The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-26
eluctance TO leave the Christ ian ministry
and thus outlines his present creed:

take with me the best that the Church mas
given me; the fasts and the feasts. the vigils
and the tears of the Church have become
mine by right OF possession. and not all the
courts and Bishops OF the Church could take
them away. shall watch in Advent. be
merry at Christmas. fast in Lent. weep on
Good Friday. rejoice at Easter. even though
the ChurCh's servants shut its doors upon
me. Yes. all the more because they have
shut its doors upon me; driven from the
earthly tabernacle. | shall have TO take refuge
in that tabernacle not made with hands,
which liz the tabernacle where God dwells
with all His saints and angels.
And il | seem to have lost my hold upon
some of the traditional and physical inter-
pretations Of the creed. let it not be though
on that account that ] have lost my hold on
the Gospel OF Christ, Nay. rather because
/ have let go these temporary and unstable
Interpretations Of the creed | find strength
to hold more firmly than ever TO the Gospel.
| believe ~ never before that to love the
Lord my God with all my soul and all my
mind and all my strength and to love my
neighbor as myself h. not only more than the
law and the prophets, but is also more than
the creeds and the churches. l see more
clearly than ever that the five negative laws
of righteousness laid down by Jesus, which
laws command MS not to he angry, not TO
lust. not to take any oath or vow. not to
resist evil, not to hate the stranger though
ne De an cI"Ul v. 1 SIRE, l Shy. 'ithIlN
than ever that these laws are the hedges OF
that straight and narrow way that leadeth
unto life. To walk in that way has been
and will be the constant labor OF my soul.
Let no one think for a moment that ! do
not love the Lord Jesus Christ and would
not have ser we'd him to the last in this Church.
which ia to me the historic Church of the
great English speaking race. If only it's men
in authority had let me. All | asked of them
was tolerance. But they have refused TO
extend tolerance TO such as ! and | must
with a grief which only my own heart knows
accept my dismissal from the service of the
Church.
DR.. Crapsey has given no indicat ion of
whether he intends to enter the ministry
of another Church.
The Crapsey case. had its beginning
in 1899, when DR.. Crapsey published a book,
~On the Causes and Remedy of the Dis
union of Christendom," which declared
that the ChurCh WAS in danger of dlGinteGTa-
tion if it did not hasten TO recognize the
work Of science and to give credit to modern
views. These views created a stir and they
were discussed unfavorably by some of
the heads of the Church.
In February, 1905, he began preaching
q series of sermons which denied the virPin
birth of Christ and denied the possibility
of miracles, such as the resurrection. The
sermon that called forth from Bishop Walker
ademand for a presentment Of DR.. Orapsey's
case was called The Present State of the
Churches and said in part:
OF course. a belief in the inerrancy Of the
Bible is no longer possible to an educated
man, or 10 any one. in fact. who reads his
Bible with reasonable intelligence and atten-
ton. II does not need profound scholarship,
IL only requires ordinary Common sense, TO
see that the Bible Is not q miraculous book.
which orthodox theology claims it TO be.
In the light Of scientific research the founder
of Christianity. Jesus. the son OF Joseph. no
longer stands apa 1T from the common destiny
of man in life and death, but He Ia in all things
like as we are. DO IN as we are born, dying a.
we die. and both in life and death Is in the
keeping of that same Divine Power. that
Heavenly Fatherhood which delivers us
from the womb and carries US down to the
grave.
When we come to know Jesus in HIS hietori-
cal relations we see that a miracle Ia not n
help-it is a hindrance to an intelligent COM
prehension OF His person. His character and
His mission. We are not alarmed, we are
reliev ed. when scientific history proves 20 us
that the fact OF His miraculous birth was I'M
known TO Himself. unknown TO His mother
and unknown TO the whole Chris tian COM
munlty Of the first generation. We are re-
lieved. l say. because we are no longer COM
PEELED to look upon the scientific movement
as irreligious, but we are able TO see in 1t a new
and greater religion. a religion based not
upon the sporadic miracle. but upon the
eternal law.
The clerical order is losing influence, not
because the world Ia growing less religious.
but because IL is more religious than 1t was
sixty years ago. Religion has to-day a wider
scope and a further reach than the clerical
Interpretation permits 1t to have. The
churches and denominations which now
claim to represent the religious interests of
mankind are the rear guard OF the powers
that make for religious progress.
A COMMITTEES of five appointed to CON-
slider the case late in 1908 reported that
three were against a trial and two for it.
The case was dropped for the time being
and DR.. Crapsey considered the incident
closed. II was not long after, however,
that the standing committee of the diocese
reported in favor Of a trial Notice was
served on him to appear on April ~ 1906,
trial that lasted more than a month the
court found him guilty by a vote Of four
to m
The sentence Of the court in brief was
that the respondent be suspended from
exercising the functions OF a minister OF
this Church until such time as he shall satisfy
b ecclesiastical authority of the diocese
that his belief and teaching conform to
the doctrines Of the Apostles Greed and
the Nicene Greed as this Church hath re-
oeived the same. However, We express the
earnest hope and desire that the respondent
may see his way clear during the thirty
dAyB winch unQer Jne canon must intervene
before sentence can be pronounced to
satisfy fully the ecclesiastical authority
Of such conformity on his part"
On Jun 8 DR.. Crapsey filed an appeal to a
board OF eview He alleged that the court
was biased, had not permitted him a reason
able time to prepare a defence, had not
proper Jurisdiction and entered fields
that IL should not have entered. He put in
q general denial and plea of error and on
a contention the review was ordered.
The court of review opened on October
10 in his city. II vas made up OF Bishop
Scarborough Of New Jersey, chairman; the
Rev. William r. Huntington Of Grace
Church, the Rev. A. B. Baker Of Princeton,
Canon John R.. Moses Of Garden City, ex-
Judge Charles Andrews Of the Court Of
Appeals of the State OF New York, Judge
Frederic Adams OF Newark and James
Parker of Perth Amboy. After several
public bearings and private sessions the
board of review sustained the lower court.
DIR. Crapsey is the son of a lawyer in
Ohio and grandson Of Senator Morris, one
of the founders of the Buckeye State. He
left home at the age OF IL and went to work
in a dry goods store. In 1851, when he was
is years old, he entered the army. After
several months service in 1852 his consti-