The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-02-25
A. SERMON FOR SUNDAY
sUeJEcT,"WHAT ARE THE PERMA.
NENT ELEMENTS OF RELlcloN7"

An Eloquent and Forceful Discourse by
the Rev. John NJ. Davidson-Man's In
terest fl. the Incarnation-A Striking
Thought About III, divinity of Man.
BROOKLYN, n. Yin the Fourth Uni
tartan Church, Platbush, Sunday morning,
the pastor, the Rev. John NJ. Davidson,
preached on What Are the Permanent
Elements of Religion?" He said: -.
In this period of questioning. when old
structures of religious faith are being. torn
down and new ones are taking their places,
when what seems the very foundation OF
faith is being removed here and there to
make way for new material, it is vel!
worth our while to ask the question that
is consequent upon such a condition, What
elements of our religions faith are perma-
nent and are likely to resist the tendency
to change? It is question that IS agltat-
ing more people than ever before in his
tory. We have been told that there is a
growing indifference to religion. that men
are abandoning the churches, that pagan
ism has re-absorbed large sections of the
country, even Puritan New England shar:
ing in the general dissolution
No one can deny that the influence OF
the church is not as great as it was when
almost the only educated men were min
listers. We who occupy the pulpits TO-
day frankly recognize the fact that the
euua..s in intellect, but are capable OF Civ
ing US instruction in many departments OF
thought wherein the minister Of old time
was held to be supreme. The minister OF
to-day must recognize his relatively
changed condition. He addresses minds
at least as we'll informed and as bright as
his own-and on many subjects more so.
And he is woefully mistaken and unalert
if he does not welcome the change as an
advantage to himself and his work rather
than detriment. Nevertheless, for the
time being, this condition tends to bring
down the church attendance figures and
to lessen the church's influence. 1t Will
continue to do so until the church finds
men who are leaders (if not in lntel!ect'
in the effort for social amelioratlon: They
must be specialists and authorities IN
their fed. as the physicians and lawyers
are in medicine and jurisprudence.
That the temporary falling of IN the IN
fuence of the church as an institution ar
CUES for an indifference to religion I do
not believe. The church has not yet
learned it's work. 1t is still de.ving 1T
theologies and philosophers, when men
are no more interested in the one than
the other. Both theology and philosophy.
are vital matters, hut the old manner OF
discussing these subjects cannot now inter
est men who are touched by tie spirit
of the scientific age. Until science and the
whole new method of thought that. fos-
lows upon recent scientific discovery have
entered into and vivifed theology and PHIL
osophy, they will cease to interest or IN
auence man. They have no point of con
tact with his interests, But men are m
terested in religion. This very question
ing and unrest proves it. Even the return
to paganism, as it has been called, that
trend. particularly noticeable in rural New
England, away from the Journalism OF the
church and back to nature, it not SO
alarming as appears at first glance. We
are learning to see that, although for CEN
turies we have called certain peoples pa
cans," thinking to give them bad name
and so to avoid more tedious investigation
into the character of these same pag&us,
we have much to learn about religion, an
we may not seldom sit with profit at the
feet of many pagan prophet. Men are
asking whether, after all, q comparatlvel?
small sect is right and all the rest wrong,
or whether there is not.a bit Of truth IN
them all. They go further They asl;
peoples free; they are wondering whether,
after all, salvation is to be found with one
and universal destruction with the other,
whether the Creator of all nations is like
" to make one of them His favorite. to
give that one a true and final revelation
and to withhold it from all others. Men
are going even further than this IN thelc
questioning. They are putting the reilg-
ions side by side for comparison. They
are inquiring whether or not the truth
that is in one may not be found OCCASION
ally in another, and they are hndlng
through this comparative study or rehg-
ions that, at bottom, all are alike. Great
areas of parallel beliefs and aspirations are
found making the claim OF exclusive reve'
lation ridiculous. In fact, when 1t Is
found that every single form of religion
on the face of the earth lays claim to an
exclusive revelation of some sort, and We
find that the term 'heretic" is mercy an
expression OF one mans, or group OF mems,
point of view, we begin to open our eyes
to the fact that our own past claims IN the
matter may not carry so much weight as
we had thought.
The discoveries that we have made dur.
ing the last century about the habits OF
life and the character of thought of the
other half of the world. the scientific meth
DDS of investigation into the subject OF re-
igion, it origin, rise and-often.-its &C.
cay, into reilglouS nteraIuEeS, anu among
them our own Bible, are broadening IN
view, even while, and perhaps because,
they disturb our complacency. Religion Is
given a new interest. we find that we
Christians are not the only members OF
Gods family, and that there are Others
Who care for Him as much as We do and
whom He loves as greatly as He loves us.
T say that this is the tendency of mems
minds to-day. Hardly do the most of US
admit the changed point of view as an
accomplished fact, even to ourselves, and
in many localities the old eSciusiveness is
as imnenetrable as ever it was in the dark
ages. Universally. where religious exclu,,
siveness is found it is accompanied. bred
and safeguarded by some form Of claims to
final revelation or final authority for truth
some artificial guarantee that the doc
trine preached in that church in the be.
ginning IS now and ever shall be preached
without change, world without end. That
such claim is manifestiy impossi BILE to sub.
stantiate has never deferred the church
from making it. It is one recognition
though a weak one--that absolute truth
is Interchangeable. and every religion and
every church that claims to have final