The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-06-12
REV. c. G. CLARK
TELLS HIS CREED
NEW PASTOR DEFINES HIS UNI
DERSTANDING OF CHRIST.
Amplifies Previous Declaration Of His
Position-Says Christ's Divinity Is
Ethical and Spiritual, Not Physical
Would Have His Religion Even if the
Bible Were Taken Away.

of tbe F;rst SnnGrana+; ;Me Ie" P"scGl
whose liberal views startled his brother
pastors short time ago IN the council,
stated his creed at greater length yes
terday to the congregation Of his
church. His exposition filed both the
in that time he found it necessary to
pass over. some points hurriedly. The
congregation could not complain, how
ever, that his statement lacked in frank
ness and candor.
:, The discourse naturally hinged. upon
the mOoted question Of the divinity Of
Christ, whereupon the pastor disagreed
with the ecclesiastical council. He did
not yesterday deny Christ s divine ma
ture, but stated plainly that His divin-
ity was ethical and spiritual, and not
physical. The manner Of Christ s birth
we believe that He was Gods supreme
self-revelation, wherein He revealed to
man the personal character of the Di-
vine, .
".As long as I look on Christ as
declared the minister with emphasis,
'tmy heart will not go hungry for re.
igion. When anyone tells me that I
do not believe in Christ. | will tell him
that he does; not know what, he is talk
tion, Mr.. Clark said in part:
"Christ is the best illustration of
what God is, and what man ought to be.
That which He did, think of God as
standing, ready to do. He called God
.Father,' and [ also call Him Father
In his words I see Gods thought, and
what He wants. AS He suffered, so God
suffers when I sin. I see in Christ the
elimination of Gods purpose to re-
deem mankind thru the power of self
sacrificing love.
"Man can always establish a person.
nJ lot
giveness for his sins. The forgiveness
is only, conditioned on the desire of the
wrongdoer to be forgiven. Christ has
shown the world the love Of God, and
opened the way for atonement and for
giveness of men s sins.
Divineness. does not attach to the
physical. Christ is to us an clinical
and spiritual being, and His physical
characteristics are in the background
AS loving, living soul, He was di,
vine: No matter what theory we hold
of his physical birth-that is not essen.
tial. Religion and divinity are spirit.
ual things; Jesus we'll loved and beyed
his God, therefore he was God s well
beloved Son..
Fortress for Faith.
In the morning sermon the pastor
laid down four cardinal propositions
which he said, if established, woul6
GIL oD1N1uS LII u CoS IOI CuIlS
tian faith, whatever else one might be
lieve. They were, first, conception
OF God as not remote from the world
but an immanent being, a force present
In all life; second, this immanent force
we call God is a personality, with love
religion is merely the personal relation
between man and God; fourth, these
personal relations persist and continue
thru all time. On these four PROPOSE
tions he was. willing to stand all tests
a aRa AfE nof +f two were
that there was no distinction to b.
made between the natural and the su
pernatural. AS the forces and laws O
nature are God s, He is in everything
and 1t IS almost impertinent' to sa.
that. God is in some particular event
tie is IN all, and we cannot question
whether at some certain time He di
some particular thing.
On the question Of the future lif
Mr. Clark maintained that it must b
considered from the premise that tn
personal relation between God and ma
continues after death, for the soul i
and God is unchanging. It is idle t
try proving from Scripture such ques
tions as the Judgment and separation
of sheep from the goats, probation al
ter death, etc. Texts can be arraye
vi e1tueI sue W prove any contention
Talk of a second probation'' is chile
ish, because there is no first or second
spirits are eternal. Man can seek an
secure forgiveness of God when O
earth, and while death ends the phys
ical, it does not end our relation wit
God. Sin carries it's own punishment
in estrangement from God, and hell
on earth as we'll as beyond the gray,
The terrors of hell have been used t
drive people into a Christian life, bu
the motive Of love and gratitude
God is, or ought to be, stronger tina
fear.
Many Pagans Religious.
Mr.. Clark assered that religion wa
not confined to Christianity Othe
souls have looked up and prayed t
God. The people to whom we send mi
sionaries are religious, many of then
and many a Buddhist has a true att
tude toward the Father, while many
Christian has wrong one. But W
know our religion to be the truest an
best, and we are seeking to help tn
others to a better religious experience
AS long as the soul Of man lives, rel
gion lives. 1t does not depend on recon
cling science with the Bible. The B
BILE is the supreme book, and contain
the actual expression of the supremes