The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-12-06

which are being instituted in the
churches are, to say the least.
prompted by an acknowledgement Of
the Scriptural teaching, that healing
the sick is an essential feature of
Christian practice. This point hav
ing been settled, it remains to discov-
er the Christ method. We think all
will agree that real Christian results
can be had only by the means which
our Lord employed. viz, by an unre-
served reliance upon God. If we may
assume that human psychology shall
furnish the way of Christian healing
on the supposition that God made
psychology" we may consistently go
to the length of assuming that every
man should be liberal drinker of
whiskey on the supposition that God
made it." The spiritual science of
God reveals the fact that both psy-
chology and whiskey, which by the
way we are not comparing, are of hui
man invention, and experience teaches
that absolute purity of thought and
life demands sacrifice of both. Solo,
mon admonished, Pull not upon your
selves destruction with the works of
your hands," Rather than declare
that human methods are gifts of God,
we should awake to the fact that they
are Interpretations.
Tho Motive Of the Emmanuel Move
ment.
Turning now to the Emmanuel
Movement, we find that the motive for
its establishment, as stated by its
founders, was to supply demand for
"non-drug healing" The following
quotation from DR.. H. M. Wells of
Philadelphia is representative of the
many we have seen on this subject.
Recently the suggestion has been
made that the Christian Church enter
the field of psycho-therapeutics and
thus meet the demand that apparent
ly exists in the minds of the people
for the healing influences of religion.
1t is hoped by this means to offset the
effects of Christian Science ITO off,
set" the good works of another body
OF Christian people does not seem to
be very exalted purpose, but we shall
not complain on this account, for we
are quite sure that as the churches ap-
proach scientific healing whatever is
wanting in their motive may be easily
corrected.
There seems to be division of opin-
ion regarding the Importance, useful
ness and advisability of this new
movement. One writer declares that
this latest counterfeit probably had
its conception and birth in the fear Of
doctors Of losing their patients and OF
pastors Of losing their members' Says
another: "The Emmanuel movement is
one of the most talked of projects
among churchmen today 1t is being
used in Boston to combat Christian
Science" We do not understand wheth.
er the affirmation that this movement
is a return to primitive Christianity"
or revival of historic Christianity"
refers to means and methods employed
or whether it is intended to apply
simply to the abstract proposal to re-
vive "non-drug healing" If we were
to undertake to justify the movement
by Scriptural authority we should have
to concern ourselves not only with the
proposition that Jesus and he apos-
ties healed the sick, but also with the
method of healing which they used
We should seek a knowledge Of the
Christ means of overcoming human
ills.
In an address made at Rochester on
May 90, 1908. DR.. McComb declared
that the Emmanuel Movement lis an
outcome of the fact that Jesus Christ
healed the SICK" and that Christ was
not averse to taking advantage of
means provided by nature and man in
His day" Respecting this it must be
said that Jesus was truly human and
moved among men, but he had as lit
tie part in material things as 1t was
possible for one upon this plane to
have. and as he advanced in under
standing he relied more and more up
on Spirit until finally he parted from
material conditions-limitation
gether. DR.. McComb has declared that
The Savior would have been willing
to take advantage of the advancements
of this agen' Following this line Of
argument he holds that spiritual
healing must go hand in hand, COOP
Grating with and sometimes supple
menting medical science" He even
goes so far as to advance the specula-
tive opinion that if Jesus were present
In this age he would work hand in
hand with the doctors, that he would
employ medical diagnostician to ex-
anime the cases which applied to him
for help, and If by this means it were
discovered t hat persons were afflict-
ed organically he would reject them,