Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-25
AM|CABLE CONCLUSION
OF DISPUTE ON HEREsY
Report From Committee on Bills and
OvertnreS Adopted With
out Debate.
By NORTHERN PREsBYTERIANs
All Presbyteries Warned That Tcnots
of Church Must BE Accepted by
Candidates for Ministry Before
They Should BE Ordained.

ATLANTIC CITY, y. j.. May 2t.-The
General Assembly Of the Presbyterian
Church In the United States of Amer
lea to-day adopted without debate
report from the committee on bills and
overtures warning the New York and
all other presbyteries that the tenets
OF the church must be accepted by
candidates for the ministry before theS
should be ordained
This action, Il is believed. ends fur
ther discussion in the present assembly
OF the alleged heresy question in which
the New York Presbytery and Union
Theological Seminary are involved.
The committee had before II more
than two dozen overtures from presby-
teries dealing with the heresy contro-
"ersy. Tho one which attracted the
most attention ami to which serious
consideration was given by the COM
mittee was that from the Cincinnati
Preshytery. which proposed that the
New York Prcsbytery he expelled be-
cause X licensed three young men who
are alleged to hold views ut variance
with the doctrines of the church Tho
report Of the committee. read III part.
as follows:
I'm answer to overtures complaining
Of the action Of the New York Preshy-
terry in receiving and licensing candi-
dates for the ministry. whose theo-
logical beliefs do not accord with the
doctrtnal standards of our church. and
20 another. callias for deiverance
declaring that II IL not only discourte-
/ GUS and upwarranted. but also unchris-
tian and suhversivc Of proper dlsci-
pine for one presbytery to assert that
tho ministers OF another presbytery or
resbyter!es are untrue to their ordi-
nation VOWS, your committee begs to
present the following report:
FULL AND FRANK STATEMENTS
AS To ISSUES INVOLVED
commissioners from New York Pres
bytery and representatives of ovcrtur-
Ing presbyteries appeared before the
committee and made full and frank
statements AS TO the issues involved.
Complaint was made against the mem
bers OF New York Prcsbytery for licen-
sing recently and on p, evious occasions
candidates who could not affirm their
belief in the essential doctrine Of the
word Of God and our standards, that
our Lord Jesus Christ was born of the
Virgin Mary. Tho members of New
York Prcsbytery felt deeply panied
| and a.Sgrieved that the overturing pres
byteries should propose drastic action.
not on the basis of the presbytery's
records. but on the basis OF exagger-
ated and misleading newspaper reports.
THE brethren on both sides OF the
controversy, together with the mem
bers OF your committee. expressed their
| strong conviction that this continued
agitation was bringing reproach upon
the church, was hindering the cause
OF Christ. and that something must be
! done cffectually to put stop to II.
ut was proposed that these brethren
thems selves should confer as TO the best
remedy for the whole trouble. Hav-
( ing done SO in a most earnest. prayer
! full and forbearing spirit. they pro-
sented paper which to their minds
/ embodied all that the eXigencies of the
situation demand and ytich gave them
! great hope for the future peace and
! harmony OF the church.
Your committee gave this paper
due consideration. and were grateful
to God for the manifest leading of the
T, Holy Spirit which had brought the
aggrieved parties together. and which
we felt led us. your committee. to the
unanimous approval of said paper. as
the basis OF suitable action on the par;
OF the assembly
We therefore recommend the adop-