The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1924-01-07
BY w. H. PORTERFIELD
= HAT tremendous good has been

TT HAT tremendous good has been
| accomplished by the funda-
mentalists, only very narrow
partisan would deny.
Dwight l.. Moody, who from Chi
cago shoe clerk came to be the great
est evangelist of modern times, was
a fundamentals pure and simple.
Without scientific education or Gull
tural background, he still wrought
nightly for righteousness throughout
the English speaking world and
brought millions to think Of spiritual
things who had hitherto given no
thought to much above the material
1t was Moody who. upon being
asked II he could read the Bible in the
original Hebrew and Greek" replied
all he wanted was people who could
read it ''in the original United States"
OF coslrse. this made everybody laugh,
just as William J. Bryan, great funda-
mentalist of his time, makes his au-
diences roar with his attacks on evo-
luton when he declares he never
descended from a monkey or even
water puppy Of the Palezoic age.
Sunday Is Fundamentalists
Today among the great fundament-
lists, one of the most prominent is
Billy Sunday, whose great "sawdust
trail" meetings were the sensation
Of decade ago. Billy is now
special pleader for big business, but
still breaks out occasionally in de-
fance Of all modernism in theology.
A peculiar feature Of the present
war between the opposing forces in
the church is the revival of the pre-
millenarian theory or belief in the i'm
nlinent second coming Of Christ.
This belief is as old as Christianity
Itself. 1t was Undoubtedly held by
many Of the apostolic writer's who ex
peoted to see Jesus return as the
temporal Lord Of the Universe even
while they were still alive.
Through all the years this belief
has persisted more or less. for causes
which space will not permit TO be
given here. and now It has broken
out again with great virulence.
Draws Big Audiences
DIR. Frank Goodchild Of New York
IS drawing great audiences with his
declaration that Christ Is coming
very soon in the clouds OF Heaven"
DIR. Torrey OF Los Angeles Bible In
stitute is perhaps the most noted OF
all the pre-millenar1ans OF the coun-
try and, having plenty Of money, tho
Los Angeles Institute is scattering its
propaganda throughout the country.
DR.. l. M Halderman, another prom
inent New York preacher, declares
Jesus Is coming soon. his garments
dripping WITH bloos." and that he
will wreak vengeance upon his enc
mics. etc.
DIR. J. Frank Norris of FIT. Worth
Texas. believes in the literal, per.
sonal, bodily. visible, imminent return
Of the Lord to earth"
All Are Literalists
All these men are nteralists, fun.
damentalists,. conservatives. If you
viii. men who declare the modernis.s
must be punished even to the extent
Of driving them from their pulpits and
from the community. If possible.
Bishop Manning Of the New York
Episcopal diocese, Is at his wits end
10 keep his church together, and yet
avoid action which he may live to re-
greet. He is still undertaking to create
the impression he is a strict funda.
mentalst. yet those who know him
intimately realize. OF course, that with
his rich scholarship and intellectual
p n 20
sible.
AS a whole the clergy OF the Epis-
copal and probably all other church
denominations is modernist in atti-
tude, secretly II not openly. while the
pew is much more conservative.
Author Has Many Readers
For example, Alfred w. Mccain,
author of the absurd diatribe: God
or Gorrilla?" probably has more read
ers in this country today than any
one modernist preacher or author,
while hundreds of thousands of earn.
est Christian men and women still be-
lieve Noody's Bible Institutes in Chit
cago and Massachusetts are the last
word in religious instruction, notwith-
StdAidillS THO AdCl lllGg lebCH IH6 III
eral inspiration of the Scriptures. the
doctrine Of a personal God, & personal
devil, and to a great extent, the Sec
ond coming Of Christ to earth.
On the other hand, the colleges and
theological seminaries in the North
and on the Pacific coast, at least. are
growing more and more modern and
liberal in tone, and such books as
Bade's THE Old Testament in the
light OF today" are becoming text
books in many Biblical schols, al.
though they are anathema to the
fundamentalists Of all shades.