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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 1915)
he Omaha Sunday Bee PART THREE MAGAZINE PAGES ONE TO SIX PART THREE EDITORIAL PAGES ONE TO SIX VOL. XLV NO. 22. OMAHA, SUNDAY MOUX1NO, NOVEMBER 14, 1915. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS. the Bra aaon Carp iittmg s alv 0 Era of Evangelistic Preaching has been Instituted in the First Congregational Church a ON the first Sabbath after "Billy" Su. day left . Omaha the First Congrega tional church, of which Rev. Dr. Frederick T. 'Rouse has been pastor for eight , years, was surprised to hear and see a most decided change in the pulpit r,nd pastoral attitude of, its pastor. Meekness had given way to militancy. The raster stood right up In the pulpit and called F,ade as he bad never done before. He told them their faults in vigorous terms. He laid down the liiw to them. . Ho said: "My name has been Rouse, henceforth it shall be von Hlndenburg." Has the mantle of "Billy" Sunday so far as Omaha is concerned fallen upon the shoulders of Dr. Rouse? He says: "I have been too soft on my people and on myself. I will lay down the law more. J'eople want to be told what's what." If people want "Billy" Sunday gestures, aphor isms and lurid language, Dr. Rouse will preach to tli em that way. . Dr. Rouse made things hum right from the mart. He renamed his bi-weekly church paper, changing it from "The Welcome" to "Tb.e New Welcome," and starting all over again at Vol. 1: No. 1. In that first issue he said: "There is going to be new life in the First Congregational church. A now church, new people, new Sunday school, a new minister, a new light, a new love, a new Joy and a New Welcome." This issue contained announcement of evan gelistic services every Sunday even'ng. "We want to open the trail to the foot of the cross. We want a large chorus choir of all those who have been in the tabernacle choir from our church and others Vho will help sing the gospel songs." Who is this man, Rouse? Not an original "Billy" Sunday man. Five years ago he voted against having the evangelist come to Omaha. Later when it was decided to have Sunday come. Dr. Rouse was urged to be chairman c' the executive committee, which he declined. He was, however, an active member of the com mittee and worked throughout the campaign, and kere is what he thinks of "Billy'' now: "I have been in the Chapman meetings, the lorrey meetings, the Moody meetings and with Oypsy Smith and B. Fay Mills. I believe that Sun lay surpasses them all and is the greatest evangelist tlnce Finney." Though staid members of this old church have been startled by their pastor's new and up-to-the-minute methods, these methods have already brought results. The people are working as they rover worked before. Young men are distributing circulars, advertising the church and meetings throughout the neighborhood. A score of women are organized to call on all within the church's territory who signed "Congregational" cards dur ing the church census. They have divided the surrounding territory into districts and are mak ing a house-to-house canvass, also. What is this Omaha "Billy" Sunday's status theologically? He is separated from "Billy" as far as the poles. "Billy" is the most orthodox of the orthodox. : Rouse is a liberal of the liberals. "Billy" accepts every word of the scriptures as Ik' it- absolutely, unequivocally truj and the inspired word of God. , Rouse is very far from that. "I suppose that theologically I am further removed from the Billy' Sunday teachings than any of the pastors in the co operating churches," he says. "His theory of atonement, of Inspiration, of creation, Is very far removed from mine. He calls me a 'tastard evolutionist.' I accept the noun, tut not the adjective. It Is more Important for. a man to get warmed by the fire than to hold the proper theory of combustion. My father had tie 'flogiston theory' of combustion. I hold the Modern chemical theory. But he kept warmer than I because he kept nearer the flame of de votion." This is rank heresy, according to "Billy" Sun ituy's preaching. The very Id?a of looking at the atonement In theory! Or at the Inspiration of the E'ble! e What the Rev. Dr. "Billy" Sunday would call V e Rev. Dr. Rouse is not a matter of theory. No. no. That is a matter of absolute certainty. Dr. Rouse doesn't believe the Bible story or the creation In six days. He says he is too deep a lallosopbcr and scientist to believe that. "The people in those days simply didn't know," he says. "Why, they speak of God creating the i tars after the earth. They thought the earth was the center -of the universe and explained it as best they