THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 7, 1937.
Dangers To The World In A State Faith That Sets Itself Up As A Deity
W
MAN-GOD OR GOD MAN?
is
In Peru
at
JESTERN civilisation is doom Can enthusiasm for communism tion, which nowadays tends to ed over politics to men.
ed if religion, on which it is or for national socialism be digni- divide int
into specialised, self-center- a young social reformer told him. founded, should fail.' With that fied by the name of religion? "Cer- ed compartments, must be co- “You don't know what it takes out thought, expressed in a notable in- tainly," said Dr. Mackay; "for what ordinated to that end. augural address, the Rev. Dr. John is religion? It is man's instinctive
of me to say 'God. That name is More important still, he feels, re- associated in my mind with people A. Mackay recently assumed the 'Yes' to a god, an absolutism con- ligion must find its lost landmarks. and attitudes and institutions that presidency of Princeton Theological.trolling his destiny, to which he It must return to the great theolo- I feel I must give my life to com- Seminary.
yields obedience, service and gical truths at the heart of it, the bat." It is Dr. Mackay's conviction that honour and in which he puts his truths on which
the good in But Dr. Mackay is confident that what is greatest and best in the trust. The totalitarian State asks Western civilisation and culture a world-wide spiritual revival is civilisation, the culture and the for such faith, and millions of dis- is founded. It must rediscover the possible. In his key position education of Christendom the illusioned, frustrated, despairing divine plan for mankind as that Princeton he will work to create in fruit of the Christian religion and people who have seen conventional plan is revealed in the thought of the coming generation of mission- is destined to share the fortunes of religion fail them in its promise of the Hebrew prophets, in the per- aries and preachers a broad under- Christianity, whether decadence or a better world turn to the new and sonality, work and teachings renaissance, in the world of to-day. tremendous power rising out of the Christ and in Paul.
of standing of the age, viewed from He sees the Christian church
In fine, it the outlook of history and în welter of the times.
divine must get back to God and learn truth. Along with that insight he danger. He believes that it must "This new power, this Man-god, again to think of God as a trans- will ask for spiritual daring and reconsider what it is and whence assumes the attributes of deity. It cendent, living, redeeming God, abandon and the enthusiasm of the it came, confess its sins and purge proclaims itself the messiah the ever present and vitally real in the burning heart. its life, coordinate its programme people long for to deliver them everyday world. and broaden its view to a world from their woes, and it exacts their
Not discouraged by the swing of The world's peril, in Dr. Mackay's intellectuals and toilers away from view if it hopes to serve and save subservience, body and soul.
opinion, is lack of a religious basis the church, he thinks they can be mankind.
"It has a creed, a scripture, a for life. Men in time of stress are won back; for he finds youth every- Just now he sees it as facing the theology, a system of ethics, a cate- without roots of faith to sustain where echoing the sentiment of a gravest challenge in its history-
im-
the challenge of the new and passioned nation-State "religions" to which masses of distressed hu- manity are turning.
sees it.
By L. H. Robbins
A man
Chilean student who said, cannot be a rebel forever, even if he wants to be. I need a faith."
Says Dr. Mackay: "The young to- Vigorous and earnest, with the chism, a communion of saints and and steady them.
day demand a master, a cause, air of a hard-working missionary martyrs. Its liturgy is emotionally lack he asks religion to cease to be cannot stifle the altruism in the hu- To correct that something to live by Materialism still upon him and with a bit of impressive-note the awe-inspiring parochial, to regain a sense of its man soul, the yearning of youth to native Scottish burr in his speech, mystical effects arranged for any world mission, and to give up being be identified with something greater Dr. Mackay talked, in-his home at public appearance of the Leader. content with absorption in routine than itself, to which it can give it- Princeton the other day, on the It infuses its followers with fiery and secondary things, ignoring first self utterly: Religion, if it will go situation of religion, particularly missionary zeal and its youth with things. of Protestant Christianity, as he self-sacrificial devotion, and it of-
about its work in the spirit of the The world over, he says, both life prophets and the apostles of old, fers the people salvation, security and religion suffer from being far can satisfy that demand. "To all thinking men, the most and happiness of a sort.
Contem- apart.
And it is In South America he heard the only thing in life that can." startling fact to-day," he said, "is porary history stages a conflict be earnest men define religion as “a the chaos into which materialism tween the Man-god and
"Our time," he says, "is a time the God- collection of scruples that impede between the times, has plunged the human race. The man,
the free exercise of thought," and lessness between an age that is dy- mes, a time of form- world finds itself suddenly on the
"Christianity's goal and promise declare bitterly, "God has evidently ing and one that is still verge of economic, social and opli- through the centuries has been kept religion for himself and hand-But it is nevertheless God's time.”
unborn. tical bankruptcy. In material community; a freewill fellowship, knowledge and invention we have of men in God, a harmonious world advanced further in a single gener- society. The nation-State religions ation than our ancestors in twenty profess a similar laudable aim, but centuries, yet the end is war and for their promised earthly paradise hunger. We have, physically uni- they demand of the human spirit an fied the world, only to bring on intolerable price. violent world division. With all our multiplying of the means of happiness, humanity is bewildered in mind and sick at heart.
"Part of the reproach for
"One would set up community by force and fear; community not
for humanity but for one class, other proposes an exclusive the munity of blood:
stalling of civilisation must be temptuous of lend breed,
com-
con-
breeds.' Both
borne by the world's religious for deny the freedom of the individual ces. Christendom, let's confess, has soul and in the name of fellowship not lived up to its simple first prin- impose bondage. Both would dis- ciples. Christian nations, forget- rupt the solidarity of mankind and ting their ideal, inherent in the end hope of international coopera- Christian faith of a world com- tion and the ultimate unifying of munity ruled by love, a brotherhood humanity.
of all nations, races and classes "The self-centred State and ફ્ under the governance of God, have God-centred world. can never be compromised with the false gods of reconciled. The propagation of hate selfish individualism. They have can never bring the reign of peace condoned economic
and
interna- and good-will on earth. These new tional policies that ran counter to makeshift structures. în which suf- the teachings of their faith.
fering people put their hope are "And our temporising, our ration- destined to fall, like Babylon of alising and our betrayal of faith old, because they are built wholly helped to open the way to the doubt by man's limited wisdom and in dis- and confusion of to-day and to the regard of the divine plan. If this emergence of substitutes for reli- secular idea masquerading as reli- gion that begin to command the gion should prevail-and its seeds imagination and the loyalty of mil- have been spread by the winds of lions, of our fellow-men. Religion, the world storm into many lands- as we practice it, is not the only then civilisation and culture must culprit; too often it has gone along sink into new dark ages." with national and individual self- Will religion be able to answer interest toward the world disaster the challenge? Dr. Mackay be- of these years.
Now the time has lieves that it will. But first, he come when religion, like democracy, says, it has two things to do. It education and every other promise must attain full realistic cognisance giving institution of human life, of the world and the world's needs must be mercilessly self-critical. to-day; its leaders, its colleges and Penitence and humility will mark its workers must know their own the first step on the new road." times better, and all higher educa-
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