The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-05-04
sPALDING ON CHURcH UNITY

Tn the current number of the At
lantic Monthly. Bishop Spalding, of
the Protestant-E Episcopal church in
this city, has an able consideration of
the question of church unity. lie does
not believe that divided Christen.
dom makes for good IN Christian
ethics, in Christian moralites, or in
Christian feeling and action. He
dcprecates the activity Of disputed
theological points and dogma as
harmful to real Christianity, and as
obstacles in the way of Christian
unity which he favors.
There is no question but that the
logic Of the Bishop is sound in all
this; but, after all. is Christian unity
desirable? Might not Christianity under
unity sink into the level Of mere rou-
tine, and dead spirituality7 1t may
be true that the zeal Of sectaries keeps
Christianity more alive and in more
active and better condition for real
Christian work than it would be if
there Vcre no existing causes for ar
gument, and If indeed the Church
were one, the service one, and all
points making for division of faith
were obliterated in favor Of the one
combined Christianity, Where all con
form, all consent to the prevailing
usage. does not religion tend to dc.
generate into mere formalismG It is easy
enough to imagine that a united
Christianity would be irresistible. if
energetic and aggressive for good
rather than for conformity, But
would united Christianity be a pro-
gressive, fighting force7 That is the
question which lies at the bottom Of
ali this argument for union, and that
is exactly what Christian society is
not sure of.
Somo of the advantages of united
Christianity, however, are pointed out
IN two paragraphs which we copv
from the Bishops article, as follows:
The World Almanac for 1911 names lss
dlnerent Christian organiza tions In the
United states. and, either consciously or
ehconsclously the heads OF each or
Sdn!zduoh, the editors OF all the papers
published in the interest OF each of the
organizations, the professors in the
training schools for ministers Of all these
denominations, the writer's and pub
lishers o: ali the books in defense OF the
peculiar tenets OF each OF these 1866
churches oppose any consolida tion which
would put them ont OF business. II
Christian Unity We're realized In the
state in which l live, one man from one
Office could do the work now done by
seven highly paid and respected officials
Inc influence Of The sectarian press is
a striking example o; sectarian inertia
ana opposition TO progress toward
In the United States s6 papers are
published in the interest OF the Protes-
tant Episcopal Church, These papers
support wholly. or in part. large mum
Der OF editors, printers. and contributors.
Otner denominations use even more
printers ink. In the very nature OF the
case these editors, printers and contribu-
tors must take themselves very seriously
as useful public servants. and that seri-
business blocks advance toward Unity.
There arc Ia the United States 1862 thco-
logical scminarics. w6ose 1850 professors
are engaged III earning their salaries hy
teaching coming clergymen that the par
ticrlar emphasis for which their church
stands I'm divided Christendom is still
worth fighting for II seems. therefore.
as " the leaders OF thought were. by
cruel necessity. opposed 70 Unity.