New-York tribune., 1918-05-05

f..;or--bv his brethren of the Baptist
yn;sters' Conference in Kingsley Hall,
-. aThe Boston Transcript" The
.s.rt;ng took the form of resolutions,
= wb;ch the ministers declared for free
aou Of thought and of religious prac-
,;.es Informally, the opinion was ex-
.rsssed that eve don't propose to have
Baptist Pope
NJ Myers. who was born in Kingston,
N Y. held Baptist pastorates in SYRIA
.ose and Brooklyn before going to Bos-
~ He is a brother of the Rev. John
..on MYERS, who has been for more than
Ton years president of the Chicago Bap-
IL. Ministers Association.
The Baptist ministers of Boston had
,.en holding their weekly meetings in
fremont Temple. Two weeks ago DR..
Myers, pastor of the Temple, presented
,ssolutions declaring that any Baptist
minister who permitted Unitarian
clergyman to occupy his pulpit, rs had
happened the Sunday previous in the
Warren Avenue Baptist Church, be de-
n;ed membership in the conference. He
urged the adoption of the resolutions
without debate, but the ministers re-
,nsed and laid the resolutions on the
able. Thereupon DR.. Myers told them
thew would have to find another place
for their meetings.
Fully three hundred ministers. not in
cluding DR.. Myers, were present at last
Mondays meeting. and it was very evil
dent that they were intensely interested
IN the action to be taken. DR.. Stair, in
rising to present the resolutions, said
that during the week the executive COM
mittee had met Dr. Myers and had had
several communications with him; he
was willing to make some slight conces-
sions as to the form of his resolutions,
but not as to their substance, and was
willing that the question should be de-
bated. The committee decided that it
was fruitless to bring his resolutions be-
fore the conference. Instead, it had
drawn up set of resolutions, which he
proceeded to read.
THE resolutions, in the form in which
l they were adopted, are as follows:
Whereas, The unauthorized and mis-
leading statement has been recently
made, to which wide publicity has been
given, that the ministers of the Baptist
denomination are inclined to unorthodox
theological views, and are not true to the
fundamental doctrines of the Christian
faith, we, the Baptist Ministers Con-
ference of Boston and vicinity, do hereby
most emphatically resolve:
Il. That we reaffirm our unqualified
relief in the Lordship and deity of Jesus
Christ, his incarnation and resurrection,
snd in salvation by faith in his atone
nsnt for sin, and the personal indwell-
ing Of the Holy Spirit in the life of the
believer, and the inspiration of the Holy
Serptures
thought, belief and religious practices.
For centuries Baptists have been pas
sonate advocates of religious democracy
IN its purest forms. While we cherish
cur own personal convictions unhinch-
ngly, we concede to those who differ
With US the ancient Baptist privilege of
private judgment and free speech. AS
Daptists we believe in religious freedom;
IS Americans in civic freedom. We
sbor for the ideal of a free Church in
.afree State.
3. That we rejoice in the manifess
splrit of Christian unity that binds us
sogether as brethren in the Christian
laith and as co-workers for the extern
son Of the Masters kingdom. There
nave been no divisions or dissensions
among US for many years and our
mutual love and confidence is a source
d constant inspiration, and we pray
mat the cordial spiritual brotherhood
aa sympathetic cooperation which has
saaracterized the past may continue in
he future
lk MYERS charged that the Bap-
tist Church was permeated with
Wlman rationalism.
ihe Rev. William M. Gilbert, of the
sHH Methodist Church, in Temple
saeet' Boston, referring to the action
y Dr. Myers, said:
when chaplains at the front, Catho-
" Jew and Protestant, are giving SOL
= regardless of creed over there it is
8 time for Christian ministers to be
h4e.'
" Myers does not speak for the
v'lse !. When he takes such a stand" con-
, ,.s sases MIR. Gilbert, ,"and the great denomi-
s'On to which he belongs does not ap-
s.''e It. Professionalism most certainly
70 have no desire to enter into the
'y quarrel of our sister Church, but