, and the
life revelation of God; not setting
forth to man of any occult, mysteri-
GUS truth, but rather the revelat ton
of man to himself, visible setting
forth of his kinship with God.
The crisis in which Christianity
finds itself today is really an incident
of growth, as the bud and blossom
sink before the coming fruit. 1t is re-
lease from thoughts and forms that
fitted the minds of men ages long
past, but which no more fit the mind
today than the short clothes of boy
fit the matured man. Christ, and
God, and Truth, are the same. But
in an enlargement of thought, wild
ening of the range of vision, man has
come to see that some of the pillars
upon which he once thought the
church rested are not pillars at al, )
are really no part of its foundation.
These are being removed. Seeing
this. some, whose visions are yet
clouded, cry, Behold, Christianity
is crumbling into ruin" But it is not
true. All this dust and confusion is
incident only to an eliminating pro-
cess, which will go on, until the beau
tiful temple of truth, the church OF
Christ, shall stand forth in it's innate
loneliness, the pride and hope of the
world.
The church has conceded nothing,
has lost nothing, save what has been
hindrance to its progress. The
church now is, and ever will be, Chris
tian, to the extent that it is in accord
with the spirit of Christ. And for
this it is now working, as it ever must
work, maintaining its ground against
whatever may oppose.
In word, 1.-THE Outlook for the
Church" is that it will embody and
teach religion in the name and
spirit of the great Head of the
Church, as wide as the widest out
look of the human mind religion
free as human thought, concurrent
with human reason, CO ordinate with
science, which can and will say to the
one, go on" and to the other Hold
not backW No truth shall be ignored,
since all truth is essential to mans
embodiment, and to the souls highest
good.
The leaven is surely working. In
deed, the time is coming and is near
at hand, when Joel's prophecy shall
be fulfilled: 81 will pour out my spirit
upon all flesh. Your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy; your old
men shall dream dreams and your
young men shall see visions"
Let no Christian fear. The pres
emit predominates the past; the flu
ture the present Enlightened vision
Eliminates tradition; and judgment,
feeling the touch of the Holy Spirit,
is an authority which we may safely
follow.