1916
New York, April 11. — The New York Presbytery is today on record 64 to 3 that the biblical story of the virgin birth of Christ and other Bible miracles are not to be accepted too literally.
The action was taken in accepting as ministers three graduates of the Union Theological Seminary, who both orally and in writing refused to affirm the virgin birth story and singly and jointly refused to acknowledge the raising of Lazarus from the dead or the narrative of Jonah and the whale.
—Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville, IL, April 11, 1916, p. 7.
Showing posts with label literalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label literalism. Show all posts
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Friday, July 6, 2007
Evangelist Describes Second Coming of Christ
Utah, 1915
"The second coming of the Lord spoken of in the Scriptures is a personal, literal, visible manifestation," said Booth, the evangelist, last night at the tent corner of Washington avenue and Twenty-sixth street.
"Christ came to this world and was born in the flesh personally. He ministered to the human family and was put to death personally. He ascended to his Father, and has since been serving as our great high priest in the sanctuary above in person. All the promises we have in the Bible of his coming back the second time is when he will come in person. He has been with his people spiritually all the time.
"All the prophecies of the Bible that point out the coming of the Lord call for a literal manifestation. Many of these prophecies have been fulfilled literally already. The sun was darkened May 19, 1780, the moon had the appearance of blood the following night, and the stars fell from heaven 1833 A. D. These signs that were given to usher in the coming Savior were literal. Floods, cyclones, wars, labor troubles and earthquakes, which are signs of the last days, are all of a literal nature. All these literal signs point out a literal coming of the Lord.
"Christ's feet will not touch the earth when he comes. The cloud will remain stationary, and, as the earth revolves, the saints will be caught up to meet him in the air. We read, 'The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.'
"When the Lord comes, all the living wicked are destroyed by the spirit of his mouth, and the brightness of his coming."
Theme tonight, "What Will Christ's Coming Mean to You?"
—The Ogden Standard, Ogden City, Utah, June 25, 1915, p. 3
"The second coming of the Lord spoken of in the Scriptures is a personal, literal, visible manifestation," said Booth, the evangelist, last night at the tent corner of Washington avenue and Twenty-sixth street.
"Christ came to this world and was born in the flesh personally. He ministered to the human family and was put to death personally. He ascended to his Father, and has since been serving as our great high priest in the sanctuary above in person. All the promises we have in the Bible of his coming back the second time is when he will come in person. He has been with his people spiritually all the time.
"All the prophecies of the Bible that point out the coming of the Lord call for a literal manifestation. Many of these prophecies have been fulfilled literally already. The sun was darkened May 19, 1780, the moon had the appearance of blood the following night, and the stars fell from heaven 1833 A. D. These signs that were given to usher in the coming Savior were literal. Floods, cyclones, wars, labor troubles and earthquakes, which are signs of the last days, are all of a literal nature. All these literal signs point out a literal coming of the Lord.
"Christ's feet will not touch the earth when he comes. The cloud will remain stationary, and, as the earth revolves, the saints will be caught up to meet him in the air. We read, 'The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.'
"When the Lord comes, all the living wicked are destroyed by the spirit of his mouth, and the brightness of his coming."
Theme tonight, "What Will Christ's Coming Mean to You?"
—The Ogden Standard, Ogden City, Utah, June 25, 1915, p. 3
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Value of Science on Modern Faith
California, 1922
Miracles are not in keeping with the scientific interpretation of life and the universe. Human ignorance, carelessness, vice and greed are the causes of most disease. The rules of sanitation are not observed and scores of innocent persons die. Supernatural belief, which may bar the use of simple medicine, is responsible for the death of many more. Physicians and surgeons are among the greatest benefactors of mankind.
These statements were made by Rev. Clarence Reed, pastor of the First Unitarian church, in a sermon on "Prayer Cures vs. Medical Cures," delivered yesterday morning.
"It was perfectly natural for primitive man to believe that the different diseases from which he suffered were imparted to him by evil spirits," Rev. Reed said. "He beheld from day to day what seemed to him to be miracles of cure, because he did not understand the laws of the universe.
"If a person accepts the literal interpretation of the Bible, it is natural for him to believe in the possibility of prayer and faith cures. But the person who accepts the scientific interpretation of life and the universe does not believe in miracles. If Christ and His apostles performed miracles there is no reason devout Christians cannot perform them today.
