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The Fundamentals accepted, the Bible could retain its place in the estimation of the common people. ‘I cannot see how that is possible/ was the sad reply.” I t is no mere question of how we may use the Old Testa- ment for preaching, or how much is left for use after the critical views are accepted. But even our preaching will lack a great deal of the note of certitude. If we are to regard cer- tain biographies as unhistorical, it will not be easy to draw les- sons for conduct, and if the history is largely legendary, our deductions about God’s government and providence must be essentially weakened. But the one point to be faced is the historic credibility of those parts of the Old Testament ques- tioned by modern criticism, and the historical and religious value of the documents of the Pentateuch. Meanwhile, we ask to have clear proof of the compatibility of the modern views with the acceptance of the Old Testament as the record of a Divine revelation. 5. IS MODERN CRITICISM BASED ON A SOUND PHILOSOPHY SUCH AS CHRISTIANS CAN ACCEPT? A t the foundation of much modern thought is the philoso- phy known as Idealism, which, as often interpreted, involves a theory of the universe that finds no room for supernatural in- terpositions of any kind. The great law of the universe, including the physical, mental, and moral realms, is said to be evolution, and though this doubtless presupposes an original Creator, it does not, on the theory now before us, permit of any subsequent direct intervention of God during the process of development. This general philosophical principle applied to history has assuredly influenced, if it has not almost moulded, a great deal of modern criticism of the Old Testament. It is not urged that all who accept even the position of a moderate criticism, go the full length of the extreme evolutionary theory; but,there can be no reasonable doubt that most of the criticism of the Old Testament is materially affected by an
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