West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1902-01-30
"THE WORD OF GOD
or NONE EFFECT."
Methodist Professor Makes an Attack
Upon The Bible Miracles.

Prof. Charles W. Pearson, professor Of
English literature in the Northwestern Uni-
versity, has created a storm in that home Of
Me,hodism by an attack on Bible miracles.
lie says;
'Jesus told the Sc,ibss and Pharisees that
they had made Phe word Of God Of none
efec, through their tradition. Very many
Of ou' r,ligioes teachers Of today are doing
the same thug Modern preaching lacks
truth and power because SO many churches
cling to The utterly un,euable tradition lha,
the Bible is an infallib,e book.
"lf theolosians wish 10 regain their lost
intellectual leadership, or even to possess an
influence ON the thoughtful par, OF the COM
munly eo,ordina,e with that Of poets, phil
osophers and men of science, they mus,
throw aside the dogmss of an ,nfamblc
Bible as completely and frankly as Protes,
ants have thrown aside The dogma Of an in
falible Pope
Some Of The miracles which Prof. Pearson
says a sane person cannot believe are:
The feeding of Elijah by the ravens
Elijah shifting and dividing the waters
with his mantle
Elijah rai.irg the dead.
Elijah multiplying cd and meal.
Elijah's power over the elements
Elisha going through. Jordan dryshod
Elisha making iron TO iloat
Elisha making the widows po, Of oil TO
fll many vessels.
Elisha raising the dead
Jesus feeding the multitude
Jesus walking on the water.
Opening of gates ''of their own accord"
for Peter.
Three cast into fiery furnace ana no, bur.
ned
"Not hair Of their heads was signed
neither were their Goals changed. nor the
smell Of fire had passed on them. daniel
3:z7.
"lIe must be very bold OF very igno.
ran, man who will assert that he believes
that this account is literally true, says
Prof. Pearson. cit is certainly thousand
times more probable laa, it is legend or
alIegory.
ut is impossible to draw any dividing
line between these alleged miracles in the
Old Testament and similar accounts IN the
gospels and acts Of the apostles. When
gate opens of its own accord to LEI Peter
through, we think Of The story Of Elisha and
TIE axe that he made to swim When Jesus
is represented as multiplying loayes aud
fishes TO feed Il great multitude we think Of
the widows barrel Of meal multiplied by
Elijah, and of the cruise Of oil increased by
Elisha.
"When Jesus is reported as walking ON
the Lake of Geuuesaret we think of Noes
dividing the Red Sea and Of Elijah and
Elisha cleaving the waters Of the Jordan
The story Of the raising Of the son Of the
widow Of Main by Jesus recalls the story Of
the raising Of the son Of the shunammi,e
woman by Elisha.
"The legendary element is as obvious and
ipdispulable in the New Testament as in the
Old.
"I will be objected tha, this is the inh-
del's views Of miracles. What then Wise
men will accept the truth from any source
II Christians were more ready to learn from
in6dels when the n6dels are right there
would soon be less Of iufdeiity ir the world
"Ihe Bible is the most precious Of books
It's teaching that man is the child Of God
and heir OF heaven cnollcs human life and
Is the great basis Of virtue, happiness AID
high achievement The Bible is noble
collection Of law. history biography, pre-
cept and poetry.
Prof Pearson declares that The policy of
the Methodist Church is one of inactivity.
obstruction and Jesaiucal silence on the
views IN which The leaders and scholars Of
the Church have gadually come Co believe.
but which are not held by the body Of the
Church. lie says that most Of the present
teaching is eyasiye and that most Of the
Sunday school teaching is almost farcical
and entirely inadequate
II is said that Prof Pearson may lose his
university place, be tiied for heresy and
expelled from the Methodist Church Pro-
fessors in The Divinity School Of the Chicago
University express themselves 10 strong OPP
position Go Prof Pearson Ed =. Hubert,
Dean Of the Divinity School says
"To rcjec. the supernatural is Co destroy
tie Christian religion. Every Bible student
knows that Many Of these miracles lose
the character Of miracles when studied
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