CHRISTIA TY TODAY A PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL DEVOTED TO STATING, DEFENDING III AND FURTHERING THE GOSPEL IN THE MODERN WORLD III SAMUEL G. CRAIG, Editor H. McALLISTER GRIFFITHS, Managing Editor Published monthly by THE PRESBYTERIAN AND MID.MAY, 1931 $1.00 A YEAR EVERYWHERE REFORMED PUBLISHING CO., Application pending entry as second· 501 Witherspoon Bldg., Phila., Pa. Vol. 2 No.1 class matter at the Phila., Pa., Post Office. • What IS an Evangelical? HILIP SCHAFF'S great work, "The employed today. Hence the fact that men sacerdotalism of Rome, i.e., its inter­ PCreeds of Christendom," consists of wi th an kinds of beliefs, or lack of be­ position of the church with its priesthood, three large volumes-of which the first liefs, are designated "Evangelicals." If as a means of grace, between the soul and deals with the History of Creeds, the sec­ everybody that is called an Evangelical GOD. As a result, their primary affirma­ ond with the Greek and Latin Creeds, the today is really an Evangelical, then it tion was on the immediacy of the soul's third with the Evangelical Creeds. An means nothing to call a man an Evan­ relation to GOD. An Evangelical is, there­ examination of the second and third gelical. A word applied indiscriminately fore, first of all, one who holds that GOD volumes shows that the former deals with to everybody ends by designating nobody. sa ves men by acting immediately on their the creeds of the Greek and Roman Cath­ vYe would not' imply that the word "Evan­ souls not through the medium of the olic churches and the latter with the creeds gelical" has become a word without mean­ church and its ordinances established by of the Protestant churches, other than ing but it does seem to us that if it is to be Him for that purpose. We are not to those of the Unitarian type, that appeared saved from that fate-and it seems to us suppose, however, that a man is an Evan­ before the publication of the volumes in too good a word to be allowed to die­ gelical merely because he insists on the 1877. This means that the designation, there must be an insistence on the part immediacy of the soul's relation to GOD. "Evangelical," as employed by Dr. SCHAFF of many that the word be used in its If that were the .case Unitarians would was for the most part synonymous with proper historical meaning. have a perfectly good right to call them­ the designation, "Protestant." When we call ourselves "Evangelicals" sel yes "E vangelicals." It is im pera ti ve If now we keep in mind the fact that in the proper historical meaning of the to point out, therefore, that a man is not Dr. SCHAFF employed the word in its gen­ word we mean, first of all, that we are not an Evangelical in, the historical meaning er'ally accepted sense, we will not be Roman Catholics. The primary protest of the word unless he also affirms that the greatly at a loss to understand how it of LUTHER' and CALVIN was against the soul is dependent on GOD and on GOD alone has come about that the 'word as used to­ for salvation, that nothing that we are day seems to have no definite meaning. and nothing that we do enters iiltO the As long as the vast majority of the mem­ IN THIS ISSUE: ground of our salvation-that it is all of bers of the Protestant churches held to GOD, nothing of ourselves. The opposition what 'was common in that system of Is the Pulpit Forsetting God?...... 5 "Of the Evangelicals to the sacerdotalism Wm. Childs. Robinson thought and mode of life that found ex­ of Rome was not in thei.I?-terest of making 0, pression in the creeds of the Protestant Notes on Biblical Exposition... .. .... 7 man his own saviour. Not at all. Rather churches - Lutheran, Reformed and J. Gresham Machen it was in the intere.st of directing men's Arminian-no great confusion resulted Birth Control in the Light of the Bible.. 9 att.ention to JESUS CHRIST Himself as the from identifying the Evangelicals with J. H. Gauss one and only Saviour from the guilt and . the members of these churches. It has Books of Religious SigniRcance ....... 10 power of sin. The Evangelical is even come about, however, that an increasing more strongly opposed to any and all rep­ Questions and Answers ........... " 11 number of the members, and particularly resentations that makes man his own of the Ministers of these churches, do not "Freedom and Restraint" ........ .. 