The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-31
Reverent Conservatism in Clash With Openminded-
 ness and Reverent Courage
APPOINTMENT" MEANS
 SIMPLY AT-ONE-MENT
In Theological Debate We All Must Remember the One Essential: Qbedient Homage to the
 Only Lord

 I have been asked by a number of my friends to endeavor 10 expound the meaning of the action of the presby- tery which excluded, by implication at least, Rev. H. M Edmonds from it's fellowship, and the consequent forma- ton of an Independent church. It must be understood that In thus responding to the request, by courtesy of The Age Herald, l do not assume to speak | either for the church session of pres bytery, on the side or for Dr. Edmonds on the other. I am looking at the situation from a sympathetic standpoint outside of the arena. If the present discussion is making men think more about God, I, for one am l thankful
 l First, there is a theological ques- tion and yet that is not the main ques- tlon- Briefly stated, as I understand things pr. Edmonds interprets theol- ogy in the light of universal human l experience modern as we'll as ancient He feels the heart beat of living hu- manity and the passion of it's heart hunger In every formula of the creed. Take, for example. the particular point
 
 at Fayette condemned him, the august Doctrine of Atonement'; it is prac- tically impossible for any modern man to apply to his own life the phrases or the theologians when they talk of the "Vicarious Substitution" which does away with the judicial penalty" of the law. What they mean is. how ever, that in the mysterious and hid den counsels of God, the suffering and death of Jesus Christ were placed to the credit of all humanity, especially that portion of humanity which hears the gospel and believes it. The gospel in this respect is simply the good news that the accumulated guilt of mankind so Tar as concerns the believer in Jesus Christ. is covered up by virtue of this death and these sufrerings, as Paul (so often misquotedD says: That God may be Just and yet the justifier Of him that believeth in Jesus" This is what Dr. Edmonds calls "objectfye.' Dy which he means that it lies outside of our own experience It is said to be uohe Tor us whereas. what w need is something to be done "in" us. The truth seems to be that we must come back to the distinction between the Judicial and the moral value of Christs sacrifice pr. Edmonds places himseif squarely on supreme impor- tance Of the moral effect upon man
 
 of the life of the son of God Life and death together are the act of His l. sacrifice; in other words. the great revelation Is the revelation of an un- selfish, holy love, whose ambition 1t is to set it's loved ones free from what ever dwarfs or thwarts their best pos abilities. And so it is that the spirit of Jesus works through His suffer- II ings and serves to make us also gra- cious after His pattern. The whole process is taken therefore out of the deep mysteries of impenetrable fog and brought into the light of our own personal experience. Men are changed radically by contact with the life of Jesus, alike in its conduct and its sur render at Calvary.
 Furthermore. when we come to ex- anime the phraseology of the founders l of Christian thinking especially of the apostles. we find that their em- ? phasis was laid not upon the things that the Fayette theologians empha.
 sized, but upon the things that Dr. f Edmonds emphasizes. The word } "atonement." for example, really means "at-one- ment." that is reconciliation; = and reconciliation" does not mean that g God is "appeased" after the manner of : a heather god. by incantations. altars ! and blood. nor that God needs to be l reconciled. But the burden of the apos- t ties was. as Paul puts it, we, on = Christ's behalf. beseech you, be ye t reconciled to God" There is no thought d that God needs to be reconciled. There . is the insistence that the rebellious t hearts of men need to be won over to t the fellowship of their best friend. and
 that the exhibition of love, goodness
 and devotion made by Jesus of Naza- e reth is the necessary and most potent I, means of leading men to yield them t selves to God, whose name and charac- t ter are described in the one word. T. love, Dr. Edmonds is jealous for the r. ] character of God as true Father. The ), confession of faith is jealous for His a character as Lawgiyer and Judge. d Second, on the ecclesiastical side. s however there is undoubtedly a more
 profound difference of judgment be-
 tween the two parties. difference e which has separated men from the be- d ginning of time. into two classes. On n the one hand are the exponents of n regularity and imperial order, on the 8 other side are the poets. revolters from e established customs. It is inevitable Is that these two should clash. But in a Y world such as ours. where change is l. the law of things. there Is certainly as
 much need for leaders who will take an
 independent path as there Is for those l. who will follow old customs and use