Presbyterian Church of the Master
November 9, 2014
Nate Feldmeth
feldmeth@fuller.edu
"A Short History of Protestant Liberalism in American Culture"
Session III The Modernist-Fundamentalist Conflict
I. Christocentric or Neo-Liberalism (New Liberalism)
A. Neo-liberalism
B. Apolegetical movement
1. To preserve the "faith"
2. Build faith on a "Modern" foundation
a. Take science seriously
b. James McCosh of Princeton
3. The "New Theology"
a. Horace Bushnell
b. Nature and character of God
c. Nature of humanity
d. The nature of sin
e. Christ's mission
C. Denominational Response
1. Baptist and Congregational
2. Methodist
3. Lutheran
4. Presbyterians
a. Princeton Seminary
1) Charles Hodge
2) The issue: Biblical authority
3) New key: "Inerrancy"
4) Champions of "Inerrancy"
a) C. Hodge
b) A. A. Hodge
c) B.B. Warfield
IV. Fundamentalism (Militant Opposition)
A. Dispensationalism
1. John N. Darby
2. Plymouth Brethren Church
3. Darby's Synopsis
a) Periodization of history (dispensations)
1) Law
2) Grace
3) Kingdom
4) Later expanded to seven dispensations
b) God had unique relations with humans in each period
c) Israel is distinguished from the Church in the Age of Grace and
Kingdom
d) Apocalyptic emphasis
- Pessimistic about the future
- Christ's return imminent
- Seven years of tribulation
(Great Tribulation)
- The Church will be "raptured" out of the world at the
beginning of the Tribulation
- Battle of Armageddon
-Second Coming of Christ
-Judgment
-Eternal State (Heaven or Hell)
B. Union of "Princeton Theology" with Dispensationalism
1. Common enemy = Modernism
2. Authority of Bible rests on inerrancy
a. Inerrancy only in original autographs
3. 1880's-1890's Princeton theologs and dispensationalists spoke together at
conferences
C. Strategy against Modernism
1. Scholarly defense (Until mid 1920's)
a. J. G. Machen (1881-1937) --Christianity and Liberalism
2. Popular defense: The Fundamentals
a. Series of 12 booklets
b. Lyman and Milton Stewart
c. 90 articles by 64 authors
D. The 1920's
1. Scopes Trial --July 10-21, 1925
a) John Scopes
b) Wm. Jennings Bryan
c) Clarence Darrow
2. New defensiveness in response to popular press' perception of
Fundamentalism
3. Disputes among Presbyterians
a) General Assembly
b) Mission Boards
c) Reorganization of Princeton Seminary
d) Organization of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church