The Pulpit vs. The Press
Rev. Wallace Nutting fires back at local editors, defending the right of the clergy to speak out on political and moral matters.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Rev. Wallace Nutting asserted the right of ministers to preach on politics at Plymouth Congregational church. The matter was suggested by editorials in the Post-Intelligencer commenting on the action of Rev. Mr. Parkhurst in New York. Whenever ministers touch upon morals otherwise than in a general way, the cry is raised that they are going without the province of their calling. Nutting argued that if ministers are to let politics alone, editors should follow the same rule and let theology alone. He stated that a minister, by virtue of his profession, should not be barred out of every right as a citizen, as he belongs to no caste.
“The best preaching is that which seeks to apply principles to particular conditions.”
The tension between secular journalism and religious authority remains a persistent friction point in public discourse. Nutting's defense of the 'citizen-pastor' highlights the ongoing struggle to define the boundaries of institutional influence.
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