Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-07-28
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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+ All Sorts Of Opinions.
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Changes in Congregational Theology.
Congregationalism claims that while
holding fast to such traditional truths
as the rightful rule of God, the sin
fulness of man, redemption thru
Christ, and the certainty of divine
mercy and retribution," it is influence
ed, nevertheless, In defining and ex-
pressing these truths by the WELL
known tendencies Of theological
thought which affect the whole Chris
tan church, and to which Congrega-
tionalism has been more sensitive
than most other denominations" This
claim adds interest to The Congrega-
tionalist's survey Of the changes
which recent years have wrought in
Congregational theology. The jour-
nal quoted is published in Boston and
is the leading organ of it's denomina-
ton. After prefacing that our de-
nomination does not avowedly adopt
any one theological leader or school"
and that "Arminians are probably as
numerous as Calvinists among us, I"
The Congregationalist goes on to an
account of recent notifications. which
we quote in part az follows:
.sAs to our belief in Colour ia
theirs looked up to him as enthroned
above all things. directing and guild
ing to a determined end the universe
he had created. We realize him as
the supreme pervading personality in
all things, revealing himself In the
universe evolving thru him into per-
lection in which man created in his
image shall perfectly reflect his right
eousness, truth. and love. We use the
phrases, divine immanence to express
his relation to the universe, and the
divine Fatherhood to express his re-
lation to mankind.
"As to our belief in Christ-our ia
theirs looked up to him as the sec
ond person In the Trinity, seated at
the right hand of the throne of God
the Father, after having purchased
the forgiveness of our sins and the
remission of sentence of eternal death
by his death on the cross and his
resurrection from the tomb We see
in him who is the ideal man, the Fa-
Their manifested to human apprehen-
sion, the unique revelation Of God to
men. Thru him we know God and we
worship the Father in him. We do not
attempt to put into exact forms OF
statement the relations between the
Father. Son, and Holy Spirit, whose
manifestation as God we behold In
Jesus Christ. To quote Professor
Walker here: Whether by the virgin
birth, by pre- existence as the eternal
Logos by enduement at baptism, by
Davidic descent, by all these lines OF
argument combined, or by others like
his sinlessness and moral oneness with
the Father, that unity Is to be explain
ed or no, the great truth to which
these interpretations bear witness Is
the fundamental fact Of Christianity
that Of the incarnation. Its exploitation
is relatively a matter of speculation;
it's reality is of prime Importance
"Our fathers regarded man as Great
ed perfect in one human pair, who by
wilful disobedience to a divine COM
mand corrupted and brought sentence
of eternal death on the whole human
race and descended from them. Our
fathers believed that Jesus Christ COM
ing as God in human form begotten
thru the power of the Holy Spirit ana
born of the Virgin Mary, by his suffer-
ings and physical death inflicted on him
by men, endured the equivalent OF the
i punishment of sinners sentenced 10
eternal death, and delivered from 1t
certain members of the human race
foreordained to be saved We believe
that Jesus Christ the son of God living,
suffering, and dying as man among
men revealed the self sacrificing love
Of God for his children who include
all mankind, and that this manifesto
ton, continued thru the spirit Of God
in and among men, is teaching sinners
the nature OF sin and the character OF
God and is drawing all men unto him.
Our fathers believed that the Bible
was the only written revelation of God,
that all its words were dictated or in
spired by Him and therefore to be re-
ceived as absolute truth without adj
mixture of error. We believe that the
books Of the Bible are the record OF
the revelation of God by writers under
his guidance who sought faithfully to
make known his will. The convincing
evidence of it's divine authority is in
the response of our spiritual nature to
it's counsels consultations, and COM
mands
sour fathers believed that the New
Testament revealed the divine plan and
pattern of Christ's church on earth,
and that 1t was congregational In its
organization eW believe that the
Congregational order is best suited to
the Christian development of the indf-
vidual, to Intelligent discipleship, mu-
tual responsibility. direct loyalty to
Christ alone. full-rounded Christian
manhood We hold, however, that
whenever and wherever notifications
- ~ An