Show 1 iFor For Freedom Fl of Christian Mind Mid i v By DR HENRY SLOANE COFFIN President Union Theological Seminary How shall the modern church bring Its teaching line with tIe the new knowledge Dr Cr Coffin one of the foremost liberal churchmen In this country for the reat theological school of which he has lately become the president V 1 is sometimes o objected that an institution c to further a particular form of religion he be I scientific In its handling of facts But Bul every pro school and nd for that matter every college and university is committed to fOstel some point of view All I is not an open qUEstion wIth the teachers and students In a school of law th they Y assume assume as- as sume the worth and of the tho principles on which hutnan society erects Institutions and statutes hrIstian n Science is not an open question with th the faculty of a physicIans and surgeons They may learn from flom the existence of such a cult nEg neg- factors In their dIagnosis and treatment of se e but they take for ranted granted the re of physical causes of Illness and study the means of theIr prevention and cure And tl ese assumptions ao not preclude schools o law and of medicine from froma a scIentific attitude toward th the subjects which they handle Union Theol Theological SemInary is commItted to the cause of Jesus Christ to lila HIs faith and ills purpose purpose pur- pur pose and flis redeeming power por to trainIng men and women to o spread His gospel is our raIson detre His supremacy as aa the revelation of God and the of thE world is not an open question with us US We have all settlEd that th and staked our lives upon But thIs commItment need not hinder us from the use of scIentific methods in dealing with the facts of history add of experience Members of the faculty In an institution with so specific i a purpose are not to turn their teachers teachers' desks into pulpIts and carry carryon on ceaseless ganda They must try t let theIr students have a fall fair and honest presentation of all vIews hostile or favorable to that which they themselves hold This seminary has been a protagonIst for the freedom of the Christian mInd That struggle has to th be waged again and ag again ln generation after generation Those who accord liberty In one realm of thought often are disposed to repress it In another God forbid that we should not live up to our hono honored ed tradItion tradition tion of students look intrepidly at all facts however subversIve of currently accepted belles beliefs Ours Ours' has been a bracIng intellectual ll clime e ind we weaklings In have not been coddled Men who have successfully thought through theIr ChrIstian convictions here have rarely undergone a sUbsequent eclipse of faIth Subjects in the class room should be presented objectively If Buddhism or aghos determInIstic behavIorism or communIsm be bethe bethe the matter in hand a a. student has a right to the convincing presentation of the subject that he may understand the mInd of those thos to whom It seems seems the true faIth But a teacher can carry the ment of his personal Convictions too far One is remInded of the maidens maiden's song song in a Gilbert and Sullivan Sullivan Sul- Sul livan operetta as she reads a book of on the topic of letting her tender passion be known V may not hint You must muss not hint V t V It says you hint In print V V Vi V j V You may not point i iY V u must not point V out of joint V V V V eJ i V r V VV Ye We owe a student having confronted him hina with various opInIons a frank franl statement of f the way in which we brIng our realm of knowledge as w we bring every thought Into captivity to the obedience of ChrIst and employ It for the advancement of Ills his oa se v We do not wIsh to send out men with devout purposes and nebulous opinIons but stalwart believers who think clearly Copyright 1927 Cosmos Newspaper SyndIcate Inc |