The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-09-15
GREAT CHURCH
CONVENTION
Churches of Christ Will
Send Delegates to New
Orleans.
GATHERING is EXPECTED TO
NUMBER MANY THOUSAND PEG
AND MANY DISTINGUISHED
SPEAKERS WILL BE PRESENT.

| national Missionary Convention of the
| Churches of Christ (DiscipIes) is to
be held in New Orleans next October.
from the 9Th to the 10Th.
! The Progressive Union. the Protes-
| tant Ministers Association. the rail
roads and tle Soniat Avenue Chris
| ton church are cOnspiTing together to
| make this the greatest convention of
| the kind ever held in the Southland.
/ II is fully expected that from five 10
| ten thousand delegates will attend
| from ali parts of the world, among
which will be many of the most noted
ministers and missionaries of the
church, and quite number of bust
ness men and politicians of national
reputation. The sessions of the Amer
| lean Christian Missionary Society
viii be presided over by Mr.. r. A
Long, a q Stinguished. muIti-milIion-
aire from Kansas City, M.
Local committees have already been
appointed covering every phrase of
the entertainment of the delegation
Dr. w NJ. Taylor. Minister of the
| Soniat Avenue CnTictian church. has
been put in charge of affairs as cor
responding secretary. has opened
headquarters at 3O1 Hibernia Bank
Building, and Is very busy with the
preliminary work. A lease for the
Athenaeum Hall on St. Charles Ave
nue., has been closed aS the place for
the sessions of the convention. This
Is said to be the finest and most
perfectly equipped building in the
South for convention purposes. and
through the courtesy of the pastor and
Board of Stewards of the First Metho-
dist Episcopal church. South. their
elegant building will be used by the
WOman's sessions and for overflow
meetings of the general sessions
Fhe hotels have given a guarantee
OF the best rates ever offered by them
for such an assembly before. and are
determined to give such accommo-
dations aS will charm the guests.
This convention will not be sectl-
rIan in its spirits, but it is intended
to represent the missionary interests
OF those churches which feel chaI-
lenged to measure I'D to the cosmp
politanism of Christ. with whom there
were no racial pTejUdices. sectaria1
limits, or dogmatic systems, In His
plan for the Characterization of the
whole world
The Characterization of the world
being the one end in view, they ;IrO-
pose, as a means to that end the
union of all Christians in conformity
with the prayer of Christ, That they
r T.
art in me, and l in thee; thar they
also may be one in us. that the VOL Id
may believe that thou hasC sent me-
AZ confessional basis of thai unity /
they offer the good confession" of /
Peter made in answer TO the inquiry |
OF Christ, But whom say 50 thai |
am?" and Simon Peter answered and |
said, Thou art the Christ. the Son /
of the living God
As an institutional basis of union !
they offer the two which were insti- |
tuted by Christ. the Lois Supper and |
baptism by immersion First Corin- |
thians XII. 1884; Romans vi. A.. which /
point TO the death. burial and reSur-l
rectiOn of Christ as the Savior of The |
world.
As the organic basis OF union they |
offer the simplest possible form Of 1
government conforming
to the precept and precedent of the /
Church of the Apostolic age. which /
relates itself most perfectly to the /
thewOrk to be accomplished.
As a nomGnciatural basis of union
they offer the Bible name; only, their
motto being. Call all Bible things.
and only Bible things. by Bible
names only
As basis of union in government /
they offer the Bible as the final ap-
real for the settlement of al Uues-
tons treated therein. and the major
ity vote of the local congregation as /
the final appeal for the settlement of |
all questions of expediency; being dem
CcTatiC in policy they offer as a motto:
- In faith. unity in opinion, liberty; |
in all things, charity
This movement for unity was ST.
movement among the
Protestant churches of America in the
beginning of the last century. and is
the last of the evolutionary movcm-
ents on the part of the churches for
tn, reinterpTetatiOn Of the idea Of
the church a il X described in the
New Testament and IL entirely u
han mOny with the American spirit OF
unity, liberty and democracy in the
sense: vet II does nor claim
for itself absolute perfection in Is
life or Interpretation of the Christ
dea. but only claims 40 Ne unharluer-
ed. and is not only willing 20 accent
all truth, but is in the omen nigh
way and is pressing tOwd-l he mai
as best il can under he Circun-
stances
This movement would not have been
possible under the political coalitions
that existed at the time in any other
hence Il Is indigenous 70 the |
American spirit OF liberty and has /
been fOStered and developed along
with the great institutions OF this
until il IS in general tavaf
with people of all faith. and its
growth mas been one Of the marvels !
Of the nineteenth century
Its communicates are organized IN I
10 nearly twelve thousand congreCa-l
tons. and number one million and
three hundred thousand adult mem
OeTs. besides almost an equal number
Of Sunday School children: il has
about sceyen thousand preachers and
fourteen hundred missionaries; il ex-
Ponds about eight and a half millions |
lf dollars per annum IN the maintP-
nance of tho