12·13 saviour than he is to the sacerdotalism of Neal L. Anderson hold to that system of thought and life. Cornelius Van Til Rome. An Evangelical is ever one in The word, however, still continues to be whose soul there echoes a hearty "amen" Letters to the Editor ......... ...... " 15 used to designate the members 'of' these when he reads PAUL'S words: "For by churches. Hence the varied and confused Ministerial Changes ..... ....... , .. " 17 grace are ye saved through faith; and that senses in which the word "evangelical" is News of the Church ................. 19 not of yourselves: it is the gift of GOD; 2 CHRISTIANITY TODAY May, 1931 not of works lest any man should boast." ship, but it seems to us only too clear that leaders, have been presented and adopted He alone is it true Evangelical, therefore, those who cloMimtte tl:e pollcy of this practically without discussion, with the re­ who makes the double confession (1) that organization are "evangelical" only in the sult that the rank and file of the com­ sahation is- oL GOD and not of man and serise that they are members of evangelical missioners-those who most truly repre­ (2) that GOD in saying men acts directly churches. No doubt they share the evan­ sent the Church-have played the part of upon their souls not through human in­ gelical's conviction relative to the im­ mere rubber stamps, approving the reC01l1- strumentalities that He has established mediacy of our relations with GOD, but mendations presented without any real for that purpose. their public utterances do not indicate knowledge of their merits or demerits. A It cannot be said too clearly or too fre­ that they share his sense of dependence method frequently adopted to get a pro­ quently that fundamentally there are but on GOD and GOD alone for their salvation. posal adopted is first to move that a cer­ two doctrines of salvation. According to It seems to US, therefoi"e, that this organi­ tain fixed period be set aside for its con­ the one, man saves himself; according to zation misrepresents rather than repre­ sideration. Then the chairman of the the other GOD saves him. The Romanist sents the true "Evangelicals" of these committee that makes the proposal is al­ as well as the Evangelical holds the second churches. As a result we would like to lowed to present the' matter with no time of these doctrines. Both gi~e the same see the Pl:esbyterian churches sever their limit fixed. It is not unknown for the answer to the question, Does man save connection with it. chairman to use half, or more than half, himself or does GOD save him? Theil' of the allotted time, after which some one difference does not appeal' until we con­ moves that discussion from the floor be sider the question, Does GOD save men by The Rights and Duties of limited to five 01' ten minute speeches­ acting directly on their souls or through as though it were possible to say anything the medium of the church and its ordi­ Cpmmissioners adequate on an involved subject in so nances? In stressing the Evangelical's HE Commission which each COIll­ short a time. We have seen matters of opposition to the positing of any inter­ T missioner mtlst produce from his (or grave significance adopted with practically mediaries between the sonl and GOD, let her) presbytery before he can be enrolled no discussion and with most of the com­ us not forget his even profounder opposi­ as a member of a General Assembly of the missioners obviously ignorant of their tion to that doctrine of salvation that Presbyterian Church distinctly specifies significance. Instances are not even lack­ makes man his own saviour. There his rights and duties, to wit: "'1'0 consult, ing where commissioners who exercised is nothing against which the true Evan­ vote, and determine, on all things that their unquestioned right to discuss matters gelical sets himself more firmly than the may come before tl>at. botly, according to before the Assembly have been treated as doctrine . that man saves himself. He re­ the principles and constitution of this those who were wasting the time of the gards that as the most fatal of all heresi~s. Church and the W01'(1 of GOD."" This Assemuly or even as disturbers of the This is why he realizes that he has less means that it is not only a privilege but peace and unity of the Church. in common with most Modernists than he a solemn responsibility to be a commis­ We hope that the cOlllmissioners to the has with Roman Catholics. rYe need not sioner to a General Assenlbly. It is ob­ 1431'd General Assembly will insist on forget that the Homan Catholic agrees vious that only an informed commissioner their rights and perform their duties as with the Evangelical as over against can properly discharge his responsibility.