Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-20

i
the raising of the son of the widow OF
Main by Jesus recalls the story of the
raising of the Shunamnite woman by
| Elisha.
The legendary element is as OBJ
vious and as indisputable in the new
testament as in the DID,
| Professor Pearson argues further
| that the bible is marked everywhere
by human individuality, and the diff
ferences in substance and style in the
books of the bible correspond to the
| differences in the temperaments and
opinions of the writer's of the respect
i've books.
Johns gospel differs from Marks
because the intellectual and spiritual
endowments of those who wrote them
We're different" he says.
How did God communicate the
contents of the book to man" the pro-
fessor asks. Nobody maintains that
he handed parchment scroll down
| from heaven. The ten command
ments were, indeed, said to have been
written by the finger of God or tablets
of stone. If this language is not figur-
alive it is legendary and incredible,
and no similar claim is made for any
other part of the bible.
Did God speak the words so loud
that they came to the outward ear
| like telephone message? Surely no
reverent and intelligent man will &C
cept these views. No book, no chap
| ter, no verse, no word in the bible was
ever so communicated.
God is q spirit, and speaks to man
f,.;< ynf,-tf ri n
truth comes to man thru his brain
and conscience, and one man receieys
more and another less. because Of the
differences in the hearts, and minds.
and wills of men,"
Every message from heaven comes
to US colored, and shaped, and limited
by some mans personality, Professor
Pearson argues, and must be discard
ed, or altered, or supplemented. ac-
cording to the new knowledge and the
new needs of men.
Those who perceive that this is
true he says, have no difficulty with
any passage of the bible. What is
now a scientific error was once a
scientific advance.
Such view relieves the churches of
the present day from the responsible
ity for the odium attached to the pas
sages enjoining war of extermina-
ton, the slaughter of whole nations,
men, women and children, the killing
Of prophets and reformers; slavery
the polygamy of Jacob. David, Solo
mon. and other patriarchs and proph-
cts; the refusal of divorce for drunk
enness, cruelty. or desertion; and the
passages on the nature and status of
women.
The great spiritual teachings of
the bible rest upon absolute anu
eternal truth. but its history and
science are often erroneous and always
imperfect. Spiritual revelation in the
present scientific age must be based
preston of truth, if persisted in, be-
comes imposture. and leads to the de-
cay and death of any church that per-
mits 1t.
The miracles spoken of, once a
help. are now a hindrance. 1t is the
lcowardly refusal of the churches to
admit patent facts that has brought
about their present deplorable con-
dition, and the low moral state of the
nation that depends on them for
| guidance.
1T will be objected that this is the
iinfidels' view of miracles. What then !?
Wise men will accept the truth from
any source. If Christians were more
ready to learn from infidels. when the
infidels are right, there would soon be
less of infidelity in the world"
After declaring that present
preaching is evasive. present Sunday
school teaching in inadequate and al
most farcical," Professor Pearson con-
cludes with the statement:
IF the church of today is to control
the business men of today it must
meet them fairly upon the plane of
their intelligence