October 1925
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K I N G ’ S
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Satan’sTriangle: Evolution, Philosophy and Criticism S. J. Bole, Professor of Biology, Wheaton College, Illinois The sixth in a splendid series of articles refuting the Satanic and destructive theory of evolution which is being so widely taught as fact in our schools and colleges. We quote from the “Introductory Statement” which appeared in the May issue: “By ‘Satan’s Triangle’ is meant a false science, a false philosophy, and a false religion; or Evolution, Pagan Philosophy, and Destructive' Biblical Criticism. . . . The evidence is greater against than for organic evolution. These truths came to me after leaving the class room and the grad uate seminar. The Christian point of view was not presented by my professors, either through
the lecture, text-book, or references..............I am writing these articles with the hope . that many college students may read them and conclude with Emerson that, ‘The things that are new are not true, and the things that are true are not new.’ ” Chapter 6
Dr. James Orr, the noted Scotch author, writes: “The present‘age has abounding faith in scholarship. When a scholar speaks about the Bible let no man peep or m u tter.. . But it is very much to the point to observe that it has never been by learning, by philosophy, by science, that the church has been revived and saved in eras of great religious laxity and abounding infidelity. . . .When Jesus introduced His religion into the world He did not choose scholars, but hum ble, simple-minded men attached to Himself by a living faith and endowed with power from on high.” The Credulity of Critics Instead of believing that God brought “forth living crea tures after their kind” and made “man in His own image,” many scholars and professional men take by faith the theory of evolution, pagan philosophy, and the new theology. They insist upon being able to explain the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection before they can believe them, yet they take by faith the supposition that man evolved from lower animals. One of the pathetic things is that most of these modernists are sincere. They believe they are right because they have had a wide experience with men and books. A noted writer has said, “If a thing is new, it is not true; and if it is true, it is not new.” This is a wonderful truth. God can save a college man despite the handicap often caused by his educa tion. Preaching is no longer “foolishness” to one who is saved. A newly converted person may turn all his knowl edge, logic, and experimental methods upon the Bible and his faith only becomes brighter. . , Those who were in college twelve or fifteen years ago find that their old textbooks in chemistry, physics, astronomy, and. other sciences are now out of date. Books on science are changing each decade, but Genesis is true now as it always has been; The “nebular hypothesis” and the “mole cular theory” have been relegated to the historic past, but men still have to be “born again” to be saved. Authors not Always Authorities In reading a book of fiction one does not always, care to know about the author. But we read science, history, and literature not to. forget but to remember. So most of us prefer to know something about the author of a book or article. The writings of infidel historians like Hume and Gibbon, no matter how scholarly, have to be discounted. Because they were not. Christians, their interpretation of sacred even ts. are more or less colored by their beliefs. Before beginning to read philosophy one prefers to know that Kant and Spencer were agnostics, and that Hegel and Schelling were pantheists. Before beginning to read poetry or prose one prefers to know that Longfellow, Franklin and Emerson were Unitarians. One may appreciate and enjoy a poem or story written by an atheist, an agnostic, or an (Continued on page 454.)
WHAT IS AUTHORITY? H HOM shall we believe? Shall we place equal confi dence In our next-door neighbor, our pastor, and our college professor? Shall we believe all meh? Shall we believe what we read in the “Ladies’ Home Journal,” the “Outlook,” and the “Literary Digest” ? In other words, who or what is authority in history, science, literature, and religion? Most of us are a long while learning that we must choose carefully whom we can believe. As a boy I decided never to sign a note. Finally, I signed a friend’s note at the bank and^paid the note! Since then I have not signed any more notes. Most people have had a similar experience. And so, little by little, we learn to trust and mistrust men. A college training seldom fits one to understand the problem of authority. Many young people, at least, have equal faith in all men and all books, and only learn through experience that the question of authority is one of the great problems of life. Because college professors teach, and students and grad uates read in books and magazines, that man came from the higher animals and these in turn came from the lower, educated people become evolutionists. Most people know that evolution is questioned by many, but because eminent men in colleges and universities teach and write about it in books and magazines they accept it. Students generally go a little farther than do the college professors and writers of books. While a professor usually calls, evolution a theory, the student often thinks of it as a fact. Blind Leaders of the Blind It is not necessary to bring up Bible questions in history or English classes, but it is often done by teachers. When a college professor having a Ph. D. degree teaches that cer tain parts of the Bible are fables, certain parts myths, and certain other parts are a mixture of legend and history, the ordinary student is not going to seriously question such teachings. Unless the student is well grounded in his faith he will accept these teachings as true. I am glad that I put forth the necessary effort through a period of years to graduate from two universities; I am pleased with the knowledge, most of it, that I acquired at these institutions of learning. I am pleased with the fel lowship that I had with students and faculty. I am ashamed, however, that so large a majority of college and university men are either atheists, agnostics or pantheists. Lest some one should remind me that most college and university professors are church members and attend church quite regularly, let me hasten to say that church membership has come to mean very little in these days, and denomina- tionalism less. Belief in Modernism or the New Theology is largely due to the reverence men hold for supposed scholarship or authority. It is often the case of “the blind leading the blind.”
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