The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-06
New Westminster Pastor De-
cIares Churches Have Not
Power They Should Have.
EXALT MANS HER0ISM:
LOWER CHRIST'S DIVINITY
Questioning of Divineness of
Savior Has Worked Havoc,
He Adds.

The Rev Greer Alvin Foote. the Pres
| bytcrian minister called To Salt Lake
City from Gcnwood Springs, Colo. oc-
cupied the Westminster Presbyterian pull
pit as pastor in charge Sunday for the
first time. The Rev, Mr.. Foote dcliv-
cred two sermons Sunday. one at ii
o'clock in the morning and the other at
8 o'clock In the evening.
The Rev. Mr. Foote In his evening SER
mon dealt with the trouble with the mod :
crn church and the cause. lie declared
that the churches OF today do not nave
The power they should possess and he
attributes this TO the lack OF faith in
the divinity of the Savior. in part he
said
we say sometimes that such and such
a man cannot be saved. We are think
ing about the man instead of about the
Savior We sometimes say II is no use
TO send missionaries to foreign peoples;
10 try to change them. We are thinking
Of the heather instead OF the Savior We
sometimes say II isn't any use 10 under
take n good work IN certain town or
community. there VIII he too much oppo-
sitlon for IL to prove a success: people
VIII lose their enthusiasm after 1.-THE
tried before and has failed
Forget Christ's Divinity,
"Ah. we are thinking about the diff
cultes and the opposition instead OF the
great, all-loving, ali powerful Christi who
is our leader. Divine love has always
been sufficient for the needs OF men, ana
it always VIII be,
Il have been studying much OF late
on tho question of what Is lacking in mod
crn religion. There is too evidently
something lacking Churches have not
the power they should have.
Now ! am well aware that every man
has a certain amount to do with get
ting religion into his heart, and 1 would
not minimize that too much. But | be-
lIcve that the tendency is TO magnify
4, too much. We are eXaiting man
mans brains, mans love. mans conse-
Grafton, mans herOism-too much. And
we are exalting Christ too little. The
reason why we preachers and We churches
are not the power we were some years
ago, is that we are not emphasizing the
divinity of Jesus Christ enough,
There never, has been a religion that
got hold of tho minds and hearts of
men that did not claim, al least to have
a divine origin Even Mormonlsm IS
founded on claim to revelanon' anu so
Smith really dug up those golden plates
there viii be Mormons.
Jesus claimed to be the son Of God,
forgive sins And so long as the Chris
tlaa church believed that doctrine. that
claim Of Jesus. its success was marvel
oJs But lately there has been a great
dca. of questioning as to the divinity OF
Jccus. and with what results? Here are
some Of them.
Results Of Lack Of Faith.
"The German Llberaists who deny the
divinity of Christ undertook TO run mis-
sion I'm Japan and failed In such way
as TO cause one OF their number to char
acterize the failure as scandal. In
France the excess or deaths over births
I'm 1909 was $1,000; divorces In Paris IN
creased from 1861 in 1884 To over 10000
in 1905. resulting in an increase of over
23, 900 children turned over TO the author
tiles for upbrneiDg in i've years from
Il f,,..- Il NfaVs.n..
times In twenty years. And great econ
omist. not rcligionlst. attributes these
phenomena TO the weakening Of religious
belief which q use his own wordsl the
incompatible stupidity of the public au-
thorltics ever more seeks TO bring about
In Germany representative paper re-
Gently said: The Liberals ruin our
churches from top to bottom.
""Those where men of this stripe preach
are almost without exception empticd of
people. One giant church, with seats for
400. has q usual Sunday attendance Of
forty or fifty; and In large parish
chapel with 500 seats. there were recent
~ but thirteen present, and these in
cudcd sections and church officials The
Liberals. remember. are those who deny
the divinity OF Christ one of their
leading doctrines. This paper goes on:
ON the other hand. churches with be-
licving pastors, even though they be no
great speakers. are almost always filled.
And to show how all this affects tho min
istry, a French pastor writes that the
reason why the pulplts are so poorly re-
cruted nowadays is because Of the dis
trcss OF faith. meaning that phrase that
men know hardly what TO believe.
Can Not Give UP Christ.
"I want 10 stand here and tell YOU
people tonight. and | realize that this Is
one of the most solemn moments OF my
life. that l cannot give up the divine
origin of my religion. ] cannot give
up the divinity of Jesus Christ. II
do ! must give up my belief that he has
power TO forgive sins. and IL ! give that
up | give up my religion altogether.
''Jcsus Christ is divine. care not
how. / cannot explain how / do not
need to know how. But / cnn believe
that he Is; and in that belief in the
hearts of men lies the hope of the world,
The religion OF Jesus has been effective
because of its divine power, take that
away ana YOU destroy H..