The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-06-12
perceive that the Christian church
is in the midst of critical period.

In our search for the causes, we
need not go back to the Reformation,
since Christianity is the leaven which
has been at work. The Reformation
was inspired by its spirit of religious
liberty. The spirit controlled then,
and it will control the Christian life
for all time. Professionalism struck
the rock with magic wand; living
stream burst forth. That fountain,
once opened, was open for all, and
no man or organization of men, how
ever powerful, can ever seal it. A
religion resting upon ecclesiastical
authority had run its time. Chris
tianity assumed new place in the
worlds thought and life. 1t must
now submit to analysis and criticism,
and in the SOULS alembic it must be
tried. The truth will remain; that
which is false, though taught in its
name, will be eliminated. Chris
tians have heard, and are needing
the apostolic exhortation, "Prove all
things, and hold fast that which is
good"
Milton and Dante gave the world
two great poems, -"Paradise Lost"
and "The Inferno" In these they
sang of Christian doctrines as appre-
pretended in their time; but today
these great productions, as express
sions Of Christian thought, are re-
garded as splendid monstrosities,
with only here and there bright gems
of thought which reveal to us that no
darkness, however dense, can conceal
the souls dignity and grandeur.
Any truthful outlook for the
church must take account of this
wondrous change, since, by noting
the trend of thought, we must form
our judgment of what the entire
mass will be when the leaven shall
have completed its work.
From what we know of the past, it
is evident that the progress of the
world is away from all despotism, &C.
clesiastical and political, and toward
a true democracy. This is the leaven
at work in the churches; it will work
on until the problem of Christian
democracy is solved, until "the
leaven leaveneth the whole lump"
1t is also evident that medieval
theology,-the theology of Angus
tine, which so long dominated the
church, has had it's day. The drift
of all reverent thought and feeling is
away from the monstrous doctrines
taught thousand years ago. 1t is
not away from the essentials of the
Christian religion, the religion taught
and lived by the Master,-but it is
away from the monstrosities which
half-savage men have taught in its
name. There has been such change
here that Christians believe and
teach today what years ago would
have brought them to the stake. Our
Puritan fathers banished Roger Will
liams from the colony of Massachu-
sets for the grave crime of being a
Baptist. Mary Dyer was whipped in
the streets of Boston, her only crime
being that she said "Thee" and
Thou" and worshipped with the
Quakersl
Occurrences of recent date have
shown that even the most conserva-
tive are moving. The Andover profess
sors are required, by the original char
ter of that institution, to renew their
subscriptions to the ancient creed once
in five years. Trouble has arisen be.
cause these professors, feeling the
progressive spirit of the age, are at a
loss as to how they can reconcile
their consciences so as to accept both
the creed and the salary. Admitting
the sincerity and Christian character
of the founders of Andover, when
they made salary contingent upon
dogma, they put great stone of
stumbling in the path of progress.
To this day, it is an article of faith in
one of the branches of the Christian
church that "Christ died to reconcile
his Father to u.s." but by neither in
telligent clergymen nor laymen is
this statement believed. God was
in Christ reconciling the world-men
to himself" not himself to the
world. The burden of their preach
ing is, "Be ye reconciled to God"
Observing this discrepancy be-
tween the teachings of the pulpit and
the creed in this and some other in
stances, many regard the outlook with
gloomy forebodings, fearing the final
overthrow of the church. But we have
no such fear.
The Master, who came to bear
witness unto the truth said, son this