New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-05
Former Rockefeller Pas
tors New Creed Meets
with Hostility.
TELLS HOW OIL MAN
SAVED DR.. FOSTER
Influenced in Iieresy Case by
Sermon in Fifth Avenue
Baptist Church.


san Francisco, Feb. John u.
Rockefellcr's refusal to aid in oustins
Or George Burman Foster OF the Uni
vcrsity OF Chicago. whose hercsy u1sl
took place in 1909. was prompted hy
the Rev. Charles +. Akcd. according TO
a statement made by Or. Akcd to-day.
whose resignation as president of the
san Francisco Church Federation vii!
follow criticism Of his now creed an
nounecd on Sunday i'm which the
miraculous birth Of Jesus was denied.
DIR. Akcd made it plain that he would
forestal any attempt to GUST him by
resigninc If he should take the chair
on February f. as president of the
Church Federation he would he re-
CURED 10 rule on communication from
the Presbyterian Ministers Association
asking for his resignation.
The probability is Dr. Aked said,
that / shall accede to the suggestion
for my resignation. was elected
unanimously during my absence from
San Francisco but now that this affair
has come it would seem that my olec-
ton was not unanimous in spirit.
The whole thing as A comic side.
As | understand it, the thing these
brethren object TO is my theories OF
the birth of Jesus. In June. 1909, as
pastor Of the Fifth Avenue Baptist
I, oil s4talr.r CT =
mon iustifying the New York Presby-
tory in admitting TO the Presbyterian
ministry several members OF the Union
Theological Seminary who hold exactly
the same views that preached on sun
DAY. Objection TO their ordination had
been made but they were admitted
At the same time ! protested a
hercsy hearing was in progress agains-
DR.. Foster, OF the University Of Chi
cago The desire was TO have John
y. Rockefeller aid in ousting DR.. Eos
ter. and Mr.. Rockefeller came ospe
cially TO her my sermon.
Il predicted that Mr.. Rockefeller
would not earmark his money by sup
porting any section Of denomination
i'm a doctrinal controversy, and the
next morning he sent a telegram 20
that effect TO Chicago"
After reading an extract from Dr.
Akcd's recent sermon given out by
himself, in which he denied the deity
Of Jesus. the Presbyterian Association
sent the following letter to the Church
Federation:
while freely according to all the
right to fullest liberty TO worship God
according to the dictates Of their con-
sciences. VIC believe that the state
ments of his belief as given in the daily
press by the Rev. Dr.. c. f. Aked thor
oughly disqualify him to act as the
official representative of the evangei-
cal churches of San Francisco"
DR.. George Burman Foster. thcologian
Of the University of Chicago. in March,
1909. published a book entitled THE
Function Of Religion in Mans Struggle
for Existence" in which he advanced the
theory that God was a symbol TO desig-
nate the universe in its ideal achieving
capacity. and that God was made by man.
lie ridculed creation out of nothing
and what he termed Gods magic.
Tho Baptist Ministers Conference of
Chicago dropped the name Of Professor
Foster from it's roll in June, 1902.
When Or. Eliot advanced his creed Of
the religion Of the future in the same
year. Or. Akod. who was then in New
York. warmly supported him. At that
time Or. Aked said that the religion OF
, the future would he the religion OF Jesus
Christ Or. Aked resigned as pastor OF
the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church in this