Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-09-26
EXPLAINS STAND
Al AINST NEW
RELIGION PLAN
Rev. Mr.. Rose Declares Oft
Tried Theology Will Cause
Failure.

the J-niVersalist Church, after reading
the criticisms made against him by
Charles G. Robson and other Y. III. c.
4. officials and n/listers, gave his
thoughts expression today with con-
siderable junction. Mr.. Rose was
criticised for an alleged attack on the
Men and Religion Forward Move
ment" and upon some OF his statements
~antagonistic to the Y. NJ. c. A
The officials of the Y. NJ. {. A and
many ministers rose up in arms and in
scathing words denounced Mr.. Rose
for his ~'haphagard statements
Here is MIR. Roses reply, made
through the Evening STAR:
Yes, | have read the comments in
The Morning and Evening STAB on my
sermon, and ! am sorry my critics have
made it a personal matter. The issue
is too big for persons to count or for
the calling of hard names back and
forth. | am as anxious to get men to
go to church as any of my brother
clergymen in this city, for | believe
that the church is the best friend man
ever had on earth when it is the right
kind of a church, and / would count
it a privilege and a joy TO work With
lin DItlii1fll III q Sit6N - 4
the men If / thought they were on the
right track and could do what they
were starting out TO do.
II attended a meeting of the Men and
Religion Forward Movement in this
witty and another big one in New York;
not to criticise nor in any antasonis-
tic spirit. but sincerely to find out what
was going to be done and join in 1t, II
I could; but when il was stated ana
implied that the theology this move
ment would carry to the men of Ameri- ,
cs would be the same theology every
revival has tried to get them TO ae-
oept. without success, ! said to myself:
What a pathetic, what a colossal mis-
take: what an impossible proposition;
aud ! say ii again, in al kindness, that
this Men and Religion Forward Move
ment is a man and religion backward
movement so far as theology is con-
cerned, and therefore, like so many
other big revivals, gotten up at great
expense and with much shouting and
running to and fro. is doomed to fall
ure at the outset.
men and brethren. you cannot get
the men OF this generation with the old
theology. DC you not see it, as you
lok at your pews from Sunday to sun
dav. The men are not there and they
are not there because they don't believe
what YOU preach. How are you to get
them-through a company of strangers
who come into you city and preach
the same things you have been preach
ing? The men Of today must be offered
a reasonable and an ethical theology
n religion that accords with the teach
II gs of our public schools and colleges
a religion that is in harmony with mod
ern science and philosophy and modern
literature. G;ve them that, and then
II you add some other very necessary
things. like good preaching. really good
music. and good fellowship they VIII
come by the hundreds where they now
are leaving you by the hundreds:
"In regard to the Y. NJ. G. A., | am
not opposed TO il, but. on the contrary,
very enthusiastic over it, especially in
this latter day. when it is o~utgrowing
its conservatism and giving men the
things men like and demand, They
have bowling alleys, billiard tables and
pool tables in the Y. NJ. {. AS today;
they have every feature OF the highest
priced clubs. except drinking and gam
bling. And they cost young men a
very nominal price, They are godsends
in our cities and are doing a wonde
full good. believe in their educational
classes. their -gy1nnasiums and recrea-
lion features, their clean ~sociabilitY
and in their great Sunday meetings for
men.
"Of course, | am opposed 10 the theo-
logical basis of the Y. NJ. C.. A., as it
will not admit = Roman Catholic or g
Unitarian or Universalist or a Jew Il
active membership. Thousands Of
evangelical preachers are opposed To
the same narrow test, and it will be
changed. My point in speaking Sunday
of the Y. NJ. c. A. was that because
of its many attractive features it was
drawing men away from eht/ch. The
young men have so much 10 do for the
=. NJ. c. A. that they have neither
time nor inclination TO work in their
respective churches as they would j.
their respective churches we're minia-
ture y. NJ. c.. As. A Methodist min
lister of one Of our Western cities told
me that the clergy Of that city were
by no mean enthusiastic over the local
Y. NJ. c. A. because it was robbing
them of their helpers. He said they
were seriously considering competing
with the Y. NJ. {. A. by adding SINH
lar features to their own churches.
AS a matter OF fact, a really modern
Y. NJ. G. A., like The one in Detroit or
the Bedford branch in Brooklyn, l. a
church of itself, and Just the kind Of
a church the men OF today demand,
Such Y. M. G. AS are having no
trouble to get men; their problem is to
care for the men who want 10 join