The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-08
UNIVERSAL fat
PASTORS THEME
Must Put Emphasis on Essentials
and Not Non-Essentials,
He Says.

Rev. John l.. Robinson, pastor of the
First Unitarian Church, preached yes
tcrday at the Jefferson Memorial Uni
tartan Church in Highland Springs, the
topic being, Some Elements OF a Uni
vcrsal Faith" The text was from Acts
ii. 27-2S: "rhat they should seek the
Lord. il haply they might feel after
far from every one OF us. For in Him
wc live and move and have our be-
ing"
The speaker developed the idea that
the object of worship Is not to placnte
an angry God, but to bless man. He
said in part:
THE doctrine of the brotherhood of
mankind from a genealogical stnnd-
point may not be true. Some scientists
do not believe that all races have dc.
seconded from one pair but mon in all
nations of the earth are beginning to
see that all races and all nations
are related in their interests and
in their destiny. And so they contend
that amity, Kindness, and justice should
characterize our dealings with each
other. The patriotism that does not
include interest in other nations and
people and sympathy for them is not
the truest and wisest type Of patriot
ism.
"Out of this broad definition of
patriotism and human unity grows the
twentieth cen1tury's doctrine Of rel-
The watchword of the churches in tho
past ages was eXcluslveness and divl-
sion. The watchword to-day is CO.
What the great educators Of man
kind are insisting on to-day is not
uniformity Of creedal statements. but
conference and for work for the va
rious denominations that are interest,"
cd in moral character. civic righteous
DIR, Hall. Of New. York, has recent
Z ~ returned from his second mission
AIRY trip to India. and he has acknowl-
people Of India need the gospel of
the West the people Of tho West need
the gospel, Of the East He disco
upon other faiths as false religions. He
plainly acknowledges that the Chris.
tian religion has not MONOPOLY 81
religious fervor. He finds that the
people there under other names than
Christians, are attaining those noble
heights OF human development which
manifest themselves in the Towering
OF beautiful manhood and wOmanhOOd.
What we need in the ministry OF to-
day IS q scholarship broad enough to
lave IlClS luhil u pp"iilS SthiiSS
with the sacred literature of other ma
tons and u spirit sufficiently catholic to
appreciate the hymns OF the Buddhists
and Brahmns. as we'll as the hymns OF
the PrOtcStants and Romanists.
These are some of the elements, which,
it seems to me- must enter the faith of
all religious people, not to take the place
OF a UNCONVENTIONAL creed but as u
platform which will insure cooperation
and good will among the religious forces
OF the community or the nations
1.-The sympathetic platform of to-day
would affirm the kinshlp of all the great
religions, ii not by natural descent, sure
~ in this. that they are all swayed by
the same divine impulse to work out the
best character possible and do all the
good they can. There is therefore no
room for ecclesiastical eXclusiveness. TO
our religious neighbor We must give. a
fish and not serpent. This exhortution
is appropriate to the liberal as well as
the conservative, for while 1t Is possible
for people to be intolerant In their mar
rowness, 1t is also possible for people to
be intolerant in their broadness.
And, lastly, we must put the stress,
the emphasis upon the essentials in re-
ligion and not upon the non-cssentvtls.
Let each man go his way and have his
immersion and his apostolic succession
and other things if they are wanted. but,
oh. infinitely above this, let him look
well to the demands Of Il new day, a
religion of progress and man us a partner
in creating a new earth, new men, more
righteousness, less evil. more peace, less
war