"Auto-suggestion has great value in the treatment of certain diseases. No matter what a person's belief or theory may be in regard to prayer or faith healing, most people have sense enough to send for a physician in case of serious sickness.
"Prayer has been valued in the past as a means to obtain material prosperity and health. The aim of prayer should be to help man develop himself by treasuring the highest ideals in his mind, and seeking the uplift of mankind."
—Oakland Tribune, Oakland, CA, Aug. 21, 1922, p. 8.
Miracles are not in keeping with the scientific interpretation of life and the universe. Human ignorance, carelessness, vice and greed are the causes of most disease. The rules of sanitation are not observed and scores of innocent persons die. Supernatural belief, which may bar the use of simple medicine, is responsible for the death of many more. Physicians and surgeons are among the greatest benefactors of mankind.
These statements were made by Rev. Clarence Reed, pastor of the First Unitarian church, in a sermon on "Prayer Cures vs. Medical Cures," delivered yesterday morning.
"It was perfectly natural for primitive man to believe that the different diseases from which he suffered were imparted to him by evil spirits," Rev. Reed said. "He beheld from day to day what seemed to him to be miracles of cure, because he did not understand the laws of the universe.
"If a person accepts the literal interpretation of the Bible, it is natural for him to believe in the possibility of prayer and faith cures. But the person who accepts the scientific interpretation of life and the universe does not believe in miracles. If Christ and His apostles performed miracles there is no reason devout Christians cannot perform them today.
"Auto-suggestion has great value in the treatment of certain diseases. No matter what a person's belief or theory may be in regard to prayer or faith healing, most people have sense enough to send for a physician in case of serious sickness.
"Prayer has been valued in the past as a means to obtain material prosperity and health. The aim of prayer should be to help man develop himself by treasuring the highest ideals in his mind, and seeking the uplift of mankind."
—Oakland Tribune, Oakland, CA, Aug. 21, 1922, p. 8.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Domestic Woe Caused By Phrase in Bible
March 1914
NEWARK, N. J. — Before Vice Chancellor Emery John P. Hammer, who is seeking a divorce from Anna Hammer, gave as the basic cause of his marital troubles his wife's too literal interpretation of the biblical injunction, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and cleave unto his wife."
"We often had words on account of my mother," Hammer explained, and so I got in the way of going to see her without saying anything about it to my wife. She used to say that, according to the Bible, after a man married he had no business to see his father and mother or other relations, but should stay by his wife.
"When my stepfather died in December, 1910, I attended to the funeral arrangements, as my mother was too old to do it herself, being about 80, and when I got home my wife said to me, 'Did you have a good time?'
"Then I told her that while before I had been going to see my mother secretly, thereafter I would do so openly."
This declaration. Hammer testified, brought on a serious estrangement, and his wife finally, on March 24, 1911, left him, after a violent quarrel.
NEWARK, N. J. — Before Vice Chancellor Emery John P. Hammer, who is seeking a divorce from Anna Hammer, gave as the basic cause of his marital troubles his wife's too literal interpretation of the biblical injunction, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and cleave unto his wife."
"We often had words on account of my mother," Hammer explained, and so I got in the way of going to see her without saying anything about it to my wife. She used to say that, according to the Bible, after a man married he had no business to see his father and mother or other relations, but should stay by his wife.
"When my stepfather died in December, 1910, I attended to the funeral arrangements, as my mother was too old to do it herself, being about 80, and when I got home my wife said to me, 'Did you have a good time?'
"Then I told her that while before I had been going to see my mother secretly, thereafter I would do so openly."
This declaration. Hammer testified, brought on a serious estrangement, and his wife finally, on March 24, 1911, left him, after a violent quarrel.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The Present Church Controversy
1923
By the Rev. L. W. Almy, Pastor
Marquette Park Presbyterian Church
Newspapers the country over are giving publicity to the controversy now on in church circles between "Fundamentalists" and "Modernists." What is the average church member to think of it? Should he be disturbed, and lose his faith in God and his church? Let us see. "Fundamentalists" represent the more conservative type of Christian thinking. They are devout, earnest men. They love the Lord Jesus sincerely. They accept the Bible "from Genesis to Revelation," And they tend to a literal interpretation of the Bible's language. For instance, in Genesis, chapter 14, we find the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, pursued by Pharaoh's army. It is recorded that the water was "a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left." The Fundamentalist pictures water standing in perpendicular walls on either side of the fleeing Israelites.
