Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-09-24
LIBERAL christianity.

A couple Of months ago a worlds
Coneress OF Free Christianity was held
at Berlin II was attended by such
men as Prof Harnack, Paul sabatier'
walter Rauschenbusch, and otto
,Baumgarten.
Dr. Evans, OF the Andoyer Theological
seminary. has furnished "a report Of
the congress to The Congregationalist
and Christian World, Boston, In which
ne deals with the characteristics Of the
German delegation. lie says they are
liberal but earnest and serious. They
are sympathetic and tolerant, but they
are convinced that religious progress
lies in the deeper understanding OF the
moral and spiritual significance of
Jesus for the soul and the race, be-
cause Of the revelation OK God In and
through Him" These men. We are
told ARE PROFOUNDLY Christian in their
thought as well as In their spirit. They
do not expect a spiritual theism' 70 be-
come substitute for the Christian
rengicn. They believe In a free Chris
tianity-but IL is in Christianity they
believe"
Regarding Higher Criticism' one Of
the speakers, In considering the ques-
ton. Has the historical critical treat
ment OF the New Testament increased
or lessened it's significance for the re-
ligious life2' said.
lone experiences the New Testament
as the Book OF books as that which
leads US 10 the high point OF "A unique
religious development. Ia the fulness Of
time In the place OF the authority
Of the letter and OF the inspired man,
there comes the overwhelming power
Of the truth Itself Not In the form
of an errorless writing or OF a theo-
retical truth. but as power, as expert
ence revelation stands before MS and
legitimates itself. and the New Testa-
ment is the collection OF writings which
are exclusively filled by the Spirit Of
Jesus
This Is another way OF saying that
the New Testament, Notwithstanding
all It's errors, contains the message Of
Jesus. and this message leads us to "a
unique religious development" In the
New Testament We have. he SAYS. not
the authority OF the letter or the in
spired man. but tho Overwhelming
power of truth itself 1t remains,
however. 70 be- explained how the truth
itself came into the New Testament
without the fundamentally OF the in r.
spired man. and on what authority VIC
know that II is the truth except the
authority Of the letter. Any statomen,
short Of the one embodied IN the Ar
tIcles OF Faith that the Bibl,, which
Word Of God" as far as it has been
correctly transmitted To u, fails 10
give the full truth.
The speaker quoted seems to be-
lieve.that man has within him a stund-
ard by which he knows FOR himself
what truth is. and that when he COM
pares the message IN the New Testa-
ment to this standard he finds that
they both agree He finds that the
New Testament has the power OF
truth, Notwithstanding It's mpcrfec-
tons of letter This reasoning is false.
Man has no. intuitive knowledge Of
right and wrong. He has no standard
within himself by which to test
whether the Bible is true. or
not The Bible Is the stand
ard. and his concepts Of right
OF wrong must bee tested by the
teachings OF that book, es far as they
are touteiEed therein. We believe in
continuous revelation and continuous
guidance by the Spirit OF truth, but
even new revelations are In harmony
with those given I'm former days and
can be known by that standard not
by human ideas Of truth and morality
The Prophet Joseph. FOR instance. IN
the first revelation given TO him was
startled by the Information that all
the existing sects were wrong. This
was contrary 20 his conception OF the
status Of the religious world
But Il was true. ana the
revelation was found 70 contain the
truth. when tested by the Scriptures
1t Is pleasing 90 learn that the Ger
man Liberal leaders are deycut adj
mlrers OF Jesus. This has not always
been the case. Higher critics" par
ticularly have been rather Inclined to