Evening star., 1922-10-21
ASSA|[EDPASTOR.
BACKED BY Church
Anti Fundamentals Holds
Pulpit Despite Heresy
Charge by Outsiders.
Special nispa tch to The Star.

NEW YORK, October 21-Should the
Rev. Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick, as
sistant pastor, insist on continuing to
preach from the pulpit Of the First Pres
byterian Church Of New York city
against the church tenets OF the virgin
birth Of Jesus, the divine inspiration OF
the Scriptures. the atonement OF Jesus
and the second coming of Christ, the
church trustees will for the present at
least refuse to interfere with him.
I'VE are contemplating no action other
than to stand by Dr. Fosdick." explained
William NJ Kingsley. vice president OF
the board Of trustees. and, incidentally,
an officer Of the United States Trust st
Company. today. THE trustees are
neither worried nor scared"
This declaration followed the an.
nouncement that the Presbytery OF
Philadelphia has protested In no uncer.
tain terms to the General Assembly OF
the Presbyterian Church, against the
beliefs Of DR.. Fosdick.
He rejects the Bible teachings OF the
four great doctrines Of Christianity" Is
the charge made by Rev. John Roach
straton. pastor of Cavalry Baptist
that is in opposition to reform.
Church Greed Violated.
The preaching at the First Pres
byter:an Church is contrary to the
church's confession of faith" Is the
complaint of the Philadelphia Pres
bytery.
DR. Fosdick. meanwhile, has little
TO say He has made 1t plain that
he considers that his adversaries
can do all the talking" and that 1t
Is "entirely up to them
He originally was q Baptist clergy
man. Is a trifie more than forty years
old and was called to his present post
in the fashionable 5th avenue church
some four years ago. In city and
an age when complaint is made that
church interest is falling off, DR.. Fos-
dick not only fills his church SO full
to get seat. but he even has been
Obliged to have special cushions made
in order that the Overflow can sit
on the steps of the altar.
but entirely sure of what he thinks.
Dr. Fosdick holds the center of the
stage between the fundamentalists
|, and the liberals. The fight has been
in progress for many months, the
sermon which has resulted in the
Philadelphia Presbytery starting the
agitation having been delivered last
May, but the agitation is increasing
and showdown in the near future
IS looked for.
The position of DR.. Fosdick is that
the fundamentalists are trying to
drive persons holding liberal views
out of the Presbyterian church.
stand OF DIR. FOsdick.
They insist" he declared. that we
must believe in certain special miracles.
pre- eminently the virgin birth of
our Lord: that the original doctrines
of the Scripture were dictated to
men good deal as a man might die
tate to a stenographer; that the blood
of our Lord. shed in a substitution
and in the second coming Of our Lord
to set up a millennium here"
In his noted sermon DR.. Fosdick
declared that you cannot fit the Lord
Christ into the fundamentalist mold. In
the middle west. where the fundamen-
talists have had their way in some COM
munities. the educated people are
looking for their religion outside of
the church. The fundamentalists pro-
pose to drive from the church all the
consecrated souls who do not agree
with their theory Of inspiration.
Well, they are not going to do 1t;
certainly not in this vicinity. ], do
whether any one has been tempted to
become a fundamentalist"
Speaking for the Presbyterian Cen
eral Assembly. to whom the Philadel-
phia Presbytery addressed its COM
plant, Walter Irving Clark said to-
body is possible until the meeting
In Indianapolis next May. Immediate
action can be had only from within
DR.. Fosdicks church itself
Copyright. 1921
Nobody can do as much for you as
you can do for yourself.