The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-13
SCRAP BOOK FOR TO-DAY

Religious history will be made this Week in Atlanta. Ga, where three great divisions of the Presbyterian synod will hold their annual general assemblies. beginning tomorrow, The Preeoytertan Church, North, with l. 3SO.O5S co1nmunioauts; the Presbyterian Church, South, with 292,S45 communi- cants, and the United Presbyterian church, with 17s,601 communicants, will be represented in this epochal gathering of the Presbyterian hosts Old differences will be forgotten. while the points of agreement will be en- phasized. Meeting on common ground and in a spirit of Christian unity, the leaders hope that a, final ra prochenaent may be reached. but this hope may be blasted by the theological differences that have arisen between the liberals and higher critics on one side and the defenders of the ''old time religion on the other.
 Already the three assemblies that will convene in Atlanta, this week are loosely bound together in the Alliance Of Reformed Churches, an organiza- tion representing nine Reformed and Presbyterian churches in the United States, with g, constituency of $500, 600; the Presbyterian Church in Canada with a constituency of 100000 and more than eighty different denonnina tfons on the five continents other than North. America. with a, constituency of some 25,o0.ooO persons,
 The Atlanta conventions fnaugurate a series of general assemblies and synods to be held in May and June, including the sessions of the Presby- ter1an churches of Canada and Mex leo, the Reformed Presbyterians, the Christian Reformed Churchi the Ger man Reformed church and the Dutch Reformed church.
 Of the three bodies meeting in At-
 
 churches have been divided since the civil war, while the United Presbyter- ian church is a descendent of the old Scottish Secession" movement, com menced two centuries ago. While all the purely secular associations of the United States have long since buried the hatchet-wao can imagine an American Association for the Advance ment of Science. South, and an Amer can Association for the Advancement of Science, North?-the Presbyterian and Methodist denominations have maintained separate organizations, and the Atlanta gathering will determine whether this spirit of sectional ani- mostly has died out
 DoctrinaI differences are likely to crop up in the assembly as the result of the recent ordination in New York of four young ministers who had re- fused to affirm their faith in the virgin birth of Christ as related in the
 
 gospels of Luke and Matthew or In the raising of Lazarus from the dead as related in the gospel of John The authenticity of the Pentateuch. and the doctrine of the resurrection, were also matters of doubt to these budding clergymen. Among the liberal ele- ment of the denonination-taat ele- ment that was successful ten years ago in it's movement for a revision of the confession of faith-thls attitude on the part of clerical candidates meets with approval Two years ago the assembly was called upon to deal with a similar case. but the conven- tion after readrning the Presbyter- ian confession, dropped the subject.
 The Presbyterian church is not alone in facing possible division as the re- suit of doctrinal differences, and the conflict between liberalism and con ,servatism The American branch of the Anglican church is divided be tween those who want to drop Protes-