Orthodoxy: Its Truths and Errors by James Freeman Clarke
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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Orthodoxy: Its Truths And Errors by James Freeman Clarke This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license Title: Orthodoxy: Its Truths And Errors Author: James Freeman Clarke Release Date: June 6, 2009 [Ebook 29054] Language: English ***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ORTHODOXY: ITS TRUTHS AND ERRORS*** Orthodoxy: Its Truths And Errors By James Freeman Clarke “Soleo enim in allena castra transire, non tanquam transfuga, sed tanquam explorator.”—SENECA, Epistolæ, 2. “Fiat lux. Cupio refelli, ubi aberrarim; nihil majus, nihil aliud quam veritatem efflagito.”—THOMAS BURNET, Arch. Phil. Fourteenth Edition. Boston: American Unitarian Association. 1880. Contents Preface. .2 Chapter I. Introduction. .3 § 1. Object and Character of this Book. .3 § 2. Progress requires that we should look back as well as forward. .5 § 3. Orthodoxy as Right Belief. .6 § 4. Orthodoxy as the Doctrine of the Majority. Objections. .9 § 5. Orthodoxy as the Oldest Doctrine. Objections. 11 § 6. Orthodoxy as the Doctrine held by all. 12 § 7. Orthodoxy, as a Formula, not to be found. 13 § 8. Orthodoxy as Convictions underlying Opinions. 13 § 9. Substantial Truth and Formal Error in all great Doctrinal Systems. 15 § 10. Importance of this Distinction. 17 § 11. The Orthodox and Liberal Parties in New England. 19 Chapter II. The Principle And Idea Of Orthodoxy Stated And Examined. 22 § 1. The Principle of Orthodoxy defined. 22 § 2. Logical Genesis of the Principle of Orthodoxy. 22 § 3. Orthodoxy assumed to be the Belief of the Majority. 23 § 4. Heterodoxy thus becomes sinful. 24 § 5. The Doctrine of Essentials and Non-essentials leads to Rome. 25 § 6. Fallacy in this Orthodox Argument. 26 § 7. The three Tendencies in the Church. 29 § 8. The Party of Works. 31 § 9. The Party of Emotion in Christianity. 33 § 10. The Faith Party in Religion. 34 iv Orthodoxy: Its Truths And Errors § 11. Truth in the Orthodox Idea. 35 § 12. Error in the Orthodox Principle. 39 § 13. Faith, Knowledge, Belief, Opinion. 41 Chapter III. The Orthodox Idea Of Natural And Revealed Religion; Or, Naturalism And Supernaturalism. 47 § 1. Meaning of Natural and Supernatural. 47 § 2. The Creation Supernatural. 48 § 3. The Question stated. 49 § 4. Argument of the Supernaturalist from successive Geologic Creations. 50 § 5. Supernatural Argument from Human Freedom. 52 § 6. Supernatural Events not necessarily Violations of Law. 52 § 7. Life and History contain Supernatural Events. 54 § 8. The Error of Orthodox Supernaturalism. 55 § 9. No Conflict between Naturalism and Supernatu- ralism. 56 § 10. Further Errors of Orthodox Supernatural- ism—Gulf between Christianity and all other Religions. 59 § 11. Christianity considered unnatural, as well as supernatural by being made hostile to the Nature of Man. 62 Chapter IV. Truths And Errors As Regards Miracles. 63 § 1. The Subject stated. Four Questions concerning Miracles. 63 § 2. The Definition of a Miracle. 63 § 3. The different Explanations of the Miracles of the Bible. 67 § 4. Criticism on these Different Views of Miracles. 72 § 5. Miracles no Proof of Christianity. 73 § 6. But Orthodoxy is right in maintaining their Reality as Historic Facts. 79 v § 7. Analogy with other Similar Events recorded in History. 81 § 8. Miracle of the Resurrection. Sceptical Objections. 85 § 9. Final Result of this Examination. 90 Chapter V. Orthodox Idea Of The Inspiration And Author- ity Of The Bible. 92 § 1. Subject of this Chapter. Three Views concerning the Bible. 92 § 2. The Difficulty. Antiquity of the World, and Age of Mankind. 94 § 3. Basis of the Orthodox Theory of Inspiration. 99 § 4. Inspiration in general, or Natural Inspiration. 103 § 5. Christian or Supernatural Inspiration. 106 § 6. Inspiration of the Scriptures, especially of the New Testament Scriptures. 111 § 7. Authority of the Scriptures. 117 § 8. The Christian Prepossession. 127 § 9. Conclusion. 133 Chapter VI. Orthodox Idea Of Sin, As Depravity And As Guilt. 135 § 1. The Question stated. 135 § 2. The four Moments or Characters of Evil. The Fall, Natural Depravity, Total Depravity, Inability. 136 § 3. Orthodox and Liberal View of Man, as morally diseased or otherwise. 138 § 4. Sin as Disease. 140 § 5. Doctrine of the Fall in Adam, and Natural Depravity. Their Truth and Error. 142 § 6. Examination of Romans, 5:12-21. 146 § 7. Orthodox View of Total Depravity and Inability. 152 § 8. Proof Texts. 153 § 9. Truth in the Doctrine of Total Depravity. 157 § 10. Ability and Inability. 164 § 11. Orthodox Doctrine of Inability. 168 vi Orthodoxy: Its Truths And Errors § 12. Some further Features of Orthodox Theology concerning Human Sinfulness. 171 Chapter VII. Conversion And Regeneration. 