"Twentieth Century Christianity"
DR. CHAS. W. ELIOT, president emeritus of Harvard University, in an article recently published by the American Unitarian Society, presents his ideas of "the twentieth century Christianity." He says that the Christianity of this century does not believe in the Garden of Eden, nor in the serpent tempting Eve. It does not believe that God made man out of dust, and it affirms that "God did not turn stone-mason and give into the hands of Moses the Ten Commandments." Furthermore, it does not believe that the sun stood still for Joshua; that Jonah passed through his experience with the whale. He thinks that many such things found in the Bible belong to "primitive myth or fanciful poetry." The doctor says: "The Creator is for modern man a sleepless, active energy and will. He is recognized chiefly in the wonderful energies of sound, light, and electricity." There will be nothing like dogmas, or creed, in this twentieth century religion. No miracle will be found in it. "Men of science," says the doctor, "have no faith in magic or miracles." In connection with his ideal of what he believes to be the coming creed of Christianity for the twentieth century, the learned professor believes that we ought to eliminate the term "God," and in its place use the words "our Father." He thinks that this is the right name to use in approaching the Almighty. But if the Almighty is only active energy and will, as expressed in sound, light, and electricity, why address Him at all? Could a mere energy or a mere expression of sound, or light, or electricity, hear us, or give any attention to us, if we did address it? And then furthermore, why call anything a creed of Christianity, twentieth century or otherwise, that practically does away with Christianity by seeking to overthrow the Bible, which is the only foundation of Christianity? When the Author of Christianity was here in person, He said to the great scholars of His time who were questioning Him: "There is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?" John 5:45-47. The Jews in Christ's time claimed to believe in Moses, but Christ showed them that they did not. There are men now who call themselves Christian, and speak of the Christianity of the twentieth century, when if they would study the Author of Christianity, they would see that He tells them plainly that they know nothing about real Christianity itself, because they reject its very foundations. It might be interesting, in this connection, to read carefully the first part of the eighteenth chapter of Luke, in which we find this strikingly significant question: "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" If there is any one thing that Christ emphasized above another, it is faith in the Old Testament Scriptures. Christianity and faith in the Old Testament are one and inseparable. There is no getting away from it if we are to follow the teaching of Jesus. And Jesus Himself affirms, through this prophecy just quoted, that this faith will be largely lacking on the earth when He is about to come. Who can not see the clear connection between that prophecy and these utterances of the distinguished professor?