New-York tribune., 1907-01-27
THE NEW THEOLOGY.
DIR. Campbell Restates Belief-Arch-
deacon W'dberforce's Preaching.
London. January 16.

London January 16
A new theology has come IN with January
fogs. and the orthodox of every Christian fold
find it reeking with old heresies. The Rev. r.
J. Campbell has been preaching it to an inereas-
ing congregation at the City Temple since hs
succeeded DR.. Parker. and il the deacons have
been shaking their heads over it they have ad-
mired his earnestness and have not been dis
pleased with the drawing power Of the bold and
restless pastor AS self-government is the law
OF the Congregational Church. he is not IN dan
ger Of a trial for heresy so long as his deacons
stand by him. even If their trust deed takes a
substratum of theology from the Westminster
Confession of Faith. He has wanted larger
audience. and is now delivering addresses before
religious assemblies in the kingdom He has
also restated his belief in sensational way for
the newspapers. and the new theology has be-
come topic OF the time, with the orthodox
among NonconfornistS, AnghcanS anu Roman
Catholics solidly arrayed against 1t. The Rev.
]. Guinness Rogers promptly reads him out OF
the Congregational Church, and with hne irony
credits him with having a special revelation OF
his own. The Rev. Dr. Campbell Morgan, who
is as well known in America in England, de-
scribes this fresh Interpretation Of Christianity
as diametrtcally opposed to the New testament
An Anglican vicar cannot understand what re-
ligion there is left in the Bible il there be no
FAN, no Incarnation, no AtOnement and no Res
direction; and DR. William Barry. with absolute
faith in dOgmatiC teaching declares that the
Roman Church would condemn the new theology
as the revival OF many early hereSieS one critic
as proclaimed by St. Clement OF AleXandrlas
another the vagaries Of Oxford criticism and tho
cynicism of German rationalism; ana anotner
NeO-HeSelianism with the eommonplaees and 4
veneer OF Buddhism Mr.. Campbell cannon
complain of any lack either Of publicity or ot
bigOtry as an advertising medium
IL Is no longer necessary for Christian min
lister out of touch with existing belief practices
to initiate Luther by mailing up his theses 20
church door He has merely "to restate hts be-
lief I'm halfpenny newspaper Of large eircula-
tion and ali England reads or listens-at least.
inc els haG a 2
ernized in it's methods like the cOnJurlng or tns
Zancigs or any other copymaktng topic or tho
time. The accOmplices of the new theolosian
must be selected more carefully than Bishop
ColensO's intelligent Zulu at whose insusa-
ton the Sacramental System was struck at IN .
commentary on the Epistle 10 the Romans and
subsequently the entire order OF the PentaIeuch-
Mr.. Campbell has found support IN q Iaoor
leader-trade union politics gets into everything
nowadays. from woman suffrage to theology
and in a scientific thinker He commands the
sympathy of Mr. keir HARDY, VINO aVOWs M
SELF a Pantheist with a preference for social
ethics as a basis OF religion; and he also re-
ceives a helping hand from Sir Oliver Lodge,
who anprOaches the subject from the scientific
side, having been impressed with the confession
~ so eminent a thinker as Lord Kelvin that
creative pov Is the only possible explanation OF
the origin OF life and that every one may reel
in himself the evidence OF miracle with men
tors like these Mr.. Campbell strives 70 recon-
struct the foundations of belief. that social
reformers will receive increased stimulus Tor
their work and the masters Of Sctence-the Lead
ers Of intellectual hfe-may reverentIy ackhoWl-
edge the creative mind OF the phySlcal universe
with its continuous record or mlracLe-WorNlhs
in every leaf that grows. IN every human Sreas
urs that wills. Yet. modern as he ts IN MS
theses and in his associates. he cannot hope 70
revive anything so old fashioned anu tnosi
grown as heresy trial ,,
FishOD COlensO who was attacked and Illegally
deposed by the Bishop Of Cape Town. was a
William Robertson Smith, who was banished
from the Free Church College in Aberdeen after
four years OF heresy pOlenics, was an Ola 1esta-
ment scholar trained in German methods OF
literary research. Since their time the Oxford
school OF higher criticism, with extremists IKE
Professor Driver and moderate rational1sts IKE
Professor Cheyne has become too powerful 20
be menaced with proceedings for heFeSy- IL IS
now n harmless occupation for advanced thlnS-
ers in orders to patrOnize Abraham as a lunar
hero who can be recOnCiled with recent discoV-
cries OF archaeology, or to dinerentiate between
fable and spiritual alegOTy in the Mosaic rec
ords or to edit expuTgated editions OF the Cos
pels with everything OF a suspicious nature
strictly excluded. Mr.. Campbell discredits the
story of the Garden Of Eden and the allegory or
the fall; but this by itself would attract as 1T
tie notice as Huxley's forgotten plea for the
substitution of pair or chtnpa nzees Tor Adam
and Eve His structures what Is unhistorical
In the Pentateuch would not challenge atten-
tfon when clerical agnOsttcs are editing ency-
cIOpeadiaS of Biblical lore and reducing the
Scriptures 10 merely human documents Mr.
Campbell does not masquerade a higher
critic wearing the plain hOmespUn OF German
nationalist He restates In his own way dognas
like the Incarnation. the AtOnement and the
Resurrection. and represents what he regards as
the modern attitude toward creeds. He starts
with the assumption that there is real dis
tinCtOn between humanity and deity: that man
and the universe are alike manifestations OF
Irnnlanent Consciousness; that every man is a
potential Christ: that ultimately every soul viii
be perfected before II Is fully united with its m
finite source.
Mr. Campbell is secure against trial for
heresv as ArchdeacOu WilberfOrce. who. under
the shelter Of Westminster Abbey, has been re-
stating his belief with even greater defsnitsness
and impressiveness. He. too. has the modern
spirit Of iInpatienee with eresds, dOgmas and
polenics and he breaches what may be de-
scribed as Christion Pantheism, with many OF
the ideas with which Dir. Campbell Is now
startling Free Churchmen- This he has been
doing for years sT~the parish church OF ST. John
the Evangelist. behind the Abbey, where he has
gathered around him a body Of thinkers dts
contented with religion as il ia ordinarily ex-
pounded He has printed his sermons for those
who wish TO study them. but he has not taker.
the newspapers into his confidence, nor planned
a missionary tour in the provinces for an en-,
OF his sphere Of influence. Year after
year The has been preaching with earnestness
and power all that Is essential In Mr. Campbei1Fs
new theology, end he has been doing II without
observation or flourish Of trumpets He shares
the modern prejudice against dOgnatic theoi-
ogy but he has not been so inconsistent as to
proclaim system of his own No tntellf-
gent listener would care TO vOuch for the Arch
deacon's orthodoxy cardinal doctrines. yet
there Is hardly a preacher in London with
firlner hold upon intellectual audience or
bolder and more reasonable method OF dealing
with atheism and aEnosticfsm ~. y.