Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-06-04
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the whole body consisting of jidivid
lIalS and congregations. Il part or the
/ church OF Christ or earth. And III AL
, hltiCn. these two clements did not com.
pose the cl.;rcn but Il religious move
rlrnt within The church to promote the
unity Of the body Of Christ by the res
soratiDh or realization IF essential
New Testament christianity. Thus tho
Disciple movement is not church.
much less the church. 1t is not a de-
nomination In ;hc ordinary ccclesiasti-
cal sense rf Tint term Int an effort
on the Durt Ct Individual Christians
and conSI cealiuhS of Christians. more
OF loss organic, To get away from sec
bcdy Tie ideals If the apostolic unity
OF the church.
TWO fundamental features chaartcr.
i'.cd this effort ut religious unification.
First. The elimination from any FEAST
bic Ur possible platform of
nniGn. all vcctarian and dc.
'i,minaional pccilliaritics. 1t is
these pccularitiCs that du the mischief
The ch.rn that stresses and en- pha
sizes its distinction and peculiar dec
trineS. ami relies OH The accumulation
of the points that difI"rcntiatc It's
teaching from ether religious bodies
to make converts to It's Way of think
ms on disputed points. is crimnally
scctarian and Responsible for its full
share In the pcrpGtultinn nf ;'cctalian
ism. These peculiar dcnuminati0Ilal
tcnctS are seldom Srriptural and noN or
essential To salvation or Christian char
actcr. and should therefore. he eIhni-
mated from. any proposed pasiS of unity
AT least Suborlinatccd to fundamental
things on which all Christians arc
agreed
Tho second characteristic is insist
cncc on Common ground = ON Catholic
ar universal Christianity, in other
words the dictum IF st. Augustine.
that all Christians. in all ages, anil in
all places believe. is Ia constitute The
creed basis of the reunited Catholic
church. No species nf particularism,
no dcnominatiunal cccuntricity or pCcu.
liarity. true or false is To enter. to sec
tarianiZe tho crcrdal foundation of the
universal church OF Christ. These
things may he made matters Of mutual
liberation. provided they arc he'll in
s,ibordnation to The basil. principles of
New Testament Catholicity. The Dis
ciplcs have proposed this platform CT
the common faith On which all Chris
tians can stand withou. ANY sacrifice
of truth or conscience.
!. Tho catolic creed uf ChrSIcniom,
the distinctive and Fundamental proro-
silion and confession of Christianity.
| bclc;r that JrsuS Christ is the Son
of God aiid the Savior AMI Lord of
men. This brings us TO unity of faith
in the Son of God. tn which Christians
throughout the world have already at
tnincd.
2. The catholic rule of faith and prac-
ticc. the word OF God in The OLD and
New TcstamentS. especially the New
ns the history au,l revelation of the
rovcncnt in Christ. This excludes : IL
thcritati"c human crc"d5 If hey con-
tain anything in the hasiS OF unity hat
all Christians do nc. bclicvn.
). The catholic ordinances. Baptism
and tho Lords Supper There is
u,iaIiimity with respect ~ the fact and
the obligation of these divine ins.itu-
tons. Tho Disciples have practiccd
immersion frcm the beginning. not
only because the cnnsrnS;iS Of Chris
tian scholarship has conceded Il to he
the historic. aI.ii,,utt:. catholic hap.
tism Of ChristcndOm. but because It Is
the only form, Of the ordinance whuso
validity has not been and never can
he called in question. III nave admit
ted 81 form of the Sat,ran;en, III dis
I,ltc amongs. bpl!r"a.'.i. ono that all
Christians could not accept, would have
been to destroy the ratholicity of The
movement at This pnint. There is IL
catholic doctrine nf baptism for .hc
remission Of sins. not in The sense
tina. men can not he saved without bap-
iSm. hut in she sense that water. in
all religions. stands for rlrllicaion.
and rurificatiGn is ~ condition of sal.
walton. and this he bapiismal symbol
is associated with remission In the
New Testament.
4. 'rhc catholic name. the name Chris.
tan II has already bean stated that tn,
religious movcncnt known as tic Dis
cirles Of Christ is not a church. not an
ecclesiastical organizations not a dc-
Nomination. body in the ordinary
scnsc of those terms. It looks upon
Itself as Il spiritual movement within
the church for the promotion of cath
olirity and the uniticatior of the body
of Christ. It's individual alhrrents
call themselves Christians nr Disciples
Of Christ. its congregations claim To
he churches IF Christ. and the aggre-
cation of these individuals ANA congrc-
cations claim modesilv enough that
they are part of the body or church
of Christ on earth. These are The three
tf,, IA. 1.