Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-05-31
NIfIER CRITICISM,


discourse by Dr. ", Fitch Burr, OF
Lynne, Conn
The speaker warned hls hearers
against "hlghor criticism" az against
q disease, which, he said like 5oon.
sumption, runs through various phases
TIL n brings the destruction Of an de.
tlnotlyoly Christian dogmn,
lie then pointed out some " the ofs
fools, Higher criticism, he argued,
WIN lessen the number Of ministers,
Tho adheronts Of that system have
made the authority OF the Now Tomo.
mont grow dIm ana thus they have
lost tho greatest oyangcli2lng motive,
and this loss has decreased tho mum.
bor NJ mlnlrlcrs by onc.holf IN ono
decade Ana further II has impaired
the quality Of those who have rc.
malncd IN the pulpit Young men, the
| speaker said, who go into the work
now under the Influence Of the higher
criticism have no hlaher motives for
the work, Tor they no longer believe
mat eouls need 10 be saved from per.
ishng, The profession has the lower
inducements Of being safe and honor.
able and Of offering a livelihood, nut
these lower inducements win only dom-
mate n lower quality ~ mon, who win
lack the earnestnosg aud sincerity that
ought 10 characterize tho ministry, As
a result, men Of higher grade Of intel.
llgenco VIII withdraw from profcss
sion that has 80 little 10 OFFER ANA
leave the field 10 the mediocre,
Furthermore, the speaker maintained
that higher criticism has onfcoblod the
instruments with which the ministers
should labor for the conversion of the
world, II has also dwarfod the mes
fogo, This message, pr Burr argued,
N contained In the Bible, II N not the
message " our civilization, but n mos.
sage OF religion ~ represented In the
book, especially IN the New Testament
We hold that this Book was originally
given by dod, free from all error and
kept no down 10 the present time, IT
only needs Interpretation, We only
need 10 fnd Nv real meaning But
such views fan 10 satisfy the higher
critics They hold that not even tho
original document was FREQ from error,
and that errors have Increased I'm II
since The best they can say OF the
BIblo iB that II " more or less the
record of the revelation Of God, rather
than the revelation tsolf Some high.
or critics admit only that tho main
teaching Of tho BIhlo II truei others
'hnt only the religious teaching IN
true differing ~ to what the main
or the religious touching ~, They
say that tho Bible contains some III
vino ihngs, among others that are not
divine. Thus they cut out whole Sec
lions " Fundamental Christian doe
trlne, Summing ny, he said
preaching such vlows win not only
mean professional suicide, but VIII cut
the preachers oil from Christian saliva
tlon, There win be a gulf betwoon ml-
walton ana them which they cannot
cross
This la severe Indictment but u
comca very near being true Higher
orltIcIam, carried beyond its legitimate
boundary has caused blight upon
fnlth, moro destructive than ngnosll-
cism AZ far ~ accepted, II hNq
Knocked down tho support OF Protest
antlsm For Professionalism justified II.
self ny an appeal from falllblc popos
and councils 10 the "nfnllblo word,'
but higher criticism has reduced that
TO u mylh, and rendered Professionalism
almost ridiculous, though some OF IN
oXpononts fan 20 realize their position
There IN higher criticism that IN
perfectly legitimate, Tho Bible M far
M II IL produced through human instru.
mentality Is properly scrutlniscd M to
STYLE age, origin otc But thle In.
vcstgalion IL best carried on IN u spirit
Of rcyoront faith IN God, and not IN
spirit OF unbolief Tho truth II more
easily reached IN the light Of faith,
than IN the gloom OF denial Every
science can be studied from widely dir
fcrcnt points OF ylow But II IL abso.
luloly certain that an astronomer,
goologisi, biologist, or u hlstorlan,
who sees ana acknowledges the hand OF
God In everything win advance toward
truth faster and suror than the inndol
who stumbles along without the Eul1.
nncc Of faith IN God, II IL not really
the fault Of higher criticism, that the
condition of the Christian world " aN
doporablo as depicted by Dr Burr but
tho abuse Of It, 1t may b well to make
this dlHtlnotlon,