The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-26
CHURCH DOCTRINE
UP FOR REVISION
Presbyterians Take Up Ques-
ton of ELECT Infants
sINNOTT rs CENSURED
Complaint of Alabama Minister Is Not
Sustained By the Committee APP
pointed TO Investigate the
Entire Matter

Lewisburg. W. Va. May 25.-After
standing for two centuries and half as
doctrine OF the church the "elect in
FAINT" clause of the confession of faith
of the Southern Presbyterian church
came up for revision today in the general
assembly in session here. The church is
divided into several parties on the ques-
ton and the fight against it has been
waged for years.
The questions arose from the comment
being that If "elect infants" are saved
there must be some. infants that are not
elected. How to say in churchly Ian
guage, that the church holds that all in
fants are elected Is the problem.
At the last assembly an ad interim
committee. headed by DR.. A. NJ. Fraser,
was appointed to propose to this assem-
bly, a proper wording of the proposed
amendment. 1t was this report that was
set for action today.
Those who favor action by the church
on the subject are sub-divided into two
classes. One would tack a footnote to
the confessional, the other advocate bold
" changing the wording of the ''elect in
fant' clause itself.
The ad interim committee reported It's
first recommendation as a footnote, read
ing: This paragraph Che elect infant
elause) cannot by a fair Interpretation OF
the language be construed is teaching
that any of those who die in infancy are
lost, and 1t Is not the belief of the Pres
bytsrtan church in the United States that
any infants, dying in infancy are lost.
As second choice the committee recon-
,nended that the present clause be super
ceded by the following:
"Of those whom God hath given to the
Lord Jesus to be His seed such as are
incapable of being outwardly called by
the ministry of the word are regenerated
and saved by Christ, through the spirit
who worketh, when and where and how
He pleaseth."
This was drawn to protect the doctrine
of election, to avoid implying that any
dying infants are lost and to preserve
the rhetorical style of the confession.
The prohibitionists won a decided vic
tory when the assembly approved the
report of the Sinnott committee which
investigated the complaint of the Kew.
W. /. Sinnott against the north presby-
tery of Alabama for sanctioning the re-
Gently proposed amendment to the state
constitution The commission did not
sustain the complaint and censured the
minister
The report of the committee on the
elect infant clause of the confession
of faith gave rise to a short, sharp de-
bate On motion to send the proposed
footnote to the PresbyterianS ~ their ap-
prevail was voted down overwhelmingly
and the assembly then voted without oil
vision to send down the amendment en-
bodied in the committees second recon-
mendation.
Feeling over the Sinnot complaint was
such that /; was with the greatest diff
| ficulty that the leaders were able to keel
the question from creating scene on the
floor of the assembly. AS it was minor
ity report was submitted by seven mem
bers of the committee, IA having signed
the majority report
The committee found that the Rev. Sim
mott had appeared in the daily press OF
Alabama during political campaign as
an opponent of prohibition, and that the
presbytery, believing that 1t was greatly
prejudiced thereby, made an announce
ment favoring the prohibition amend
reads: Your commission in voting not to
sustain, did not mean to recede from
or compromise the principal of non-intru-
sion into civil affairs or affairs which
concern the commonwealth, but to leave
the courts free as to the mode of deal
ing with a gigantic moral evil. which
mode in this case was the urging of our
people in Alabama to vote for consti-
tutional prohibition. The presbytery OF
north Alabama did not originate or advise
the state to adopt this mode, but in &C.
cordance with the repeated means to BAN
ish the liquor traffic, after the state had
| provided this means, urged 1t upon its
| constituency expressly on moral and po-
| litical grounds"
The commission condemned the action
language and spirit of the complainant
as highly unbecoming in a minister Oh
the gospel"
! The minority disapproved the position
taken by the complainant but held that
the presbytery should have been content
merely to disavow his views