The Rising Spirit of Inquiry
Testimony★★★★There is a rising spirit of interest and inquiry into theological questions among the educated laity, of which many seem but little aware. No longer content to adopt their creed ready made, to let the old technicalities bury thought, the old assertions pass unexamined, the old conventional verbiage play pleasantly on the ear, there are men, not a few, who now read and think for themselves. They come to Church with minds sharp, educated, well informed, perhaps anxious and unresting, disturbed by the deeper problems of thought and life, longing for intelligence and earnest teaching, eager to welcome the words of thoughtful wisdom and piety from one whose special education and calling have given him a presumptive right to speak.
Also attributed to: Unknown
The point
Observes a growing trend among educated laypeople who independently seek theological truth, refusing to accept unexamined creeds.