The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-26
THE cREEDs PASSING AWAY.
Rev. c. II. Strong Discusses Relig-
fous Evolution.


ions Evolution.
At st. Johns Church last night Rev.
Charles Fl. Strong discussed the broaden
ing influence which Biblical research and
investigation is having upon the religious
spirit of the ege. Instead of the Bible
| being destroyed and torn to pieces by the
| higher critics and advanced theologians,
Mr.. Strong holds that they are rendering
a great service to religion and humanity
by restoring Christianity to its primitive
simplicity and purity. 1t is the creeds, he
holds. which are being destroyed by the
! advanced Thought of the age and the out
| cries against this work of making tine
Bible better known and better understood
than ever before comes from the sup
porters of the creeds rather than those
who earnestly desire the welfare of the
church.
MIR. Strong read from the Book of
Creeds" extracts from the creeds of the
various churches. including the thirty-nine
articles of the Episcopal Church and the
Westminster confession Of the Preshytc-
rian Church. laying especial stress upon
! those portions of the creeds which refer
to Denomination and predestination to
eternal happiness or everlasting damna,
ton.
Belief In this kind of thing is passing
away. Mr.. Strong declared. Men will no
longer accept it. but will return to the
beautiful and simple Christianity of the
early ages of the church which prevailed
before men had begun to devise creeds
with which TO divide the church. In con-
trast with the harsh principles and be-
liefs ernnciated in the creeds Mr.. Strong
read extracts from the New Testament,
giving Incidents of the life work of Christ
and the apostles, where they healed the
sick, gaze sight to the blind and showed
the way 10 those who made inquiry after
the truth Those who were thus wrought
upon were not required to give assent to
a creed Cr to sign set of principles nor
to accept of any articles of faith. There
was no mention of creed and the only ar
ticle of faith was. belief in Jesus Christ
as the Son of God.
Mr.. Strong said he was not attacking
the idea of q creed itself. A creed was as
necessary to religious belief as a back
bone to the human frame. A creed as he
understood It, he said, is definite set OF
truths. Whit is wanted is a creed which
contains the simple truths of Christianity
and not mer e human interpretations. The
Apostles Greed, he said, summed up all
that was n ecessary for Christian belief.
The world as weary of man-made creeds.
ITO learn .of God / go to Jesus Christ,
his exquisite Interpretation. l know what
God is beca' use 1 know what Jesus Christ
was / wan facts about my own human
nature not assertions about foreordina-
ton and pre- destination to everlasting pun
ishment. / do nos believe that we are to-
tally deprav ed beings by natural inherit
ance. Ii is a reflection upon our fathers
and mothers to hold such a belief. There
is no inheri ted total depravity. Human
nature is a b lending of good and evil, with
tendencies w aich may be developed in
either direoth )ns. We know when we sin
because sin Z uts a man out of harmony
with himself and out of harmony with
God. Belief i God the Father, in Christ
His Son. am the forgiveness of sin
through Him are all contained in this
creed which tn e world needs. and to which
the world is coming The old creeds are
being put away and the simple truths Of
Christianity ane being preached
The results OF this return to the simp,a
truths of early Christianity would oe
demonstrated, Mr.. Strong said, in the
work of the chu rch for humanity. As an
instance of wha / is already being done
he spoke of ST. Bartholomew Church in
New York and il S year book of 377 pages
giving q report of the activities of thai
parish for the last year This report
showed that the church he expended dur
ing the year $225.070, of which $4,000 was
spent on the church itself and the re-
mainder in work chiefly in the slums OF
New York, among all Glasses of people
without distinction of race or creed TlEs
work included the maintenance of num-
Der of different schools and institutions
| for the instruction end uplifting OF the
poor, social organ citations and loan shops
to save them from the eXactions of the
pawn shops.
| when the Son of Man returns to
EARTH" said Mr.. Strong, in conclusion
He will find the human made dogmas
have passed away I'D that only the sweet
and simple truths of the Christianity of
Christ prevail"