Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-05-02
WORLD IS DRUNK
WITH PHILOSOPHY
Bishops Report at Methodist
Meet Censufes Conditions as
Stunting Church's Growth.

MixNEAroLIS. Mimi. May 2.-Criti-
c,sp, ~ The condition which enabled the
church to gain less than 2 per cent. in
membership in the last year. and charges
that the church press was being used as
q free forum By the promoters of disaf
lection were made in the bishops re
hort to the quadrennial general confer
rnce Of the Methodist Episcopal Church
today.
me rerorf. known as the Episcopal ad-
dress. was signed by eighteen bishops in
this and six bishops in foreign countries.
and Is regarded rs the most important
document to come before the conference,
MS II contains the bishops recommends
lions for the future policy Of the church.
The report was read by Bishop Earl
C?anston. OF Washington. ID. G. Another
section upon which the bishops have been
at work since the general conference ut
Baltimore will be delivered tomorrow.
'In the last year" said the report. "the
church has made Il net gain OF but Do
COO. which is less than > per cent. as
the outcome of the years activities and
the outlay of many millions rf@Dollars.
The statistical paradox glares us out
of courtenance. II shames and humil
iates us. What are honors or offices
worth in any army that does not win
lattlesY No marvel that come are pro
POSING to reduce the major generals 10
post duty"
rhis was a refarencnsto n proposed
Uniting of the activities to q local dis
trlct of the bishops Nnose Jurisdiction
now Is universal,
Anon the reasons for the meagre
growth. az set forth. were d too strict
application of the law of the church de-
nan-iing that all members who remove
from a given community without their
church letters be dropped from member
ship after one year.
"a fair calculation" the report said,
reveals the astounding fact that prob
ably not less than 100000 members dis
appeared from our rolls by reckless use
OF the dropping process.
'Nevertheless, we still face the patent
fact that our distinctive doctrines are
not being emphasized rs they once were.
or. where preached. are discredited for
the time by n gainsaylng world drunk
with vain philosophers and sated with
glnttonous in~dulgences."
Pleading for an emphasis on the dis
tinctive Wesleyan doctrines, the report
said that they were the only power to
save the nation against vice. 1t says:
where Is the evidence that science
has ever regenerated one soul. or that
culture has redeemed one lihert;ne, or
taken envy, malice. pride. jealousy or
greed out Of any heart? These utter
ances are not reactionary unless this
world has oufgrown Jesus Christ.
'Our second lapse is that our system is
not being worked as 1t formerly was.
Certain distinctive parts have been aban-
doned, others modified. Innovations,
noxions 10 our pastoral as well as to our
superyislonnl methods. have interviewed
TO the hurt of both"
The address condemned the practise TINT
was said TO have grown up in certain
churches Of calling In %eyungelists to car
ny on revival services as against the
former custom which places the local
pastor In charge of that work.
Turning from this the report con
demned the so-called congregational sys-
tenn OF calling pastors for local churches
which was said TO have become general In
Methodism.