The Indianapolis journal., 1902-08-31
METHODISM AND MUNKALL.
Church still i'm Good Condition in
Spite of Evangelist.
New York Tribune.

New YORK Tribune.
The Methodist Church will probably be
surprised to learn that it is in a parlous
state, in a serious crisis, and in danger Of
lapsing into open infidelity and the ever
lasting bow-wows. Such tidngs will be
unwelcome to the subject and object of
them, and they are by no means agreeable
to convey. But stern duty constrains us;
and, indeed, we are not sure that such
delicacy and forbearance are required in
reading the riot act 10 an organization
which has so far fallen from grace as to
put spires upon and choirs into its churches
and thus to worship God in the beauty of
art and architecture as well as of holiness.
When to this we add that many of its
teachers and preachers have actually TAX
en- to employing scientific methods of study
and research, and esteem the highest at
tainments of the human intellect as not
inappropriate for the service of God, we
indicate pretty completely the scope of the
indictment which is framed against the
Methodist Episcopal Church by its critic-in-
chief, and which is here and there eagerly
echoed in non-if not anti-Methodistic
quarters.
The authority for this arraignment of
Methodism is a certain Mr.. Munhall, who
will be remembered as having formerly
been a provincial dentist, and who has in
recent years industriously striven to at
tain some vogue as professional revival
list" and Biblical eXpounder of the ultra
him the Rev DR.. Munhall, and seem to
regard him as an authority on Methodist
doctrine ana polity 1t is strange that
they should do so, for, of course. his au-
thority would be far greater outside the
official ranks of that church than within
them; just as the apostle Of de sun do
move" had his chief strength in his entire
enforcement from astronomical science.
That, however, Is a side issue. The point
of chief interest is that Mr.. Munhall says
there is crisis in Methodismi that many
Iath f9te arag ttrtt inn hn a
forming to its fashions; that a large ma
iority Of the teachers in Leading Methodist
institutions of learning deny the infallible
authority of the Bible, and that as result
there is comparatively little increase i'm the
membership OF the church.
All of which would be very dreadful If IL
were true. Perhaps it is dreadful TO have
Mr.. Munhall think IL is true, If he really
does so; dreadful, that is TO say. for Mr..
Munhalls peace OF mind and ease of diges-
ton. We must confess however that there
is no indication OF our Methodist brethrens
sitting W o. nights I'm worriment over ii.
They seem to think that In offering TO their
Creator the best that is at their command
In art and architecture and scholarship
they are laying before Him a not unac-
ceptable tribute. They seem 10 prefer the
earnest, profound and reverent intellectual
culture OF such schools as Wesleyan and
Boston universities TO that represented by
the estmable Dopper, who insisted that
the devil must have horns and cloven hoofs
and barbed tail because a picture In his
family Bible thus represented him, and,
of course that book must have been infal-
libby inspired from lid 10 lid. II is even
rumored that there are Methodsts who
think that a church which has within the
memory of men OF middle age grown from
10 900 TO 27000 congregations. from 923 900
to nearly 100000 members, from 900 TO
more than 100000 Sunday-school scholars,
is not quite In danger OF immediate cx-
tincuon. OF course. IL has not with all
these things, the approval OF Mr.. Munhall,
which Is very sad. We should say Il is
amusing were it not that Mr.. Munhall
probably thinks nothing connected with a
church should be regarded as amusing. So
we repeat that it is very sad. But we should
not be n bit surprised II the Methodist
Church survived IL and continued 10 do
pretty well, thank you, in spite OF the
crisis OF Mr.. Munhal