The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-15
BAPTIST CHURCH
Is Still, ORTHODOX
sKEPTICAL TEACHINGS AT CHI
CAGo GUS ARE REPUDIATED.
Rev. w. B. Riley Takes Exception to
Utterances Of Professors in Chicago
School of Divinity and Points Out
That in No Sense Do They Repre-
sent Doctrine Of Denomination.

Rev. w. B. Riley, DID,, pastor of
the First Baptist church, comes to the
defense Of the orthodoxy Of his demon.
ination, if it needs champion, against
the reported utterances' of DR.. George
Burnham Foster Of the School of Di-
In DR.. Riley's opinion Dr.. Foster should
have the moral honesty to get out of
the church if he cannot subscribe to it's
beliefs. In an interview DR.. Riley
says: -. "
DR.. Riley's Opinion.
"The daily papers have reported the
skepticai sentences, : emanating from
the pen and tongue of DR.. George
BArnham Foster and Professor Gerald
B. Smith, of the University of Chicago.
The writings and speech attributed to
these gentlemen have certainly added
to their notoriety, if not to their fame,
and it is of SO radical a character as
to excite comment.
"First of all, permit word of cor
rection. DR.. Foster does not now be-
long to the Baptist divinity school.
The trustees of the. divinity school
have been much exercised over the re-
duction in candidates for the ministry
entering their department. It was so
evident that Foster stood in the way of
this enrolment that he was removed,
but certainly not degraded. He now
teaches a branch that every theolog
feels it necessary to study, namely,
the philosophy of religion, and many
of the lay-students choose it. He was,
therefore, really advanced. =
"Professor Gerald B. Smith, who tells
the students in chapel that 'the scrip
lures are not identical with the word
20 a. foG ho ~
school.
Conceit Is Great.
"Quotations from the pen Of Pro.
fessor Foster involve an unparalleled
conceit. The language is as follows:
world. and to the intellectual habitude
superinduced by science, a miracle can
| not be admitted; miraculous narratives
like the biblical, originating from. no
observers who possessed q. sufficient
| knowledge of the relations and laws of
| nature to have a right to pronounce
upon such matters, have no scientific
| Importance, and the. orthodox exaction
of faith' in such stories
| must forever be no less antagonistic TIC
the higher activities Of true faith, than
it is stultifying to science and to com
| mon sense ....,..-.. p. =. 49, -.
"After one had read this splendid
speech he would be willing to concede
| that this man is intoxicated with his
own verbosity.' That Christ believed
in the miraculous impresses him as Of
little Importance, since Christ lived anc
thought before Foster was born, am
was never privileged, to attend the Chi
cago university. DR.. Campbell, success
Eng, says, The philosophers Of forme
times started out upon the proposition
81 am!'' "Perhaps nobody else Is. ,
["It may be that nnysmind IS the on!,
mind in the wideauniverse7e of things
"Certainly' Foster is philosopher O.
former age. His treatment of thos
who differ from him SO impresses one
He says: 'An Intelligent man who nov
af6rms his faith in such stories Gre
ferring to the miraculous in the Bible
as actual faith can hardly know wha
further reported as denying the bodil.
resurrection Of Jesus Christ, and tn
Immortality Of the soul. .-
Strikes from Shoulder.
"Such language calls for specific an
severe condemnation. This condemns
ton is not based upon the skeptics
views Of Foster, but rather upon hi
conduct. It is a scene such as Nigh
make angels weep Wnen men wear In
name Of Christ while they are about tn
business Of traducing, him. Judas Isca1
lot prefaced his treacherous kiss wit
| the phrase, Hail, Master!' But .Juda
has been exceeded by these twentiet
century instructors (7) who cloak g
Christians while they cut the heart OF
Of the Gospel. I would prefer an Ingerso
: for common honesty. When man ca
no longer accept the standard of til
. church, why should he not be- NOR;
;, enough to Say SO, depart from her men
bership,, join her enemies and fight in a
open field? - - IL.
"'Such a. theology as these gentl
! men are. setting forth amounts to a ca
+ for action. The great. Baptist denor
= ination does not stand for such int
= lectual trash. It is built upon the roc
Christ, and upon the unbreakable boo
=. The overwhelming majority of it's la
, men and ministers will not much long
: leave such men in positions where the
: may thus discredit the denomination.
eff I did not expect a reaction fro
this sort Of thing in the near futu
I would initiate my New Engla1
! brethren, the conservative among tt
I. Congregationalists, and have tack,
Y. over the door Of the First Bapti
h. / ob,,roI xr,~;+ ~ Lott 10 rro NPTu