The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-25

According to the pastor. Rev. Elmer
J. Goshen, membership in the First Con-
gregstional church is the privilege of
ell who desire in their lives to seek TO
fulfill the Masters supreme command,
TO love the Lord thy God with mind
and strength and heart and soul ana thy
neigh Dor as thyself.
This is the complete confession of
faith and obl cation which members OF
the church take upon themselves NOT
during Pastor Goshen's incum bency has
the apostles creed been used in the
church service or in the pledge made
by incoming members.
The position taken by the First Con
gregatiOnal church of salt Lake is IN
line with the advanced thought OF 20
dav From New Haven, Conn.,, comes
word that one of the old Puritan Ortho-
dox churches has adopted new con-
fessiOn of faith which drops the
apostles creed and requires no formal
expression as 10 the divinity of Christ.
The Center Congregational church,
founded In 1888, has for more than two
centuries held strictly TO orthodox doc
trines. Now new members viii only
have TO pledge themselves to BELIEF IN
a higher life and moral purposes.
1t is explained by the Officers of the
New Haven church that the purpose OF
the change is TO make the confession
OF faith absolutely theological ana
TO gather into membership those VINO
have hitherto been debarred by slight
theological scruples.
Opposes Theological Barriers.
That a literal adoption Of the tenets
of the apostles creed tends TO antag-
onize independent thinkers is the posi-
tion taken by DR.. Goshen. While ne
reverences the creed for its historical
Significance, he is opposed to every
theological barrier that would tend TO
go 1nlnf oh VTraFn
IF the Master" said DR.. Goshen,
could answer the question of the law
yer: What shall do to inherit eternal
Iife2" he has answered IT Tor us.
This is the supreme query of all hearts,
and fl is a matter of wonder that the
churches Of the world have not cen
tered around the answer as their chief
article of faith. There are two essen
tials in Christ's standard-lOve TO God
and love to man. And the world is
slowly losing sight of theological dog
ma and returning TO the fundamental
doctrine taught by the Master in these
verses of Luke"
According TO DIT. Goshen, the church
is valuable because it brings men into
a relationship where they encourage
and help each other and join their
strength to lift the common burden.
There should be no quarrel about the
road by which a man comes 10 God.
There are many paths that lead to the
light. and all bring us home
Born Like the Rest.
Young people coming into the
church must know there IS nothing of
ancient doctrine to bolster. If they
find the articles of the apostles creed,
conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of
the Virgin Mary" difficult to adopt,
they have a right to think that Christ
was born like the rest of US, and that
he has the divinity that exists in all
men, only in greater measure. Per-
sonally, ] do not believe in the reSur
rectiOn of the body but that belief
does not impair my usefulness in the
service of man.
The object of the church is the wor-
ship of God and the service of man.
Its usefulness is going to spread as
people are permitted TO interpret the
teachings of the Scriptures for them
selves They will be united in the
bonds of common love and common
service The race Will be unified on
this platform
In respect to the action of the New
Haven church DR.. Goshen does not look
upon il as a new departure, his own
church having taken the same position
some years ago. But he thinks it
brave thing TO do in that center of
Puritan standards and inheritance. That
fl will increase the usefulness and in
fluence of the church is his firm
opinion.