The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-05-27
TRIAL Of BISHOP
FOR HERESY
BEGINS
First in Episcopal Church
Since Reformation Is
to Be Staged
CONTINUED from First Page.)

of Communism and Christian
ISM. and, upon receiving an at.
firnative reply, rest the case forth.
with. All of the heresies charged
against Bishop Brown are con.
tanned in this book.
Basis Of Defense.
Bishop Brown bases his defense
upon two major principles: ~
That the court Of nine bishops Is
powerless to try or condemn him.
a retired bishop, under canonical
law. and (2). that his alleged or.
rors Of doctrine are simply his In.
depreciation Of the scriptures sym.
bolicalIy instead Of literally.
IF the fact that I regard Jesus
Christ as symbol instead of an
actual. living being il heresy,"
said the bishop. then all the bish.
ops and leaders Of the church for
the past hundred years are tarred
with the same brush, for none Of
them accepts all Of the scriptures
literally.
IF you ask whether am still
a processing Christian, i shall
Is not for me an historical person.
age, but only symbol Of an that is
for good in the world, even as Uncle
Sam, Of our American literature,
is not an historical parsonage, but
only symbol Of all which Is for
good In the United States.
Claims To BE Christian.
Though make no pretensions
Of Oeing a saint, do claim that,
other things being equal, I can be
as good a Christian on my
atheistic, materialistic lines as can
Eany other member OF the house Of
bishops be on his theistic, spiritistic
lines. and shall be much interested
In attempts to prove that such IL
not the case"
Bishop Brown dwelIs much on
Santa Claus in the exposition OF his
new belief. To him the mythical
figure OF st. Nicholas, and the
equally mythical figure of Christ
are one-both symbols Of Kindness
ana charity in a materialistic world.
But he denies either ever lived.
II the church. is SO blind TO
modern thought and science that it
VIII bark back to the bigoted and
superst1tious age of Eflzabetht for
authority and means of condemn.
ing, II VIII not be but the church
! mat VIII be condemned and de.
aroyed In my trial"
~ y no clash of the modern
ISIS ana fundamentahsts, this trial
% Bishop Brown. The modernists
question only the literalness of the
virgin birth and such kindred
questions. Bishop Brown goes fur
sner much further. He does not
peheve that Christ ever existed; he
uoes not believe that God made
.ne world. as set forth in Genesis;
ne uoes not believe there n or
! ever was God in the conscious,
personal sense-rather he accepts
all as purely symbolical
Doubts Christ's Existence.
:! do not believ there ever was
| sucn a man as Santa Claus" he
said today with simple directness.
Yet believe in ana admire the
spirit OF Santa Claus. He is a
beautiful symbol OF goodness. kind.
ness and charity. So with Christ.
do not believe he existed. Yet
do believe in the symbolisn Of
Christ and that ChrIstfanism stands
FOR goodness, Kindness. 1t is a
beautiful thing"
Bishop Brown styles himself a
nationalist" in religion, as diff.
ferentiated from ''modernist"s and
'fundamentalist."
There is no rational doubt, !"
he says, "about the fictitious char.
acter Of the Divine Jesus.
my God, nature, iG a triune
divinity-n1atter being the father,
force the son, and motion the
spirit.
II have ceased to believe in
the existence of a conscious per-
Sonal divinity. OF course, my
faith in the existence of a spiritual
world, and hope for future life in
1t went with the God.
Looks Like Santa"
The bishop would make a good
Santa Claus. His rudy counten-
ance is set in an oval OF snow.white
hair. And he has a twinlxly pair Of
blue eyes that dance almost mis-
chievously as he extolls his new
faith with an air or gentle serious.
ness.
His trial begins at 2 o'clock in
Trinity Cathedral. The prisoners
dock" in which ne races his &C.
ciectical accusers is scarcely a hun
dred yards from the high altar
where as boy he was baptized and
where as a young man he was or.
dained in the priesthood.
| Its somewhat ironical, isn't it?''
he smiled today as he talked Of his
trial.
: The court is composed of nine
bishops, headed by John Gardner
Murray, Of Maryland, who presides,
and includes Frederick r. Reese, OF
Georgia; Edwin L. Lines, Of New
Jersey; Theodore. ID. Bratton, Of Mis-
sissippi; Benjamin Brewster, Of
Maine; William r. Faber, Of Mon
tana; Edward M. Parker, Of New
Hampshire; John N. Mccormick, Of
Michigan; Herman Page, Of Wash
lngton.
Array Of Counsel.
The church advocate il Charles
L. Dibble, Of Michigan, and assisting
him in the prosecution are John ri.
Smart, Of Cleveland; Doctor Thet,.
dore B. Foster, Of Chicago: Doctor
George @. Foley, of PHILADELPHIA:
Doctor Haskall. of DuBose, OF Sew.
anee, Tenn, and Henry d. Harlan.
dean of the law school at the Uni.
versity Of Maryland.
Bishop Browns defense win be N.
rected by himself, Joseph w. Sharts.
OF Dayton, Ohio, and Edward Bush.
nell, Of Cleveland. ~
The. general convention of the
Protestant Episcopal Shurch, which
meets next autumn, will have to
confirm the decision Of the trial
court. -