April 1929
177
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
The Present Violent Attack Upon the Christian Faith 3jj|N the history of Christian faith it has never been jjsrt confronted with a more determined purpose and necessary, as all thoughtful people are aware of it. It is so real and so prevalent it cannot be denied, and any denial of it only betrays the hardness of the denier.
place for its overthrow than that which meets it at the present time. Atheism and infidelity have never been more bold, more determined, more aggressive, and more strongly supported than at present. The forces of atheism and infidelity are strongly organized and financially supported. This antagonism is not found in science. There is no conflict between science and the Revelation. The weapon of infidelity and atheism is and ever has been a false philosophy. The colleges of our land are to a great extent influ enced or wholly captured by these forces. Professed athe ists are fouqd frequently in institutions of learning where once they would not have been tolerated. More than this, these forces have so prevailed that in certain sections in which the Bible was once read daily in every school, legis lation has been secured which prohibits the reading of the Bible in any school supported by the state. At the same time, atheistic and infidel teachers feel at liberty to pro mulgate these teachings and to vigorously oppose the Bible. For years the Gideons have placed Bibles in almost every hotel and in other public places; now the infidels are doing their best to have these Bibles cast out and utterly prohibited. Publishing houses which for years have been regarded as friendly to Christian teachings and influence have recently sent out literature which is both infidel and atheistic. In a recent volume sent out by one of these reputable publishers, the author at the close of his book absolutely rejects monotheism and substantially teaches that as the fish exist in schools in the waters, men exist in companies on land and birds exist in flocks in the air, so the gods exist in companies above. They may or may not have power or disposition to give help to beings upon the earth. We even find men who by profession and general reputation would be expected to believe in and fear God, yet are now either endorsing atheism and denying the Bible or are altogether indifferent to this question and all that it involves. In many other connections, this same wave of atheism and infidelity is pressing forward with bold determination and insidious attack. If the Bible is discarded, we have no absolute standard of morality or righteousness, every man becomes a law unto himself. If there is no supreme moral Governor and Ruler, then man has no accountability. Conscience is a mockery, and rank libertinism prevails. This lawless libertinism has become very common. Our cities are hav ing a constant battle to maintain law and order. The daily press is constantly publishing records of extreme lawless ness and violence; husbands killing their wives, wives kill ing their husbands, parents killing their children, and the most abominable violence with the helpless.' Then the family is fast being discarded as a divine institution. The report for the year 1927 shows a record of 192,037 divorces in the United States. If this wreckage of fam ilies had been caused by a tornado or fire or other physical violence, it would cause an expression of horror. But as a moral and religious calamity, it is treated with indiffer ence. We might continue this dark picture, but it is un
What agency and power is there to resist this fearful and advancing destruction ? The only power which can overcome this destruction is the power of God. If He forsakes our age as He has forsaken other peoples in other periods, then the whole modern civilization is doomed. The agency which God has chosen by which to resist this evil and ruin and to preserve righteousness and peace is the church of Christ. But today, within this church, there is a company which is constantly belittling God and the Bible, and in the writings and speeches even of some professed Christian teachers, there is an influence which winks at and even encourages, if it does not sup port, this wave of infidelity and atheism. What then can the faithful do? The only and absolutely necessary thing is for the sound evangelical church in all her parts to get together on the common ground of their faith and to resist these destructive forces with all earnestness and faithfulness, and with full reliance and dependence upon the promise and power of God. What, then, do we mean by the unity of the church in this case? We mean that unity which does now and ever has existed in the church despite minor differences. The basis of unity in the Christian church as Revelation and history has presented it, i s : (1) An unflinching faith in the inerrancy, infallibility and inspiration of the Scrip tures of the Old and New Testaments, as the very Word of God, revealed and inspired by Him; (2) An uncom promising and unswerving faith in the Triune G o d - Father, Son and Holy Ghost—three Persons in one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory; (3) A belief in and personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God and very God of very God, and that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Further, the belief that Christ came into this world as declared in Scripture through the virgin birth; that “he took upon him our nature,” that “he might in all things be like unto his brethren” ; that thus He is God and man in two distinct natures and one person forever; that as such Christ lived a perfect life, and while He was tempted in all things as we are, yet He never sinned. That Christ, having taken upon Him our nature and having given us the example of a perfect human life, destroyed all our enemies, Satan, sin and death. He conquered Satan in the wilder ness and put him to flight, so that when he tempts us we have but to appeal to Christ and he will flee away. He conquered sin by paying an infinite penalty by suffering the death of an infinite person, and this infinite penalty satisfied the infinite justice and law of God in our behalf, and therefore, having settled the account of sin for the whole world, He offers salvation to all, and all who accept it shall never perish nor come into judgment, but have everlasting life, and shall dwell with Him in the home He (Continued on Page 206)
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