The Faith Versus Intellectualism - (II.)
The real threat to American life and the faith is this half-way covenant between the philosophy of intellectualism and the philosophy of faith. It is the intellectualism of the eighteenth century sifted down through the brains of petty, pseudo-intellectuals, mixed with the anti-intellectual emphasis of existential philosophy, and sprinkled with meaningless abstractions from the Christian faith. What emerges is Montague's ridiculous "new faith." A meaningless nothing of platitudes, unintelligible jargon, pretended sophistication, and pseudo-intellectualism. The hybrid and sterile status of American thought cannot be described in any other terms. American religion is a fat religion in a fat society for fat people with fat heads. The American today who is interested in religion is in fact the picture of mental non-commitment. The religious American in the twentieth century lacks the courage and conviction of the great intellectuals from Voltaire to Bertrand Russell. It is even more difficult to find anything in modern society which is reminiscent of the lean and hungry look of a Stephen or a Paul--of a man committed heart and soul and life to the faith. This flabby mediocrity of American thought has not escaped the notice of the critics of American society. The imminent American sociologist David Riesman has warned of the emergence of a society in our nation which is devoid of purpose and intent and of the breeding of a people who have no conviction -- except that one should have no convictions: of a people who have nothing to believe in -- except that they should believe in something; of a people who will tolerate anything--except commitment to something. Spineless, jellyfish conformity is demanded in every area of American life -- including the religious -- if not especially the religious.
A Matter Of Choice
The ancient faith stands today, as it has in all the ages past and as it will as the future rolls on, beset without and within by the onslaughts of arrogant intellectualism. On the extremes of modern society stand the prophets of Despair and the prophets of God. He, as well as I, stands in his camp by choice. The atheistic existential philosopher and the agnostic scientist have understood the implications of their choice. They follow a system of human reason which gives not an answer of when or where or why; which has no moral absolutes; which will breed disillusionment, weakness, degeneracy, and Despair — but they have chosen — so be it. If Baal be God then serve him. But there have lived few such intellectuals in the history of man — there have died still fewer. The cult of reason will never win this imperfect world.
Decision Must Be Made
But the battle line must be drawn today between the old faith and the monstrous modern mixture of faith and intellectualism. It is an old battle line. It is the line that Elijah held on Mt. Carmel when he challenged the children of God: "How long go ye limping between the two sides? If Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." It is a battle with men who believing, believe not; who reasoning, reason not; who accept the futility of reason and yet consider themselves intellectuals. We fight today against an enemy which believes in God and has its churches but they are churches built on the reason of man; an enemy which, to quote our former President again, believes in religion, "and I don't care what kind it is."
Convert To Faith
The skirmishes with false faiths for which we have long been well equipped and in which we have long been successful must go on without wavering, but increasingly we are being faced with a challenge of converting men first to faith and then to THE faith. The problem of most modern religionists is not that they believe error but simply that they do not believe. Our challenge is to convince the people of our time that they must either be committed to God or committed to intellectualism — that there is no such thing as a "new-old faith." We must win the world to faith — the faith that saves — absolute, unmovable, unquestioning, unshakable, irrevocably committed faith in the message of God. If a man will not believe, then let him take his stand and serve the God of Reason — the God of Despair. But if a man will believe, and take his stand with the God of love, and peace, and comfort, and forgiveness, and good, and joy, and hope — the God of Adam, and Moses, and Elijah, and Jesus, and Paul, and that innumerable host who have had courage in the face of adversity, serenity in the midst of poverty, tranquility on the cross of suffering, and looked with disdain into the savage jaws of a ravishing wild beast — if a man will serve Jehovah God, then let him know what it means to serve God. This is the crux of the battle for the mind of man. If you would convert a denominationalist, convert him first to faith — or push him relentlessly to the natural terminal of intellectualism. If we can get this far, the journey home is over well-traveled roads.
In the church of Christ The church is besieged not only without but also within by the plagues of middle-class sophistication. Church of Christism is no more immune from the ravages of a "new-old faith," than any of the rest of mankind that has a mind to think with and an ego to be proud with. The same lessons of unwavering faith and irrevocable commitment to the will of God must be engraved on the minds of our brethren. The controversy in the body of Christ today is not so much over "issues" (although they are important symptoms of a disease), it is a struggle between those who are determined to do the will of God and those who are determined, in Montagu's words, to have an "intelligent faith." I would not have the battle-line stand still. Let us reclaim our brethren to the simplicity and meekness which rests in faith. But if they will not be reclaimed, if the spirit of presumptuousness and pseudo-rationalism is in them irrevocable, then I resolve to push them, and prosecute them, and castigate them until the issues become not church- supported benevolent societies, and missionary societies, and educational societies, and hospitals but the meaning of the Lord's Supper and baptism, and the divinity of Jesus Christ — until the issues become the faith versus intellectualism. I would that they would be consistent.
What Shall We Do?
What shall we do in this battle for the minds of men? Shall we isolate "intellectualism" and ostrich-like pretend that it isn't there? Shall we not get too educated and fearfully warn our children of the subtleties and guiles of the university professor? Or course, warnings are sometimes certainly in order. I say no. Take education for what it is worth — if you want it, get it — if you don't want it, you can do without it. But meet the challenge of intellectualism bare-fisted and broadsided. If my faith is ridiculed as a fairytale, their lack of it is a horror story; if the source of my faith is unreliable, their method of proving it unreliable is unreliable; if the story of Jonah is farfetched, the idea of a materialistic universe, untreated, uncontrolled and impersonal is inconceivable; if my faith is a neurotic defense escape, their intellectualism is the insatiable ego of man run mad; if I am a fanatic, they are a fool. I say fight. We must fight them in the halls of our universities; we must fight them in the midst of our congregations; we must fight them in the sanctity of our homes; unashamed, unfrightened, unrelenting, we must fight. Hold up the choices — let the world choose whom they will serve.
What shall we do? Preach the gospel. Undiluted, all-powerful, preach the word. Will it convert the intellectual? Not many. Will it convert the world? Only God knows how many. But it is all we can do. Paul says: "For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe. Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumbling-block, and unto Gentiles foolishness; but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." Let it fall where it may. Let accept it who will. There must be those in this sick and weary world — some starving form on the banks of the Indus, a frightened creature in the bowels of London's slums, some tormented and bewildered soul in the heart of Tampa, Florida — there must be those who would say "thy people shall be my people and thy God my God."
A Closing Prayer
We can, in this house this night, pray to God to build in us the faith and the courage of a prophet. We can resolve that when all the world goes mad with pride and self-esteem, we shall remain humble and true to God. We can pray that whatever God may know will best strike down the haughtiness of the people, do it unto them — but do it first unto us. Mould us and temper us with tenderness and gentleness if it be possible but if we will not yield, then ravage us, impoverish us, take from us our homes, starve us and scourge us, but, Oh God, give us a mind to do thy will!