The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-09-21
PRESBYTERIANS To
DEDICATE CHURCH
Cumberland Church Free OF
Debt and Prospering
DR.. WEAR TO PREACH
Cumberland Presbyterlans Take Their
Name From the Cumberland Plateau
In Tennessee, Where the
Church Was Founded

The First Cumberland Presbyterian
church at the corner of Fifth avenue and
Eighteenth street. which was recently
freed from debt. will be formally dedicat-
ed today, the services beginning at II
o'clock. The music will be of a high or
der and will include an anthem and
TIE Deum. The Rev R. D. Wear of Mis-
sissippi, former pastor of the church.
will preach the dedication sermon.
Concerning the early history of the
Cumberland denomination the following
extract from the directory published by
the First church will be of interest:
History of Church.
THE Cumberland Presbyterian church
dates back to the year 1910. when three
ordained ministers of the Presbyterian
church In Dixon county, Tennessee, bold
ly asserted that the Westminster con-
fession of faith taught the doctrine Of
unconditional election and cruel and iron
clad fatality. while they believe that sal
walton was free through Jesus Christ to
every man that believed 1t was held by
the adherents of the old form of Presby
terianism that the real point of difference
was the education of the clergy-the old
church requiring it, and the dissenters
doing without preparation for the minis
try in literary sense. The Cumberlands
required a regular specified curriculum in
preparation for the gospel ministry.
THE Cumberlands claim to occupy a
middle ground between ultra-Armenian-
ism on the one side and -Clavinism
on the ether. They avoid the doctrine
of predestination in its broadcast sense.
ard they likewise hold to the doctrine of
salvation by faith alone. The pioneers
were FINS Ewing Samuel Kink and
Samuel McAdoo, the Presbyterian min
listers who are directly responsible for the
Cumberland form of Presbyterianism.
These were hardy pioneer preachers of
the Cumberland region In Tennessee, and
the sect they founded today bears the
name of the valley in which these hardy
preachers first taught Presbyterians that
there was something wrong In their way
of thinking, with the inexorabeness of
Calvinism.
Has Five Colleges.
1.-THE Cumberland Presbyterian church
points with pride to some of the tents
theological and literary colleges In the
country, operated under its auspices The
most famous of these is the University at
Lebanon, Tenn. with its three depart
nents. literature, theology and law. This
university turns out every year from sew
enty FIVE to ninety graduates In law. In
fact. that at one time one-third of the
lawyers In congress were the graduates
of Cumberland university"
The First Cumberland Presbyterian
church of this city was organized in 1871
by the Rev. Mr.. Stephenson. under whose
pastorate a small frame building was
erected on the site which Is now occupied
by the present handsome brick edifice.
Between 1871 and 1887 the church had
number of pastors. In 1887 the Rev r. ].
Tyler was called and served the congre-
cation six years. His work was charac-
terized by great energy which resulted in
a strong membership. 1t was during Mr..
Wears pastorate that the building now
to be dedicated was started and complet-
cd. The present pastor is the Rev. l. D.
Steele, one of the most eloquent and
earnest ministers of Birmingham.