The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-04-16
CHURCH UNION.

In our last issue we took pains to show how i'm
practicable Rev. Newell Dwight Hills new process
of merging all churches into one was However i'm
practicable III its final results If may be- we should
like to see it encouraged, for the ultimate conse-
quence will be to draw all churches closer TO the
great center of unity, namely, the Catholic church
In Protestant ranks, at home as well as in Euro
pean countries, are two classes who are working in
opposite directions. Ope party is striving to unite
all their forces and present the claims of Christian
truths to the belief of the world Pressed by logi-
cal wants they now realize as did Protestants in
England during the Tractarian movement, the
necessity OF unity III matters of faith. Another
class; equally active, are the downward grade
with a tendency to infdelity. Every new develop
ment shows this infdelizing tendency Another
class, which Is indifferent to all forms of religion
has been developed from the ranks of Protestant
ISM during the last century. Their standard is ag-
Mysticism. Their principles are II do not know
and l do not care" To them religion may be all
right or all wrong. They take no part in the re-
igious struggles of controversies that may be TAX
ing place Hence they count for nothing. Rev. n
D. Hills, who is fair representative of the evan
gelcal churches, so active in striving to secure
ism in religious working would accomplish He
writes:
what an ideal is this! One noble building.
centrally situated, crowded from Sunday morning
to Saturday night church that is the center of
the social, the musical the literary and the ethical
life of the community When all the musical talent
of the community is organized and unified, music
will become great moral force When all the |
teaching forces are united the Sunday school will
again become popular. Instead of ten preachers
there ought to be three. In this church of the FIJI
ture there will be great sermon in the morning
that represents the thought and study and prayer
of six days and nights. There will be great Bible
school toward which all the families will converge
There will be a great choral service in the after
noon that will be more attractive than the park"
The ideal is grand, but the writer is counting
his chickens before they are Matched That same
grand yet logical ideal originated the Pusevite
in England in 1888 Its effects were
realized IN John Ii. Newman and his brother Fran
els w. Newman, both intellectual giants in the
Anglican church. Both were Protestants 70 tho
core, wished always to remain Protestants b,t
their logical acumen saw its insuHiciencv for tho
demands of reason, and they united with Dr. Pusev
|
irst attempt led the brothers in opposite direc
ions The elder brother, firmly believing in the
divinity of Christ and Christian truths, strove to
'rlng the Anglican church back to the original
Jhrlstlan church that was authorized and commits
Toned by Christ, to teach, baptze and save souls.
10 prove that it retained the original commission
vas beyond all his reasoning power. He saw clearly
here was a missing link, and to realize his cher
shed wish he was compelled to go to Rome He be- :
anne Catholic and soon became a prince of the
'hurch. The younger brother followed Protestant !
rnciples to their logical conclusion These prin-
lpleS, which meant a denial of all supreme or d.
inc authority, and rejection of the sacraments.
laced Francis W. Newman in the opposite ex
'eme from Cardinal Newman, namely in the ranks
t the infdezing party in England. When the
xford movement took place, both brothers were
ncere in their determined efforts to bring order
ut Of chaos. The elder brother convinced Of tbe :
nth OF Christianity, resolved to remain Chris g
an. To remain a Christian and be consistent with
S logical mind there was no alternative for him E