The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-06
Presbyterian Inhdelity.

The tendency toward Unitarianism which
is now 30 manifest among Presbyterian and
other so.called evangelical ministers is dis.
cussed very earnestly in the Presbyterian
Banner by the Rev. DR.. Fox, the pastor Of
the First Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn.
"What shall we do with itT' he asks, for
It's logical ending must be the rejection Of
all supernatural religion.
The Rev. DR.. EDWARD E. HALE, a Uni.
tartan minister, is quoted by DR.. Fox as
saying recently that 1.-THE Presbyterian
Church, whose organization is the greatest
barrier to liberal thought in America, is
giving away before the pressure of its lay
men,; but he proceeds to show that the
chief destructive force is clerical skep-
ticism. 1t is really the criticism Of the
pulpits and the theological seminaries
rather than the questioning Of the pews
that is breaking down the barrier: and
this criticism goes on without any effective
resistance from the Presbyterian organiza-
tion. The rejection of the infallibility of the
Bible by the scientific criticism Of DIR.
BRIGGS caused an uproar, but his conse.
quent suspension by the General Assembly
has not put any check upon the promulga.
tion and spread Of his views by other
theologians of the Presbyterian Church.
DR.. MCGIFFERT Of the Union Theological
Seminary, using natural evidences only,
after the mannerof DR.. BRIGGS, now denies
the sacramental character of the Last Sup
per, and reduces it to the level of an unpre.
meditated feast of no religious mystery or
symbolism whatever. 1t is only going a
step further in the same direction to deny
the supernatural birth Of JESUS, and thus
reject the whole basis of orthodox Christian
theology. That great step has been taken
already by ministers who have gone over
openly into skepticism, and hence, as DIR.
Fox says, the Presbyterian Church is now
"face to face with an incipient neo.U nita-'
rianism bred within our body" which will
"wax worse and worse" unless it is dealt
with decisively by the organization.
He ~recites the case of a Presbyterian min.
lister, the Rev. B. FAY MILLS, who has been
trusted to preach the common faith Of
evangelical Christendom in its pulpits, and
to immense congregations, yet whopublicly
declares that he rejects and has never
preached "the o%ld-school theology" believ.
ing it to be unnatural and immoral" Ina
letter from Mr.. MILLS to a Presbyterian pa
per, he says: "Ihave been assured by lead.
ers in the Presbyterian and Congregational
churches that they were practically of the
same opinion, and that they regard it their
duty to stay where they are until the whole
Church is leavened, or until the authorities
come to fetch them out" DR.. Fox tells
also of hearing a Presbyterian, a Method
list, an Episcopalian, and a Baptist minis
ter relate at a Unitarian convocation at a
church In Brooklyn, each in turn, how he
had travelled over into square and avowed
Unitarianism along the same road. "With-
in a week." he adds, a young man in New
Jersey, clearing one of the most honored
of Presbyterian names, JAMES EELs, has re-
bounced the faith of his fathers, and it is
now said will perhaps become the minister
of the Unitarian church in Brooklyn" at
which that ~convocation took place.
The "leaven" of which the railroads.&c.
Mr.. MILLS speaks is evidently working in
! the Presbyterian Church, and If it is al
lowed to keep on working, what will re-
main of Presbyterian belief2 That is the
question asked by DR.. Fox, and it must &C.
cur to everybody else. These new skeptics.
moreover, come from the ranks of the min
istry itself and are imbuing the students of
theological seminaries with views whose
logical outcome is the rejection of all SUI
pernaturalism whatever. The Presbyterian
Church, once the most conservative in its
orthodoxy, has now become the source
from which springs the most radical inf
deity in the history of Christianity.