New Britain herald., 1922-10-17
Atonement Theory Discarded.

There have been other losses, Int
 substitutionary theory of the atone
 ment Is practically in the discard
 with those nice mechanical adjust.
 ments that gave us a beautifully -ex- act plan of salvation, to which if a
 man gave intellectual assent, he gain.
 ed the right to claim an irrevocable
 salvation with the obliteration of his sinful record. We have lost our for
 mer belief in the simplicity of the hu.
 man soul and the uniformity in ex- perience of all souls. We no longer l feel able as evangelists once did to | point out and name all the emotional and intellectual steps through which every man must pass in the process of his conversion. We have ceased to identify as many once did emotion and religion
 We have to reckon with the fact that the Bible no longer falls on the popular ear with the same weight of authority that 1t once did, All exter- nal authorities have been questioned in these recent days. The Bible has not escaped Men want to know why they should do this or that even when they find 1t written in the Bible.
 May Give Up Hell.
 Maybe We shall have to surrender our old time hell, but we do not have to stop pointing out the frightful con- sequences of wrongdoing, We may feel a bit less certain about what Is going to happen to men when they fat of the miseries into which sin will drag men long before they die. We can point out with telling examples and illustration not only what sin does to the man who commits it but to those innocent people whom he al- ways drags into the mire with him self We can at least feebly depict the penalties of sin by pointing to the present state of things in the world, brought on wholly by mans sin. It never was easier than it is today to make the hatefulness of sin plain to the people. We have so many living illustrations of it in present day life. We understand better than ever the social consequences of sin. Modern business, modern politics, modern in- ternational relations furnish the preacher with an inexhaustible sup ply of illustrations of the loathsome- ress of sin in all it's form and rannif1- cations.
 ''It may be that we have lost our devil. but never mind we have found that we have no great use for him anyway There is devil enough in any human heart to destroy a soul, except for the help of God We have aban- doned total depravity but have un- covered potential depravity enough in every heart to wreck it. In the clutches of sin today men need God as much as ever. On this point we have not and must not lose our con-. viction.
 Tt has been necessary to scrap practically all old theories of the atonement, but in spite of this we have discovered anew the redeeming power or vicarious suffering.
 We may have lost the old em phasis on the wrath of God But where we once covered before the terrible sweep of his vengeance, we now yield willing obedience to the persuasions of his love.
 The newer evangelism should be more effective because it should offer a man something here and now, a life that is not past the climax, but ever moving toward it in progressive sanctifcation. We are not now offer ing man a paid up policy to be cashed at death. but his best oppor- t,,nity to hecome his best in daily fel- lowship with the living God, not free dom from the fear of the devil and hell, but freedom from the deadly slavery which sin imposes upon those welding to it."