THE JEWISH CHRONICLE
THE JEWISH CHRONICLE
Issued Every Friday by The Jewish Chronicle Publishing Company
ANTON KAUFMAN
General Manager
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Michigan's Only Jewish Publication.
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RABBI LEO M. FRANKLIN,
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Editorial Contributor
Entered as second-class matter March 3, 1916, at the Post Office at Detroit,
Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879
FRIDAY, OCT. 26, 1917
The Higher Criticism and Christian
Orthodoxy
According to press reports sent out from the State Baptist Asso-
ciation, in session at Benton Harbor last week, the Rev. 0. W.
Van Osdel, pastor of the Wealthy Avenue Baptist Church at Grand
Rapids, has resigned from the convention, taking his congregation
with him. The reason assigned for Mr. Van Osdel's resignation is
that the higher critics who he claims control the machinery of the
Northern Baptist Convention and of the State Convention are knock-
ing the foundation from under the Christian religion by their denial
of the virgin birth, and the complete inspiration of the Scriptures.
Significant it is that, according to the same report, another minister
preaching the sermon before the same convention, touched upon the
controversy in question and said that "the one supreme question that
the Baptist minister of today must answer does not relate to , doc-
trinal controversy over the inspiration of the Bible, the virgin birth
Or the divinity of Christ, but only as to whether a man can live a
Christ-like life."
However disturbing a situation like this may be to our orthodox
Christian friends, we -cannot be surprised that they are constantly
faded by situations of this order. When the thought of man is un-
chained and the trammels of bigotry and fanaticism that have
:shackled them have once been broken, they will not slavishly hold to
doctrines and traditions against which their reason rebels. Slowly
and silently, but nonetheless surely the doctrinal teachings of ortho-
dox Christianity centering in the virgin birth have been undermined
not only by the teachings of the so-called higher critics, but also by
the independent reasoning of thoughtful men within the churches. It
is because this is true that on the roster of membership of many a
Trinitarian church are men who are Unitarian in thought. Indeed,
one of the reasons recently advanced by a liberal preacher for the
apparent lack of vitality on the part of the liberal churches is that
the majority of men and women within the orthodox churches are
`themselves liberal, however unyielding to the demands of present-day
,thought their clergy may remain.
What interests us as Jews especially in this situation is that
gradually the various sects of Christianity seem to .be coming to
our religious standpoint. More and more is the• Jew's conception of
God becoming a universal conception. More and more is the Jew's sys-
tem of ethics being accepted by thoughtful men and women the world
over. For this reason all the talk that one hears about the assimila-
tion of the Jew and his ultimate disappearance is ridiculous. The
Jew is not becoming Christianized, but the Christian is becoming
judaized in his religious thought and expression. And thus it is corn-
ing- to pass that the Jew's mission ,as the religious teacher of man-
kind is gradually fulfilling itself. Men may not be converted to the
Jew's name. That would be highly undesirable. But all the signs
Of the times point to the fact that increasing numbers of thoughtful
and high-minded -men and women are being converted to the Jew's
conception of life. In this way Judaism is becoming the universal
faith of men and is fulfilling its God-appointed task to lead the nations,
of the earth to the waters of truth" and righteousness.
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An Important Meeting
The meeting of representative Jews called together from all parts
of the country to New York on Sunday next is one that should be
far-reaching in its influence. The purpose of the meeting is primarily
to stimulate enthusiasm for the great New York drive in behalf of
funds for the relief of Jewish sufferers from the war. But, inci-
dentally, no man will attend that meeting and listen to the impas-,
sioned appeals that will there be made by men of national prominence
•who will not go home inspired to do his full part in his home com-
munity in behalf of his suffering brethren. The suggestion to call
these men together was a happy one and the meeting will unques-
tionably go far to make possible the collection of the ten million
dollars which must be gathered if Mr. Rosenwald's gift of one million
is to be available in its entirety.
