Improvement Era, 1900 by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Religion

Movements in the Religious World.

During the latter part of April, and in the month of May, several important religious conferences convened in the United States. On the afternoon of the twenty-first of the former month, the greatest, and in some respects the most important, of these began its sessions in Carnegie Hall, New York. An address of welcome was given in the evening by President McKinley, on behalf of the United States. It was the Ecumenical Conference on Foreign Missions, and was composed of two thousand five hundred delegates and missionaries representing one hundred and four Protestant foreign missionary societies of all evangelical denominations. It was stated that these societies spend fifteen million dollars a year to advance their work, exclusive of amounts spent in England and America. The leading points to be considered by these diverse religious denominations-for all kinds of Protestants were represented-were first, how to spend to best advantage the fifteen million; second, to stimulate the interest of Christians all over the world by an exchange of experience; third, to start a movement for co-operation in foreign lands; fourth, to eliminate redundant missions in one field. These points were strikingly emphasized by Ex-President Benjamin Harrison, who has been the honorary president of the body for the past four years. He gave an address at the opening of the conference on Saturday afternoon, in the course of which he referred to this disunion among the Protestant sects in these words:

Not the least beneficent aspect and influence of this great gathering will be found in the Christian union that it evidences. The value of this is great at home, but ten fold greater in the mission field, where ecclesiastical divisions suggest diverse prophets.

If seeing a fault is the first necessity for its remedy, it is to be hoped that the Protestant sects may soon find a way to a unity of the faith. But while this interchange of thought, and open confession of fault, may have a tendency in that direction, unity is yet afar off-it will never come, we are free to predict, as long as every man is free to form his own sect, to determine the course of the church in accordance with his own notions-as long as there is not a universally recognized head, guided by divine revelation. Until that day comes, the Protestant Christian sects will be in the condition described by the Apostle: "ever learning, and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth." God only can unite the church; and when he does it, his edicts to the people will come through his recognized authority upon earth. There will be no division and no "diverse prophets." As long as the Protestant will not believe in revelation, thus not recognizing God as the head, but insist on giving the right of direction, interpretation and leadership to men, so long will he be sorely troubled with "ecclesiastical divisions." But this conference was not intended to pass laws or take any binding action

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