The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-20
STRIKING RELIGIOUS
HAPPENINGS OF A YEAR
Unrest in Conditions and the De
nominational Union Move
men. the Features.
In the Consolidation of Church
Boards-Methodists Again Stir
red up Over Discipline.
snecial 10 the Indiananolis Iournal.

mas season is always devoted exclusively
to local affairs. The striking things about
Christianity during the last twelvemonth
are movement and change. Unrest every
where prevails. 1t is an unrest Of condi-
TONS not unrest of faith. Heresy APP
pears in no direction, In spite of the recent
Methodist furry. Among Protestants the
movement took the form OF unity plans,
and among Roman Catholics it came in with
a new Pope, who is showing progressive and
liberal ideas. Both of these movements,
the one Protestant and the other Roman
Catholic. are vital at the very end of the
year, and seem certain to affect conditions
for many months to come. Within week
Presby terrain bodies made substantial pro-
gress towards obliteration of differences
There was shown sanity among the nego-
tiators that was at once refreshing and
encouraging. The bodies were Presbyter-
ians North, Covenanters, the Dutch branch
of the Reformed Church and United Presby-
tsrians. Resolutions were adopted invft-
4eother bodies of similar names to enter
regular Presbyterians even further steps
Were taken looking to organic union.
1T the end Of the year, also, Bap-
lists take positive ground in favor of unity
This ground is to form the basis of COM
mon work by Baptists North and South.
A committee has just been named with the
Rev. DR.. George e. Horn, of Boston, as
chairman. to secure, if possible. a joint
meeting of the missionary societies of the
| white Baptists of the North and the South
| Baptist conventions. in Washington, in
| 1905. There doctrinal differences be-
tween these two Baptist households, but
| they are differences no greater than exist
groups of Baptists South. Not since 1916
! have Baptist missionary societies held COM
| mon meetings, unless meeting of Baptist
young peoples societies can be said to rep
| resent these bodies. Representing an
even larger number of Christians are the
| efforts recently made to bring Lutherans
| together. The conference held this year
was called free one, and officially bound
| nobody, but il had a tremendous result In
| the change of sentiment that ii has brought
| about in the Lutheran bodies. Paving the
way toward common American, Lutheran
| ism are editions OF service books now pre-
pairing. The initial Free Lutheran confer
ence was held in Chicago a few months
since and another and similar conference
| has been appointed TO meet in Detroit early
1 in the new year.
Quite as striking incident of the year was
| the union move made by Congregationalists.
| Methodist Protestant and United Brethren.
| At the first conference of representatives Of
| these bodies the New Englanders took a
1 top-lofty stand which came near defeating
the whole matter, but at the second con-
ference better feeling prevailed. Recogni-
| tion was had of the fact that all three
bodies are essentially the same in doctrine,
| and that while they are different in gov
| eminent, nothing prevents changes on the
| part of each to adapt itself to the others.
/ Where Congrega tionalists are strong the
! other bodies hardly exist at all, and where
| Methodist Protestants are strong, Congre-
/ gationalists are few. United Brethren over
| lap geographically to some extent. Leaders
| in all three bodies are most pronounced in
| their conviction that union is possible, and
! the memberships of all of them are COM
| ing to understand matters and to favor
the plan. Substantial progress has been
made, and as with the Presbyterian nego-
| tiations, there is a sanity among the con-
| ferrees not seen in leaders in religious
bodies In previous years.
Pope Plus X has just taken the most Sig
nifcant step of his pontiicate. About five
i years ago it was proposed to Pope Leo XIII
that there be issued from the Vatican press
a cheap edition of the gospels, and that the
same be generally sold. The proposition
was at once called unusual and defeated.
One enemy of the project charged that it
was made in the interest of a certain
| printer. The then Pope appointed a COM
mission, with Cardinal M0cenni at Its head,
and Monsignor Della Chiesa as secretary,
came TO be known as the st. Jerome Com
mission. Ii has just completed its task
and Pope Plus , sg {sal his pontiheat t
work and authorizing the manufacture by
| the Vatican presses and sale throughout
Italy and the Church of part of the Bible.
| The reason given by the Pope for his act is
that the gospels contain history. prayer
| and mediation, and all the sermons that
anybody can preach" The book, which is
consist es of the four spes end s
of the Acts Of the Apostles The incident
is especially significant as coming. in this
| Bible prize contests, themselves feature
| Of the year, offered by Miss Helen Gould.
|
On the practical side Of affairs the
| year saw two propositions of much conse-
quence. One was the consolidation of Meth
odist benevolences and the creation of three
new societies. Incidentally, it was pro-
posed also 70 remove the book concerns
from New York aAd Cincinnati, or at least
| the manufacturing parts of them, and
consolidate them, and bring about
The proposal is to create a board Of
| foreign missions. one of home missions,
| and board of education. The other prac-
teal matter was a common effort to secure
| better condition in marriage and divorce.
| The scandal, part of which is on the part of
divorced persons who remarry and part the
| act of ministers quite willing to remarry
| them, is declared no longer tolerable. Rep
| resentatives of many Protestant bodies
| have conferred and have decided: ID To
urge ministers in each body more faith
| fully TO enforce laws of their own churches
| and % 90 consider at a meeting to be held
early in the new year. comfy resolutions
| which will virtually make the laws of all
| bodies binding upon all ministers. The end
| of the negotiations is not, however, reached
when comfy has been attained. A war
upon the divorce evil that shall have many
| weapons is planned.
| Perhaps the most interesting event of
the year was the organization Of the Re-
ligious Educational Society. This move
| ment came in at the very beginning of the
| twelvemonth, and gave some old-line ortho-
| dox gentlemen a good scare. There proved,
| however TO be nothing to frighten once the
| movement was understood. Dissa tisfa ction
with the International Sunday-school les
| son scheme, and especially with disinclina-
| ton to change the scheme, was one of the
reasons for the new movement, but the lat
ter has its positive side and really aims at
better Bible study and better methods in
| religious instruction. The moving spirit in
| the society is Professor Sanders. of Yale.
but with him are many progressive leaders,
| resident both West and East In close con-
| nectiOn with this movement is the project,
| perfected during the year. of a Sunday
| next April This is enterprise that is in
| 49, of ha aforementioned ond