The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1904-04-01
The new THEOLOGY.

. hIt>> lue NfuS dtiphdl <1-~'tidlloL
OF Southern C4lito-uis, and in re-
spons- 10 thu invitation attempted to
show the value OF stating truth ia g..
cord with the sci, n,ihc thought o.
the Day, rather than cliugiug tc
former beliefs, which b. says are
. shown to have 10 foundation.
The subject of DR.. Abbot's address
was "Some spiritual Values in the
the New Way OF Stating Religious
Truth, D." and he said in par:
The liue OF demarcstion between
minister ant lay man is disappearing
! Though the minister has more leisure
for reflection, theology interests all
thinking men snd women. We sll
have doubts and share perplexiJies. l
come not TO commend new theology,
still less IN criticise the Old. II has
taken me 80 or - years to pass from
the old 10 the new. l cannot hope to
convert you TO the new in an hour.
My purpose IL TO show you there is \
spiritual value in the new.
"Reiion Is the life Of God in the
soul of msn; theology is what man
thinks OF it. We have a new theology
sDd the faith it teaches il the faith Of
Abraham, the love is the love des.
cribed 10y Paul ia Cor. Is. Ii is not
10 be accepted because it Is new or
old. The question is, viii this newer
thinking make life richer and betteri'
Rituals change. religion does not.
Religion broadly speaking, il the
Universal Presence IN his world,
working from within not without-nOt
God set enthrOned IN one place. God
Is ss truly creating the world today
s. he ever made il. Does this take
God from Us, or bring him nearer =?
He l. present in every falling leaf.
il that Pantheism II il were,
should not change my belief. Pau
theism teaches that God is all aud all
is God. The new theology teaches
that God il in sll the universe, gov
erniug, directing, controlling.
The idea of God in nature Is trans
ferred 10 the moral government Of
the uuivsrse. God rules ss 8 father,
influencing and entering into the life
of the child aud lifting hun up, not
as king oy force. Que mOlds, the
other controls. We are coming to
thiuk OF inspiration ss not confined
to art, music Ond poetry, but as uni.
versal, entering into and ordering all
tue VI tue Llluus
with this we are getting a very
different conception OF the bible. l
once thought Of it IS 8 book about
religion, now think OF il as u book
Of religion. l believe the bible is the
expression of life in the soul of man.
To me it is not a dictated book, but
an inspired one, and so becomes a
clearer, desrer and diviner book.
Il am coming TO different concep.
ton of the person of Jesus Christ.
have given up the thought that
Christ was God and man. 1 gave it
up for spiritual reasons. IL he were
God be would be the perfect example.
l think of Jesus Christ as God mani
fest in the flesh, and that brings the
diviness nearer. Jesus Christ is the
image OF God reduced to human
experience. He answers the questions,
What am L How does he feel
toward me? What are the personal
relations between him and me?'
When sinner cries out, What can
do? there be is. When a Pharisee
prays there he is crying out, How can
We escape the dSmnatiOn OF help
at is my fortune to meet many
young people in college, and their
study of geology, anthropology and
evolution overthrow their faith be.
cause the teaching of church and
home has not prepared them for it.
1t has made my heart bleed. YOu
can't escape these questions. You
may baEish them from the church
and they will appear in the newspa-
pers. Il is not whether they shall be
debated, but whether they shall be |
debated ia the church, reverently. or