Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-13
LIGHTS AND SHADES
OF NEW THEOLOGY
Famous English Clergyman on
Modern Religious Belief.
UNEASINESS IN CHURCHES
Objection is Made to Some Of the Ec-
clesiastical Labels.
GOD AND THE INFINITE REALITY
Rev. r. J. Campbell Writes Of Some Of
the Restated Ideas-Lines Of
Divergence.
UNEASINEsS IN CHURCHES
Objection is Made to Some Of the Ec-
clesiastical Labels.
GOD AND THE INFINITE REALITY
cahlesram to The Star.

Special Cabegram to The Star.
LONDON. January 12.-The great modi-
fications in religious belize which are taking
place throughout the Christian world have
been manifesting themselves with especial
prominence recently in England. The leader
in radical revision of faith is the Rev. r.
j. Campbell, pastor of the City Temple and
the recognized head of the English non-con-
formists. He Is about to make a tour of
the country addressing gatherings of pro-
vincial pastors at their request upon Re
stated Theology" Inasmuch as the Rev.
Campbell rejects many of the chief dogmas
of the Bible, such as the story of the fall
of man, it will be seen how radically differ
ent from the old is the new theology which
is supplanting the religious beliefs of
generation ago In England.
Mr. Campbell states his views with the
utmost frankness in today's Daily Mali. and
inasmuch as he is almost as well known in
America as in his own country they will
attract equal attention on the other side of
the Atlantic.
1--WE object" he says, ito the formal
statement of belief which has distinguish
ed the theology of the past. We object to
ecclesiastical labels. Everyone knows that
for the past twenty years there has been
considerable uneasiness in the churches. due
largely to the development of scientific
knowledge, the press of archaeology and
the study of comparati-1p religion. This I'M
easiness has affected every church. even
Rome. From the side of science the new
theology is typifie. in the work of men like
Sir Oliver Lodge. The lines of divergence
between the old and the new 60 down Geep
and there is great cleavage.
Immanence of God.
THE starting point of the new theology
is belief in the immanence of God and the
essential oneness of God and man. This is
where it differs from Unitarianism. Uni
tarianism made a great gulf and put man
on one side and God on the other. We
believe man to be a revelation of God and
the universe one means to the self-mani-
festation of God The word God stands for
the infinite reality whence all things pro-
coed Every one, even the most uncom-
promising materiaiist believes in this re-
atty. The new theology in common with
the whole scientific world believes that the
finite universe is one aspect or expression
of that reality, but it thinks of it or Him
as consciousness rather than a blind force
thereby differing from some scientists. Be
lieving this, we believe that there is thus
no real distinction between humanity and
deity Our being is the same as Gods, al
though our consciousness of it is limited.
We see the revelation of God in everything
around US.
THE new theology holds that human ma
ture should be interpreted in terms of its
own highest, and therefore it reverences
Jesus Christ. 1t looks upon Jesus as a
perfect example of what humanity ought
to be, the life which perfectly expresses
God in our limited human experience. So
far as we are able to see, the highest kind
of life that can be lived is the life which
is lived in terms of the whole, as the life of
Jesus Every man Is a potential Christ,
or rather a manifestation of the eternal
Christ, that side of the nature of God from
which all humanity has come forth. HUI
mainly is fundamentally one, and all true
living is the effort to realize that oneness.
This is the truth that underles all noble
efforts for the common God in the world
today.