The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-11
Religion In the Twentieth Century

Associate Justice BREWER Of the United
States Supreme Court, in an address in
a Congregational church at Washington.
last Sunday, quoted elsewhere, predicted
that 1.-THE twentieth century will be noted
for greater unity in religious life" The
"denominational rivalry and strife OF the
| present century" he thinks, are to be sue
ceeded by Christian unity" This unity,
he explains, is to be In spirit rather than In
form-"a putting behind us as Of little
significance the minor differences OF creed
and doctrine" and "a keener and %juster
appreciation OF the means by which alone
humanity can become fit to enter the new
Paradise which one day shall dawn on
this earth
Justice BREWER speaks OF the drawing
closer together" OF the ancient enemies,
Catholicism and Professionalism" as an in
dication OF this approaching unity Of re-
ligious sentiment; but Is there practically
any evidence OF such drawing together?
Intolerance ia less than II was q century
ago. Religious discussions have lost their
old acrimony: now even believers and in
iutlN tdu III Rif l'Btlllrt uull'dDlN 40 lllt
very remarkable religious debate in THE
Sun has proved so strikingly; but has the
gulf Of sepa ration between Catholicism and
Professionalism been filled up, bridged over,
or even narrowed? Where are the two
less radical in their conflict in 1900 than
they were in 1900?
The Church Of Rome, surely, has neither
abandoned nor in any degree lessened its
claims; it still offers to Professionalism no
possibility Of unity with it, except on the
! condition Of Yielding to its authority and
rendering allegiance TO the Papal suprcm-
ary. Within a very few years the Pope,
by refusing To accept the validity OF the
Anglican orders, has practically pronounced
the whole Church of England heretical,
schismatic, and destitute OF an Apostolic
foundation for its ministry. The only
terms Rome offers in the nineteenth cen
fury are the same as those il offered In
the eighteenth c%entur..' and they will be
the same in the twentieth century-uncon-
ditional surrender.
The present Pope, LEO Kill, is not one
step closer TO Professionalism in 1900 than
was PITS VII. in 1900. Nor il Protestant
ism in its spirit. distinctive features, It's
| very genius, any closer to Catholicism now
than it was then. The strongest Protestant
tendency at present seems to be To an even
wider separation than in the past, for the
now school Of Biblical criticism. now so
powerful in Protestant theology, tends
logically 10 the exclusion Of all such SUPER
natural authority a. the Church ~ Rome
asserts. Professionalism is growing more
rather than less distinctively Protestant:
il is more insistent on the right OF private
Judgment and more intolerant Of the domi-
nation OF Church authority. Meanwhile
Catholicism insists not less stoutly on that
Reformation; IL has shown no shadow %
yielding. Individual Prot"stants, craving
such spiritual control. may pass over 10
the Church Of Rome, but Professionalism in
the exercise OF its asserted private iudg-
ment is now further from il than eyer.
Justice BREWER speaks 81 minor differ
ences OF creed and doctrine" a" of little sig
niiicancc:' but there are no such differences
between Rome and the Protestant world.
The difference is deep and radical, full OF
great significance, and. as We have said.
cannot be hridged over by any gush of
sentiment. The two can never rome to-
gether except by Professionals Yielding and
becoming Catholics or Catholics turning
into P~rotestants. You might as we'll try to
mix oil and water as to attempt to bring
these two radically conflicting and dia-
metrically and essentially opposing relig-
ious systems into harmony, without the
complete surrender Of the one TO the other;
and the twentieth century will not lessen
that impossihility by one whit.