The Minneapolis journal., 1904-12-24
THE CHURCHES
WHAT TO OFFER
IN PLACE OF GOD?
BISHOP 7. w. JOYCE DISCUSSES
LYMAN ABBOTT's POSITION.
He Says He Is Not Surprised, as DR..
Abbott 8 Theology Has Long Tended
in the Direction Of His Latest An
nouncement-Expects Little Effect
from It.

Bishop T. W. Joyce of the Methodist
Episcopal church in reply to request
for his opinion of DR.. Lyman Abbott's
"It is not wise in my Judgment to
form an opinion or Judgment of a mans
utterances when all the knowledge
which you can have Of them is what is
represented in the public prints. 1t is
a very difficult thing to have accuracy
Of statement always after the same has
passed thru 50 many channels, after
the reported utterances.
elf DR.. Abbott is correctly reported,
all I can say is that I am not greatly
surprised, because, giving attention
from time to time to statements of be-
lief made by him, it has! been clearly
evident that he was tending in the dl.
rection of denial of the existence OF
affairs of the world, as the divine, self
existent, loving father, caring for his
children, experimenting the universe
and directing it's affairs in the interest
of humanity. Since he has. ruled God
out of human life and out Of all human
affairs, it is perfectly natural that ne
should take the next step, which is to
rule the Bible out as the one book con-
tanning revelations from God to men
and as containing the only eternal and
wise and Just and safe principles tor
the education, training and develop
ment of the race. And since he rules
God and the Bible out Of the world and ana
that he should not recognize Jesus
Christ as the Savior of men and as the
only Savior of the human family, as
the only one capable Of morally saving
men from their sins and checking their
downward tendency when they follow
their natural bent or inclinatlons. Then,
also, very naturally follows denial OF
the existence and work of the Holy
Spirit Of God as the worlds intellec-
tual leader, and also as the one who
deals with the human conscience and
warns men Of the evil of wrongdolng
and supplies men with intellectual en-
ergy and spiritual enlightenment and
purity.
"You ask me what I think will be
the effect upon people generally of DR..
Abbott g reported utterances. My opin-
ion is that they will have no permanent
effect. Much that he is reported to
have said is simply a rehash Of things
that were uttered long before, he was
born. There will be much discussion
will pass over. Mr.. Abbott is not the
first man who has undertaken the seri-
GUS job Of ruling Almighty God out Of
the universe and trying to put in his
place that something which he calls a
force, and what he means by that he has
not yet made plain enough Tor US TO
understand, and he cannot, for that
thing which he labels force is an ut.
terly unsatisfactory attempt to expel
God or to rule him out Of the heart and
life and love and moral security Of the
human race that the commonsense of
mankind will utterly repudiate. The
common consciousness Of the human
race and the commonsense Of mankind
will never accept or be led by the
whims and wild vagaries Of any one
man or any set of men whose supreme
: and only effort and object seems to be
! to get rid of God and Jesus Christ and
the Holy Spirit and the Bible as a rev
elation from the eternal God.
"This old world will jog along anc
, will continue to believe these great
:. foundation facts and truths that are
imbedded in the doctrine Of the Holy
Trinity and as taught us in the holy
= scriptures. The church Of Jesus Chris
= will steadily go forward building he
great institutions and teaching he1
Q great doctrines and comforting tn,
a hearts Of afflicted and sorrowing hu
manity and spreading knowledge Of
; the gospel Of Jesus Christ to the end!
/ Of the earth, giving all men chance tt
know and learn and live and obey God
the father of us all, who is present il
. every part of his universe and with
the whole human family whom he ha!
+oI