Wheaton College President Protests Prosecution of Fundamentalists
Modernism in the Presbyterian Church and the Independent Board of Foreign Missions were attacked last evening during a mass meeting in the First Presbyterian Church, Eighth street and Landts avenue. A total of 400 attended the service-meeting during which a complete resume of the present situation in the Presbyterian Church at large was outlined by Rev. J. Oliver Buswell, Dr., president of Wheaton College, Ill.
After expressing his gratitude that he was a Presbyterian minister, Rev. Mr. Buswell declared forcefully that he could not support the Auburn Affirmation, and that he was definitely opposed to the prosecution of ministers because they had stood by their Scripture teachings and refused to accept modernistic theories. He recommended reading the pamphlet of Rev. Carl McIntire, Collingswood minister who was tried for disobedience to the Presbytery. The pamphlet attacks modernism in the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church and answers Rev. Robert E. Speer's explanations of the Auburn Affirmation. These latter explanations, in the speaker's opinion, were ridiculous as they definitely opposed teachings of the Bible that had been accepted by orthodox Presbyterians many years ago.
The speaker declared that the Auburn Affirmation was the root of all the disruption. He explained its theories declaring that five of the Presbyterians' most deepest beliefs, keynotes of their religion, were doubted and the word of the Scriptures was indirectly termed as false.
Gordon H. Clark of the Philosophy Department of the University of Pennsylvania, was also guest speaker during the meeting. He terms the Auburn Affirmation "a major offensive against the Word of God." He also declares that five doctrines of Presbyterian belief were involved in the teachings of the Auburn Affirmation. All five are important phases of the religion of orthodox Presbyterians and that God's word was being doubted, he stated. He declared "there could be no peace within the church without purity, unless the people desired to sit back and enjoy peace with Satan."
The speaker asserted that many prominent Presbyterian ministers, most of whom held offices in the Presbytery, had affixed their names to the Auburn Affirmation. He referred those persent to a small pamphlet, distributed during the service, which contained the names of Presbyterian ministers who had added their names to the list.
A. F. Miller, or Norristown, who has been elected as chairman of a committee to organize church members in their opposition to Auburn Affirmation, reported that radio broadcasts, described the Affirmation in detail, would be given over a Pittsburgh station, and over WIP, in Philadelphia, and WMCA, in New York. He stated that the broadcasts would take place the first three Fridays in May at 9 P. M.
Samuel Iredell, of Bridgeton, presided over the session and introduced the speakers. He introduced Rev. John T. Hockett, of the Irvin Avenue Presbyterian Church, Bridgeton, who read the invocation; Rev. Alexander K. Davison, who offered prayer; Rev. Leonard Pitcher, of the Wildwood Presbyterian Church, who read Scripture; Rev. J. U. S. Toms, of Woodstown, who gave the benediction, and Donald Graham, who led the group singing.
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