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Show DECLINE OF PROTESTANTISM. Prominent Minister Declares That tbe Present Policy Is Ruinous. Public Opinion publishes some telling tell-ing points from a paper contributed to the Homiletic Review by the Rev. Mr. Raab on the outlook of Protestantism Protestan-tism in America. "The purpose of this paper," he says, "is to criticize the abuse of religion by religionists, to show by a simple process of reasoning reason-ing that the present policy of Protestantism Protest-antism in this country, if persisted in. , - " " " i v. rt.- n poiciii. t The first count in his indictment is the reaction against dogmatic teaching during the last decade "To some this may appear to be clear gain for Prot-estanism. Prot-estanism. Without arguing this point in detail, two facts show that this loss of dogmatic teaching is a sign of declension de-clension rather than of gain. The first fact is this: all faiths, false as well as true, that have received wide currency among men, have been propagated pro-pagated through dogmatic teaching. The other fact is this: the doctrines concerning which Protestants speak with equivocation are basic doctrines in their system." Another point of weakness is a substitute of a faith in the material for faith in the supernatural. super-natural. "Protestants never, in all their previous history, set such high value on money as the one essential, as they do today. The ministryitself is so engaged by money that one of the first questions asked, on the formation for-mation of a new pastoral relation, is, 'How, much does he get?' The money-getting money-getting ability of a preacher is, with many, a far more important question than his soul winning ability. And the lack of appreciation of the humble and untutored, with an enlarged appreciation apprecia-tion of the wealthy, is a growing weakness weak-ness among Protestants." yThe old distinction between the church and the world is growing dim. 'It is a growing reproach to Protest- nntiam tViot ! !o t.-notinn- n i "l"6 m icuglOUS men who are religious and are known to be the opposite. This is a surrender of the fundamental doctrine of Protestantism, Protest-antism, that religion is a matter of personal choice and experience, and can never be ascribed to a man who persists in badness. Greed, oppression unscriptural divorce, 'widespread in- , difference to alcoholism, political corruption, cor-ruption, exposure of the human form beyond the limits of modesty (as at the theatre), Sabbath desecration, are tolerated and sometimes indulged in by members of Protestant churches." Radical attacks on the Bible under the guise of scientific investigation are being tolerated. "It is a fact, too patent pat-ent to require proof, that Protestantism Protestant-ism is doomed, if the Bible is untrustworthy. untrust-worthy. The defense, of Protestantism can never proceed on the ground of speculation; for speculation is oftener athestic than theistic. The whole right of Protestantism to exist as a system of doctrine is derived from the Bible and defended by the Bible. Now for Protestants to support men in attacking attack-ing the Scriptures is to lend aid to their own overthrow." The church stands in great need of a "thorough going reformation." "A worldly, half-paralyzed church, led by ministers who do not know what to preach, will fall short of changing the moral complexion of the world. The weakened condition of the ministry is quite as pathetic as that of the churches. We may really indulge the. hope that, men will so sicken of this surface trickery in the name of religion relig-ion as to hasten a strong reaction in favor, of religious certainty and depth. I Our times are morally very weak; there is much breaking down in the best of us.- But the nerveless resistance resist-ance which has withstood the declension declen-sion of American religious life, will be forced into the path of positive reform." |
