The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-05-17
SAYS CLERGY NO
LONGER BELIEVE
IN THE MIRACLES
Should Be Interpreted as Sym-
bols, Declares Rev. Adolph
I. Roeder in Orange.
ILLUSTRATED BY MODERN
FIGURES OF SPEECH
domains Whale and Tammany
Tiger Both Need Explanation
of a Similar Sort.

The attitude of modern thought
toward miracles was explained in ar
interesting lecture BY the Rev. Adolph
Roeder. in New Church. orange, last
night, in part as foIlows:
A few weeks ago there was a miniature
rebellion in the department OF theology
In Princeton. In itself this symptom OF
clerical distemper Is not very significant,
put when taken in connection with a num-
indicates. that there Is very much more
serious disturbance in the atmosphere OF
clerical and ecciesiastic thought than
many would admit, ever if aware Of it
aware Of this mental disturbance. and
the article in a recent issue of one OF
our popular nIagazines, which speaks OF
the Blasting Of the Rock OF Ages gives
case, since it lifts the inyestiga ton be-
You'd the sphere Of possible immaturity
Of Thought on the part OF young theo-
logical students into the realm Of the
very mature thought of professors Of
science. of ethics, OF sociology in most
OF our prominent colleges. And it tells
voltaire, Paine and Renan, and cut
minatlng in the higher criticism has done
its, work and. that the clergy no longer
The keynote Of all biblical research in
this day is tending away from miracle.
toward a purely historic and critical inter
probation. the two interpretations both
having evoIutional tendencies.
That this eliminates the miracle Is evil
dent, since the historic figure Of Moses,
OF Joshua, of Solomon. Is no more miracle
Rameses, or OF Assurba nipal. or Of Nero.
And the number of the clergy which
thinks aLd believes that the miracles Of
the Hible are merely folklore Is constant
there is back Of this one symptom Of
growth Of race-lifc. a series of evolu-
tons which interpret the phenomenon as
definitely. Take the evolution Of the
clergyman of today himself. 1t is evil
dent thar he differs from the Clergyman
hguring IN the pages Of smollett and
good King Hal. who touched folks on
specified days for Kings Evil, differs
from good King Edward VII, who does
not and would not dream Of doing il.
Evolution of the state.
Stop at this point a moment and look
taken place In the State? There was a
TIME when the head of a nation was the
head OF thst nation BY the Grace Of
t ssa, Is Tn nc, hs sSs S e ths ii A tsst aati oatiS SV
the Grace. Of God, but BY the choice
and VIII Of the people and monarchy is
dead I y d has sivsn s May ao the EsDq 1Dlx5
over the church. Her ministry was at
one time a MINISTRY by the Grace Of
GOD today it is such by the voice and
But the miracle eliminated from The
Bible requires one of two courses. A can
did mind will be compelled either to lay
aside the Book virtually or to interpret
its stories symbolically. Thus. for instance,
il I should run across the expression The
ship of state" and some very nice people
had all along thought It was a real ship
the President, and that, for instance, BY
writing a few sentences on a BIT of paper.
calling these sentences a tariff revision,
that person called the President had saved
the ship of state, and that the paper had
actually turned into a wooden plank, which
the President with some OF his senatorial
crew had fitted into part Of the hull Of
facing it, not because it is one, but be-
cause the very nice people In whom had
faith had misunderstood the story, and had
literally a thing that must ne
spiritually. At some point In
my studies | should come across the horri-
flying conviction that there never had been
such a ship actually. And with a smile |
should bow to the inevitable and change
my mind. But II the same thing happened
to the ark Of Noah. and / should interpret
that In the san way and think OF IT as
the character Of man, with certain human
and animal traits launched by the divine
be called a hereto. At least | might have
been so called until Mr.. Chestertop wrote
that delightful book of his on Orthodoxy"
Ancient and Modern s~ymboIisn.
One of the professors quoted In the ar
ticle mentioned said: 1T Is unsclentifc n
absurd to imagine that God ever turned
stone mason ana chiseied commandments on
a rock" That is one Instance OF a thou
sand where men interpret spiritual Ian
guage materially. OF course God never
the commandments on any other
rock but on the rock of faith. And on
rock they are chiseled to this day.
Modern symbolism tells of the battle be-
tween the G. o. p. elephant and the Tam
MANY tiger. Il that less permissible zool-
oav than ancient symbolism speaking OF
Jonah and a whale? Both stories need in
depreciation. as does all language, when
once you begin 10 study IL Hence m
tellfgent men in liberal pulpits instead OF
throwinr away the Bible preserve that
precious book by symbolic interpretation.