Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-12-24


criticises my position on the amuse-
ment question. In his article he makes
me appear as the defender of sinful
amusements, and as advocating the
bringing into the church of so called
worldly pastimes. At least one other
person, the editor of the Story Sity
Herald has done the same thing. This
makes necessary a reply from me in
which j will attempt to make my po-
sition clearer, and we hope. stronger.
The issue here and elsewhere is not
one involving a controversy with Luth
eran faith and practices. 1t is not be-
tween any two of several denominations
but between two phases of religious
thought, two conceptions of the chris
ton religion which is beginning to be
defined among christian people them
selves both Catholic and Protestant.
Ihere is going on quietly, yet none the
less surely IN the christian world, a
revolution. 1t is, we think, another
reformation tho not attended by vio-
lence and persecution as was that of
Luther and Wesley, nor will it be- for
society has evolved to a higher plane
of understanding and liberation than in
the days of the Protestant reforma-
ton. The change of christian thought
has for both its conscious and sub
conscious basis the revolutionary truth
which Jesus gave the world the
fatherhood of God and the brotherhood
of man, therefore, in order to make
this truth a verify, the social equality
of mankind, the unity of the human
race. We are coming at last to fru-
ltion of the golden rule, and that in
spired utterance Of Paul,-henceforth
there is to be neither Jew nor Greek,
neither bond nor free neither male nor
female, for all are one in Christ Jesus"
Antagonistic to this conception of
christian society. is that of monarchy,
titled aristocracy. tyranny. oppression,
and social injustice Any and all of
these are unchristian because a denial
of the fatherhood OF God and the
brotherhood of man. Those of US who
hold to the principle of christian lib
erty, equality and fraternity, do not
believe that this earth rests under the
curse of God. On the contrary we be-
lieve it one of the great objects of His
love and care. We do not believe that
man is inherently wicked. because in
every human being there is something
divinely good Were there not some
latent good in mankind. then our
preaching would be in vain and the
cross of no avail, for there would be
no sentiment to awaken, nothing to
respond to the love appeal which Jesus
makes to mankind everywhere.
!, l,a
is under the curse of God, no matter if
the Jews did think SO, for Jesus speci-
fcally said that he came to save the
world from its sins and mistakes, thru
that instruction that would lead man
kind to love God our father, and to
render the service of love, of kindness,
and of justice, to those weaker in
knowledge who are our brothers. This
is the new thought in christianity, If
may use that term. for really this was
the thought of Gallilee, lost in the dark
ages, and but imperfectly realized by
the reformation.
1t thinks more of christian character,
and that which will promote it, than
it does of the accuracy of man made
theological dognas; more OF social
amount of water to be used in bap-
tism; more of the liberty of the human
soul, than of a correct wording of the
doctrine of the trinity We believe we
are keeping the spirit of primitive
christianity-of Jesus Christ-whose
great love for u.s. and for the whole
human race aWakens an echo in our
own hearts. The letter of the christian
religion must ever change from age to
age. as the race Develops and human
understanding unfolds.
Between those of US who hold to the
foregoing conception of christianity,
and those who hold rast with jealous
tenacity to institutionalis1n with its
creeds and ceremonies, all the product
of individual minds, which We're in a
measure fixed by the limitations of
ages in which they lived, and who with
tears, wholly sinful and evil who
shackle thought with dogma, stife in
stinct, and reason with superstition;
there is a great gulf fixed which must
widen as it becomes more defined in
the public mind. Again those who
hold to individual liberty as Jesus
taught it, must ever hold to the right
of private Interpretation Of truth. This
is essential that each soul may have
individual opportunity for expansion
and development.
| We must likewise stand for individ-
ual decision of what is sin and what is
not, of what pleasures we may use
without retarding our spiritual unfold
ment and what we may not. This is
what / pointed out in my previous
article, and showed by actual examples
| that the minds even of ministers could
no longer be controlled by creeds and
disciplines, and if not the minds then
cerainly not the actions.
Even the Catholic church has found
| it impossible to control her mem bers
Tho it is contrary to Catholic usage to
join secret orders, yet Catholics dc
join them. More and more we are
coming to believe that Jesus Christ
| completely removed all intercessories
between the individual and God-than
even the church must become the serv.
ant Of its members, not their dictator
and master.
Brother Qualen's appeal for return
to the old religion is very indefinite
What "old time religion" is meant,
That time when the church taught thai
the world is fiat, proved It as the,
thought by scripture, and tortured mer
for declaring otherwise? To the tins
when the Calvinists taught that un.
baptized infants were damned? To thu
time when our Puritan ancestors-tht
fathers of the New England Congre.
gational church--burned witches, per.