The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-04-25

to think that the chief feature Of the
story was the eating OF an apple Yet
there is not a word in the whole Bible
about Adam and Eve eating an apple.
The Tree OF the Knowledge Of Good
and Evil Is not botanical species.
The angel at the east gate with the
flaming sword might have been Hal
ley's comet in the eastern sky. The
paradoxical creation Of Adam before
Eve may correspond to the biological
fact that the human germ normally
develops into the male. As Darwin
says that the female is an arrested
male: Spencer that male is fully
developed female. see no good Iea
sen why we should adopt the inter-
pretations coming to us from the
childhood of the race. The claim thar
infallibility OF a revelation should be
supplemented by sufficient human m
fallibility to interpret it is utterly I'M
supported by psychology or history.
1T seems TO me. then, that the can
ons of historical criticism are not aD-
plicable to the creation story. That
it was a lucky guess seems unworthy
of serious consideration-the cores
pondenee is far too great for thai 1t
seems to me that the inspiration or
revelation theory has about as good
standing in reason as any other that
is if that theory be reasonably applied.
More light is to break forth from the
word because interpretations will im-
prove in the light of increasing knowi-
edge. | see no possible justification
for assuming that ancient interpreta-
tions were identical with revelation
itself and have equal authority.
] The Human Side.
But we must not claim too much.
Revelation must have its human side
as well as its divine side Its human
side must be imperfect or it would not
be human. The Bible is a growth, a
progressive revelation The names
for God change as it proceeds and
moral insight develops. The appar-
ent defects in the Bible may be the de-
fects of the age that received it or
those which have transmitted it. A
perfect revelation could not be given
to an imperfect people, and if it were
it could not be perfectly received and
interpreted. That the Bible Is as per-
feet as it is, is a marvel without par
allel in history. We only injure it by
making questionable or impossible
claims about it, We underestimate
its riches. We might remove from it
everything which historical or philoso-
phical criticism has ever challenged
and there would still remain infinitely
more than anybody ever practiced. |
once heard Mr. Moody say, holding out
a Bible in his hand, 'if you can prove
one word of this Bible untrue | am
done with it ALL And yet the book
he had was King James version. To
say that nothing can be taken from
the Bible without destroying it all is
+. inconceivably absurd.
Il am surprised that DR.. Scott's
critics take the attitude they do to-
wards evolution. 1t is so universally
accepted among thinking men today
that discussion of 1t has almost ceased
among those competent to discuss 1t.
| Rightly understood, it is only new
name for Providence. II is eorollary
of divine imminence Is the divine
energy potential or kinetic? Is God
! living or is He dead or comatosez II
He is not acting prayer is useless, and
! He is not God at all. There is no pos
sible reason for supposing that the
! divine energy is not kinetic. But that
means evolution. For evolution can
only mean the mode of divine action.
lit is a very Vrecarious theology which
rests on the hope that man may prove
an exception to what seems 60 be uni
versa law. Mans, spiritual nature
belongs to the new era, the higher
creation, but his body belongs to the
physical world and to the animal king
dom. That the spiritual should grow
out of the vegetable, or the vegetable
out of the mineral Evolution means
shat God is in His world-that rs the
worlds hope. For infinite goodness,
infinite wisdom, with their infinite re-
sources working out the divine will
that is evolution
| THAT the Jewish race possessed the
highest religious genius the world has
yet known needs no discussion. Re
ligious genius must involve suseepti-
1 bility to revelation. The Jewish cos
lnogony is infinitely superior to any
the ancient world has left us That
lit was assisted by revelation seems
the only explanation, for the Jews
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