Evening star., 1923-09-29


been well said that faith may be
shown by the asking of honest ques-5
tfons not less really, but more really.
than by the credulous acceptance of
answers. 1t is the gospel of Jesus
Christ which can give. and which
alone can give. the answer to these
longings and questions.
Way Open for Gospel.
Religion for us can mean no less
man. 1t is this that we have In Jesus
Christ. The supreme thing about
Jesus Christ Is not His teachings. but
Himself; not what He said or did,
but what, and Who, He Is. He shows
us God and man brought together,
we are meant to be. not by talking
about 1t, but by being 1t. Jesus Christ
satisfies us, meets our need, IL the
gospel to us, because He Is both God
and man.
''The way is now wonderfully open
for the preaching of the gospel. But
there are three things which we who
are called to be its messengers at this
time need to make clear. so that men
may not be kept from Jesus Christ by
mistaken conceptions.
Il. We must make 1T clear, to all
who will heed, that the truth reveal
ed in Jesus Christ is in no conflict
with any truth or fact made known
to us by science or scholarship. The
view that science is in antagonism
with religion, or that it excludes be-
lief In the supernatural, is old-fash-
ioned and out of date. A quarter Of
a century ago such a view was held
widely, but science has left 1t behind.
1t belongs to day that is past.
No Fear OF Science.
and, on the other hand, there Is
no reason why religion should have
any suspicion or fears of science.
There is nothing in the Christian
faith which conflicts with the sc;en-
tihc theory OF evolution. To many of
us this hypothesis seems to make
clearer both the glory of the Creator
and the naturalness Of His revelation
of Himself in the incarnation.
The present controversy, in some
OF the Protestant communions, be-
tween the fundamentalists and the
modernists, is confusing and mislead-
versy has no place among us in this
church. This church of which we are
members holds position which is
larger than that represented by either
OF these groups, and which includes
that which is true In each of them.
Those who call themselves funda-
mentalists are unhappily identifying
themselves with particular theory
as to the inspiration of the Scriptures
winch Is untenable, and which has
faith. The ancient creeds of the
church contain no reference whatever
to this theory. The sad feature of
this is that many are being conscien-
tiously led to suppose that the Chris
tian religion itself stands or falls
with an untenable theory. and when
1t becomes clear that the theory is
untenabIe their faith may suffer.
With all it's extravagances, recent
scholarship has rendered great serv-
20
scholarship which is unbelieving, or
half believing. has helped to make the
truth more clear. Scholarship as a
whole has given us two great results.
First. it has made the Bible a more
living book, and its truth as the record
of Gods gradual revelation of Him
self to mankind eliminating in the
incarnation, more evident than ever.
Second, 1t has brought US back to
fuller and clearer view of Our Lords
human life and in so doing has shown,
once again ehe impossibility of ac-
counting for Him as only man.
Full Belief Essential.
I'VE can have no true faith in
Christ without full belief in Him as
man., 1t is In His perfect and un-
equaled manhood that, along with
the first disciples. we see revealed the
truth and wonder of His deity.
The question with US in this church
is not fundamentalism or modernism
but belief in Jesus Christ. the Son
of God. Our attitude towards modern
ism depends upon what is meant by
it, If by modernism is meant only
the desire to be wholly loyal to truth,
to use our minds honestly and freely,
to recognize and rejoice in the fruits
of modern knowledge and the results
of scientific research. / suppose al
most all of us in this church are in
full sympathy with 1t, and we need
no special appellation to announce
"a ~ IQfyt al ,se-,~,
alism means as in the hands of some
of it's exponents it unhappily does
mean, the denial. or in veiled terms
the undermining, of belief in Our Lord
that it can have no rightful place
in church which lives to propagate
this belief, and whose whole life and
work and worship are founded upon
"2 We who preach the gospel to-
day must make it clear, especially to
our younger people, that the Chris
tian faith, belief in our Lord Jesus
Christ as God made man for us, is
not a barrier to our thinking. a re-
striction imposed upon our minds
"On the contrary it is our duty to
think honestly and fearlessiy about
our religion. Only SO can we have a
full and living faith. The truth has
nothing to fear from free inquiry. and
everything to gain from it. All truth
Is from God. The truth revealed in
Christ cannot conflict with any other
truth.
"The gospel which we believe is not,
indeed. the product of our own rea-
soning and speculation. At comes to
US as supernatural revelation from
God. But It is not on that account
less, or more, than the truth and it
is as such that 1T makes it's appeal
to u.s. The faith comes to us with
the sure witness of the Catholic
Church throughout the whole world.
This universal coEcensus of the spirit
guided body is, indeed. overwhelming
testimony. But the truth needs and
can have no higher authority than
itself. 1t bears It's own witness if 1t
be given free course. If that which
we See in Christ were not in itself
true no authority of church or Bible
could make 1t so.
Believes I'm Truth.
we believe the truth revealed to us
thorty commands us to do SO. but
because it is the truth and speaks as
such to our minds and souls.
we believe in Jesus Christ, Cod
MADE man; because with our whole
being. mind. heart and soul. we recog-
nize in Him the truth of God and Of
ourselves. And believing in Jesus
Christ Himself, God-made man for
us, we believe the facts in regard to
Him declared in the Scriptures and
the Greed.
The Creed is all of one piece. 1t
all holds together. If we believe its
central article all the rest follows
naturally and surely.
THE very meaning of the gospel is
that 1t was God who came Himself
In the person of Jesus Christ. to dwell
among men. Believing with the
apostles. with the New Testament
with the church from the beginning.
that 1t was God Himself who out
of His great love came down horA
to stand beside us, to give us His
help, to show Himself to us in
Christ, we find it not difficult, but
natural, to believe that He came In