CHALLENGE TO ORTHODOXY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2765, 21 March 1910, Page 2

CHALLENGE TO ORTHODOXY.

THE CHURCH AND DOGMA

THE 11EV. MR. TUCK’S POSITION EXPLAINED.

Erom to-day the Rev. William It. Tuck, M.A., .of Eland Bay, ceases to be a minister of the Methodist Church of Australasia (says the New Zealand “Times,” of Monday last). He preached his last sermon at Kilbirnie Jast night. The circumstances under which his resignation was tendered to the Dunedin Conference and accepted by it have already been recorded. The grounds upon, which the. Conference based its findings that Mr. Tuck was “in disagreement with some of the essential elements of Methodist teaching” have not, however, been confided to the public. Mr Tuck has now consented to the publication of a full statement of his position. Mr. Tuck said that probably his views would be best represented by direct quotation from the statement which he submitted to the conference. The doctrines respecting which ho judged it necessary to apprise 'the Conference of his views were those' of revelation, the divinity of Christ and the atonement. There was appended a reference to some of the main facts of personal religious life. The statement averred that intercourse with earnest-minded men and women had made this conclusion irresistible —that the maintenance of a number of the Church’s doctrines in their traditional form was a serious hindrance to the highest development of many lives and was depriving some of the most promising social movements of the inspiration* which it should be the! privilege of the Church t;> bring down to them. ON REV ELATION. In defining his attitude in regard to revelation the writer said that he believed that the immanent God expressed Himself in all lr's activities, and revealed Himself in all His works, but that His strongest revelation, the. reve_ hit-ion of His character, was made in and through the conscious life of men and women. “To His immanence in our lives,” proceeded the statement, “we owe the possibility of understanding and responding to Him. It is, therefore, in our consciousness that we discover the seat of authority in religion. This means that every apprehension of God’s nature and purpose, and that every presentation of truth has authority for us. The prophets are simply ?aud grandly men of the deepest religious insight and of the richest consciousness. They are men who sound the depths of life, who understand the Divine significance of our experience, and who by virtue of this genius become the Divine interpreters of the race. They possess authority, but their authority is spiritual and nob official. It consists in their power to make their messages appeal to our minds os the messages of God'. The Bible claims to be the record of a revelation made through the experiences of some of the greatest sons of men. Its contents ought to be subjected to the same tests as those to which the contents of any other book making such a claim would be subjected. The mere fact that- any particular teaching i- included among them does not make that teaching authoritative. Only its power to commend itself as true can do that. The glory of the Bible record is that so much of its teaching possesses this power to an unparalleled degree.”

CHRIST’S DIVINITY. The divinity of Christ was the subject of the next paragraph. The writer affirmed this divinity, but found it necessary to guard the affirmation from misunderstanding. The divinity was he believed, to be interpreted in spiritual terms, in terms of personality, and not in miracles. “That Jesus was as truly man as anyone who ever walked this earth is, for me, the start-ing-point- in any attempt to explain His character and mission. God was immanent in Him in the same manner in which He is immanent in other men. i’et Jesus was unique: He. lived in a sympathy with God unique in its depth, and in Him the character of God found an expression unique in its fulness. His words*are the words of eternal life; and in beholding Him we behold the Father, 'i his means that, for me, Jesus is divine i:i a sense which I can appreciate. As n:y experience grows His divinity gains an ever-deepening significance and an *-m c'.--increasing value. My faith in this respect is steadfast; but it does not justify nre in using the language of the Trinitarian doctrine nor in defending the orthodox teaching concerning miracles. I believe that the minstry of Jesus included works of healing; but 1 do not believe that he performed any action, or ayss the subject of any action, not in accordance with physiological and phychological laws. Such a narrative as that of feeding the multitude is reasonable explained as the transformation of a parable; A\diile the stories of a virgin birth and of a physical resurrection are rightly regarded a s beautiful and suggestive legends. The widespread credence which these stories have gained bears striking testimony' to the profound impression created by Jesus and to the enthusiasm Avith Avhicli men of aAva'kened minds acknowledge his spiritual ascendancy. It is in that ascendancy and not in tile exercise of miraculous poAver, that avc find the meaning and the proof of His unique relation- to the Father.”

THE ATONEMENT

lii stating his views regarding the atonement the writer said: —‘‘The doctrine of the atonement is intimately connected with that of the Divinity <if Christ. I affirm a divine significance and efficacy in the sacrifice of Jesus; but, .in that case also, find it necessary to guard my affirmation from misunderstanding. I believe that sin is real, that it is an ofiencc against the love of God, that it has power to estrange and to degrade the soul. But love also is real; it has. newer to win the estranged soul back to sympathetic communion with God, and so-to ennoble it. The love which possessed this redeeming power is a love, which sympathises and agonises ; it is a love which expresses itself in voluntary sacrifice and vicarious suffering; and such love is everywhere divine. Its noblest and most potent manifestation- is that made in the life and death of Jesus. His love was completely self-renouncing, His sacrifice voluntary, His vicarious. In His activity we behold God' satisfying the demands, of His own. nature by raising men to the enjoyment of divine communion. ‘God. was mi Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. ’ It is a grand fact of experience that tlie sacrifice of Jesus arrests, men in the pursuit of selfish pleasure, exposes the meanness of self-seeking, reveals the glory of self-giving,, moves to contrition and inspires to devotion, with a power unique in human history. This statement ignores the alleged historic nl fall, the alleged need of satisfying the justice of God by the alleged limitation of pardon to those who acknowledge a substitutionary value in the cross. I regard the scheme of .which these are essential features as artificial

and unethical. That the sublime manifestation of divinei love made on Calvary its ‘the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believetlh’ can be demonstrated' AA r ithout any reference to this scheme.” CHARACTERISTICS OF METHODISM.

Summarising his own vieAVS of his relation to the Church the writer said:— “The Methodist Church has always been distinguished for the prominence which- she has given to the more practical aspects of religion, and I am in entire sympathy Avith this Avork. True religion implies rational intercourse and loving co-operation between God and man. That intercourse and co-operation can be carried on without subscription to particular creeds and doctrines. The main fact of religious experience remain the same through al] the changes of theological thought. The language in Avhicli these are explained and the relative prominence given to different aspects are bound to vary. J. helicA'e that the greater emphasis ought to he placed on the relation of the individual to the social ideals'. But the need of contrition, of spiritual awakening and of conversion to solf-de\ r otion ; the vital importance of firm faith and of earnest prayer; our dependence upon the- forgiving and l renewing grace of God ; these are truths which will always deserve and demand the urgent proclamation of an inspired ministry. I believe that it is largely the mission of our Church to make this proclamation and I earnestly covet the priAnlegc of aiding in its accomplishment.” NOT UNITARIAN. Questioned regarding his attitude to schools of thought outside the pale of orthodoxy, Mr. Tuck said that he did not regard his views as in\*olvin.g the victory or Unitarian over Trinitarian thought. In the course of their history both schools of controA-ersy had undergone considerable modification. The deA'elopment of religious thought, he believed, AA'as leading to a position which Avould do justice to both and at the same time correct their errors. He believed that ultimately the controA-ersy bntAveen them AA'ould belong entirely to tbe past; that, in fact, both names AA'ould be discarded.