Evening journal., 1914-01-26
CITY PASTOR
DEFENDS The
OLD RELIGION
Gr. Dole Sees Many Weak
neSSeS in New Christianity
as suggested by 1T. Eliot
LAYS NEW DOCTRINE IS
SPIRIT OF ANTI-CHRIST

IN the Church OF the New Jerusalem
yesterday the Rev. George Henry Dole,
i'm the course Of a sermon, made reply
to DR.. Ehot's twentieth century Christi
anity. The new Christianity outlined
by DR.. Eliot, who is president emeritus
Of Harvard University. has aroused
much interest. Mr. Dole's text was;
Thy word is true from the beginning,
and every one of Thy righteous iudg-
ments endurcth forever '-Psalms cxiXs
1860; and "All Scripture is given BY in
spiration OF God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction and
for instruction in righteousness. -
Timoshy. iiisl6.
Mr.. Dole said: Il win briefly answer
DIR. Eiot'5 recent prophecy as to what
the twentieth century Christianity will
be-, and try to state the truth so that
every Christian can see il.
AT the basis of DIR. Eliots reasoning
lies total msconception OF present
day science and religion. He speaks OF
the universal acceptance OF the theory
of evolution in the sense of the higher
forms of life being derived from the
lower by modification. The leaders of
thought in our colleges today do not ac-
ccpt that theory other than as an un-
proved hypothesis; and never as before
is the theory being repudiated as having
not a singe fact in science 10 support IT,.
That there has been a development is
known, but that the higher species came
from the lower by modification upon
modification is nationally and scientif-
cally proved 10 be an absurdity.
DR.. Eliot reasons that the mater
ialistic theory OF evolution, chemis-
try, physics, and the progress in
democracy have changed mans con
ception of Cod and that each age
forms its idea of God from its own
state of intelligence. He thus ex-
actly inverts the law of cause and
effect Who by searching can find
out God? Neither God, nor heaven,
nor life after death, nor one spiritual
fact can be ascertained from science,
for how absurd to think that spirit
ual things can be discovered by the
telescope, the microscope, or the test
tube. Science apper.ains to things
that are discerned by the senses set
In the body; spiritual things are dis
cerned by the faculties set in the
spiritual things in the first instance
comes by revelation. The advance in
religious thought does not come from
developing science, but develop ng
science has its first cause i'm the de-
velOpment of religiOun For the ad-
vance In religion clarifies the spirit
ual atmospheres, enabling even the
natural man to have deeper and
40 -fs.fr 1
/ plane OF science.
"Agaiu DR. Eliot inverts cause and cf-
feet in assuming that the feudal system
gave rise to the present conception OF
! heaven. DR.. Eliot ought TO know that
the feudal system had its origin in the
ondeavor to establish mutual service
and protection. The state OF society
does not create It's idea OF God but
every age derives is idea of God from
revelation. which idea Is as high as the
state OF society is able TO receive. The
/ Word is a progressive revelation, its
deeper truths ever appearing according
TO rcceptnity. In the worship of God
as a monarch. lie Il acknowledged as
order; as feudal Lord He is acSnowl.
edged in the degree oi obedience. Such
acknowledgment preserves the possible
] ity of later acknowledging Him as the
! Heavenly Father.
mo thinking person now accepts as
anything but primitive myth or fanciful
I poetry the story OF the Garden OF Eden
says the doctor Every thinking Chris
tian and the Christian Church acknowl-
edges the story of the Garden OF Eden
10 be a beautiful and Divine allegory OF
the spiritual state of the people of the
Golden Age. "All Scripture is from m.
spiration by God and is profitable for
doctrine and instruction in righteous.
ness Scripture should be read not as a
treatise ON geology OF history, but as
inspired by the Lord, and as containing
lessons in righteousness. The letter
killeth, the spirit givoth life' an OF
those earlier chapters in Genesis ar,
Divine parallels, shining with the holy
light of the Son of Man.
Democracy does not, cannot. create
an idea of God; but God, being 4 self
revealing God, is working in democracy Y
TO establish upon earth government
which shall be the similitiidr of the
kingdom for which we daily pray.
"Dr. Elliott argues egainst tie idea
of Person in God. lie teaches that he
cause man is person, intmtiysly De- at
tributes Person to God. Here again the
doctor inNcrts Divine licer. Man does
not attribute person To Gol because
man is person; but because God is Di.
vine Person, very man. essential, un-
create man, influx from God causes man
innatcly 20 acknowledge Him as Person.
Also Dr. Eliot thinks of Jesus rs sim
ply a good man; he does not see that in
Jesus Christ, God made the only reve-
lation of His Person The doctors rca-
soning demonstrates the words of Jesus
NO man cometh unto the Rather. but
by Me- In rejecting Jesus as He in
whom the Father revealed Himself as
the incurnate Word the God By whom
all things were created, no other idea oi
5 God can be had than that of an energiz
ing. omnipresent force. Hence, DR.. Eliot
: says that God appears as incessani
5 workman. as universal servant. as tire
, less. ompiscicnt energizer,' and thei
a asks, Is this thought of God uncrist
D tianF We answer. most certainly. Any
e thought of Cod as other than Christ
. taueht is unchr-tian. lie taught 'rh,
. Father and I are one; Paul declares
I Ia Jesus Christ dwelleth the fulncsI
z of the Godhead bodily The Christian
% thought of God Is that the Father is tn,
% unapproachabe unkowable essence o
God. from which all creation Is beeot
r ten; that Jesus Christ was the incam
q alton Of the planes in God that paral
. Tel mans human, or the incarnation O
the human in God, which is the Divin,
Human, and that the Holy Spirit * lif'
from the Father proceeding by an,
through His Human 20 mans human
Jesus said that He would build Hi