The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-03-23
Mr.. LOHIHER'S Trial
viii Begin at Arkansas City
Next Wednesday.
FULL TEXT OF CHARGES
With a Review of Belief Held
by Defendant.


The Eagle is in receipt Of the fun text
Of the heresy charges preferred against
Rev. Granville Lowther pastor Of the
Methodist chuch at Mcpherson. with more
elaborate details Of the views held by
the reverent gentlemen than were mem
/ toned in the Associated Press dis
patches
The conference at which the charges
! viii be heard and the case tried WiH be
/ opened at Arkansas city next Wcdnes-
/ day and the proceedings VIII De of much
! interest One well acquainted with Mr..
/ Lowther writes the following about his
| scripturai position:
AIr. LOwther Is a 'Theistic Evolution
! list" and believes that in religion as wei
/ as in world building. God is proceeding
| from lower 10 higher forms, and that his
/ process must continue in the future as it
! has In the past Tie believes that every
/ torn OF religious life is q preparation foI
! something higher and that no age or race
/ can compass the whole range Of absolute
and infinite truth. bat that the tendency
! Of thought must ever be in that Glrec-
ton. Creeds are valuable as landmarks
showing the progress Of the race. but no
age can formulate q creed that wiz eN-
press truth il has not discovered. Creejs
should therefore be revised: not because
truth changes bur because or concep-
TONS Of truth change. Just as Whei. the
laws OF graVitati0n were discovered the
text books iii the schools had to be
changed to conform to known Laws, so
when evolution is accepted as q philo~
sophy Of life the creeds must be revised.
The conflict between the real and ideal
is an effort to throw oil dead matter and
take ca new life To cling too long to
the old means retrogression, degenera-
ton, fossiiizauon. To accept the ideal is
to be led bv the Spirit of God" and
means progression, regeneration, rejuve-
nation such a church viii live forever.
The church that takes the opposite course
viii die. Every generation should be free
TO follow the truth as il is discovered
10 il, rather than To be compelled TO ac-
cept without restatement or revision the
concepts Of past generations with all their
errors This lack of freedom for the soul
is like coulpressing a ladies waist i'm cor
sets to compel il to grow according to 4
certain fashionable ideal; or wrapping a
Chinese infants foot in bandages; or
binding a board upon the skull of a fat
head Indian. So religion can never reach
the fullness Of naturalness until it is free
from fear Of persecution Ter its highest
and hottest concepts.
Mr. Lowther has been identified for sew,
eral years with the Kansas State Holt
ness association as president because ha
believed it led many to deeper consecra-
tiou and to accept a higher religious life
he is believer in the New Thought
movement as contained in the best eX-
pressions of religious life known today
He believes that the temptation of Eve
as described in Genesis. was subtle de-
ceptive, serpentine That the language of
primitive AGES was picture language and
that the serpentne methods Of the temp
ter were expressed by the picture of
serpent and that thus the story OF Satan
i'm the form of q serpent gained currency.
He believes that there were others OF the
same race besides Adam and Eve. and
that this pair were the pair to come into
consciousness Of their divine origin and
the indwelling of Cod
lie believes the at0neneuv was not to
dispose God TO save Us, for Infinite love
could not be otherwise disposed But that
it was to dispose man 70 love God. The
life Of Christ was TO show the possibility
Of divinity i'm humanity. The death of
Christ was au example tn show how man
is to suffer Cor man. Vicari0us sacrifice
10 bring man 10 the onsciousness Of
truth. divinity ina humanity and the race
divine brotherhood. IIC believes the
martyrs Of an ages have contributed VIE
cariously to bring the race into atone
meut with Cod and that the true follow
ers of Christ should be wilkins to suffer
and die for man
He believes that the next step IN the
evolution of government IS cooperative,
rather than competitive. and that only
through this iGea can the race be saved
from the self-iestructive strifes cngen-
dered ly wars. castles. class struggles /
and selGshness.
The charges ir details are rs follows:
TO the Presiding Bishop ana Members OF
the Southwest Kansas Annual Confer
eDcc-
The undersigned. a member Of the
church respectfully represents % yod that
Rev q. Lovther. member of the south
west Kansas Conference. mas been ruiftv
of diss minatng doctrines contrary 70 1
and suhversire of the doctrines of the
Methodist Episcopal church and i1 be-
half ~ YOU ! Submit TO you the following
charge of hersey
CHARGE lIEPSEY