Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-09-07

Rev. DR.. j. Spencer Kennard, which is
prefaced by q memorial. DIR. Kennardi
was q Methodist minister in Chicago.
and seems to have criticised Mr.. Beech
er's position, his sermon being reported
in the daily papers Mr.. Beecher, who.
was then in the city, wrote the follow
ing letter, which we do not remember
to have seen in print before this volume
was issued:
Dear Sir: have read your reported
sermon, delivered yesterday, with great
interest. 1 have to thank you for your
Kindness of feeling manifested and the
absence Of that rigor of orthodoxy
which seems to be but covert form of
saying damn you But am not say
ing this as an expression of surprise.
One would have expected this excellent
spirit in you. But the point of my
qualification is. that the time has come
for an honest discussion Of the views
of the old and the new theology. If
conducted in Christian spirit, good can
not but come out of it. 1t Is hardly to
be expected that either side will have a
whole victory But another generation
will find itself upon higher level
Allow me to say of my own position,
evangelical as to the facts and sub
stance of the Christian religion; but,
equally WE'LL know that am not or
thodox as to the philosophy which has
hitherto been applied to those facts.
am cordial Christian evolutionist.
do not agree, by any means, with all of
Spencer-his agnosticism-nor all of
Huxley, Tyndall, and their school. They
But I am an evolutionist, and that
strikes at the root of al mediaeval and
orthodox modern theology-the fall of
man in Adam. the inheritance by his
posterity of his guilt and in conse-
quence, any such view of atonement as
has been constructed to merit this fab
ulous disaster. Men have not fallen as
a race. Men have come up. No great
disaster met the race at the start. The
creative decree of God was fulfilled.
Any theory of atonement must be one
which shall meet the fact that man was
created at the lowest point. and. as
believe, is. as to his physical being,
evolved from the animal race below
him, but, as to his moral and spiritual
nature, is a son of God. a new element
having come in, in the great movement
of evolution, at the point of mans APP
pearance.
| Man is universally sinful-not by ma
ture. but by voluntary violation of
known laws. In other words, the AMI
NAL passions of man have proved to be
too strong for his moral and spiritual
nature. Paul's double man, the old
man and the new man, is a grand ex-
position of the doctrine of sln-especial-
| ly in seventh of Romans. But enough
OF this. am not in my preaching at
lacking orthodoxy. 1 belong to this
wing Of the Christian army. But can
not get my own views out, except by a
comparison of them to the disadvantage
of the standardsviews. Ito any seem
to bring wit and humor to an irrever-
ent use, i can only say. do it because
l can not help it, So things come to me,
so I must express them-but not as a
sneer. or scott. tho often with impetuous
feeling and With open mirth.
| My life is drawing to an end A few
more working years only have I left.
No one can express the earnestness
which feel that. in the advance of
science. which will inevitably sweep
away much rubbish from the beliefs OF
men. a. place may be found for high
err spirituality-for a belief that shall