Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1913-11-21
REPLY TO DIR. CARR
ON SOCIAL JUSTICE"
Brother Minister Takes Exception
to Bible Interpretation.
EXODUS FROM EGYPT.
Not a Social Revolution" God
Will Care for All Who Trust
Him.
(Communicated.)
Editor Of the Evening Capital:


Editor of the Evening Capital:
At the risk Of seeming ungracious
to brother ministers, / venture 10
call in question the Interpretation of
the Bible offered by the Rev. DR..
Carr, Christian Socialist, as published
in your columns yesterday. The
beautiful saying "Seek We the king
dom of God and His Righteousness
aud all these things shall be added
unto you" is explained by DR.. Carr
as being intended to teach that the
attainment of system of "social
justice" ]" will bring food and clothin 2
to all.
A highly poetic statement of di =
vine truth cannot be thus reduced to
prose without doing violence to the
spirit of the teacher. One might as
well say that the tender, personal in
vitati IN which includes "Take MY
yoke upon you and ye shall find rest'
means that when we attain a non
capitalistic social system none will
be overworkedl Or that the twenty
third Psalm was written to teach that
If profits and interest are eliminated,
there will be abundant care and pro-
vision for all alike. The three pass
ages just referred TO are generally
interpreted to mean that God will
care for all who trust Him and seek
His will This Interpretation has
been proven true in the experience
of Gods people for centuries, in spite
of frequent apparent contradictions
and exceptions, aud the precious
principle will always be true and
capable of verification under any so.
cial and economic system.
DR.. Carr refers to the Exodus from
Egypt as "social revolution
brought about by Jehovah in order to
put the freedmen into direct relation
to the mea rs of production, and hence
Divine sanction is inferred for the
socialistic system. One can prove
almost anything from the Bible bv
ingenuity in selecting and ignoring
texts, and sound Interpretation
must stand the comparison of part
with part. We observe then that
this social revolution" had, as seen
in the Book Of Judges, most lament.
able social consequences. After the
settlement of Canaan and the death
cf Joshua, a condition of anarchy is
seen, remedied only by another $50
cial revolution" under Samuel
Thereby a monarchy was established.
which appears, under David and Sol
omon, at least, to have enjoyed the
divine sanction, although few were
masters and many were servants.
More over, if spelling the Egyp-
tians" is justified on the ground that
the slaves had previously earned that
which in the hour of freedom they
took from their masters, what shall
we say of their later spelling the
Canaanites and enslaviug the Gibeon-
ties? IN other words, is it not a
much more serious task to prove $50
cialism" from Old Testament history
than DR.. Carr's inge nious exposition
ct isolated incidents might lead one
to suppose? Further it may be add
ed that there is enough injustice and
to spare in our land TO enlist the
heartiest and most jealous efforts of
all Christian people; but to assert
and proclaim vehemently that the
situation is worse here and now than
at any previous day or any other
place, is manifestly to go too far and
to hunt the cause. Such revolution
lists and agitators will be led by
reasonable men to the bar of history
and experience, and will be there
convicted of loose inaccuracy and
gross exaggeration.
P. 7. HALL.
Annapolis, Md, Nov. 21, 'IS.