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

EnHAl love the LDlu my ATOu Win
= all thy heart, and with all thy soul, +
y and with all thy strength, and with =
4 all thy mind and thy neighbOr as =
y myself.
= And he said unto him: Thou y
y hast answered right. This do. and ,
y thou shalt ve."-Luke X, 25-2S. 4
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According to the pastor. Rev. Elmer
J. Goshen. membership in the First Con-
gregstionaI church is the privilege of
ell who desire in their lives to seek to
fulfill the Masters supreme command,
ito love the Lord thy God with mind
and strength and heart and soul and thy
neighbOr as myself"
This is the complete confession of
faith and obli gation which members or
the church take upon themselves. Not
during Pastor Goshens incum bency mas
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 or salt Lake IS III
line with the advanced thought of To-
day. 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 to the divinity OF christ
The Center COngreg ational church,
founded I'm 1888, has for more than two
centuries held strictly to orthodox doc
trines. Now new members Will only
have to pledge themselves to bellef in
a higher life and moral purposes.
L; 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 and
to gather into membership those who
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-
ton taken by Dr. Goshen. While he
reverences the creed for its historical
Significance he is opposed to every
theological barrier that would tend 10
keep men and women out of the church
IF the Master" said DR.. Goshen,
could answer the question of the law
yer; What shall I do TO inherit eternal
life?' he has answered it for as.
This is the supreme query of all hearts,
and il is a matter of wonder that the
churches Of the world have not cen
tered around the answer as their chlet
article of faith. There are two essen
fials in Christ's Standard-lOYe 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 TO 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
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"
Ia respect 10 the action of the New
Haven church DR.. Goshen does not look
upou il as a new depa rture, his own
church having taken the same position
some years ago. But he thinks 1t
brave thing 10 do in that center of
Puritan standards and inheritance. That
il will increase the usefulness and in
fluence of the church is his firm