The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-05-11
NAME OF THE CHURCH
SHOULD NOT BE CHANGED
DR.. McKim Opposes Elimi-
nation of protestant"
DESIGNATION APPROPRIATE
Indicates Line Dividing Anglican Church
From Romanism as Well as
Other Protestants.


81 have no apology to make for the
name of my mother church." said the
Rev DR.. Randolph H McKim in his ser
mon at Epiphany Church yesterday DR..
! McKim spoke on the movement 10
! change the name of the Protestant Epis-
ocpal Church, and strongly protested
| against any departure from the title
! OF the past.
| The text was from Acts, lx:23, The
! Holy Ghost witnesseth in avery city"
| Dr. McKim said the Greek word trans
| lated "witnesseth" was the word pro
| testatur' in the Vulgate translation,
from which the noun protestant came
| into our language. Entering into dis
| cussion of the true meaning of this WORD
DR.. McKim showed that the protestant
or witness was one who stood firm for
| the truth. It was not a meaningless
term. but one full of significance, an
| honored name expressive of conflict,
sturdy courage, and victory. The name
! Protestant" was banner that had
| Aoated proudly over iIlustrious leaders
! from Bishop White and Bishop Seahury
i to Bishop Brooks and Bishop Whipple.
| Dr. McKim argued there was special
fitness in the relation Of the name to
the principles of the church. The fathers
of the church. great and wise men. had
written the name in the prayer book
| with full knowledge of what they were
doing. They had considered well. and
it was incredible they had made mis-
take. The church was Episcopal as dis
tinguished from Presbyterian, Indepen-
dent, or Congregational.
Name Shows It's Attitude.
1t was a Protestant Episcopal Church
as distinguished from the PapaI Episco-
pal Church. The name presented to the
world the exact attitude of -he church
toward Rome, on the one hand. and the
Protestant churches. on the other.
Among all the names suggested. since
1877 there was not one which so truly
described the ecclesiastical ard doe
trinaI position of the church.
Appealing TO the teachings of the
fathers of the church, DR.. Mchim said
they were Protestants to the backbone.
The English Church was in their eyes
Protestant Church. They knew her his
tory. They were familiar with her
Protestant traditions. They had some
acquaintance with her great d1vines,
and they knew that from Cranmer to
Stillingfeet and Butler those illustrious
English theoIogians had maintained the
Protestant position of the Church of
England. They knew that those great
bishops and diyines Of the Caroline
period, who are the glory and the boast
of the Church of England for learning
and for eloquence-Jeremy Taylor. Bish-
op Bull. DR.. Barrow. Bishop Hall.
Bishop Bramhall, Bishop Cosin, Bishop
Andrewes-were all uncompromising in
their defense Of the Protestant charac-
ter of the Church of England. Even
Archbishop Laud avowed that he died in
the Protestant faith.
DR.. McKim characterized the objec-
tions to the name OF the church as dis
like of the doctrines the word stood for.
The present name did not unchurch
other Christian bodies except the
Church of Rome. Here was the key to
the present agitation. 1t betokened
radical and fundamental change in the
attitude of the church on the two issues
of professionalism and episcopacy.
Errors of Romanism.
One wing of the Church had been
trained to think lightly of the errors OF
RomanIsm. For that reason DR.. McKim
opposed it. Beginning a quarter of
century ago, men in the church had
taught private confession and absolu-
ton as the normal method of realizing
forgiveness; fasting communion as NOR
ally obligatory; seven sacraments, not
two; Eucharistic alteration; invocation
Of saints; purgatory; the objective pres
ence of the body OF Christ; the blood of
Christ in the elements, and reservation
of the sacrament These were essen
TALLY Roman Catholic and not Protes-
tant doctrines. II was drift to Ca
tholicism, and not steedfast adherence
to the true principles of the Protestant
Church.
DR.. McKim declared that those who
opposed the change in name stood where
the fathers stood, in noble company
The Anglican Church would not thus
drift from it's moorings- There would
be a reaction sharp and decisive. It had
already begun, and the church would
emerge with no change of doctrine and