Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-16
PRESBYTERY AGAIN TORN UP
Doubling Divinity Candidate Or
dained in New York.
APPEAL TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY
strict Churchmen Insist STRUCTURES Of
Father Vaughn Are strengthened
hy such Action-Laymen
Work for Missions.
BY D. V. FRANCIS

NN@A ~ DNNA Nlle hAllllaslOu Oh q 1Ounk
man 20 the ministry who Is not at all sure
on some points which have been regarded
as fundamentals by the Presbyterian
church, among them the virgin birth and
bodily resurrection Of Christ. In spite OF a
vigorous protest by considerable
minority, the Presbytery decided to ordain
the young man.
An appeal will be taken to and sent then
70 the general assembly. This same uues-
ton was brought before the last general
assembly and steps were taken which II
was thought would prevent the ordination
Of candidates for the ministry whose
Views were not sound. 1t apparently failed
and indications are not lacking that an
ugly fight is facing the Presbyterian
church.
Those who were in a position to know
affirm that the Presbyterian laity is al
most sohdly against the admission to the
ministry Of men who do not accept the
Westminster confession and win take steps
to impress their views on the general as
semblY.
one prominent laymRn said to me re-
Eentyi 1T is action like this which gives
weight to the charge Of the Jesuit Father
Vaughan that Professionalism Is retrogrsss-
ing. I'm afraid that there is more truth
In the charge, so far as II Is applied TO
HV churches, than we care to admit
What the church needs is an old-fashioned
TeYival among the ministers How can
these men teach the fundamental truths
OF Christianity when they do not believe
them7
Where the preachers themselves do not
admit the divinity OF Christ and his resur-
recuon from the dead, how can the church
hope to maintain It's spirituality7"
work of the Laymen.
One hundred and forty laymen OF the
Episcopal churches Of Manhattan, Brook
lyn and the Bronx. and Richmond bor-
Oughs Of this city have part In an i'm
portant development Of work for Christian
missions. These laymen are lawyers, bank
clerk and professional and business men
who give some part Of their spare time
on week nights and Sundays to personal
work for the advance Of Christianity.
They arc putting up no opposition 70
bishops or other clergy, but are working
loyalty for improvements, especially in the
matter Of methods The development OF
the new work covers about ten years, al
though its chief advance has been during
the last I'VE.
The work attempted is not that of the
brotherhood Of St Andrew, the old or
ganization of Episcopal laymen, but is
more on the material side. The principal
part OF their work has been the demonstra-
don OF new methods. These men declare
that II VIC fly and telegraph without wire,
we must also make advances In missionary
work. Wholly in sympathy with the
church clubs. and often cooperating with
thems the newer organizations touch neither
local nor general work done by them
Bishop Greer Bishop Burgess and other
Episcopal leaders have written IA COM
aNaNN
plished-
Modern Day Movement.
The works which these Christian laymen
DO. always without salaries is quite new.
IL is a notwithstanding advance along
lines not dreamed Of ten years ago. For
example, lRymen OF some cities ars going
we'll beyond suburbs Of their cities ard
here and there buying eligible plots Of
land, three 10 five acres, sometimes ten
acres, and paying for them In full In
amount exactly equal 90 that paid FOR a
particular plot a mortgage on downtown
real estate is purchased and the plot made
the beneficiary, Interest from he MOI /
gage pays taxes on the plot and principle
will by and by pay assessments for int
provementE where any, or accumulate a
fund for the church that Is some day to
be Under this plan there is no danger
VI he4aAAAAh AA=hu R0uIs t1hu HuGn plan
been becoming, 1t might have been put
into operation fifty years ago and the his
tory of Christian churches in American
cities would be vastly different from
what &c Is
Lead In Spiritual Work.
Closely related TO this plan are the vol
unteer lay readers and speakers who 20
into the suburbs of cities and into the
country districts and there form Sunday
schools and hold religious services. Most
OF these men have had the training that
ministers have had and are the same as
ministers In all save ordination. Giving
their services on Sundays, they make pos
sibie new schools and churches the con-
gregations OF which can devote their en-
tire energies TO che buying OF land ana
the sreCtiOn Of buildings. When these
things arc done they can subscribe enough
to support minister. Having support for
the ordained man, they call one. and the
volunteer reures, his work completed The
value TO the new church Is tremendous
In PittsburE, Buffalo, Baltimore, Louis
vile and New York this work has been
developed in largest measure, single com
panies Of these laymen having brought
into existence within the last ten years
fifteen 70 twenty-five new churches In
growing suburbs. The money aocumula-
NteA IA SUM OF Aho clLle1 named reaches
$4,000 In the last decade
Fer the Boys.
Whether for good or III, American cities
are draining rural communities OF their
young people. Boys In country towns grow
up in the churches, either actually Join
the churches or get ready 20 do 50, when
3 business position Is offered them in the
city and they leave never to return
These Christian iaymen regard the boy
question. before the boy reliably leaves
the Job or the rural town and after he
arrives In the big city, as a vital one, and
20 they are providing experts who In given
RESIGNS look after boys in the churches
and especially show minister and local lay
men how 70 attack and solve lie problem
Of holding boys
There are boy scouts brutherhoodS,
knighthOods and half a doEen other organ
iEauons, each pushing its own plans A
thing that suits one community and one
situation may not suit another al ali. A
held OF operation should be chosen 80 one
can know each local situation and advise
intelhgenty concerning the organization 20
Introduce, provided any should be- These
men support the experts for work among