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Show THE CHURCH OF TODAY. Writing to The Standard a subsrnb j er indulges in comment on a Sun lay sermon, in which he opens up an old' I subject of controversy with as many jangles as thf-re arc religious beliefs. I The letter which follows Is submitted submit-ted without inflicting our own viev-s; ! Editor Standard Your late departure de-parture of printing ex:ended or-tracts or-tracts from Sunday sermons, ia very commendable. In church w are not expected to ask or answer questions. Presuming that a pub-j pub-j lished extract is for public consideration, consid-eration, I beg to take that liberty. One extract, after deploring the present church conditions, says, "There is a modern drift in our j churches that is alarming, and will De ruinous unless it ran be cuihor The modern trend is to dlscred '. the miraculous from r.-liglon. and to ridicule the supernatural out of court. Many today, reject the virgin vir-gin birth of our Lord, and turn away from his vicarious atone ment. Their doctrine is tha. meu are not sinners, because of Adams' fall." Then follows half a column deprecating dep-recating the modern teachings of the church, and conclud.-s With:' "If pulpits continue to deny the vicarious atonement it Jesuc Christ; if preachers go on telling us that there was no need of Christ to die, except of his age; :f churches persist 'n repudiatinc the Bible as the final inheient revela tion from God, we shall have not only a devitalized church, ut'.erly devoid of supernatural power, . , but a church so impotent and worthless that it will be laughed off Ihe slage of life." He says, "Now what about thio gilded program0" Ever since Galilee made the discover, dis-cover, ihe world has c'.rtinued to move. This is a-- Irue of the church as all else. Tenets were held as Vital, and over which coun ells and synagogues fought, are not considered essentia! todav. We still teach it In our Sunda schools, and a certain hurch re peats it every service, that "in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the Bea and all that in them Is." But this now Is not taken literally, lit-erally, and no one is censured for the change. He says many rejec tho virgin birth of Christ, riie'-skepticism riie'-skepticism surely has some foun dation. Matt. 1-16, reads, "And Ja cob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." Like 111-24 rends, "And Jesus himself bcan to be about .10 years of age, being tho son of Joseph, vhich was the son of Hell." At the time his parents found Christ in the temple, when, he was 12 years old, Luke 11-18, reads. "And when they saw him, Ihey were amazed; and his mother salu unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt wtth us? Behold, thv lather and I have sought thee sorrov ing." It was common report that he was the son of Joseph St. John VI I? reads, "And they said, is not thla Jesus, the son of Joseph, whosf. father and mother we know?" II was the eldest of a large family. Matt. XIII-47. "Is not this the carpenter's car-penter's son? Is rot his mother called Mary, ,ind his brethren James, and Joseph, and S'mou and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Matt XII 17. "Then one said tint") him. Behold, Be-hold, they mother and thy brethren breth-ren stand without, desirirg to speak with thee." Iheso certainb Justify a reasonable doubt as to his virgin birth. Christ h'.mseif never denied the oft reoeate ; statement, that he was the son rl Joseph. The story of Adam an I his transgeBsion is now well known to he a Chaldean myth L. norlng these and other questionable question-able and non-essential tenet.-,, h..s given new life to the churches. Belief in God and following tho teachings of Christ, is the Chris1 tlanity of today, with no time lor the many isms that disturbeJ tl.r ancient Fathers. (Signed) ENQUIRER |
