The Washington herald., 1913-03-30
METHODISTS GROW DEMOCRATIC
In POLICY TOWARD MINISTERS

y The world unity movement among
Methodists begun at the world ecume-
nical conference OF Metodists in 1911 at
Toronto. is being still further urged As
a result of the Toronto gathering an
ecumenical commission in two sections.
Eastern and Western, was formed. The
Eastern section has organized in England
and decided to circulate information con-
cerning Methodist churches. American
and English. in the several countries;
to secure on steamship lines equal treat
ment in the matter OF religious services
for nonconformists as for other churches.
and 10 make inquiries and report con-
cerning the practice OF ministers passing
from one country to another and obtain
ing positions without sufficient creden-
tfals.
Recommendations are also to be sub
mitted to the various conferences OF the
Western section. United States and
Canada, In regard to the celebration or
the one hundred years Of peace be-
tween England and the United States.
The Methodist Episcopal Church grows
democratic. Clergy and laity unite in
approving a step taken in this direction
by Bishop Berry, at the recent meeting
of the Philadelphia conference. Upon
opening the conference the bishop an
nounced that before giving out the list
of ministerial assignments he would con-
suit each minister with reference to the
assignment proposed for each. This gave
ministers a chance to suggest any good
reason they might have why certain as
signments might not be desirable for
them or for the churches involved, and
probably resulted in a wiser and more
lust consideration of the interests at
stake. Heretofore. as a rule, the first
| s.-ss h.. a
of the field to which he is to be assigned
Is the public announcement of that as-
signment. which often is unsatisfactory
to church or minister. Another new de-
parture inaugurated by Bishop Berry
was the public examination of candidates
seeking license for the ministry. The
bishop declared that under the old sys-
tenn of secret examination many mistakes
have been made. and unfit men have
been admitted to the ministry who would
not have passed so easily the scrutiny of
an open conference. The spirit of democ
racv is in the air in religion as well as
in politics.
A storm has broken out in the Meth
odist Church over a book issued lately
by one of the publishing agents of the
denomination-Dr. George p. Mains-a
book that incorporates many modern
ideas of Biblical criticism. In fact, the
title of the volume. Modern Thought
and Traditional Faith" is Of Itself a
fair signal that the production is not
specially conservative. But We have the
testimony of lions Herald. of Boston
which has always been jealous cham
pion of orthodoxy and which is rather
fond besides of beating up church OFF,
cials-that careful reading OF DR.. Mains
proves him absolutely sound on the au-
thority of the Bible, the divine lordship
of Christ and other test doctrines of ac-
cepted evangelical faith. 1t is safe there
fore to conclude. from this Endorsement
because any bias of Zion's Herald would
rather run the other way-that DR.. Mains
has not said anything to worry any but
the supersensitive and the constitutional
ly timid.