Several months ago an article appeared in “The Cosmopolitan” by Mr. Harold Boice, bearing the title “Blasting at the Rock of Ages,” in which the writer set forth what he understood to be the teaching of the leading colleges and universities of this country, touching the fundamentals of Christianity. He told us that “the colleges repudiate the doctrine that man is ransomed by the blood of Christ, declaring that the fall of man is a myth, and that it was simply a Judean peasant and not God who died on Calvary;” “the colleges say that it isn’t the death of the Nazarene, but His life, that counts;” “the colleges say that the ancient cities perished not because they despised God and practised abominations, but because they became valueless when routes of traffic changed.”
Some of these professors repudiated the Decalogue and the Bible as a system of ethics. In fact it was a tremendous arraignment of our institutions of learning.
Some of our religious papers in turn utterly repudiate his articles, claiming that Mr. Boice is unscientific himself, unable to judge of the teaching of the universities, that he had gathered out a sentence here and there, stripped it of its connection, and given an altogether wrong meaning to it.
In order to ascertain the accuracy of Mr. Boice’s arraignment, “The Christian Statesman” sent a circular letter to the presidents of 400 different colleges, asking them to state whether these destructive views, or any portion of them, as alleged by Mr. Boice, were taught in any of the classrooms, either positively or in logical deduction. “The Christian Statesman” for November says that a large number of colleges in all parts of the country have replied; that these replies fall into four classes: first, from institutions charged by Mr. Boice with skeptical teaching; second, from state universities not named in “The Cosmopolitan” articles; third, from Roman Catholic colleges, with a wish to be considered in a class by themselves; fourth, from various denominational or non-sectarian colleges.
The editor says regarding the universities and colleges charged by Mr. Boice with infidel teaching, that “very many of our letters have complained of Mr. Boice’s conclusions as ‘unscientific’ and of his methods of investigation as hasty and ‘unscientific;’ but if there has been any serious attempt at denial or disparagement of the substance of the charges, it has not been called to our notice. Indirect evidence from other sources confirming the charges has come to our hands; but without exception, any letters we have received from the hands of these institutions have assumed to treat the accusations with contempt and to refuse to comment upon them.”
And then samples of the replies are quoted by “The Statesman.”
The Roman Catholic Colleges
The replies from Roman Catholics contend, of course, that all their colleges are strictly orthodox. One of them says, “The religious convictions of our students, no matter what these are, are as sacred as life itself;” and that none of their students “ever fell under such influence as those referred to in ‘The Cosmopolitan.’” At the same time the Catholic replies indicate that they believe the charges by Mr. Boice are true.
Some of the other state institutions, notably in the South, declare that most of their professors and instructors are Christians.
The denominational and non-sectarian colleges generally ring with a note of triumphant orthodoxy so far as language goes, and we would fain take their statements at par value. Almost invariably they declare themselves to be orthodox, believing in the verbal inspiration of the Holy Scriptures and the infallibility of all Bible truths; at the same time some of them approve of what Mr. Boice says regarding the teaching of the large universities.
The presidents of the smaller colleges are willing to admit that infidel and skeptical theories characterize the teaching in the great universities. They think, however, that the smaller colleges have not as yet become much affected by them. Yet one Southern college president declares: “Men’s brains are reeling under the vastness and almost limitless possibilities of the material world, and vision is disturbed and distorted. Some of the old beliefs and theories will not hold the new content, and there is a general breaking up, a chaos.”
Another college president declares: “We stand four-square for the teaching of the Bible. We do not believe it is a worn-out book, but that it is up to date, and meets the needs of humanity in the 20th century as in all the centuries of the past. No portion of the destructive views of which you speak is taught in our college or is allowed, and no system of science or philosophy from which these could be deduced is taught in our classrooms.”
These same sentiments are uttered by other college presidents; but as one president states it, “At the same time it is not to be denied that these teachings have gained wide-spread influence, and constitute one of the significant signs of the times.”
The Source
The source of this infidelity is traced by the Roman Catholics and by other presidents to Germany. It is German rationalism, transplanted into a luxuriant and fertile soil. One Southern college president, for instance, tells us that he spent eighteen years in Germany, and while there saw the large number of young Americans who had gone to Germany to secure the degree of Doctor of Philosophy; young men of unformed character, with slight equipment in philosophy, logic, or the foundation principles of Christianity; well-meaning enough, but wholly unable to cope with German infidelity.
The Outcome
What will be the outcome of this? This is indicated to some extent even by the replies from presidents of what may be called thoroly Christian schools. A few years ago there was not a question as to how these schools stood. Some of them are drifting. Others tell us that it is more and more difficult to obtain teachers who are thoroly Christian. One declares that “a number of our graduates have taken post-graduate courses in state universities after leaving here, and it is a fact known to me that almost every one has had his Christian faith impaired or destroyed while in the university. We have found some difficulty in securing safe Christian teachers and books for our schools. The situation is such as to demand the attention of all Christian people.”
Again, there is strenuous effort put forth throughout the whole educational field to unite just as far as possible all the various institutions of learning, to form some kind of system between the various schools. Looking at this from one view-point, it seems a splendid thing; from another, it will mean that infidelity will permeate all below the great skeptical universities as it exists among them, because the demand is for university teachers, for those who have had the largest, widest training. Rationalistic Germany will furnish the teachers for our great universities; our universities; for our smaller colleges; and our universities and smaller colleges will furnish the teachers for the rank and file of America. Our smaller colleges and state universities and state normals who drink at the polluted waters of the university, will teach our children, and they will teach them their own infidelity. The result will be as has been declared, “a nation of infidels.”
