The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-03-07
"The New Theology"


logical subjects has reached the low
point, the attention of the Christian
world would be attracted to the ap-
pearance in England of what is call
ed, without any good reason, "the
new theology"
The high priest of this new creed
is Rev. R J. Campbell, who succeed
ed the famous DR.. Parker as pastor
of the City temple in London and
who is the foremost gational-
ist and nonconformist divine in Great
Britain. He and more than fifty other
Congregationalist ministers have
banded together for the propagation
of what is called "the new theology"
which according to a recently pub
hshed outline, includes the following
doctriual points:
ct handles the bible as freely and
critically as it would any other book,
and belives that the seat of authority
is within-which does away with the
doctrine of inspiration.
1t believes in the essential oneness
of God and man and that there is no
real distinction between deity and
humanity-which is pantheism.
at believes that man is immortal
only in the sense that every individ-
ual consciousness is a ray OF the un-
Observation-Disclosures and can not be
destroyed, and that man after passing
through many stages will become full
ly and consciously one with his orig
inal source-wbich is Buddhism
1T believes that Jesus was the son
of a human father and was divine
only in the sense in which all men
are divine-which disposes of his de-
ity.
ct rejects in toto the common in
depreciation of the atonement-and
offers no other.
at denies the reality of final
judgment and believes in judgment
that is ever prcseeding-which ex-
plodes the new testament eschatolo-
gy."
This theology, instead of being
new" is some thousands of years
old, and it is not for secular jour
nal to discuss the question whethe-
If is true or false. The object in refer
ring to it is tic call attention to the
important and revolutionary changes
which are taking place at the present
day in Christian belief.
Anyone can see at glance that the
creed outlined above is a complete
negation of the Christian religion. II
the inspiration of the bible, the deity
of Christ, the atonemert of Christ,
the immortality of the soul and the
final judgment are swept away there
is really nothing of the religion OF
Christ left. What Mr.. Campbell and
his associates are teaching is. Budd-
hism, pure and simple.
The astonishing thing about it is
that this system is taught as Chris
tianity. Mr. Campbell and his broth
erhood must be phenomenally stupid
or phenorenally hypocritical and i'm
pious to offer this theology to the
world as "the gospel" and the Chris
tian people of Great Britain must b
saturated with agnosticism to acceD,
it as such. 1t is said the new theolo-
gy" is not received favorably, but the
wonder is that it does not lead a.
once to fearful denunciation and to {
schism in the Congregational demon
nation
If anything could be more stupid
than the attempt to palm off this doc
trine as Christianity it is the expec-
tation--if anybody expects THAI
these teachings will bear the fruit.
of Christianity Whether orthodo,
Christianity is true or false, all of it,
triumphs have been due to "the old
old story of Jesus and his love.
When the scene on Calvary is blotteC
out the power of Christianity is lost
Christ as an exemplar is not worth ;
straw apart from the divine TRACED,
in which he offers himself up for TIL
sins of the world
The appearance of the new the
ology" is an illustration of the fac
that a religion or religious sec
never absolutely dies but gradual,
changes its form and becomes assim
Iflated to the spirit of the times
Christianity is not dying, but if thi
Transformation is to proceed mucl
further it might just as well die
Chicago Chronicle.
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