Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-11-30
MINISTER CONVICTED OF HERESY
STEPS OUT AND MAKES Ao-
PEAL TO PUBLIC.
SAYS OLD BELIEFS MUST GO.
DR.. Crapsey Will Devote His Life to
Struggle for Revision of
Church Tenets.

Refusing to mako a ''cowardly retrac-
tom of his belief, DR.. Crapsey, who is
rector Of st. Andrews of this city, re-
nounced finally his ministry in the
church. At the same time he declared
he was about to carry the case to the
Stree intelligence and enlightened con-
science of the world" and dedicated the
remainder Of his life to the cause.
Of Wide Significance.
The significance of DR.. Crapsey's de-
cision is believed important by those who
followed his trial for heresy. 1t is ap-
parent DR.. Crapsey is confident he will
have large following of the cloth in his
fight. This Is shown by his message ad-
dressed to the Hundreds of clergymen
ant Episcopal church who have reached
the same conclusion" These he coun-
sells not to be dismayed, and to stay
where they are. In the end, he declares,
the church must give up.
His final remuneration of the ministry
to Bishop William David Walker of the
western diocese of New York. In this
letter Dr.. Crapsey reaffirms his belief
thaS~ the motion in regard to the origin
Of Jesus, that a son of man was born
without a human father, is without foun-
OaLlOn IN history.
Gives View of Ascension.
He also asserted that when 1 say of
Jesus that He assembled into heaven I do
not mean and cannot mean that with
His physical body of flesh, blood and
bones, He f1oated into space and has for
1000 years been existing somewhere in
the sky, in that very physical body of
flesh, blood and bones. Such an exist
ence would seem to me not glorious, but
horrible"
He asserts that he does not blame his
judges, and, though he bows to their
will and feels that it is final fer him, he
says: II am equally certain that it is
not final for the church. When the great
tribunal of free thought has decided this
contention the men who administer the
church on earth will conform to it's de-
cision."
Having let go of the temporary and
unstable interpretations of the creed"
he declares that he holds more firmly to
the gospel.
Dr.. Crapsey's Letter.
DR.. Crapsey's letter is as follows:
Under existing conditions 1 deem it my
duty to make a formal and final renuncia-
ton of the ministry of the Protestant Epis
copal church, and in consequence l ask that
not earlier than the Sd, not later than the
9th of December, you will take order under
canon 81 Of the general canons of the
church to accomplish my deposition from
the priesthood.
/ am certain that you will be glad to
acknowledge that | am not compelled to
this action by anything that reflects upon
my moral integrity or calls in question my
faithfulness as pastor. My sole difficulty
lies in the fact that a long, careful, con-
compelled me to come to certain conclusions
concerning the prenatal history of Jesus
which are not i'll physical accord with the
letter of the creeds and which have com
PEELED me, in order to hold to the creeds, to
give to certain articles an Interpretation
that will harmonic them with the truth
as I find that truth in the teaching of the
holy scriptures.
Denies He Is 1nsincere.
But recent judicial decisions have declared
that any such harmonizing of the creed
with my, own convictions of the truth is not
permissible in the Protestant Episcopal
church. In my own case l recognize the
right Of the constituted authorities of the
church to define the limits of interpreta-
ton, and in order to hold fast to the truth
must let go of the creed as now interpreted
by the courts. | am not now and never
have been conscious Of any insincerity in
giving such interpretations to the various
present conditions of thought and the pres
ent state of knowledge, any more than
am conscious, of insincerity when say the
sun rises and sets, though as matter of
fact the sun does nothing of the kind.
If ] am to hold the creed at all / must
give to certain, If not ALL. of its articles,
d
interpretations. When 1 say Of Jesus that
He assembled into heaven, 1 do not mean
and cannot mean that with His physical
into space, and has for 1000 years been ex-
listing somewhere in the sky, in that very
physical body Of flesh, blood and bones.
glorious, but horrible and such concep-
ton is to me not only unbelievable, it is un-
thinkable. What do mean by this phrase
is that Jesus, having accomplished His work
in the flesh, assembled into the higher life OF
the spirit Also when 1 say of Jesus that
He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
great and living God, in order to get into
His world had to violate His wonderful law
of human generation, break into sanctities
Of marriage and cause a son of man to be
born without a human father.
Holds Doctrine Wrong.
Such a notion is most repugnant to my
ideal of a wise and holy God. 1 was not,
therefore, alarmed. l was relieved when q
careful study of the Holy Scriptures con-
Jesus was without foundation in history.
Jesus was not lesSened in my worship.
He was ennobled by this discovery. When
I reached the conclusion, as 1 did some
years ago, that the infancy stories were not
historical, did not cease to believe in
Jesus. l believed in Him all the more, and
| gave to the words, "Conceived by the
an Interpretation that harmonized with my
knowledge of the facts He was a child of
the Holy Seed, sanctified from His mothers
womb. A Son of God all the more. in my
estimation, because He was the son of man.
Now, this conception of Jesus, based upon
a careful study of Holy Scriptures, is of
tn every warp and wool of my intellectual
and spiritual life, and it is not probable
that it will ever change. l will carry it
with me into that spiritual world where l
shall see Jesus face to face. But am told
by judicial decision that this conception is
not permissible in the mind of a minister of
the Protestant Episcopal church. bow to
that decision. / cannot change my mind
therefore leave the church. 1 do not blame
my judges; they acted according to their
light-let not them blame me if l follow my
light which is tightening me to the ever
lasting day. But whether they blame or
not, l cannot do other than l dol must
obey God rather than men.
Not Final for the Church.
But while 1 thus feel that their decision is
final for me- l am equally certain that it is
not final for the church. / have reason to
know that there are hundreds of clergymen
and thousands of laymen in the Protestant
Episcopal church who have reached the
conclusion fhof 7 hay oDd 7 hpf