Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-05-23
New Complaint
Filed Against
IN. Y. Presbytery

Columbus, May %. = (AP)--Dr'
Lewis Seymour Nudge, stated clerk
this morning officially presented 10
the Presbyterian General Assembly
for consideration and action a great
sheaf of documents concerning the
case Of the New York Presbytery.
the First Presbyterian church Oh
New York, and DR.. Harry Emerson
Fosdick, eliminating in a new COM
plant against the New York Presby-
terry signed by IL ministers and four
laymen of that Presbytery, headed
by DR.. Walter d. Buchanan. Under
the rules of the assembly the docu-
ments first go to the standing COM
mittee on judicial cases, thence to
the permanent judicial commission
for trial.
The notice of the present COM
plant carries ten grounds OF reasons,
which are briefly as follows:
l. The action of the PreSbytery OF
New York in sanctioning the action
of the First Presbyterian Church Of
New York is in direct violation of
the judicial decision of the General
Assembly Of 1924, "a contempt Of
court
2. The action of the Presbytery of
New York in sanctioning the con-
tinuance of DR.. Fosdick, even to a
fixed date, puts the stamp Of approx
al by the Presbytery of New York
upon a relationship that the general
assembly has judicially declared to
be anomalous, and ought not to be
continued.
8. The Presbytery of New York
by sanctioning the continuance of
DIR. Fosdick in~the pulpit of the First
| I,o tfc
prevail upon an action judged by all
right-thinking men as dishonest. and
contrary to all fair dealing with the
highest court of the church.
4. The Presbytery of New York
errs in sanctioning the continuance
of DR.. Fosdick. with his onslaughts
on creed subscriptions, inspiration of
the Bible, miracles, the resurrection
and his abuse Of the general assem-
bly, as "a blindness of the ecclesias-
teal establishment" and his refusal
to subscribe to the creedal state
ments of our church.
S. The Presbytery of New York
errs in sanctioning the continuance
of DR.. Fosdick in the First Presby-
terrain Church of New York in that
it is an attempt to evade the deliv-
erances of the assembly and es-
cape from the plain implication Of
the judicial decision of 1924 by the
invitation to DIR. Fosdick to preach
for the First Church until March /,
1925, and his acceptance of and en-
tering into such an arrangement
cannot but meet with widespread
and indignant protest and increases
the disquietude in the Presbyterian
Church.
6. The Presbytery Of New York
by sanctioning the arrangement be-
tween DR.. Fosdick and the First
Presbyterian Church of New York
has sanctioned an unethical arrange
ment by continuing a preacher Of
another denomination in a Presby-
terrain pulpit who by repeated and
studied utterances has created the
impression that he holds lightly, If at
all, the great facts and doctrines of
the New Testament which the
church has throughout her history
confessed and embodied in her
creeds.
Z. We believe that. the action of
the Presbytery Of New York in sane
tioning the continuance of DIR. Fos-
dick in Presbyterian pulpit when
ne refuses to accept our doctrinal
standards and assails the essentials
~ GA ONohSCISdl ldllu DIS 6IQDOQleQ
In creeds is highly injurious to the
best interest of religion and mini
mlzes the historic witnessing of the
Presbyterian church to the evangel-
zeal doctrines of Christianity.
8. The Presbytery of New York
errs in sanctioning the continuance
or DR.. Fosdick in the First Presby-
terrain Church of New York in that
it engenders and fosters a "deliber-
ate and long continued disloyalty to
the doctrinal standards" of our
church and a persistent disobed-
fence to the mandates OF the general
assembly"
.. The Presbytery of New York
errs in sanctioning the continuance
OF DIR. Fosdick in the pulpit of the
FIRST Presbyterian Church of New
York in that it considers its own in
dependent will and pleasure in OBJ
position to the whole church.
10. The Presbytery of New York
errs in sanctioning the ARRANGEMENT
between DR.. Fosdick and the First
Presbyterian Church of New York by
countenancing the disregard for
moral obligation laid upon DIR. Fos-
dick and the First Presbyterian
Church of New York when the as
sembiy declared that "he CDR. Eos
oick) ought not to continue to Noc-
cupy Presbyterian pulpit"