King's Business - 1966-05

T he F ebruary 22 nd issue o f Look magazine pre­ sents one of the most revealing exposes of liber­ alism I have seen in a long while. Though the intent of the article was to present “ An American Bish­ op’s Search For a Space-Age God,” it goes far be­ yond that. Just why an American Bishop should have to search for a space-age god is not clear to me. One would assume that a 52-year-old preacher would have long ago settled on the god he is going to worship and the gospel he is going to preach. Apparently, some men have to have a new god for every age. However, the Bishop is a liberal and uncertainty is characteristic o f liberalism. The hallmark of religious and academic attainment in liberal circles is to know nothing for certain. The Rt. Rev. James A. Pike, Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Califor­ nia, seems to fit well into these circles. Though the Bishop seems to accede to some of the teachings o f Paul, he apparently has little, if any, o f Paul’s faith. The article reveals none of that certainty, which in the turmoil of any age can say, “ . . . I know whom I have believed and am per­ suaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day” (II Timo­ thy 2 : 12 ). If there was anything that characterized the ministry o f the post-Pentecost disciples, it was an unwavering faith in what they believed and preached. They fully believed that the immutable God of immutable truth had given to them an im­ mutable message. They were firmly convinced that there was no other name whereby men could be saved than that of Jesus Christ and that there was no other redeeming message than that which is provided through His crucifixion and resurrection. Is it not true that God-honored men and women of every century have been those who have held tena­ ciously to the invariable Word of God? According to Look, Pike “ questions whether doctrines like the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, and the Incarnation mean anything in a godless world.” “ I’ve jettisoned the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the Incarnation,” says the Bishop. All o f which leaves the Christian message with what? The man who discards the truth concerning the Trinity, the In­ carnation and the Virgin Birth from his Bible, had better throw his Bible away. If there is no Trinity,

LOO LOOKS AT PIKE

by Dr. Don W . Hillis Associate Director of the Evangelical Alliance Mission

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THE KING'S BUSINESS

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