The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-01-22
GRANT REAFF|RMS
4HERESY BELIEFS
To BIG AUDIENCE
New York Episcopalian
Church Calls Upon Bishop
to Press Charges Against
Fashionable Rector

NEW YORK, Jan. 21.-Dr. Percy
Stickney Grant, in the Protestant
Episcopal Church of the Ascension,
crowded as never before, reaffirmed
today the utterances which prompted
Bishop William T. Manning to make
formal demand Friday that he
either recant or resign from the
ministry.
Speaking from the pulpit of the
Fifth Avenue church, in which he has
been rector for 80 years. DR.. Grant
failed to retract a single one of the
statements which caused Bishop
Manning's action and led churchmen
to discuss the probability of trial
for heresy. Instead of retracting DR..
Grant repeated:
eYour son comes home from COL
lege," DR.. Grant said in closing. 'sYou
say, son. let's go to church. do you
want your son to reply, father, don't
ask me to listen to all that bunk, y
At the same hour, members of St
Simeons Episcopal church in the
Bronx passed resolution calling
upon the bishop and the ecclesiastical
authorities to take steps to enforce
the law and "canons of the church
| in such cases made and provided"
The resolution charged that DR..
Grant had cast reproach on the
sanctity of holy matrimony had
made statements tending to the en-
lcouragement of the violation of the
ordination vows of the clergy; had
denied the miraculous elements of
the gospel. the divinity of Jesus
Christ. and the Christian faith as col
ilected in the Apostles Creed"
Even the aisles of the Church of
the Ascension. one of the fashionable
places of worship of the metropolis
were crowded during DIR. Grants
sermon. The divorced wife of the
millionaire, w. e. d. Stokes, Mrs.
Philip Lydge. fiancee of DIR. Grant,
sat in the first pew. DR.. Grant an
lnounced their engagements several
months ago. though the canons of the
Episcopal church are against the re-
marriage of divorced persons.
Says Christ Human
Jesus Christ was perfectly hui
man. DR.. Grant explained in affirm
| ing his disbelief in the portion of
Episco pal doctrine concerning the
| life of Christ. Whatever we say of
Him must be in accord with His hui
manity. l chose to take my intcrpre-
tation of Christ from His eompan-
| ions and not from ST. Augustine or
the latter day theologians; and surely
!. it is the teachings Of Matthew, Mark
and Luke that Christ on earth did
not have the power of God. More
over, the story of a virgin birth was
not the teaching of the early church"
| In allusion to present day church
organization, DR.. Grant said:
| DO you want an America of free
dom rather than church of author
| ity? You can have it. Do you want
an unshackled clergy? You have it.
| Ministers have the opportunity. and
| the time to read and learn. Do you
want to know all they can find out,
or do you want it hidden from your"
"Do you want a church silenced by
| sinister financial power? This church,
every Sunday night, is dark. where
once it was as crowded as this"
| The latter reference was unmis-
takably to the closing Of the Sunday
night forums inaugurated by DR..
Grant, and abolished upon the sug-
gestion of superiors because of the
charge that liberal doctrines had
been expounded within the church
walls