could. Geology teaches us the countless ages inquired to form the earth. Yes, I am certainly an evolutionist." What would "Billy" Sunday say of Dr. Rouse cn this count? A child could answer, if it knew enough adjectives. "Billy" Sunday was intolerant of any belief slut his as he Interpreted the word of God. Dr. Louse is not only tolerant, but friendly toward all tcllefs. "If I have one bobby," he said, "it is to be the pastor of a large-minded, tolerant church. I try to hold the lrenlc spirit toward every form of ifllglous faith. As founder of the church federa tion and for three years member of the executive committee of the Sunday campaign, my brethren v 111 bear me witness that I have always stood for the larger heart and the extended band. I think Mr. Sunday was wrong in his animus toward Christian Science and the people who 'button thelt collars in the back.' I was pleased at the tolerance toward the Jew and the Catholic." "Billy" Sunday would have to use up all the djectlves ho bad left In another fusillade againBt his staunch supporter for this "herosy." The First Congregational church was set rgalnst tho Sunday movement at first. "They rere afraid of 'Billy's' slang and coarseness and telieved he was a grafter," says Dr. Rouse. "I a as convinced he was an honest n:n and delivered the goods. I took a strong stand In bis favor. Out of the ery heart pf my congregation fifty of my fulihful members went up the sawdust trail. The minister and his wife were glad to be among them. Tho first night tho trail was open I moiled xi to one of the strong rjen of wy congregation v. w 7-. vc'vr" ' V lv.. y-ho had never confessed Christ and said, 'I would I'M proud to go up tho trail with you.' He said. Would you? Well. I'll go. From that time I bad tsawduet on my shoes." As a member of the national council which met in New Haven lfte la October Dr. Rouse bad the pleasure of defending the orthodox evangelist, "Billy" Sunday against the attacks of the retiring Moderator of the council, Charles R. Brown, dean of Yale Theological seminary, and of seeing Ex Jityor Bcardnley of Kansas City, an ardent fol lower of Sunday, elected moderator. "I have changed my methods of preaching since the coming of 'Hilly' Sunday," said Dr. Rouse. "I am going to lay more emphasis on redemption cad less on the philosophy of religion. "Home people have ask"d me if I am going to Imitate 'Billy' Sunday in bis manners. I say, 'Yes, 7 M t " I Dr. Rouse's Ideal Church "I would like to have a church whoso doors were open; equally to high and low, to rich and poor, to advanced -and con servative. There ought to bo room for those who like the highly csthctieiaed service and those who want the saw-dust trail. There ought to be room or shouting Methodists and high church Episcopalians. There ought to be room for shouting Methodists nnd high-church Episcopalians. There ought to be room for one who leans toward new thought ami one who bel lieyes in miraculous healing. Imitate the virtues, emphasize like-ner-ses, co-operate wherever possible and mjnimiz differences. When tho disciples, wanted Christ to call down some people who were not following their trail He said, 'Forbid them not; no one can work in My name nnd lightly ppeak evil of Me.' ""One funny thing happened. It is well known that my good brother, Mackay, did not favor the Sunday meetings. Well, one of the brothers-in-law' of our church got warmed up a little, not warm enough to come into our church, but just about warm enough to get into Brother Mackay 's church. And now he is going to take one of our good families away from us to join Brother Mackay. , "On the other hand one good family with whom I have been laboring for eight years got so wanned up that our church wasn't warm enough for them and they are going to pull out and join a fed-hot Methodist church. So there you are." I am going to Imitate him exactly.' 'How is that?' they say. I say, 'Ho is exactly himself, and I am I oing to be exactly myself. He preaches the gos pel uccordlng to 'Billy' Sunday; I am going to rreach the gOBpel according to F. T. Rouse.' I l.tve not changed my theories, but I have changed Hi emphasis. J shall preach more of sin and righteousness and faith and love and less of philosophy, science and evolution." Has the new preaching brought results? Fifty eight were received Into membership last Sunday and half that many are expected today. Tonight the first of the people's evangelistic services will start with the throwing open of the "Brussels carpet trail." If, In the language of the crthodox "Billy" Sunday, "the devil has bunted b's bole," the liberal Dr. Rouse proposes to "plug up the bole and keep him thare." . vaacCZi;