The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-28
C8RisTIANITY WIN OUT DOGMA.
A Correspondent Takes Issus with n POSI-
ton lie Attributes to "The SUM-"

A Corrsspondsut AXE Issue with n POSI-
ton lie Attributes to Tho sum-"
To THE EpIroR OF The SuS-Sir: My at
tention has been called to an editorial on Two
Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Churches" appear
ing in THE Sun Of Jan. 10. and my sense OF
what should be candor on the part OF any one
who seeks to influence public opinion Is 30
fagrantly outraged that dare-though WIN
a good deal OF hesitation. | confess-to email
lenge some OF your statements. DO fair. my
friend. be fair. Speclousness Is the dema-
gogue's art.
To the point, then. You say Believer Is the
watchword OF religion; provcI is the &C.
mand OF science" Let mt invite you to pom
der a bit OF Scripture. which a doughty liberal
once wrote on the subject Of religion: Prove
all things: hold fast that which IL good
Christianity in your conception is tho a0dlca-
ton OF reason. You would exercise Its critical
spirit. Not 40 the sacred writers. Hear them.
Come. now let US reason together" Let
every man have q reason for the hope ma Is
within him. Prove all things" and 80 on.
Jesus, the founder OF the Christian religion.
never appealed to credulity. Your gospel OF be-
lief Is faiths counterfeit. Its legitimate
fruits are credullty. superstition. the tyrannous
blight Of dogmatism. priest. ridden abIectness.
and In the end the rankest and most blatant
inldelity. The historical spirit. the critical
| spirit, the scientific spirit-call II what you VIII
| and try 1t as you willis OF God. because It Is
implanted fundamentally and eternaly In
mans deepest nature. and because the progress
OF the race lies as a germ EMBODIED within 1t.
Christianity is not being betrayed to Its enc.
| mics by admitting this spirit into the citadel OF
ita power: rather. we may say. the denial OF
| the critical spirit has always been the rent In
| its muniments through which a whole troop OF
| wooden horses. en- bowelled with simple or
subtle questions. has been introduced to the
disarmtng OF the garrison and the Gripping OF
its vt The spirit Of Investigation Is the
genius OF modern thought. Christian thought
| cannot escape the fundamental law OF thought
itself. and 1t is more and more allgning Itself
on the side Of truth, not on the side OF dogma.
Now. you say. this application OF q critical
method has "stim ulated widespread doubt
and denial within the Church itself" think
II would be idle to deny that dogmatic Christi
anity has been riddled and shattered, as 1t de-
served TO be. In order that what Is real and
true in Christianity might appear. The faith
Of the Church Ia crystallizing about essentials.
| Did you never read There lives more faith 10
honest doubt than in half your creeds5'
I attended last Sunday evening at Cooper
Institute in New York one OF the most inspir-
ing II religious meetings an auditorium
crowded IN every part mostly with men. and
men. too. who were not OF the church-going
class: an address by one or your eminent
clerEymen, the Rev. DR., 7, y. Sl,cer. on, Re
! ligion Reduced L. Its Simplest Terms" and.
after the address. questions for an hour hythat
audience OF workinemen. was IMPRESSED
Congregational Council in. Boston last Sep.
tember. where vast crowds filled fremont
Temple for days to listen TO theological napers.
with the thought that thi- Is q Teilg,ons
assembly. Of some thlnly attended Christian
churches whore I had worshipped In the after
noon, and whsI. the pote h o. 1ncTmrrom an 1sdinff
made M my mind that there lived. indeed,
more ia tn in the ~verities OF religion among
the ~sceptical classes outside the Chprch man
IL found among the ranks Of hose who rather
superaclally accept the traditional dognas.
The loss Of the Church In dogmatic assumr-
ton will be. believe me. L. gain In earnest
ness Of. spirit. BY attaching importance to
dognatic trifies the Church has o%bscured the
idea NJ religion-the Transformation OF char
acter salvation into the measure OF the Ideals
And now permit me TO say one word more IN
conclusion. The whole tone o., your assaul.
upon the constructive work OF the reyerrnt
critical spirit Is summed mp In your closing
sentences. the snapper Of the whip. The
sceptics more and more are not going to
church at all. No preaching can draw them"
Well. in the first place, that Is not true; soms
preaching can draw" them. or Jesus ChrtSt's
word IL impeached and YOU are guilty OF ma
will irdir ali mor unto me-" The preaching OF
Jesus Christ, rot dogma. not sect. not econ
omic licta. not '~evangelical' systems OF belief
has ALWAYS Ira wn men. and will always draw
TO the end OF time. But. in the second place,
the i'm ~rlication OF your taunt is that the opera
ton OF the critical spirit within the Church Il
rather 10 the direction o. catering to the lntei
lectual classes than In that Of squaring itseli
with truth. | believe myself that i Is per.
fectly legitimate to try and save the soul
transform into Christian ideals me character
dogma as far as possible, but nerer by the adult
~teration Of truth. The critical movement
within the Church ia not TO rarity but to clarifI
truth; not to a%ttanuate, but to accentuate It.
LENox, Mass. Jan. 10. K. De W. MALLAnr