The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1902-02-22
PEARSON'S
ALLEGED
HERESY
Sensation Created In the N.
E. Church.
Opinions of the Religious and
Secular Press.

son, head Of the department OF English
literature in the Northwestern Univer.
sity (Methodst) at Evanston, H., con
tlnues. Zion's Herald Boston, Metho-
dlst Episcopal) declares that this is "the
worst case Of heresy that we have ever
known in the Methodist Episcopal
church, II not, indeed, in any orthodox
body" He mot only eliminates
everything that is supernatural, but
accuses every minister and Bible
teacher Of rank hypocrisy" The same
paper says further:
"There can be no condonation Of hie
deliberate and libelous utterances. Be.
cause Of his brutal assaults upon the
verities Of Scripture, upon the person
and supernatural work OF Jesus Christ,
upon the Methodist Episcopal church
aud It's believing multitudes at home
and In the foreign field, we uneqnivo-
cslly demand his dismissal from his
proiessorship. The Methodist Episcopal
church allows marked tolerance In in
dividual opinion on non-esaentials, but
II has no place in its fold for any man
who attacks the very citadel OF its faith.
Let the institution Immediately purge
itself Of the unbearable reproach which
this man has brought upon il, and upon
the denomination at large"
Several Chicago pastors have preached
sermons on the subject, and az one OF
the weekly meetings Of the Methodist
ministers Of Chicago, a presiding elder,
the Rev. r.. A. Hardin, is reported TO
have said: "If I had the power and
ability. would skin that man, salt his
hide, and tack IL on the barn door, before
the ordinary preacher could sharpen his
iackkniie on his bootleg" He further
expressed the unministerial desire to
"stand him on his head and pour vine-
gar into both ears, and let him remain
that way until he got some sense" Com.
menting ON these and similar amenities,
the Chicago Tribune remarks, in harmo-
niOus vein:
"When Professor Pearson Of North
western university left his own peaceful
domain OF English literature, where he
was kind Of priest TO the muses. in gen
eral and dwelt "in regions mild, of calm
and serene air" IL was rather uniortu-
nate that Of all the foreign fields into
which he might have strayed no should
have chosen that particular one in which
hard knocks are most TO be had and in
which only the trained conversatonalist
10 likely to escape being torn TO pieces.
This ia the point upon which Professor
Pearson should be commiserated. lie
has gone into fight where the amateur
is usually unhorsed and stamped into
the mud"
Professor Pearson's chief ofieuse, ,as ex. |
planned In The Literary Digeat, ia his |
published statement that biblical in
iallibility is superstitious and hurtiul
tradition" and that the miracle OF both
Old and New Testaments are "mere po-
etic iancIes, incredible and untrue" The
stories Of the dery furnace, the ravens"
OF Elijah, and the dividing of tho waters
are declared TO be "crude and childish
legends" ~ are also the miraculous sto
rice Of the New Testament In consider
Ing tho claim made for divine author
ship OF tho Bible, he says: "The ten
commandments were said 20 have been
written by the finger Of God on tablets OF |
stone. II this language is not tiguratiye,
II is legendary and Incredible, aud no
similar claim Is made for any other part |
OF the Bible" lie bases his opposition |
to the miraculous npon his belief that
"God 10 spirit aud speaks TO man as a
spirit and through the spirit" and that
"all spiritual truth comes TO man
through his brain and conscience" The
following is considered the most objec-
tionable paragraph In his paper;
Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees
that they had made the word OF God Of
none effect through thsir tradition.
Very many Of our religious teachers Of
today are doing tho same thing Modern
preaching lacks truth aud power be-
cause 80 many churches cling to the at.
t,rly untenable tradition that the Bible
is an iniallible book. This dogma is
their besetting sin. IL is the golden cali
OF their idolatrous worship Il is the
palpable lie that gives the ring Of in
sincerity to all their moral oN Nhortatious. "
The Christian Advocate New York, |
the official organ OF the Methodist Rpis-
coPal church, judges Professor Pearson's
case no less severely than does lions
Herald. la an editorial article, bearing
the title "A Momentous Issue" Il de-
olares;
"EltheT Professor Pearson believes
what he has printed or no docs noti II
he does, his sentiments disQualiy him
for the position there, II he does not
believe, his indiscIe,ion disQualides him.
Any claim from any quarter that he
should remain impeaehes either his
sense or his morality,
III professors avowing such views are
TO be retained Ia Methodist Institutions,
even Al the price Of silence hereafter
since without explicit relraetion their
mere presence thaFe will be perpetual
reatirmalion OF those views then among
the chief foes Of the Methodist Episo-
pal church must be counted officers re-
sponsible for such retention"
The Advance Chicago, Congsega-
liOnan remarka that IA aaaf,s Ii,,st -. l