Liberalism Triumphs in America
The story of the struggles of the faithful against the flood of liberalism that came into the Presbyterian Church in North America at the beginning of this century, has much to teach us as we face similar struggles in the Free Church today. Good men, who were orthodox in their own views of God's Word, tolerated false doctrine because they were too concerned for peace at any price. Typical of this attitude was J. Ross Stevenson, the President of Princeton Seminary. His wife met B. B. Warfield on the street before the 1923 Assembly and said, "Dr Warfield, I hear there is going to be trouble at the Assembly. Do let us pray for peace". "I am praying", replied Warfield, "that if they do not do what is right, there may be a mighty battle". People placed unity above truth and pleaded for tolerance in the interests of the Church's mission. False Accusations Charles Briggs was one of those who sought to change the Presbyterian Church. He claimed to belong to the Reformed tradition and accused the Hodges, Dabney and others of betraying that tradition by usurping Westminster theology and standing in the way of progress. As happens today, he harshly called faithful men names. He said: "Orthodoxism assumes to know the truth and is unwilling to learn; it is haughty and arrogant, assuming the divine prerogatives of infallibility and inerrancy; it hates all truth and is unfamiliar to it, and persecutes it to the uttermost...preferring the traditions of men to the truth of God". On the evening of 20th January 1891 after having taken his vows and solemnly declaring the Scriptures to be the "only infallible rule of faith and practice", and the Westminster Confession to contain the "system of doctrine taught in Holy Scripture", he proceeded to give his opening address as professor in which he attacked what he called "traditional dogmatism and the barriers of ecclesiasticism", insisting that there were errors in the Scriptures that no one could explain away. Briggs' Presbytery tried him and acquitted him. But the matter was brought to the General Assembly. They sent it back to the Presbytery who again dismissed it "in the name of the peace and unity of the Church". Opposition to Briggs was depicted by his supporters as a "Princeton conspiracy" and a "heresy hunt". The 1893 Assembly eventually deposed him. Theological Tyranny? Another minister, A. C. McGiffert, resigned in 1900 after being charged with heresy. He referred to the great doctrines of the church as "theological tyranny" and stated that "modern people have learned to think for ourselves in religion instead of simply repeating the thoughts of other generations". Sadly the rot was working away under the surface. The majority of the elders loved the truth more than their ministers and kept the Church in the right paths for a while. However, early in 1924, the Auburn Affirmation was signed by 1200 Presbyterian ministers rejecting past attempts to commit the Church to the traditional ideas of the inspiration of the Bible, the incarnation, the atonement and the resurrection of Christ. The Assembly took no action. From now on liberals were firmly in control of the Church. Medieval Intolerance J. Gresham Machen, a great scholar and Christian gentleman, was the leader of the orthodox at the beginning of this century. He stated: "The Church is puzzled by the world's indifference. She is trying to overcome it by adapting her message to the fashions of the day". Professor Henry Van Dyke described Machen's edifying preaching as "a dismal, bilious travesty of the gospel....We want to hear about Christ not about fundamentalists and modernists". C.W. Hodge, commenting on the bitter attacks and unfounded slanders to which Machen was subjected, asserted, "If the time has come when a man cannot make a bold and noble defence of the Truth without being subjected to abuse, then indeed the darkness of medieval intolerance threatens to overwhelm the Presbyterian Church and to stifle its witness to the Truth of God". Machen, in his final sermon at Princeton Seminary, declared: "Athanasius fought against the Arians; Augustine fought against Pelagius; and as for Luther he fought a brave battle against kings and princes and popes for the liberty of the people of God. Luther was a great fighter and we love him for it. So was Calvin; so were John Knox and all the rest. It is impossible to be a true soldier of Jesus Christ and not fight". Machen was suspended from the ministry in 1935 as a troublemaker. Faithfully standing for the truth this great man of God was thrown out of the Church which he loved. Addressing the Free Church General Assembly in 1927 Machen said: "You have stood for liberty of conscience; and you have stood for the Reformed Faith, the system of doctrine which is taught in the Scriptures, which are the Word of God. You are a city set on a hill which cannot be hid. Your example has been an encouragement to those all over the world who are facing the same issue which you, by the grace of God were enabled to face so nobly". Could he say the same if he came back to speak in our day? The above quotations are taken from an excellent new book which all would do well to read, Princeton Seminary, Vol 2, by David B. Calhoun (Banner of Truth).
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