Incidentally it is no small honor that has come to our own com-
munity that Mr. David A. Brown has been called to New York to
take a leading part in the conduct of the New York campaign for war
relief funds. Few men anywhere combine with personal generosity
the intense enthusiasm and the high qualities of leadership of David
A. Brown. The New York committee is to be congratulated upon
having secured his services. To him more perhaps than to any other
single individual was it due that Detroit was able this year to make
such a handsome showing as it did. His presence in New York will
stimulate his fellow workers and perhaps inspire others to take up the
work in the same aggressive spirit as he did. The outcome of the
New York meeting will be watched with great interest throughout
the country. May it accomplish all that its sponsors hope for it.
Professor Deutsch's New Book
There have just come to our desk the two volumes of essays on
Jewish history and literature and kindred subjects, published under
the title "Scrolls," by Professor Gotthard Deutsch of the Hebrew
Union College. Though we still have in anticipation the pleasure of
examining these volumes in detail, after which we hope to write a
more careful review for the readers of The Chronicle, a mere glance
at the table of contents indicates that the reader of these volumes will
find much to interest and inspire him. No man in America is more
at home in the history and literature of Judaism than Professor
Deutsch, and no man writes of these themes more entrancingly than
he. His vast store of historical knowledge is always enriched by tell-
ing anecdotes which he uses with rare aptitude to illustrate the points
he makes. Of especial value to the future historian will be the inclu-
sion in this volume of Dr. Deutsch's reviews of recent Jewish history
from the years 5665 to 5676 (1903-1915 C. E.), as well as his note-
worthy essay dealing with the century from 1815 to 1915. We heart-
ily commend the reading of these essays to all who are interested in
Jewish history and literature. The Alumni Association of the I lebrew
Union College, who made possible the publication of these volumes
as a tribute to Professor Deutsch on the twenty-fifth anniversary of
his association with the College, is to be congratulated upon the splen-
did contribution which it has thus made to the contemporary literature
of Judaism.
Our Men at Camp Custer
The social and spiritual needs of the several hundred Jewish men
now in training at Camp Custer are being looked after by Mr. Edgar
J. Drachman, the representative of the Jewish Board for Welfare
Work in the United States Army and Navy, and the American Sol-
diers' and Sailors' Welfare League of the I. 0. 0. B. All reports
indicate that Mr. Drachman's work is highly efficient and that his
personality is such as to attract the ready confidence of the men whom
he wishes to reach. Under his direction religious services were held
on the high holydays with most gratifying results and it is his plan to
institute regular Sabbath services as soon as possible.
However, to meet the needs of the situation with even partial
adequacy a great deal of money is needed. While the Jews of Detroit
and Michigan have responded most generously to practically every
call that has been made upon them because of war conditions, they
seem to have been a bit laggard in their appreciation of the import-
ance of this particular work. Only a few have thus far contributed
at all and no contributions of any considerable size have been received .
here from any source. While our Christian friends are spending mil-
lions for the spiritual welfare of their boys at the front, we seem
content to sit idly by doing practically nothing. May we not hope
that this attitude of indifference will be speedily changed, and that
every man and woman among us will do his share in meeting the
real exigency that exists. The task before us is considerably light-
ened by the fine spirit of co-operation that has been effected between
the Young Men's Christian Association and our Jewish workers, but
even with this co-operation there are certain specific Jewish problems
that need to be met. It would stand as a lasting reproach to us if we
neglected our duty in this matter. A comparatively small contribu-
tion from every Jew in Michigan would provide ample means to carry
on the work that needs to be done in an efficient manner. Surely we
owe this much to the boys at the front. It is a duty both Jewish and
patriotic. To neglect it will put us in the ranks of the slackers—and
who would humiliate himself to that extent?
The editor of the American Jewish Chronicle of New York, the
unofficial organ of American Zionism, has some hard names for those
members of the Congress Executive Committee that voted for post-
ponement, who he claims are all actuated by un-Jewish motives. This
is a rather severe indictment for men of the stamp of Henry Morgen-
thau, Jacob H. Schiff, Stephen S. Wise, Samuel S. Schulman, Julius
Rosenwald and other men of equal standing in American Jewry.
However, it is likely that they will be able to stand up under the
indictment seeing that it comes from no other source than from the
editor of the American Jewish Chronicle of New York and others of
his ilk.
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