rmwilliamsjr
Puritan Board Freshman
I'm trying to make the case that liberalism in the Presbyterian Church starts its rise in the aftermath of the Civil War. What i am particularly curious about is the relationship of political progressivism and theological liberalism. They both seem to have a secularized version of an optimistic if not post-millennialism. Based on the enormous success of science and technology their hopefulness that this curve of success was transferable to the social and political spheres, especially in the wake of the destructiveness of the Civil War.
i can see the notion of progressiveness, the optimism in changing the world, ideas that changing institutions change people (vs the evangelical notion that changing hearts changes institutions). But what i don't see is the connection between these ideas and the challenge of German higher criticism against the unity of Scripture, the liberalizing principle that inspiration was not at the textual level but at the principle/meaning level, and the attack on the authority of Scripture by seeing it as man's record of contact with God rather than God's reaching down to mankind. It looks like a key idea is progressive revelation extended to history, that is the Bible was fine for its time but now we are more advanced than that and we know better what it really is, a human record of man reaching for God.
anyone read something along this line that i could follow up on?
tia.
i have Ministers of Reform and Metaphysical Club for a start.
i can see the notion of progressiveness, the optimism in changing the world, ideas that changing institutions change people (vs the evangelical notion that changing hearts changes institutions). But what i don't see is the connection between these ideas and the challenge of German higher criticism against the unity of Scripture, the liberalizing principle that inspiration was not at the textual level but at the principle/meaning level, and the attack on the authority of Scripture by seeing it as man's record of contact with God rather than God's reaching down to mankind. It looks like a key idea is progressive revelation extended to history, that is the Bible was fine for its time but now we are more advanced than that and we know better what it really is, a human record of man reaching for God.
anyone read something along this line that i could follow up on?
tia.
i have Ministers of Reform and Metaphysical Club for a start.