179 § 1. Orthodoxy recognizes only two Conditions in which Man can be found. 179 § 2. Crisis and Development. 180 § 3. Nature of the Change. 182 § 4. Its Reality and Importance. 182 § 5. Is it the Work of God, or of the Man himself? Orthodox Difficulty. 183 § 6. Solved by the Distinction between Conversion and Regeneration. 184 § 7. Men may be divided, religiously, into three Classes, not two. 185 § 8. Difference between Conversion and Regeneration. 187 § 9. Unsatisfactory Attitude of the Orthodox Church. 188 § 10. The Essential Thing for Man is to repent and be converted; that is, to make it his Purpose to obey God in all Things. 191 § 11. Regeneration is God's Work in the Soul. Exam- ination of the Classical Passage, or conversation of Jesus with Nicodemus. 193 § 12. Evidences of Regeneration. 202 Chapter VIII. The Orthodox Idea Of The Son Of God. 207 § 1. Orthodox Doctrine stated. 207 § 2. This Doctrine gradually developed. 208 § 3. Unitarian Objections. 209 § 4. Substantial Truth in this Doctrine. 210 § 5. Formal Error of the Orthodox Statement. 212 § 6. Errors of Arianism and Naturalism. 214 Chapter IX. Justification By Faith. 215 § 1. This Doctrine of Paul not obsolete. 215 § 2. Its Meaning and Importance. 217 § 3. Need of Justification for the Conscience. 222 vii § 4. Reaction of Sin on the Soul. 224 § 5. Different Methods of obtaining Forgiveness. 225 § 6. Method in Christianity. 228 § 7. Result. 230 § 8. Its History in the Church. 231 § 9. Orthodox Errors, at the present Time, in Regard to Justification by Faith. 233 § 10. Errors of Liberal Christians. 237 Chapter X. Orthodox Idea Of The Atonement. 241 § 1. Confusion in the Orthodox Statement. 241 § 2. Great Importance attributed to this Doctrine. 243 § 3. Stress laid on the Death of Jesus in the Scripture. 244 § 4. Difficulty in interpreting these Scripture Passages. 246 § 5. Theological Theories based on the Figurative Language of the New Testament. 246 § 6. The three principal Views of the Atone- ment—warlike, legal, and governmental. 248 § 7. Impression made by Christ's Death on the Minds of his Disciples. First Theory on the Subject in the Epistle to the Hebrews. 250 § 8. Value of Suffering as a Means of Education. 251 § 9. The Human Conscience suggests the Need of some Satisfaction in order to our Forgiveness. 252 § 10. How the Death of Jesus brings Men to God. 254 § 11. This Law of Vicarious Suffering universal. 258 § 12. This Law illustrated from History—in the Death of Socrates, Joan of Arc, Savonarola, and Abraham Lincoln. 261 § 13. Dr. Bushnell's View of the Atonement. 266 § 14. Results of this Discussion. 267 Chapter XI. Calling, Election, And Reprobation. 273 § 1. Orthodox Doctrine. 273 § 2. Scripture Basis for this Doctrine. 277 § 3. Relation of the Divine Decree to Human Freedom. 278 viii Orthodoxy: Its Truths And Errors § 4. History of the Doctrine of Election and Predesti- nation. 280 § 5. Election is to Work and Opportunity here, not to Heaven hereafter. How Jacob was elected, and how the Jews were a Chosen People. 283 § 6. How other Nations were elected and called. 285 § 7. How different Denominations are elected. 286 § 8. How Individuals are elected. 287 § 9. How Jesus was elected to be the Christ. 289 § 10. Other Illustrations of Individual Calling and Election. 290 Chapter XII. Immortality And The Resurrection. 293 § 1. Orthodox Doctrine. 293 § 2. The Doctrine of Immortality as taught by Reason, the Instinctive Consciousness, and Scripture. 294 § 3. The Three Principal Views of Death—the Pagan, Jewish, and Christian. 298 § 4. Eternal Life, as taught in the New Testament, not endless Future Existence, but present Spiritual Life. 304 § 5. Resurrection, and its real Meaning, as a Rising up, and not a Rising again. 312 § 6. Resurrection of the Body, as taught in the New Testament, not a Rising again of the same Body, but the Ascent into a higher Body. 323 Chapter XIII. Christ's Coming, Usually Called The “Sec- ond Coming,” And Christ The Judge Of The World. 331 § 1. The Coming of Christ is not wholly future, not wholly outward, not local, nor material. 332 § 2. No Second Coming of Christ is mentioned in Scripture. 333 § 3. Were the Apostles mistaken in expecting a speedy Coming of Christ? . 334 ix § 4. Examination of the Account of Christ's Coming given by Jesus in Matthew (chapters 24-26). 337 § 5. Coming of Christ in Human History at different Times. 342 § 6. Relation of the Parable of the Virgins, and of the Talents, to Christ's Coming. 345 § 7. Relation of the Account of the Judgment by the Messiah, in Matt. ch. 25, to his Coming. 345 § 8. How Christ is, and how he is not, to judge the World.347 § 9. When Christ's Judgment takes Place. 352 § 10. Paul's View of the Judgment by Christ. 356 § 11. Final Result. 359 Chapter XIV. Eternal Punishment, Annihilation, Universal Restoration.