Dr. Frances L. Patton Cold in Politics, Hot in Theology
I DO n ot see how we can h e lp h a v i ng polemic theology. I do not u n d e r s t a nd it to involve a bitter spirit at all. It is simply t h e in- tellectual o u t c ome of a condition of t h i n gs in which a w i t n e s s - b e a r i ng church, p r omp t ed by zeal f or t he t r u t h and a holy instinct of self-preservation, girds itself a g a i n st w h at it believes to be wr o n g. It is j u st t he s ame as it is in politics. If people do not care a b o ut tariff, it does not m a ke a ny difference to t h em if it is Demo c r at or Republican, b u t if t h ey do care, why, d o n 't you see, t h ey a re bound to discuss t he question, and t h e mo re they c a re t he mo re h ot t h ey will get. Getting hot m e a ns t h at people care; a nd k e e p i ng cool me a ns t h a t people a re i n d i f f e r e nt ¡-^ t h a t 's all. Now, 1 am very indifferent in politics, and get very h ot in theology, j u st as some people who get h ot in politics a re cool in theology. People t h i nk it is all r i g ht to get hot in politics, b ut if you get h ot in theology t h ey t h i nk you a re wicked. It isn't so. The p h r a s e, polemic theology, does n ot h a ve a -very am i a b le sound, still I do n ot k n ow t h at we should q u a r r el w i th t h e adjective, if t h a t f or which it s t a n ds is a n accepted fact. L et us look at it for a mome n t. If t he r u p t u re w i th Rome was justi- fiable, a P r o t e s t a nt polemic becomes a necessity, simply because you h a ve to d e f e nd y o ur position. " I t is a pity t h at P r o t e s t a n t i sm h as u n d e r g o ne t he divi- sion into sects," people say, b ut if you stop to t h i nk of it you will see t h a t t he division into sects is t he inevitable logic' of its positions. Wh en t he doctrine of t h e one visible c o r p o r a te c h u r ch is p u s h ed aside and p a r t ed with, as P r o t- e s t a n t i sm h as p a r t ed w i th it, you may multiply sects indefinitely. Some peo- ple do n ot u n d e r s t a nd it. The R o m an Catholic c h u r c h, t h e Episcopal c h u r c h, and t h e Greek c h u r ch emp h a s i ze t he
oneness of t h e c h u r c h, t he c o r p o r a te u n i t y; a n d, t h e r e f o r e, t h ey t o l e r a te all k i n ds of differences of opinion. B ut t h e P r o t e s t a nt position h as b e e n: " We w a nt to get t o e g t h er t h o se t h at believe alike, a nd so we can go on and split up o ur c h u r ch into j u st as ma ny d e n om i n a t i o ns as we choose. T h e re is no reason why we should n ot h a ve a t h o u s a nd divisions as well as five." Don't you see t h a t creeds will multiply wh en t he basis of t h e a r g um e nt is n ot t he creed which will include t he largest n umb er of Chris- tians, b u t on t he c o n t r a ry t h e creed t h at will emb r a ce t he g r e a t e st n umb er of doctrines and express t h em in t he best and most s c r i p t u r al ma n n e r. T he mo re ideas you p ut in a creed t h e f ewer peo- ple will accept it; r e d u ce t he n umb er of i d e a s—t he fewer t h i n gs to t a lk a b o u t— t h e mo re people will a g r ee w i th you, t h e bigger t he c h u r c h. Now, look! Sup- pose you h a p p en to b e l o ng to one of these c h u r c h es and accept its creed. Suppose you a re a Baptist, and every- body a b o ut you is finding f a u lt w i th im- mersion, d o n 't you h a ve to say some- t h i ng f or it? A r e n 't you obliged to s t a nd up f or it? Suppose men outside of y o ur c ommu n i on revile y o ur doc- trine, ridicule y o ur f a i t h, m i s r e p r e s e nt y o ur c h u r ch and most cherished con- victions, a r e you n ot going to be al- lowed to d e f e nd y o u r s e l f? Suppose t h a t while t h e re is "peace w i t h in y o ur walls a nd prosperity w i t h in y o ur pal- aces" t h e re arise men within y o ur own c ommu n i on who flaunt t h e ir ridicule in t h e face of t he c o n g r e g a t i on t h at t h ey serve, wh at a r e' you going to do a b o ut it? No r i g ht to say a n y t h i n g? H e re you a r e precisely face to face with t he occasions t h at develop t he controversial e l eme nt in t he c h u r c h 's life. It is n ot such a wicked thing. It is t he most n a t- ural t h i ng in t he world. It is a h e a l t hy sign. —( Q u o t e d .)
B y "polemic" t h e a u t h o r m e a n s contro- versial. J u d e u s e s "contend" ( G r e e k, " a g o n i z e " ), a s w r e s t l e rs in t h e g a m e s, or s o l d i e rs in b a t t l e, J u d e 3. Dr. P a t t o n w a s l a t e l y P r e s i d e nt of P r i n c e t on U n i v e r s i t y,
a n d is n o w of P r i n c e t on T h e o l o g i c al S e m - i n a r y ; o ne of t h e greatest thinkers and humblest believers of o u r t i m e. W e a r e g l a d to q u o te h i m w i t h t h is n u m b e r in w h i c h w e p r i n t o u r Statement of Doctrine.
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