The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-02-25

49, #.-.r- l'a.--a--
~ow york. Feb. cl-At a meeting q III"
atovc-namrG gentlemen. which occurred in
rarlor 25 q the WH~iJprt-h-'or., tn, fol
lowing real conversation Was hold
Doctor MaeArtuu-. The genera! qG's-
Ton s.. Is christianity losing ground Are
The rhurerr= losing their hold upon the
community Is The Attendance ~ the
churches less. and IS rn" interest I'm vital
religion less :aau {. has been a. any time
ta~ a. generation" NJ own opinion on this
Ya.u. is very clear. : :eel quite src" that
The Bible ami the church. using both terms
f. their hToa,.-st Significance. never had
50 great a hold upon IL" people II this
country as they have At ills moment.
Great changes ere taking place il religious
ralicH. bu; these changes do not mean that
there j. amy less interest in religion. III
she Bible ~ in the church Their, have
been changes IN the formal systems or
cre-as all along ;hr0uchout AL N" history
- Christianity. a f.w years ago in Eng
land there WAS a very bitter controversy
between the hyper-Calvinists and The mod
crate Caiviri-ts. On one side. representing
hypo--Calvini-Tn. WIS old Doctor GU, one
q tn" predecessors Of Mr.. SuurEeun. one
OF tho greet scholars % ErGiand. Doubt
less those who were associated with him
thought that everything was going TO de-
sJrUCtion because a very considerable por-
tiou Of the uonepiscopal people had driftei
away into a moderate CaIviniSm. That
wing WIS LEG by Andrew Fuller, Hyper
Calvinism thought that Christianity was
losing is hold. and that ~reljGion hid re
coiycd e decided setback. The contrary
VAS true. The modification Of CaIriniSm.
of which Fuller was the great leader.
saved hundreds OF churches from going
practically into acaostic'~m:'
-tiow i.to aCECSticiSm-"
Doctor Macarthur: because they would
have said at once that If the God of the
hyper-Calyin!sts is the true God. We would
rather have no God than such a God.
what was their conception of GOG~"
Doctor Macarthur: THAT God had elect
81 certain persons 20 salvation and certain
others TO daraHation. irrespective Of char
s":yr or condition. There Were those who
Wee CalyIrisrs who would have moderated
That view, but that was the view of hyper
C1lyiuisul in its hOlGCst rm. Hypor-Cal-
Vlnism, pressed to lis extreme result. mad
certain persons elected 20 salvation and
Others to GumnItiun fer all eternity. Now.
Andrew Fuller led off on The other side.
claiming To he a CalEinist. hut claiming TO
be " Very moderate CalyiDist and giving
more prominence to the element OF free Will.
lie emphasized the. thought that God has
made man and has made man free. else he
T. not a man. Ii he be not free he is Il ma
'hirc- II he be 4 man he must have the
power Of choice. II he has not the power
Of choice he is not responsible. To hold
man responsible when he Is !,-reft # the
power Of choice is to act cruelty and tyran-
U-caiiy, ! think 1 might say. satanicaIIy.
toward man. What was the result? Cali
Niui-m WAS modified. Andrew Fuller mo-li-
Had thu thought Of all American theOloeiaus
in all tie Presbyterian and Congregational
theological Ss:u:uarisS in the United States.
lie became she leader in the new era of
Ealviuism, that bore its best fruit in the
United States. and now, in these later days,
f. bearing good fruit tn England. The
change was not detrimental, but wonder
Iuly hopeful. 10 all forms OF aggressive re-
ligious life i1 the Protestant bodies Of Eng
land. Now. reasoning from analogy. / make
bod to afllrm that the newer thought in
England and the United States viii be
FOUND TO be conducive to the best interests
Of religious thought ana life. There ara *
uennl~jS on both sides VINO eventually VIII
point Of view of P.otestantism. OF curse. ;
The extremists in tie line OF the new the
u!oGE VIII become more CDnS"TVatiVe-that 3
i. The more thoughtful Of them. Some of
them viii drift into -guastiC.Sm.
w NAT DO you mean ~ the extremists or
Doctor Macarthur: That would wholly
depend upon our standard OF radirtli-m. !
Going back TO my Illustration Old pnrroT |
GIl would have called Fuller hetorodux. / !
would can him orthodox. and the majority I
of people cali him orthodox now. a.. the
tNo J think he was the more orthodox. | !
quite believe ihat we axe in the midst Of
q historic movement to-day in theology as 4
tf'lly as men were In the midst Of a his f;
tore movement in theology in Great Brit !
an four decades ago. Though at ia. tine
they were not conscious they were in il. /
7h'E were q part Of IT.. They wer. moving I
with m" current. ans. they did not realize !
how rapidly II was moving, but NON. sill
ting on the bank and looking back AZ that /
historic stream, Nc see how rapidly II was
flowing, II Is moving today IN a5hrr df-
~I"CtlHns IN the United States. Some of rs
belong 10 the moderate Conservatives I
place myself In that class. 1 place mysoI: 4
III Relation 70 the movement today where /
Andrew Fuller belonged two generations
ago. IN the midst IF the modified Calvin |
Ism The View which | now hold Womb
have b'rn considered a generation AGO
somewhat advanced. Today it IL consi.i-