The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-11-26
CRAPSEY DECRYS
HIS MINISTRY
OUSTED RECTOR OF EPISCOPAL
CHURCH LAYS VIEWS BE-
FORE THE PUBLIC.
OENOUNCES TEACHINGS
OF Physical Ascension of Jesus and
Of His Spiritual Origin As Un-
beieVabie and Without
Historic Foundation.

Historic Foundation.
Rochester. N. Y, Nov. 25--Owina
to the will of the church in refusing
TO make 4 "cowardly retract.on" of
! the belief which induced the church
/ to terminate his ministry the Rev
! Algernon S. Crapsey, rector of the ST.
| Andrews church of Rochester, today
ren0unced his ministry in the Pro
/ tortant Episcopal chueh in letter
| to Bishop William David Walker. of
the Western Diocese OF New York
In the letter the Rev Mr.. Crapsey
reatfirmed his belief that the notion
of the origin Of Jesus, that a son of
man was born without human
father, is without foundation in his
tory"
"lf | am to hold the creed at all
must give TO it certain if not all of
its articles, a spiritual rather han a
literally physical Interpretation.
When | ay Of Jesus that he as.
cended into heaven. | do not mean
ana cannot mean that with his physi
cal body Of flesh, blood and bones. he
aaatad in space cad for 1000 years
has been existing somewhere in the
Sky. in tina. very physical body of
flesh and blood and bones. Such an
existence would seem to me not
glorious but horrible and such a con
eeption, to me Is moi only rnbeliey-
able. but unthinkable
Jesus Born Of d Human Father.
What | do mean by this phrase is |
thai Jesus having accomplished his |
work in the flesh ascended into the |
higher life of the spirit, also when 7 /
say of Jesus that he was conceived |
by the Holy Ghost, born OF The Virgin !
Mary ! do not mean that the great |
and living God in 47der to get into
his world nad to violate hi wonder
full law Of human generation. break !
into sanctities of marriage and cause |
a son of man 70 be boen without a |
human father Such a notion Is most !
repuerant to my ideal of a wise and !
holy God.
Teachings Not Backed BY History.
Il was not therefore alarmed | was
relieved when a careful study of the
holy scriptures convinced me that
this noI on Of the origin of Jesu- was
without foundation in history. Jesus
was not lessened in my wo ship, H
wa enobed by this discovery. When
reached the conclusion as | did
some years ago, that the infancy
stories We're not historical, | did not
cease 10 believe in Jesus | believed
in him ali the more and | gave to the
words conceived by the Holy Gh ST.
BORN of the Virgin Mary an inerple-
alton that harmonized with my
knowledge of the facts He was a
n Id Of the Holy seed, sanctifed
rom his mothers womb. A son of
iod all the more, in my estimation,
BECAUSE he was The son Of man.
Let no one think for a moment
hat / do nor love the Lord Jc us
'hrist and would not have served
i'm 30 the last in this church, which
$ 10 me the hstoric church of the
reat English speaking race, if only
Is men in authority had let me. All
asked of them wa tolerance. But
hey have refused to extend tolerance | ,
o such MS ! and / must with a grief. q
which only my heart knows. accept
ny di missal from the service Of the ,
hurch 4,
Declaring that he was about 10
AIRY the case to The free intelligence / !
nd enlightened conscience of the O.
'orld, he counsels the hundreds Of .
lergymln and thousands cf laymen / I
n the Pro estant Episcopal ,hurch q
,ho have reached the same clnclu.
ion,' not to be dismayed ami tj staY e
here they are. q
81 appeal, he SAYS. from those in a
lac, Of authority in tle church it "
elf TO the great body os people" u
Not Final For the Church.
He asserted that he did no. blame q,
is judges though he bows to their n
III and feels that il is final for him q,
e says: Il am equally certain that to
is not final for the church. when
.e great tribunal of free hought has II
acided his contention. the men who q
minister the church on earth will ot
INFORM to this contention" La.
Having let go of the temp rary r,
I'd unstable interpretations Of the of
eeG." he declare that be holts "a
ore firmly TO the gospel.
PRETENDER DEFEATED. of
L.