Evening star., 1926-05-24
BAPT|STS TO OPEN
MODERN|ST FIGHT
Bible Union MarShaIS Forces
to Press Issues at
Convention.

Convinced that acceptance Of any but
a literal Interpretation Of the Bible
amounts to an apostacy, members of
the Baptist Bible Union of North
America today marshaled their forces
for determined conflict with the
modernist wing of the Northern Bap-
tist convention. which opens here to-
morrow, with the hope that a definite
stand may be taken by the Northern
convention against the encroachment
of liberal doctrines. A series of reSo-
lutions dealing with controversial
matters is being considered by the
union today.
More than 5000 members of the
Northern Baptist Convention are gath
ering here today for the general ses-
sion which will run through the week,
Many members of the Bible Union are
delegates to the convention, and 1t Is
through them that the fundamentaltst
organization plans to attack what
they term un-Christian tendencies of
rationalism that are prevalent in the
religious world.
May Force Many Issues.
Because the antagonism of the
of the nnodernist wing is based upon
their insistence on a strictly literal
Interpretation of the Bible as the di-
vinely revealed and authoritative word
of God, the resolutions which they
plan to introduce in the meeting OF
the general convention may force com
sideration of a great field Of contro-
versial subjects on the convention, in
Guiding evolution, the Virgin birth. the
requirement OF baptism by immersion
and others.
resolution was proposed by w.
r. Riley, vice president of the Bible
Union, early this afternoon denounc-
ing the policy of the Northern Bap-
sionary workers who teach doctrines
in conflict with a literal interpreta-
tion of the Bible to continue at work
in foreign fields after charges mad
been lodged against them. Rev. DIR.
w. 8. Abernethy of Washington, who
is chairman of the arrangements
committee of the General Conven-
ton. was criticized in the resolution
because he declined to vote for the
dismissal of one missionary charged
with teaching un-Baptist doctrines.
The resolution was being discussed
this afternoon.
Rev. T. T. Shields of Toronto, Can.
ada, was reelected president of the
Baptist Bible Union this morning.
Rev, ]. Frank Norris of Fort Worth,
Tex, was elected vice president for
the Southern territory and Rev. w. B.
Riley, who is a resident of Minneap-
oils, was named vice president for the
Northern territory. Rev. E. Hez Sven
of Washington was made member
of the executive committee.
Final Session Tonight.
The final session or the Bible Union
will he held at the Washington Audi
torium tonight when mass meeting
will be held to which all Washing
ton church -goers are invited. includ-
ing modernists and fundamentalists.
DIR. Norris will deliver an address on
The Beast of Modernism" and Dr.
Riley will preach on The Growth OF
Modernism in Baptist Schools"
This afternoon the noted Kew. Jonn
Roach Straton of New York City, an
outstanding fundamenta1ist of the
Northern Baptist Convention. was to
sneak on the much discussed situa-
tion of the foreign missions or the
Baptist Church, the object of vlgor-
ous complaints by fundamentallsts
against the "insidious" activities of
the liberal faction. Rev. Frank M.
Goodchild of New York was to ex-
plain the proposed amendment to
the constitution of the Baptist
Church which would set up baptism
bv immersion as q requisite to MEM
bership in the Baptist Church.
Attacks DIR. Fosdick.
A forecast of conflict between op-
posing forces in the convention
this week was given yesterday
in an address before the Bible
Union at the Metropolitan Baptist
Church, Sixth and A streets north
east, by Rev. T. T. Shields, president
of the union. He denounced DIR.
Harry Emerson Fosdick of the Park
Avenue Baptist Church of New York
as lone of the outstanding enemies
of the Christian faith" and called on
the fundamentalist group, which con.
stitutes the Bible Union, to fight
through to the last ditch" against
modernism.
Pointing to DIR. Fosdick as one Of
the outstanding modernists of the
day, DIR. Shields said he did not know
single fundamental doctrine of
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