Article January 18, 1900 Issue

From the Religious Press

with contributions from Robert Stuart MacArthur, Mabel Gifford

Probably the Bible has been more studied during the past year than during any year for two decades. In all the special revival services it has been greatly honored; and in many of them it was preached in its older meanings and with a fervency and power not surpassed for many years. No one familiar with the facts will doubt the accuracy of this statement. Indeed, many of these services were marked by a laudation and coronation of the Bible by the preachers; and this exaltation of the Bible in the pulpit evoked an almost uncontrolled enthusiasm on the part of the people. They seemed as glad and grateful as were the people in the days of Nehemiah to hear the truths of the old Book. The study of the Bible is becoming more common in our week-day church meetings. The people are positively hungry for the Word of God. The old-fashioned "prayer and conference meeting" is giving place in part to a meeting for the more prolonged and profound study of the Bible. Many churches have already yielded so far to this trend that they give about half the time of the entire service to the direct study of the Bible; and a part of the remaining half is taken up with the comments of others than the leader on the portion which has been expounded

Some of our interpretations will have to be modified, and some will have to be entirely abandoned. Some traditional interpretations have been unsightly scaffolds around the symmetrieal and glorious temple of divine truth; and the falling of these scaffolds will the more reveal the temple in its divine origin, heavenly beauty, and celestial perfection. It is quite time that we distinguished rightly between divine revelation and human interpretation. Many so-called difficulties in the Bible are not in the Bible; they are in our human and often stupid misinterpretations of the Bible. All atheistic and agnostic criticism and also all well intentioned but incorrect interpretation will fall: "but the Word of God shall stand forever."

Robert Stuart MacArthur, D.D. The Examiner.

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