Editor's Table: Our Lesson from the New Theology

EDITOR'S TABLE. OUR LESSON FROM THE "NEW THEOLOGY." The most influential Congresrational church in England is said to be the London City Temple. From its pulpit the so-called "New Theology" is promulgated. This theology, which is making great headway in England, is described by its promoters as not in i»ny way new but rather consisting of selections of belief from other denominations. Its principal spokesman is Reverend R. J. Camp- bell, who is the successor of Dr. Parker. It may not be safe to depend upon the explanations made of the doctrines of this new theology, because generally any expla- nations not made by the advocates of the religion itself can scarce- ly be relied upon. But from the utterances of the religious and secular press of Great Britain, which has found their way into American prints, and which are said to emanate from the spokes- man, we learn that the new movement objects "to the formal statements of belief which have distinguised the theology of the past,"—which is a very broad expression, and capable of varied interpretation;—and also that the starting point of the new the- ology, which is further described as "an attitude and a spirit rather than a creed, "is * 'belief in the immanence of God and the essential oneness of God and man." This is a very sharp differ- entiation from the Unitarian theory which practically creates an impassable gulf between God and man. "Our being.is the same as God's, although our consciousness of it is limited," the new theology declares; also that "there are many stages in the upward progress of the soul in the unseen world, before it becomes fully and consciously one with its infinite source." The word "'God' stands for the infinite reality whence all things proceed, is the source of all things, but is itself in pro- cess of fulfillment, as shadowed forth in the evolution of human-

EDITOR'S TABLE. 389 ity." "Man is the revelation of God, and the universe a means to the self-manifestation of God." The new theology further be- lieves in the immortality of the soul: "we make our destiny in the next world by our behavior in this, and ultimately every soul will be perfected;" but it "rejects wholly the common interpretation of atonement, that another is beaten for our fault," and believes, "not in a final judgment but a judgment that is ever proceeding." Altogether it appears to us that the "new theology" is only one other protest, among the many, against dying sectarianism. From a cursory glance at its 'teachings, it appears also that, while there is much that is misty and inconsequent, it contains many doc- trines, perverted it may be, which are based upon truth. But the object here of calling attention to this movement, which now almost completely occupies the thought of the re- ligious world in England, is to point out the need for the Latter- day Saints, and especially for our missionaries, to -keep informed on the trend of modern religious thought, so that they may be able to approach the people from the viewpoint of their interests. A person full of such philosophy as the New Theology pro- mulgates has little interest in the plain, first principles of the gospel. His mind is upon other things; and in order to engage him, the teacher who would open to him the door of the true gospel must first obtain his attention on the lines which most appeal to him. The Latter-day Saints have the sure anchor of revelation, and our religion is based on the everlasting truth. In the revelations of God to the Prophet Joseph, we have the foundation of all truth; and in order to compare these truths with old religions, or with new scientific or theological thought, we need only inform and familiarize ourselves with them. The Latter-day Saints believe that the light and truth on man's relationship to Deity; the divinity of Christ'' and the personality of God; man's origin and destiny and immortality; the fall of Adam; the atonement; the meaning of eternal punishment; the nature, eternity, necessity, purpose and value of the forces of good and evil; preexistence and existence hereafter; the struggle of God and his children against limitation, or eternal progress; the certainty of eternal life and the way to best advance to glorious harmony with the Infinite;—we believe that all these vital questions are more clearly treated in our re-

390 IMPROVEMENT ERA. velations than in any other philosophy ever before advocated, or in any that can be promulgated by man. I think that we ourselves fail to grasp the full and vital mean- ing of these eternal truths, and that we are much less prepared than we really ought to be, after possessing them for more than half a century, to present them to the thinking world. But they have been revealed to us, and it is our plain duty, by study and contemplation, aided by the Spirit of God, to master them, for clear, full, and forceful presentation to the world. Then, when these contending doctrines and new theories come fortih among the people, we shall be prepared, by adopting modern methods, to show more clearly the way of eternal life and truth. This, of course, can only by accomplished, first, by obtaining a thorough knowledge of the grand, broad, and far-reaching mean- ing of the revelations to us; and then, secondly, by keeping abreast of the most advanced modern thought. This course shall enable us not only to abide by the truth ourselves, so that every wind of doctrine shall not affect us and drive us to and fro like ships without anchor, but also to point out the way and demon- strate the truth to others, which is our special calling and mission. Our seventies, elders, teachers, and church educational institutions, may well wake up and work along these lines. Joseph F. Smith. A FALSEHOOD REFUTED. Writing in a local print of the review in the February Era of the statement of Senator Burrows that ''there has been no case in which a candidate for high office in Utah has obtained the con- sent of the Church to run, and has been defeated, and there is no case in which one did not receive such consent, and has been elected," the champion defamer of the Latter-day Saints again falsifies, and attempts to mislead his readers. He says: Mr. Smith attempts to deceive when he challenges and disputes with Senator Burrows in this matter. It is a fact that Apostle Heber J. Grant, speaking for the president of the church and by the authorization of the president of the church of that time promised the senatorship to Mr. McCune ****** Joseph F. Smith knows all these things to be' true ; he knows that Mr. McCune was selected by the president of the church, and that Apostle Grant was authorized

EDITOR'S TABLE. 391 to conduct, for Mr. McCune, his campaign. Mr. Smith knows that the exposure of the Grant methods delayed the deciding vote in the Legislature; and that dur- ing the delay the authorities of the church concluded to change candidates, select- ing as a substitute for Mr. McCune, who was a Democrat, a prominent church- man, who was a Republican, and demanding of the Democratic legislature that it elect this prominent churchman. Mr. Smith knows that many Democrats were called from the legislature before the authorities of the church, and were compel- led to yield their personal and partisan views, and that they agreed to vote for a Republican at the behest of the church. Mr. Smith knows that in the confusion thus created, and which was increased as shown, by an adroit political move on the part of leading Democrats in procuring a recess in order to prevent balloting, the hour of adjournment was reached; and only for that reason the purpose of the church was defeated. It is only necessary to state that Joseph F. Smith has no per- sonal knowledge of any such alleged facts. Joseph F. Smith was not in the state at that time, as he left on the 7th day of January, 1899, for the Pacific Islands, and did not return until the 6th day of March, following. He could not be, and was not, therefore, in possession of such information; but he does know that at the behest of the Church no man has ever been compelled to yield his personal or partisan views, or to vote for any party or person. The presumption is that if the defamer desired to tell the whole truth, he could name the prominent Republican referred to; and the presumption is, further, that he might also truthfully say it was neither the Church that selected him nor its president. Joseph F. Smith. THE REMEDY FOR FAILURE. In the monthly reports which have come to the General Board from a number of the stakes relating to the work of Mutual Improvement in the Church, the superintendents have complained of indifference, a lack of attendance, energy, and interest, on the part of the young people. This apparent perplexity is not real ; we believe that the trouble lies in a lack of intelligent and persis- tent effort on the part of the officers. Without doubt, every de- tail of our work can be accomplished readily, when proper effort is made by the stake and ward officers. Determined work is the price of success, and the remedy for every complaint that has come to us in these reports. Would you remove indifference?