"Modernists," on the other hand, are also sincere and earnest Christians. They represent a different type of thought from the "Fundamentalists." Modern science, with its increasing knowledge of the universe and man, has given a wider range of learning which the "Modernists" accept as authority to a greater or less degree. And the "Modernist" holds that God is great enough to have created this larger world which scientists have shown us. But the "Modernist" tends to a liberal interpretation of the Bible story. In the Red Sea story of the Israelites he finds (Genesis 14:21) that "Jehovah caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land." Here, to the "Modernist," is a natural cause of the miracle; and God used the wind to sweep the water back. Perpendicular walls, in a world where water does not stand upright, is to him unnatural.
The average church member should do his own thinking. God spoke to the boy Samuel and the Apostle Paul directly, and He will speak to humble hearts today. If this controversy is the result of earnest desire to understand God, we can be sure God will lead us to a higher understanding of Him. It is a sign that Christians are thinking. We have not "decayed at the top," but are using our heads. And it speaks well for the spirit of the day. The average man, therefore, ought to take a keen interest in the discussion. He ought to feel that God's truth is eternally true, and science can't kill it any more than "conservative stubbornness."
A New Year dawns. It will be an epochal year in the history of religion in America. It may end in a progressive step; it can end in disaster. It ought to call forth Christian patience and tolerance on each side of the controversy. Each side is Christian. Each believes in God the Father and Creator of the universe and of mankind. Each believes devoutly in Jesus as God's incarnate Son. Each desires to spread the Gospel of Love and Purity, and Peace, through Him. Let us hope that next year will see more light and less heat; more patience and less denunciation; more tolerance and less intolerance. We shall then come through the discussion without harm to the churches, and with less to regret.
—The Merchants Telegram, Chicago, Dec. 27, 1923, p. 4.
By the Rev. L. W. Almy, Pastor
Marquette Park Presbyterian Church
Newspapers the country over are giving publicity to the controversy now on in church circles between "Fundamentalists" and "Modernists." What is the average church member to think of it? Should he be disturbed, and lose his faith in God and his church? Let us see. "Fundamentalists" represent the more conservative type of Christian thinking. They are devout, earnest men. They love the Lord Jesus sincerely. They accept the Bible "from Genesis to Revelation," And they tend to a literal interpretation of the Bible's language. For instance, in Genesis, chapter 14, we find the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, pursued by Pharaoh's army. It is recorded that the water was "a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left." The Fundamentalist pictures water standing in perpendicular walls on either side of the fleeing Israelites.
"Modernists," on the other hand, are also sincere and earnest Christians. They represent a different type of thought from the "Fundamentalists." Modern science, with its increasing knowledge of the universe and man, has given a wider range of learning which the "Modernists" accept as authority to a greater or less degree. And the "Modernist" holds that God is great enough to have created this larger world which scientists have shown us. But the "Modernist" tends to a liberal interpretation of the Bible story. In the Red Sea story of the Israelites he finds (Genesis 14:21) that "Jehovah caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land." Here, to the "Modernist," is a natural cause of the miracle; and God used the wind to sweep the water back. Perpendicular walls, in a world where water does not stand upright, is to him unnatural.
The average church member should do his own thinking. God spoke to the boy Samuel and the Apostle Paul directly, and He will speak to humble hearts today. If this controversy is the result of earnest desire to understand God, we can be sure God will lead us to a higher understanding of Him. It is a sign that Christians are thinking. We have not "decayed at the top," but are using our heads. And it speaks well for the spirit of the day. The average man, therefore, ought to take a keen interest in the discussion. He ought to feel that God's truth is eternally true, and science can't kill it any more than "conservative stubbornness."
A New Year dawns. It will be an epochal year in the history of religion in America. It may end in a progressive step; it can end in disaster. It ought to call forth Christian patience and tolerance on each side of the controversy. Each side is Christian. Each believes in God the Father and Creator of the universe and of mankind. Each believes devoutly in Jesus as God's incarnate Son. Each desires to spread the Gospel of Love and Purity, and Peace, through Him. Let us hope that next year will see more light and less heat; more patience and less denunciation; more tolerance and less intolerance. We shall then come through the discussion without harm to the churches, and with less to regret.
—The Merchants Telegram, Chicago, Dec. 27, 1923, p. 4.
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