THE AUDACITYo/UNBELIEF* . . . By JAMES M. GRAY, Chicago, 111.
shiped, that He never sought it, and that as a matter of fact He feared it. His interpretation of certain scrip ture by which to demonstrate this, is peculiar, but of that later. Meanwhile, he cannot be ignorant of the fact that on several occasions Jesus received worship without re buking the worshiper. For example, what does Dr. Fosdick make of the story of the “man that was blind from his birth,” and to whom Jesus gave sight ? Jesus heard that they had cast the man out of the synagogue, and when He had found him this dialogue took place: “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?” “Thou hast'both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.” “Lord, I believe.” “And he worshiped him” (John 9:35- 38).
EV. HARRY EMERSON FOSDICK, d . dv pastor of the Riverside Church, New York, preached a sermon some months ago, entitled, “The Peril of Wor shiping Jesus,” which was published in his Church Monthly. We are sorry to feel obliged to further adver tise it or its author, but unhappily it is being widely re ferred to. Moreover, the author is one of the most popu lar broadcasters over the air at present, as well as one of the most popular magazine writers on religious topics, and he is thus spreading spiritual desolation over the land. We do not impugn his motive when we say this, however, and we are not writing in any vituperative mood, for we re
call that there was a time when even Paul thought he “ought to do many things con trary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts’26 :9); and Peter, when he accused his countrymen of killing “the Prince of life,” softened the charge by saying, “I wot that through ignorance ye did it” (Acts 3:17). N oth ing N ew A bout I t
It is noteworthy that this is one of the very few occasions on which our Lord called Himself directly, “the Son of God,” and one of the only two occasions on which He so un reservedly declared His Messiahship. What will Dr. Fosdick say to this? Will he, with a wave of the hand, dismiss the recital as un- authentic because miraculous ? That would be easy, but would it be scholarly? On whom should the burden of proof lie in that case?
There is nothing new in Dr. Fosdick’s sermon, as of course he knows. His objec tions to the deity of Jesus Christ were pre sented and answered at the Council of Nice, A. D. 325, where Arius, the first Unitarian, and Athanasius were the chief debaters. The Nicene Creed, as it is known, records the outcome of that council, hence the naivete of Dr. Fos dick’s remark: “It is an amazing thing that the historic church has so unanimously worshiped Jesus, and has so seldom stopped to ask what Jesus Himself would think of it.” As a matter of fact, the church thus “stopped” for that purpose some three hundred years after the death and resurrection of its Founder, and as soon as possible after it had emerged from the terrific Diocletian persecution. The delegates to the Council of Nice came up out of the catacombs. There were 318 of them, it is said, and out of the whole there were not more than “a dozen who had not lost an eye, or a hand, or who did not halt upon a leg shrunk in its sinew by the burning iron of torture.” One wonders if Dr. Fosdick has himself “stopped” to ask the meaning of this. One wonders if he has care fully weighed the evidence that this torture was endured not in witness to the “Jesus” he is talking about, a creation of his own imagination, but in witness to the true historic Lord Jesus Christ revealed in the four Gospels. Dr. Fos dick’s “Jesus” could hardly command that measure of devotion from men, and such men. D id J esus R eceive W o r sh ip ? Dr. Fosdick says that Jesus did not desire to be wor- *A reply to_ Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick’s sermon, “The Peril of Worshiping Jesus.” This editorial appeared in the Moody Monthly and is reprinted with the author’s permission. Those who have already read Dr. Gray’s article would do well to read it again. The Bible Institute of Los Angeles heartily endorses it.
Or take again, the confession of Thomas on the eighth day after the resurrection of Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” (John 21:28). Here, as Bishop Ryle reminds us, Jesus is “called” God “in the presence of ten witnesses, and accepts it without one word of reproof.” How differ ent in the case of His disciples! Cornelius fell down at Peter’s feet, but the apostle corrected him at once: “Stand up; I myself also am a man” (Acts 10:26). The heathen of Lystra would have done sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas, but the latter rebuked them in the strongest terms (Acts 14:14). Were the disciples greater than their Lord? Dr. Fosdick says that Jesus did not push His ego to the front. But did He not do so here, unless it is true, as the Nicene Creed said of Him, that He is “Very God of Very God” ? Dr. Fosdick had a predecessor named Theodoras, who lived many hundreds of years ago, and who raised the point that Thomas was only surprised into using a profane oath when he made that exclamation. Such might have been true of a Roman or a Greek of that period, but not of a strict Jew like Thomas. Jews were not given to the breaking of the third commandment in that way. C urios of I nterpretation It is interesting to observe the manner in which this preacher interprets texts, for he.has a way of using the Bible when it suits his purpose, as well as a way of throw ing it overboard when he fears it may sink his ship. One of his curios in this line is a comment, on Luke 11:27, where a certain woman out of the multitude lifted
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