Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-27
tons in. accordance with the feeling OF
the times when they arose.
Primary Purpose Of Gospels.


Primary Purpose Of Gospels.
I'VE have. therefore, no documents in
which Jesus of Nazareth Is treated apart
from theology. The Jesus Christ of the
gospels is in a certain sense the Jesus
Christ Of theology. The primary pur-
pose Of the gospels is to show that Jesus
is the Christ. and every gospel writer
could have asked the Jol,annine question.
Who Is a liar but he that denieth that
Jesus Is the Christi
But the Jesus Christ Of Christian the
ology is infinitely more than the original
conception of the Messiah or the Christ.
1T Is a little difficult for modern
thought to grasp the idea Of the human
Jesus as an instrument that expresses all
that can be expressed in human terms OF
the eternal Godhead-that. as the fourth
gospel has 1t. Jesus is the word Of God.
Gods human expression of himself.
And in all seriousness let 1t be asked
why any human being today. looking at
the example Of Jesus Christ, dares 70
The achievement Of Jesus Christ is in
comparably above all other human
achievements. Nothing that has been
done in the world is so hard to initiate
and 1T Is not easy to see what there is
In modern life that reminds itself so
much of the Christ life.
And yet this feeling that we can be
like Him Is part OF q splendid faith. the
childlike religion Of the past accepted
that part Of faith not so much because
OF the example OF Jesus as because OF
His promise and assurance. But He
said that the childlike spirit was espe-
cially adapted to receive deeper truth.
There are endless reasons why this is so.
children. for belief beyond the evidence
Of sense. God gives belief In fairies to
prepare the heart for that actually which
il more impossible and better than fairy
land
Discuss Seat of Authority.
In a debate on 1.-The Seat Of Authority
in Church Government" at the meeting
Of the congress last night the consensus
Of opinion among the speakers seemed to
be that the church needs more democ-
racy. With only one exception the de-
baters agreed that the real seat Of au-
thority in the Protestant Episcopal
Church is in the congregations. but 1t was
argued that this authority is not SUI
fciently exercised. Rev. DR.. Edwin a.
White, rector Of Christ Church. Bloom
field, N. j., was the sole dissenter from
this view. and 1t was his contention that
the church should be ruled through its
general conventions.
All OF l1c OtneT SPEAKERS argued 1OT TIC
establishment Of closer relations between
the church and the everyday affairs Of its
people. Rev. DR.. Edmund j. Cleveland,
rector Of st. Johns Church, West Hobo
ken. n. j., volunteer speaker before the
congress. declared particularly that the
church should take up the cause of the
poor, the weak and the oppressed.
Favors Authority for People.
Rev. DR.. Loring W. Batten, professor Of
Old Testament exegesis in the General
Theological Seminary. New York. who
opened the evening meeting with the first
Of two set papers, made it the point Of
his remarks that the defect in the church
system Of today is that the people are
asked only to vote for wardens and ves-
trymen. and that this Is usually merely
perfunctory proceeding.
1t would be q move in the right direc.
ton to let the people use their authority
direct instead Of delegating it, no said,
and thus let the people elect their rec
tors and their delegates to the general
convention, the vestry and the diocesan
convention making suitable nominations
That the church should be more real
was the conclusion Of Rev. Louis s. o.
borne, rector Of Trinity Church, Newark.
n. j.. who read the other formal. paper
Of the evening. -
when the average American thinks OF
borne. ''ne imaSines, some. historic form.
some mystic IDEAL. instead OF real or
ganiation Of which he is a part"
A reception was given to the visiting
churchmen yesterday afternoon by Mrs.
John r. Mclean. at her home.