The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1899-03-30
THE NEW THEOLOGY.

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Holy scriptures were delivered by
their inspired writers to man as
his rule of moral action, and as a
true account of what they purport
to teach, there have been some
who, while accepting their nara
tive III the main, have notwith-
standing, called into question
some of it's parts when opposed by
what may be called the "higher
criticism" and natural reason.
We read of the Sadducees, in the
Bible, who denied the resurrection
or Immortality of the soul and
at later date, AID. 325, there
was such doubt in the minds of
many of the adherents of the ear
ly church as to the divinity ,of
Christ, that the council of Nice
was called to consider and pass
upon the question. In both these
cases the scriptures state as plain
ly as words can express the idea,
that the soul is immortal and that
Christ is co-equal with the other
two members of the God-head.
The higher critics, among the
most conspicuous of whom is Doc
tor Briggs, late of Union Theolog-
ical Seminary, New York. who
was deposed from the ministry of
the Presbyterian church for teach
ing that the Bible contains the
word of God, but is not the word
of God, or plenarily inspired, have
been very active in the discovery
of alleged errors and contradic-
tions in the sacred volume. And
now among the Methodist minis
tiers of New York city the same
question is being agitated. At
recent meeting of the association
composed of the ministers of that
denomination, a Doctor Cadman
read a paper in which he contend
ed that the time has arrived when
the Bible can no longer be accept
ed as an inerrant record of past
events that it's statements are to
be weighed according to the ordi-
nary rules of testimony, and ev-
erything contrary to the laws of
nature and of reason as taught by
human experience should be re- |
jected, maintaining that the only
thing necessary to believe that it
contains is the narrative of the
life and teachings of the Goldman,
Christ. We are informed that
the speaker was heartily applaud
ed for the sentiments he uttered.
Which leads us to remark, that
in our humble opinion religion is
something more than an intel
lectual acceptance of facts dem
onstrated to be within the range
of physical possibility as proved
by experience. More than any,
thing else it is a rule of faith
which transcends experience and
erects as it's kingdom "the sub
stance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not SEEM" Thea
great head of the church, Christ,
Himself, laid down this as fun
damental condition to which, all
who would be accepted of Him,
must conform. He never per-
formed miracle without testing
the belief of the prospective bene-
ficiary. If, then, everything
overlapping the bounds of expert
ence, which is faith or "the evil
dence of things not seen," is to
be rejected, there can be, accor-
ding to the standards set up by
Christ, no such thing as revealed
religion, in which Doctor Cadman
and his adherents prefers to be-
lieve, but we must fall back on
simple ethics as our rule of con-
duct for this life, with an intel
lectual hope derived from knowl-
edge of probabilities that death
does not end all. If the Bible is
false in any important particular,
it is unworthy of belief as whole.
Besides, how are we to know
about the life and teachings of
Christ, upon which Doctor Cad
man sets such store, unless we get
our information from the script
ures ? Josephus, the renegade
Jew, is, we believe, the only con-
temporaneous profane historian
who makes any allusion to the
Savior and he mentions Him only
in two or three lines, supposed by
many critics to be in reality in
terpolation. In addition to this,
there have recently been discov-
cred in the long buried ruins of
the east certain records containing
words or logic of Christ, but no.
where, save in the New Testament,
is an extended account given of
His sayings and works.