Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-03-09
T0PREACH THE TRUTH
Desire of Jersey Clergyman Who
Champions New Belief.
ASKS HIS FLOCK TO AID HIM

ent Church 10 Dying, Choked by Old
Forms-Christianity to Be Reborn.
Having passed through nine day
soul experience that stirred him to the
very depths. the Rev. William II. Boo
rock, pastor of the First Reformed
church at Bayonne, N. j., has asked
his congregation to stand by him. He
says he wants to preach the whole
truth.
He believes that the present day
church is dying. choked to death by
old forms and church systems. says
the New York Times. He believes that
Christianity, real Christianity. Is being
horn again. The church Of tomorrow,
the real church, will be founded not
upon book, but upon a personality.
Dr.. Boocock, a graduate Of Rutgers
college. pastor of his present charge
for eight years and a minister for
twenty years. says that he will not let
himself think Of the consequences In
a material way Of his words and ac-
lions. Regardless Of all forms. sys-
TENS and previous beliefs. he purposes
TO tell from now on what he believes
to be the truth. If he loses his pas
torate-well. then. he'll just have to.
Members of Mr. Boocock's flock
hadn't sufficiently recovered the other
day from the shock of the remarkable
sermon he delivered on recent Sun
Cay morning to make any public COM
ment upon it. Some of them. it was
said, were prepared to stand solidly
with their pastor. while others were
inclined to take sides against him for
his 30 called radicalsm.
AT different times I have felt as If
had better resign from the minis
try he said. But after my expert
ence l knew that l must go on in
ministry Of truth telling. Of endeavor-
ing to get into men the spirit of Christ.
If can't do that In my own church,
then maybe l shall have to do it In an
Independent church. But must tell 1t.
If I had known twenty years ago what
I now know about the ministry,
should never have entered 1t, but did
put my head In the moose, and now
will fight for freedom. shall win It,"
In his sermon Mr.. Boocock referred
to the Virgin birth. He said that schol-
ars are now thrashing out that ques-
ton, but that it wouldn't make great
deal of difference If 1t was finally ac-
cepted that there could have been no
such thing. for the real Christianity Is
founded upon the personality Of Christ
what he said and did
Frequently of late " 3 cock has
said that the living church Is not
founded upon book. He has left the
impression that the Bible is by no
means the solid truth from "cover to
cover"
Daniel in the lions den, the opening
up of the Red sea before the fleeing
1sraelites and all these impossible
things are mere flubdub." said Mr.. Boo
cock, land expressed in very eXagger-
ated and tigurative language Mt that.
1.-The prophets Of the old time sought
the best means of conveying to the
minds of the sort of people then living
the religious spirit. But the things
that We're vehicles Of those days can
not be vehicles Of today. for we are
a different people. The prophets could
make the olden people believe those
things. We can't make the young
men Of today believe them, and it is
stultifying to keep on trying to do it.
And so during the days of the ref
Ormation many of the dogmas of Prot
70,
needs of the men then living. The
present church system is heritage
from past age. In its beginning it
was neccsstated by the outward and
inner conditions of the time; in It's ma
turity ii rendered Il noble service, but
In its old age it is becoming an intol-
cradle burden. 1t is full of dead spots,
and unless the signs are misread it is
clearly dying. But that does not mean
that Christianity is dying. On the con-
trary, 1t is being born again with a
new and more vigorous life.
THE spirit of man, growing more
kindly. more truth loving, more pur-
more effective expression, and 1t IS
hindered by the existing church sys-
tenn and by the sturdy, though some
times unenlightened, defenders of it,
who seem to regard it as Of the abid-
ing essence Of Christianity itself. Ten
nyson's words are not without point in
this connection:
''Our little systems have their day
They have their day and cease to be.
They are but broken lights to thee.
And thou. o Lord, are more than they.
IF any church representing Chris
family is to live, 1t must touch the life
Of the people at all points. Let's away
with the thought that the pastor is to
talk about nothing save the divinity Of
Christ the infallibility Of the Bible,
and SO on.
III there is in any town any public
matter of Importance to the whole PEG.
pie living there, let the pastors of the
churches, the deacons, elders and the
congregation get out and work for it.
Let the pastor talk about it in his pull
pit. A universal fraternal spirit will
be the living spirit of the church Of to-
morrow.
'From time out Of mind churches
have maintained prayer meetings and