Wkat IsTkeology?
Discussion of a Recent Book, by Dr. A. C. Dixon
tru e theology, a know ledge of God in Christ, which introduces into th e h e a rt a cleansing dynamic. The liberal Modernistic attem p t to make experience displace or produce the Bible w ithou t accepting it as a revela tion of God from God is. to a large ex ten t, responsible for th e weakness and inefficiency of th e church and its min istry, which Dr. Carlile confesses and deplores. The need of th e hour is th a t we should accept th e Bible a t its own .estimate as a “Thus saith th e Lord” , while we preach and live it in the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who guided men as they w rote it. fThe theology which Dr. Carlile pro claims concerning Christ and His cleans ing blood he did not get from, expe rience, hu t from th e Scriptures. His knowledge of Christ has given him his experience. To say th a t theology comes out of experience is ju st another way of say ing th a t we should tru st our inner con sciousness ra th e r th an th e word of God. I t is going to th e deceitful h eart of man for a Bible ra th e r th a n accepting the God-breathed, infallible revelation from God. I t is like guiding our ship by a ligh t on deck, ra th e r than by the pole sta r to which th e m arin er’s compass points. have no doubt th a t a brief statem en t like th is m òre often does more to keep young people on th e rig h t trac k than many ponderous books.” This tra c t is intended especially for use in schools and colleges and should ba widely circulated. They can be ob tained of Biola Book Room a t 30c a dozen or $2 per hundred. HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE
|R . A. C. Dixon, reviewing a re cent book “Vision and Voca tion ” by Dr. J. C. Carlile, takes up tb e au th o r’s claim th a t theology, instead of being based upon Bible statem ents should be w rought out of our own experience, in the following way: • It is evident th a t Dr. Carlile is seek ing to apply his principle of adapting th e church to the sp irit of th e times, when he says, “The theology of our times must be upon experience. We must follow scientific m ethods.” Again: “ Our theology must be w rought out of our experience.” The opposite is tru e. Our experience - is really w rought o u t of our theology. Theology is w h at we know about God and w h at we know abou t God we have learned th rough Christ, and w h at we have learned th ro u g h Christ h as pro duced ou r experience. The hideous idols in a P agan temple show what comes out of experience w ithout a knowledge of Christ. The tru ly scientific method leads us to look for Christ as revealed in th e Scriptures. Experience is prim arily a resu lt and not a cause. Accept Christ, and th e re su lt is a Christian experience. Reject Christ and th e experience th a t follows cannot possibly give you any theology, th a t is, any knowledge of God. I t is a EVOLUTION IN SCHOOLS Prof.' George McCready Price, d ep art m ent of geology, Union College, w rites us as follows relativ e to Mr. Brooks’ recent tra c t “Must a Young Man— a Young Woman be an Evolutionist?” “ I was glad to get hold of th is tra c t apd wish to congratulate you on th e excellent style in which it is w ritten. I
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