The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-17

TITElIE are many who hold that
any departure from The ol,
view of Carist is necessarily
damaging to- Christian faith
Many others are a.icuatcd from the
church, and even from religion itself
because they cannot accept official ID.
depreciation Of Christian truth. Luc us
Hopkins Miller assistant professor ol
Biblical instruction u Prnoc.,l TIM
versty aims to NEE. this situate on 10y
d.scussing the oasa .a... Chris
tianity with complete frntucss but in
q constructive spirit in a volume just
issued by Henry Holt c. GO. entitled
"Our knowledge OF Christ
Christians are agreed says Prof
Miller on the divinity Of Christ far
more than the eib and flow of theo-
logical Technology would indicate II
the truth We're only realized. or adj
mitted, many conservatives and llbcr-
ale who now think the gap between
them VIDE and irreducible. would find
themselves standing close together.
The trouble Is that many OF the for
mer insist on having the cNaltation of
Jesus expressed IN their terms alone
otherwise. they deny that the cXllta-
ton Is real or sutlic "nt. On the other
hand, many ~ the latter refuse tn use
language strong enough to express
their true appreciation Of Jesus for
fear they will hc understood ~ SUBJ
scrihing To ideas they M longer hold
They deny themselves Biblical phrase
ology which most aptlv and beautifully
expresses the fundamental agreement
OF a modern thinker and those " the
historic church regard ng Jesus Christ.
The effect of this attitude may be un-
fortunate. but It's motive is clear and
praiseworthy. These men do not wish
TO fall into the unsteady arms Of COM
promise, for the Comprom.ser is abroad
in the land
The status OF the problem for many
men has changed utterly. Science cam
not dictate to US what our faith shall
he. but Il has established a method ut
procedure which must be followed in
all historical INVESTIGATION. And the
problem Of the divinity OF Christ is in
the first instance, a historical prob
len. We must ascertain the historical
facts by means ~ scientific, historical
processes before We seek TO pass juig-
ment on the significance OF the facts
else We are dealing with unknown
quantities. Thus the old deductive
method Is gone forever. That is we
cannot begin with God and deduce
therefrom the divinity OF Jesus God
Is the unknown, or partially unknown
quantity that can be determined only
by equations OF historical fact, and
these equations can be satisfied only
by means OF the historical method. |
do not mean to say that We can prove
the existence OF God by means Of the
historical method. Far from IT, What
] maintain is that any vital faith in
God springs out of facts; that an edu-
Gated man should consider the whole
realm OF historic fact in forming his
conception OF God, that finally. such
consideration, to be valid, involves
the use OF the historical method The
problem may he put in this way: What
sort Of God " any do tho facts NJ lifs
lead us TO believe in? Doe. the his,
torical Jesus stand as the gateway par
excellence, to belief in such a God,
II so. what should be our final estimate
of Jesus?
The church has been right in en-.
phaszing the person Of Christ as tho
central fact Of Christianity. In this Il
has but followed the example Of thu
earlic9, disciples Of Jesus. Perhaps
should Use the word personality" be
cause person has acquired mean
ing which is beyond my prescn
thought II was not Jesus the tea her
alone or CHIEFLY, who won disciples
II was Jesus the person, Jesus thu
man. He lived a life that cumpelle,
a following. and those Jews who fol
lowed him gave him the highest RAM
they could, next 10 God himself, namely
' mess.ahship. To them he was the
messenger NJ God, bringing light an,
life; subordinate to God, but SECOND
only TO him This is the mess ami,
viewpoint and in the Synoptic Gospels
II Is absolutely dominant.
At some time between this primitiv,