Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-09-03

There are many evidences appear
ing in various quarters that the
waves of rationalism, which have
swept over the world during the last
twenty-five years, are subsiding. The
reaction has set in very strongly.
Destructive criticism has about run
its course in the lands where it, first
took its rise. having persisted in the
counter-currents of it's own antagon-
ism" Some belated rationalists in
our own land still desport themselves
in its muddy pools, but they may be
expected to abandon such practices
soon; for their most striking charac-
teristic is a pronounced unwilingness
to be out of harmony with dominant
public sentiment. Meanwhile they
are hearing some very plain things
from men whom they dare not affect
to despise.
In a recent editorial of that able
Presbyterian paper, The Advance
published in Chicago where the ra-
tionalists OF the United States have
sought to fortify themselves. appear
ed the following vigorous deliver
ance against the follies of these
pseudo-scientists
There never has been a time
when more was aid about science
in religion than now. And yet
there never has been a time
when there was so much in the
sphere Of religion which was un-
scientific as at present. Nothing
could be more unscientihc than
for professors in theological SEM
inaries to be trying to teach
IN
doctrine when they do not know
what they believe themselves, but
not few of them are making the
attempt. Nothing could be more
unscientific in it's line than for
the seminaries to be training men
TO preach and at the same time
filling their minds with doubts
as to whether they have anything
to preach. and yet they are doing
it. Nothing could be more un.
scientific than for preachers TO
go on preaching when they do
not know what they believe, and
yet there are those who are doing
it, Nothing could be more UNI
scientific than for churches to
put men over them to lead them
who do not know where they are
going themselves. and yet IL is
done. Nothing could be more
unscientiic than for professed
scholars to try to maintain that
the Bible will be more believable
when they have proved how little
it ought to be believed. but they
are at it every day. Nothing
could be more unscientifc than
to think that the church can be
built up by destroying all it's
foundations, but nobody can look
over the theological literature of Y
the day without seeing how much
of this is going on. Nothing could
be more unscientific than to try
to persuade the world that the
men and women who have done the
most good in the past were the
worst mistaken in their premises,
and yet ii is done right along.
Nothing could be more unscien+
tiflc than to think that we can
prevail upon the reluctant and
selfish world to do its duty by
sowing it's mind with doubt, and
yet the doubt-sowers are as busy
in the church as farmers who
SOW for a harvest in their fields.
These things are all so utter
ly unscientific as to make the
professed devotion to science in
religion seem extremely peculiar
AS a plain matter of fact, there
is more of the scientific in the
preaching in a backwoods school
house which calls sinners to re-
pentance and faith in the Saviour
of mankind than In some of the
boosted theological leadership of
the day. Any preacher outside of