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The criticism of ecclesiasticism of the catholic kind is keenly pointed by Oman ("Faith and Freedom," p. 322), "The Person of Jesus loses all real significance as soon as we interpret Him mainly as the Founder of an outwardly authoritative institution."

Ritschl wrote in 1859 (Studien und Kritiken) "There is need of this apologetic justification of the evangelic concept of The Church because false determinations or measures of what The Church is are to-day current within evangelical Christendom."

There is not less need to-day.

A concept of The Church which excludes the Quaker, Fox; and the leader of the Salvation Army, William Booth; must be, can be, shown to be false.

This is our purpose, to state and defend the evangelic concept of The Church, not to show that any one form of church government is better or worse than another.

While the author would have gladly given time, if he had had it, to make his little book more perfect, both as to matter and form; and to remove defects of which he is probably as conscious as any reader; yet such as it is, he dedicates it to the service of The Church which is, indeed, the Bride of Christ, and to the churches which are the existence-centres of that Church on earth, in the hope that the churches may more and more come to a unity of faith and hope and love, and so to an outward unity free from inner antagonisms.

Auburn, N. Y., November, 1907.

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THE TWO CONCEPTS OF THE CHURCH

Religion is necessarily social.

This is particularly true of the Christian religion.

The name for the Christian association is, Church.

The content and concept of the word Church has varied. There are two concepts, evangelic and catholic.

In what respect these differ.

The catholic concept.

The evangelic concept.

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