The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-11
GOODNESS or GOD
DIR. sTRONG's SERMON UPON "THE
RENAIssANCE OF THEOLOGY"
GOD IS THE GOD OF LOVE.
LOVING KINDNESS AND NOT AvENG.
ING WRATH THE DIVINE At
TRIBUTE.

ana an Appear for More, sympa-
thetic and True Understanding OF
the Divine Essence-There Must
BE N Renaissance In Religion, as
There Has Been in Art, il the
World Is to BE Saved and Men
Brought TO Christ. ls-s-ts.s
Rev. DR.. Charles II. Strong preached
at st. Johns Church last night an ell
oquent and powerful discourse upon
1.-THE Renaissance of Theology" IT
was a plea for more sympathetic and
tender understanding of the prime at
tribute of God. the exaltation of His
goodness and loving kindness above
His power and avenging wrath.
1t was one of the most effective SER
mons DR.. Strong has ever delivered
in Savannah, finely expressive of his
own concept of the nature of God and
Of the Divine plan for the salvation
of the world 1t was a protest against
that form of theology which would
make of God an avenging ard unre-
lenting spirit.
Dir Strong's text was taken from Ro-
ltldiS, 1l'1, 4NOt hHoWluS tndt Tue
goodness of God leadeth thee to repent
ance."
Not knowing this" began the
speaker. you miss the sweetest attri-
butte of the Divine nature and the
grandest and truest inspiration of life.
If there is anything we ought to con-
denim and abhor and seek to Danish
from our minds and the world, 1t is
80 hot
tends to obscure the mercy, the loving
kindness and the goodness of God"
DIR Strong said that much is being
heard to-day of the New Theology"
and that one is likely to look upon this
form of thought as a fad of the pres
ent, to think that the great and vital
facts of the Christian religion were
given in the first instance once for all
that there can be no such thing as
a new theology. He said this was true,
but that at the same time there could
he such a thing as new :nterpreta-
ton Of old facts of religion. 1t must
be true, he said. that as knowledge ad-
vanced and science became more dill
gent in its Investigations and more &C
curate In its announced results, there
should be new interpretations of old
facts. This new Interpretation marks
The Renaissance of Theology"
You will remember" said DR.. Strong
that in the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries of our era there was a revolt
against the forms of art that for ten
centuries had obtained throughout the
world In the art of that period there
was much that was purely convention
al and much that was utterly untrue.
In our churches of that day were pic
lures of the. Christ on the cross, repre-
senting him not only as dropping, but
as dropping in the agony and despon-
| dencY of defeat.
since the fourth century there had
been no marked artistic development.
Every picture was pattern and a
model for every later one. Then came
| the time when the world returned to
| the ideals of Greek art and in the con-
temptation of the immortal master
| pieces of Pericles and Philiad learned
| again to understand the human figure
in all of it's symmetry and beauty.
| This was the renaissance of art; ii
seems to me that there is. something
| of that same nature now transpiring
| In religion 1t is somewhat peculiar
| that as in the renaissance of art the
world went back to Greek ideals OF
naturalness, power and beauty, so in
the renaissance of theology the world
returns also to Greek sources of inspi-
| ration and truth"
DR.. Strong said 1t was a matter not
generally understood that the theology
! taught in the Protestant churches OF
to-day was Latin theology and that
in the revolt against the Imperialism
of Rome a revolt against the Latir
theology had not been included. 1t is
called Latin theology, said DR.. Strong
though the authors of it lived in Africa
and not in Rome. The Latin fathers
for the most part were jewellers In
Carthage and their Interpretation oi
religion reflects the characteristics OF
that city ''Who," said DIR. Strong
"has not heard of Punic faith?"
This was not the theology of the
early church. Every book of the New
Testament was written originally In
Greek and the theology Of the early
Greek fathers bore the imprint and
expressed the beauty of the Greek life
The idea that man is born depravec
being cannot be found in the Greek
| theology, nor can there be found there
any teaching that God is cruel. 1t was
| their purpose to bring men into the
church rather by holding up to then
the beauty and the goodness of GOD
than by dwelling upon his power ano
| wrath.
II say frankly to you that it would
be impossible for me to worship III
any church where the prevalent con-
ception of God is preached. Did you
| ever attend a revival meeting where
the goodness and the mercy of God
were made the theme of. the preacher
Was it not rather the power of his
dread and avenging wrath that was
relied upon TO lead souls to salvation
Were you not told that every man was
depraved; not alone that through in
herited tendencies and the temptations
that surround him in life he had fallen
into sin. but that guilt attached tc
| him because he was of the blood OF
Adam? Were you not told in effect
that God, having failed in his original
plan for the creation OF the world, had
been compelled TO send His Son t.
save men from the consequences OF
their sins. and that the acceptance OF
the sacrifice Christ made on the cross
| was necessary to salvation? You were
told that any man who went from that
meeting who failed to accept this sac
! rifice, no matter what his life had
been, no matter how upright and
| moral, no matter II he had been a
model and an inspiration 10 the young
men who knew him. in case death
should take him away that might
would suffer in endless torment-de-
struction OF soul, mind and body. foI
| ever and ever.
Il don't wonder thas men are ire
llgious. don't wonder they find In
their own consciousness and In the
study OF science grander and noblef
| ideals than are furnished by the prev
alent conception Of God The old Latin
! theology must 90 and IL Is going. II ID
/ going because men have come 20 feel
the need Of a sweeter and Rrander and
I