VII. THE MINISTER AND CREED SUBSCRIPTION

The question whether a layman should be received into the membership of a church, though finding himself not to be in accord with some parts of the church creed, is not identical with the question whether a minister may accept a call to a church whose confession of faith he does not accept; or whether he may in good conscience hold to his pastorate after finding himself out of sympathy with some part of its authorized teaching. I have discussed these and related questions in their appropriate places in this volume, but it has seemed to me well to obtain also the judgment of a number of pastors in our leading churches and teachers in our colleges and theological seminaries. I give these as they have come to me, assured that the readers of this volume will find this symposium both interesting and profitable.

MINISTER SHOULD BE SPIRITUAL LEADER

A minister whose views are not in harmony with the creeds of his church, but who is in general sympathy with its spirit, should not be required, either to accomodate his teachings to the creed or to resign his pastorate. He should remain and lead on gently but surely, giving his people the Bible view of truth. His duty as the leader in spiritual things requires him to do this and not to run away.

REV. JAMES R. SMITH.

People's Church, St. Paul, Minn.

CREED AND HIGHER STANDARDS

A minister should be required to preach the creed only so far as the creed itself conforms to the higher standards of the New Testament.

First Church, Dubuque, Ia.

REV. HENRY F. MILLIGAN.

A minister who no longer can accept the creed of his church, but believes in its spirit and work, should stay at his post. If he is a true teacher the church will catch up with him. The majority of the church is generally far ahead of the creed. Creeds are static, but Christians grow. All do not grow at the same rate, so it is always difficult for a creed to keep up with the Christian. If there is enough common ground between a minister and his church to give him room to walk about, he should stay, and by faithful service and educative preaching he will establish common ground between him and the church. If, however, there is a fundamental divergence in the spirit and content of faith, that is another matter.

Andover Theological Seminary.

PROF. DANIEL EVANS.

PASTOR SHOULD BE IN SYMPATHY WITH CHURCH DOCTRINE

A pastor should not assume the pastoral office unless he finds himself so far in accord with the doctrinal positions of the church that he can labor whole-heartedly and conscientiously for its upbuilding. He may heartily agree with the Creed of the church and yet feel that some simpler and broader statement of the faith would be preferable, and work, with wisdom, to the end that a change may be made. But he has no right to become pastor of a church if he is not in sympathy with its teachings, and thus use the prestige of his position to

sever the church from its doctrinal foundations. Such a course is ecclesiastical piracy.

One who becomes a minister of a church has a more solemn obligation to be loyal to its teaching than one on whom rests no burden of leadership. He owes a debt to the traditional faith of his own church and to the denomination which he serves. He has no right to assume that upon him devolves the responsibility,-of the cost of intellectual honesty in seeming (at the start) to represent what in reality he does not represent of moving his church or his denomination over from one position to another which may be of quite a different nature. If it concerns shades of thought, that is one thing. If it concerns fundamental vital differences, that is quite a different thing. In the latter case he should resign and go elsewhere, or form a new group of those favorable to his thought.

PROF. HENRY H. WALKER.

Chicago Theological Seminary.

MINISTER SHOULD UPHOLD ESSENTIAL CHRISTIAN FAITH

If a minister is out of sympathy with the general teaching and belief of the church, either he should withdraw from it or the church should alter its statement of faith. I do not believe in having a separate creed for each local church. It is enough for both church and minister to signify the acceptance of the doctrines and practices of the apostolic, primitive and Congregational churches substantially as they are set forth in the ancient creeds of Christendom.

REV. RAYMOND CALKINS, D. D.

First Church, Cambridge, Mass.

KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT

A minister who accepts a pastorate which requires him in specific terms to believe and teach its creed must keep his

contract or give up his charge. But a wise man will be slow to bind himself by such a contract. A wise church will be slow to choose a minister who is willing to put such a barrier to his and their progress in the knowledge of God, and to his guidance into all the truth which our Lord promised to those who would receive his Spirit.

Usually a minister who seeks such knowledge, in loyalty to the historic faith of our Churches, and makes it his vocation to lead his people into the larger fellowship with all true disciples of Christ, will find the intelligent members of his church co-operating with him toward that end. He will not be impatient or controversial or overconfident in his own opinions. He will learn from them while he teaches them. He will encourage the free expression of the views of his people, and will especially respect convictions which are the fruit of experience.

In most Christian churches such a pastor will be able to avoid bitterness arising from differing views, "giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." He and his people will work together to "attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of God, unto a full grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

REV. A. E. DUNNING, D. D. Former Editor of The Congregationalist.

EXPECT MORE FROM MINISTER THAN MEMBER

We have the right to expect something more from the minister than from the lay member of the church. As an appointed and authorized teacher he should stand in line with the general features of the creed of his church. He cannot be blankly and baldly out of sympathy with such creed. Nevertheless he must preserve his own independence of thought. In essentials he cannot accommodate his preaching to a creed he does not believe. If he thus accommodates, and holds truth in reserve, he becomes a hypocrite and loses his own self respect.

If he thus accommodates, and his people know it, he loses their respect and confidence and with these his influence. The duty of the minister is to tell the truth that he and others may live by it. REV. NABOTH OSBORNE.

Burlington, Iowa.

"FOLLOW ME"

There are places where the only rule about clothing is that it shall be sufficient for decency. They are places of fruitful or at least eager activity. I should not wish to admit a candidate who had not creed enough to confess belief that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Saviour. But I should never be anxious to compel conformity even as to important doctrines. When Jesus said "Follow me," he set forth the only test we have any right to apply. The pastor and the creed of his local church ought to get together. Sometimes that may happen by revising the creed; sometimes by convincing the pastor. Usually, however, the mediating point is the church, to whom, before a pastorate begins, the minister should present his criticisms of their creed, and ask for their judgment upon his fitness for the office. If convictions change during a pastorate, the man should follow something of the same method. It is dangerous, and actually will be decided on personal rather than theological grounds, so that a man should be very sure of his convictions before making such a statement. If the point of difference be not too vital, discreet silence will often prevent the discord from sounding too loud.

As a matter of fact, it is the business of the minister to preach religion and to make as little as possible of theological formulas. He will not preach religion effectively without a very vigorous theology, but he will be very far from any disposition to require detailed acceptance of his theology by his people, or to yield such acceptance to theirs.

Springfield, Mass.

REV. JOHN LUTHER KILBON.