MORE APPARENT THAN REAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1383, 8 March 1912, Page 8

MORE APPARENT THAN REAL.

CHARGE OF HETERODOXY. THE FINDING OF THE METHODIST CONFERENCE. (By Telcgra[ill—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, March 7. The Methodist Conference has been investigating charges of heterodoxy against a clergyman of tho Church, it is said that the finding is not adverse to him, but runs on these lines:—That the heterodoxy is more apparent than real, the preacher being given to rhetorical flourishes; that otherwise he is in the true line of advance from Wesley, whose life was a long struggle to vindicate Hie Divine character to tho man in the street against the libels of prevalent, theology. The finding, while not attempting to suppress honesty and courage deprecates tho unnecessary antagonism of those who differ. The charge was made by a layman, to tho effect that the preacher had in several discourses given utterance.to many "pernicious errors," of which the following is tho gist:— "The Bible contains the Word of God, but it is not: correct to say that it is the Word of God. There is much in it that revolts your moral sense, and which theretore cannot be the Word of God. Much of the book is simply ancient opinion, as when it is said that a plague was caused by taking the census, or as when the she bears that tore forty and two children in the days of Elisha were said to be sent bv God to do it. Much of it is repealed, and superseded by later parts, as Christ shows by protesting against some ancient sayings. Much of it again is parable and aliegory, and has for ages been treated as history. Tho writer of Genesis never dreamt thnt there would over bo people so foolish as to treat the story of Eden as history, its magic trees, the talking snake, God walking in the garden, and the .flaming sword are all obvious drapery and machinery. The essence of the story is the birth of conscience in man. Wo "must judge the Bible as we do any other book. What is unintelligent must bo rejected by our reason, and what is morally shocking must bo rejected by our conscience. We have a standard Within us that must not suffer itself to bo brow-beaten by any ancient book. Tho Bible did not tell us that man 'fell.' The word 'fall' is a theological interpellation, so is the idea that Satan was disguised in the Serpent of Eden. The writer suggests nothing of tlie sort. Milton has popularised that theological invention. Before his 'fall' man was innocent, that is ignorant, not knowing the difference between good and evil, it was the innocence of the heart. There is something much nobler than that, namely, holiness, and doing right from choice. After his so-called tali, man was capable of such choice, so, as Sir Oliver Lodge says, if man fell, he fell upwards, and acquired a moral nature. Some Christians would be miserable if they did not believe that millions of their fellow-creatures were in everlasting flames. This awful doctrine of external torments is the grossest libel on the character of God ever imagined. A man who would do to any one person what the doctrine leaches that God does to the majority of tho human race, would be an inhuman monster, is God worse than man? Would any mother consign her child to endless suffering? Is God worse than woman? Can you believe that He Who exhoiis ns to love our enemies burns his own? Any who believes so should never marry or bring fresh victims into the world. A mother brokenhearted for the loss of her sou by an accident told mc that the worst trouble of all was the fear that God had sent him to Hell. Ho was n very good -on to me, but lie professed no t'ailh. Do you think God will put him in Hell? I said: 'Would you put him there?' She was horrified at my suggestion that sho would do what she believed God would do. I opened tho Gospel, and read: 'If yo then, being evil, know how' to give God's gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven.' I must clear tho character 'of God. You carry your hell about with you, and your heaven. They are both age-long, not Cierual."

The complainant said that this kind of teaching was driving his family away from the church, and that it did not conform to the legal standards contained in "Wesley's Sermons," and his "Notes on the New Testament."