Evening star., 1924-05-18
PRESBYTERIES SCORE
M0DERNIST TEACHING
Charge Taint Has Crept Into For
eign Missions and Some
American Colleges.
DEMAND 1T BE STAMPED OUT
Overtures Presented at Session of
General Assembly.
By the Associated Press

By the Associated Press.
SAN ANTONIO, Tex, May 17.-From
far-off China today came an echo of
the fundamentalist- -modernist contro-
versy to the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church in the United
States in session here.
"A taint of modernism" was alleged
TO have crept into the foreign mis-
sion field. The charge came from the
presbytery of Central Mississippi,
which presented an overture passed
at it's annual meeting at Louisville,
Miss. 1t is referred to the commit
tee on foreign relations before the
assembly recessed over Sunday to re-
sumo deliberations Monday.
Remedy for Sin.
Sin has caused the worlds needs.
the overture states, adding that some
churches differ as to what that need
is and the remedy for it Enun-
ciating the doctrine of the Presby,
terian Church that crucified and
the need, the Central Mississippi
Presbytery asked that the denomina-
ton withdraw from cooperative mis-
sion work with churches that do not
believe in this fundamental.
ordered by General Assembly in 1921
into the church's missions in China,
the overture states:
I'm the light of what that invest1-
cation has revealed as set forth in
the report of the investigating COM
mittee of the North kiangsu Mission
CChina) and from information derived
from the press, and because OF the
dangers threatening eVangellcal
doctrines from what is called the
modernistic movement, this presby-
it's executive committee of foreign
missions to withdraw from any and
all institutions in China which do
not recognize the Bible as divinely
of faith and practice. the diety of
Christ, His vicarious atonement and
the other essential doctrines of
evangelical religion, and further that
this committee be directed to give
no financial support in any way, to
any institutions whose doctrinal
teachings may not at any time be
Investigated by properly authorized
representatives of our church"
Fight on Modernism.
In other overtures the same attitude
is reflected. The Presbytery of Kama
wha, w. Va, asks that the assembly
withdraw it's support from all union
colleges, universities, theological!
seminaries and other union educa-
tional institutions where modernism
is being taught" and that mo money
given by the church for foreign mis-
directly into the dissemination of in
furious intidel ideas among the
heather"
This presbytery demands with
drawal of not only "objectionab BILE
teachers" but Objectionable text
books from the foreign seminaries.
The Presbytery of Lexington, Ky,
asks that this whole matter be re-
ferred to a commission for thorough
investigation with power either to
take action or report to the next Cen
eral Assembly.
The assembly proceeded to a revi-
sion of many sections of the church
law contained in the book of church
order and had completed about half
this task when adjournment was
taken over the week end.
Among the revisions was one de-
claring the present form of gov
ernment Of the presbytery more
Duties of Deacons.
Duties of deacons were definitely
outlined to include the collection and
administration of the offerings of the
people for the relief of those in need
and for the work of the church.
Drastic change in church organiza-
tion was made by the assembly with
the adoption of a paragraph which
reads:
"A church may be organized only
by the authority of the presbytery.
which may proceed with its organi-
Zation through direct procedure or
through a commission or an even
gelist to whom the church has in
trusted the power to organize
churches"
This revision produced much dis
cuSSon, as some believed that the
power of the evangelist to organize
churches should be limited, while
others took the stand that if it were
not for the evangelists organizing
churches there would not be as many
congregations now as records show.
Definition of the rights of the
moderator were outlined by the as
sembly in it's adoption of a para
graph amending the existing rule
and stating that the moderator may
change the time and place of the
court in stated meetings.
ur11I 1h1cpEASE MApK