The record-union., 1899-01-29
IN RELIGIONS REALM.
EXPRESSIONS FROM VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS.
The Religious Thought of the Day
az Expressed in the Sec
tartan Press.

tartan Press.
ct is with great pleasure" says the
New York 'Churchman" P. E., that
we note that the Supreme Court OF
Michigan has declared the use OF a. VOL
ume of selections from the Bible IN the
schools of that State constitutional.
Even perfunctory use and a superb
cial familiarity with those passages OF
the Scriptures that are the touchstohes,
often unconsciously, of our CHRISTIAN
civilization will be- as many VINO grew
up in in the schools Of the last genera
ton can testify, of benefit through HE.
We churchmen naturally desire more,
but more than that we can nave only
if a period of school time can be set
aside for religious instruction, 10 De
given by representatives OF the chieI
religious bodies at their own response
bility and expense. The technical oil
ficulties are very great, perhaps lhsur-
mountable, though we DO not tnlnh
them So In Germany, where, however,
the religious conditions are different,
similar plan works very well. Inc Eng
lish plan of State aid to voluntary
schools in the measure OF the results
they attain is also worth CONSIDERING
OF one thing we are sure, If we leave
God and Christianity out OF the daily
round and common task of the school,
it will be the rare home and the ex-
ceptional Sunday school that Will sup
ply the deficiency. and the State Will
suffer in its citizenship
x
'It may be asked" says the Living
Church (P. Ed of Chicago, whether
the phases of religious strife in England
have any bearing upon the church IN
our own country, where the conditions
are so entirely different, and where, IN
particular, there is no established
church, and no union of church ana
State If there is no relation between
| the fortunes of the mother church ana
| our own. it might not seem worth While
| to follow with more than superficial
| interest events with which we can have
! no personal concern. But we take II
! that. besides the historical and spiritual
relationship between the two churcnes
which makes it impossible that the for
tunes of thesone should not be regarded
with sympathetic interest by the other,
| the dangers to which both are exposed
are at bottom the same. They arise
out of the spirit of the age in which we
| live 1t is an age of humanitarianism,
and at the same time is completely in
tolerant of supernatural religion. 1t
claims to mold and TRIM religion to suit
| it's taste. but contemptuously rejects
any authoritative claim of religion to
rule and govern it's own movements and
tendencies. A sort of infallibility is as
sumed for this age spirit, and the
1 church is called upon to yield obedience
to its behests, and to suppress or
change its teachings, it's discipline and
it's worship accordingly. That many
among ourselves are infected with this
spirit is so plain that surely he who
runs may read
.Doctrinal disagreements." says the
Interior Pres.) of Chicago, "arise out
of lack of knowledge of the facts But
why do they so usually arouse animos-
ity? This seems to come from the mis-
take of elevating a hypothetical expla-
ton of a doctrinal fact up to the dig
nifty and authority of a truth. For
example, the old controversy over the
doctrine of the divine sovereignty. All
| Christians accept that doctrine. But
dignifed as a doctrine. which it is not
they are only subordinate attempts
to illustrate a doctrine. Both of them
are inadequate, and probably both Of
them more or less in error. A cold,
mathematical dogmatician will illus
trate in a way that horrifies an emo
tional disciple, who, in turn, is looked
down upon as shallow and weak. The
I n r>-it of +rir
comes of saying that you must not only
accept the doctrine, but you must ac-
cept any illustration of it. That is an
assumption of authority without war
rant and of superiority without MART,
and, of course, it is resented and deicd.
So long as doctrinal controversialisss
are allowed to divide believers into
sects upon such differences, there Hill
be no limit to such divisions. Carried
to it's logical conclusion, it would de-
stroy all organization and leave be-
levers as incoherent and as useless as
sand grains on the seashore."
"The fact of fanaticism." says the
New York observer" Pres.), docs
not disprove the need of faith. Fanati-
cism is not so much an excess of faith
as it is a misapplication of it, not faith
running too far, but faith running in
the wrong direction, with eccentric
leaps and grimaces and distortions. But
! if fanaticism is foolish, faith at any
rate is reasonable. There is a natural
enthusiasm for Jesus Christ and His
cause which should properly actuate
every believing heart. To be believer
| in Jesus at all should mean to be an
| earnest, aggressive advocate of the
truths He taught and of the principles
| for which He died The only Christian
ity which will impress the world IS an
earnest Christianity A doctrinal learn
ing which is a logic on fire, moral
| character which is a close imitation OF
the ideals of the Nazarene, q life day
| by day which is both sane and serious
both rectilinear in its righteousness
and tender in it's human sympathy
| Joined with an enthusiasm for the
Christ of God which is whole souled,
unintermittent and contagious, consti-
tute an evidence of Christianity which
even this dull world cannot ignore, and
afford meaning and "a motive for life
which elsewhere viii be sought for in
vain.
Speaking of the proposed State Rel
| igious Conference in which Jews
Unitarians and Universaaists are to
meet evangelical Christians, the New
York Christian Advocate" (Meth) re-
marks: Unity is only possible when
there is unity in essentials. The Sc
| ductiye letter no doubt has caught some