The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-05-19
OCY
Mr.. Scudder Tells che New
ark Wednesday Club
About Church Work.
QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY
The Twentieth Century Will
Show Man How to Live
and How to Die.

1.-The Mission of the Church in the
Twentieth Century was discussed We'd
nesday night at the seasons closing SEES
sion of the Wednesday Club, held in
Davis parlors, Broad street, Newark
After the usual dinner Professor Charles
b. Gilbert, the Superintendent of Public
Schools, introduced the Rev. John l..
Scudder. After declaring that the nine-
teenth century is now revolutionizing the
world along material lines, Mr.. Scudder
said:-
..Mediaeval theology is quaking in its
shoes and eeclesiasticism is dying of con-
sumption. Free thought has come to stay
and Gods ministers have a large mission.
These are only the first of the days that
are yet to be. There is a thorough oc-
DECENTRALIZATION of our religion and meth-
DDS of thought going on. o-ccidentalism
says, I think. I want the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth
Orientalism says, I don't think I feel
I imagine And it is in this conflict in
the religious world that the Anglo-Saxon
will win as he always does.
1.-THE theology of the future" Mr..
Scudder vent on, swill be notable for its
quality instead of it's quantity. 1t will
cIil2 TO the truths VI JGouS Sul 1
twentieth century will believe in sin, the
.In the r?htfaterhmrhmrhmrhmrhmrm
salvation from sin and the. supremacy
spiritual leadership of Jesus Christ.
I'm the golden days before US" he
p~rophesied, the heresy hunter will be
out of a job as the coming man will APP
proach every subject with unbiased mine
and his theology will be vital and ener-
getic. The. denominations will intermarry
and theology will minister to the entire
man. The prime object of the Church
will be- the salvation of souls and tins
will be done by preaching the Word. But
other methods must be adopted besides
preaching. There must be an administra-
ton along political lines with a view to
ultimate conversion"
Mr.. Scudder then touched upon the
we'll known methods of institutional
church, and declared that while 'tsome
churches are dying of dry rot these
multiply.
Then. he added that his was a social
rather than a theological g and prophe-
sled that the future centuries would be
still more so.
1.-THE future church," he said in this
connection, will show man how to live
and how to die. In this social regenera-
ton that is to be, preachers will become
powers and regain much of the influence
they have lost. The religion of Jesus, as
he taught it, is just beginning to be un-
derstood and the spirit of he Master is
certain to- dominate the world. Human
brotherhood will then be a reality, first
among Christian nations and in due time
he shall reign for ever inc ever
The Rev. DR.. William Hayes Ward
was the next to take up the subject. He
said that DR.. Scudder was substantially
right and declared rat there was never
a period in the Il. 5ry of the church
when it was nearer 10 the principles of
Jesus Christ than It IS today.
ST believe he added. that there will
be. a great deal of -afnalgamation OF the
churches IN the future and | believe that
IL twenty men, ecclesiastical leaders, could
be got together from each denomination
that within five years, at least, all me
Protestant churches could be brought 10
gether. for the churches are ready for 1t.
AIdrich c. Smith discussed the sub
ject from a iayman's standpoint and the
Rev. Fred. C. Baldwin and others also
made brief comments on DR.. Scudders
x,iouy-