The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-11-26
DIR. CRAPSEY HAS The
Courage OF CONVICTION
REFUSES TO MAKE "COWARDLY
RETRACTION" TO THE LPIS-
COPAL CHURCH.


CIergymen and Laymen of His Belle
Not to be Dismayed.
Rochester, N. Y, Nov 25.-Bowing I
the will of the church, but refusing t
&lmake a "cowardly retraction' of tn
#belief which induced the church to ter
inmate his ministry, the Rev. Algernol
s. Crapsey rector of ST. Andrew
Y church of this city, to-day renouncet
his ministry in the Protestant Episcopa
faith in a letter to Bishop william
David Walker, Of the western dioces
of New York. In this letter DR.. Crap
sey reatf1rmed his belief that the ''no
tion of the origin of Jesus that a sol
of man was born without human IA
ther Is without foundation in history.
He also asserted that when l say 0!
Jesus that he assembled into heaven
do not mean, and cannot mean, thai
with his physical body of flesh, blood
and bones he foated into space and
has for two thousand years been exist
Y fng somewhere in the sky, in that very
& physical body of flesh, blood and
Hbones."
Declaring that he is about to carry
the case to the free intelligence and
Enlightened conscience of the world, he
counsels the hundreds of clergymen
nd thousands of laymen in the Protest.
hnt Episcopal church who have reach
A sd the same conclusion" as he has has,
s. bot to be dismayed and to stay where
hey are.
II appeal he says, from those in
places of authority in the church it.
= 5self, to the great body Of people" He
asserted that he does not blame his
Judges, and that, though he bows to
heir will and feels that 1t is final for
lom, he says:
at am equally certain that 1t Is not
inal for the church, When the great
tribunal of free thought has decided
his contention, he adds, the men who
drninister the church on earth will
4 conform to this decision,
Having let go Of the Temporary and
Unstable interpretations of the creed"
e declares that he holds more firmly
b the gospel His letter follows;
Ny dear Bishop:
Under existing conditions I deem It
by duty to make formal and final re-
uncfation of the ministry of the Prot
slant Episcopal church, and in conse-
uence I ask that you will, for reasons
IS to time already given, not earlier
n han the third, not later than the sixth
Ef December, take order under Canon
of the general canons Of the church
d accomplish my deposition from the
Priesthood.
q am certain that you will be glad to
acknowledge that l am not compelled
at5 this action by anything that reflects
Z %pon my moral integrity or calls in
leuestion my faithfulness as pastor.
Wy sole difficulty lies in the fact that
81 long, careful, conscientious study of
Rtle Holy Scriptures has compelled me
Rtp come to certain conclusions concern
nag the Ypre-natal history of Jesus
Which are not in physical accord with
x he letter Of the creed, and hence have
: pmpelled me In order to hold the creeds
give to certain articles an interpre-
htion that will harmonic them with
< he truth as l find that truth in the
baching of the Holy Scriptures. But
n ecent judicial decisions have declared
hat any such harmonizing of the
reed with my own convictions of the
4 ruth Is not permissible in the Protest
mt Episcopal church. In my own case
recognize the right of the constituted
authorities of the church to define the
mits of Interpretation, and in order
o hold fast to the truth, must let go
{ f the creed as now interpreted by the
ourts. I am now and never have been
Conscious of any insincerity in giving
Buch interpretations to the various ar
? icles of the creed as are demanded by
present conditions of thought and the
present state of knowledge, any more
Nhan am conscious of insincerity when
saw the sun rises and sets, though
a matter of fact the sun does moth
zsng of the kind. If I am to hold the
s breed at all 1 must give to certain, if
lot all, of it's articles a spiritual rather
&han literally physical Interpretation.
syhen 1 say of Jesus that He ascend
& bd into heaven l do not mean, and cam
E lot mean, that with His physical body
II flesh, blood and bones He tioated into
pace and has for two thousand years
been existing, somewhere in the sky, in
hat very physical body of flesh, blood
nd bones. Such an existence would
#eem to me not glorious but horrible,
nd such a conception is to me not
nly unbelievable, It is unthinkable.
What do mean by this phrase Is that
esus, having accomplished his work In
he flesh, ascended into the higher life
: the spirit. Also when I say of Jesus
hat he was conceived by the Holy
ihost, born of the Virgin Mary, I do
ot mean that the great and living
Hod in order to get into His world had
b violate his wonderful law of human
generation, break into the sanctities of
1arriage, and cause a Son of man to
e born without human father Such
notion is most repugnant to my ideal
{ wise and holy God. 1 was not
herefore alarmed, I was relieved when
careful study of the Holy Scriptures
onvinced me that this notion of the
rigin of Jesus was without foundation
history. Jesus was not lessened in
by worship. He was ennobled by this
discovery. When reached the conclu-
ion, as I did some years ago. that the
lfancy stories were not historical,
Id not cease to believe in Jesus. / be-
eyed in Him all the more, and I gave
{. the words conceived by the Holy
Continued on Second Page.)