arnurnr~iu
UJqrnlngiral 6tl11l11y
Continuing
LEHRE UNO VVEHRE
MAGAZIN FUER Ev.-LuTH. HOMILETIK
THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLy -THEOLOGICAL M ONTHLY
Vol. XII May, 1941 No.5
CONTENTS Page
The Christian's Attitude towards His Government and on War
Louis J. Roehm __________________________________________________ 321
Verbal Inspiration - a Stumbling-Block to the Jews and Foolish-
ness to the Greeks. Th. Engelder ____________________________________________________ 340
Modern Humanism. F. E. Mayer _______________________________________________________________ 362
Outlines on the Wuerttemberg Gospel Selections __ ________________________ 371
Theological Observer. - Kirchlich-Zeitgeschichtliches ___________________ 382
Book Review. - Literatur ____________________________________________________________________________ 393
Em Pred1ger muss nlcht alle1n "'ei-
den, also dass er die Schafe unter-
weise. wle sle rechte Cbr1sten sollen
sein. sondern auch daneben den Woe!-
fen weh,.en, dass sie die Schafe nlcht
angreUen und mit falscher Lehre ver-
fuehren und Irrtwn einfuehren.
Luther
Es 1st kein Ding. das die Leute
mehr bel der Kirche behaelt denn
die gute Pred1gt. - Apologie, Arl.24
If the trumpet give an uncertain
sound. who shall prepare himself to
the battle? -1 COf'. 14:8
Published for the
Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States
CONCORDIA PUBLISHING BOUSE, St. Louis, Mo.
362 Modern Humanism
Unbelief is, in truth, the sin of sins, odious to God and odious
to the Christian. "Let us ever bear in mind that every one who
denies. the inspiration of Scripture is eo ipso a critic Q£ Scripture,
and one who criticizes Scripture - which, as God's Word, will not
be criticized but believed - comes under the fearful j udgment of
God described in Matt. 11 : 25." "The same faith and obedience
that is due to God is due to Scripture in all that it says. He who
rej ects or even only criticizes Scripture insults the Maj esty of
God. He is committing a crimen laesae majestatis divinae."
(Pieper, op. cit., I, pp. 280, 371. )
All obj ections to the divine inspiration and the inerrancy of
Scripture are unworthy of a Christian. TH. ENGELDER
(To be continued)
Mode 11 Humanism 1)
"Humanism," in the words of Walter Lippmann, "to replace
the conception of man as the subj ect of a heavenly King takes as
its dominant pattern the progress of the individual from helpless
infancy to self-governing maturity." 2) Modern Humanism has
been labeled as scientific or literary or philosophic humanism and
more recently as Religious Humanism. Humanism parades under
the name of religion and claims to be "a cult or belief calling
itself religious but substituting faith in man for faith in God."
c. F. Potter, an exponent of so-called Religious Humanism, defines
it as "faith in the supreme value and self-perfectibility of human
personality." In the words of Prof. E. E. Aubrey the Religi ou::;
Humanists endeavor to emancipate "religion from a theism whi ch
obstructs the full exercise of man's courage and initiative for
human improvement." 3 ) According to Prof. J. Auer a humanist
does not necessarily deny the existence of God, but he will insist
that a true religious experience is possible without the belief
in God in the theistic sense.4) Humanism is the rankest kind of
rationalism. In the final analysis there is little practical difference
1) The material in this article is essentially the same as that pre
sented in a series of lectures on "Modern Isms" at pastors' institutes
in 1940.
2) Webster's New International Dictionary.
3) Aubrey, Present Theological Tendencies, 1936, pp. 167, 174n.
4) Humanism Stutes Its Case, 1933, pp. 79, 80, quoted in Dakin, Man
the Measure, an Essay on Humanism as a Religion, 1939, p. 20. Inciden
tally the title of Dakin's book is significant, for the motto of all human
ists is: Man is the measure and standard of all truth. Dakin offers an
exhaustive study and a keen analysis of every significant phase of
Humanism.
Modem Humanism 3 6 3
between humanism and naturalism. It i s true that exponents of
humanism like Norman Foerster claim that humanism is a vigorous
protest a.gainst naturalism. They say that humanism does not
begin with nature but with man, that humanism grants to man as
an autonomous being the right to seek those things which in his
opinion constitute a normal, rich, exalted, beautiful life, whereas
naturalism views man merely as an automaton caught in the
clutches of the inexorable laws of nature. But, after all, there
is little difference between modern Scientific Naturalism and
Religious Humanism; the one is an apotheosis of nature; the
other, of human nature.") Dr. H. S. Coffin, in his commencement
address at Union Theological Seminary in 1929, warned against
humanism because it "makes 'God' simply a name for the ethical
ideal evolved by mankind and attempts to draw its moral standards
from a study of human behavior." 6) Humanism regards theistic ! ,
religion as the most active menace to civilization and considers
its anthropocentric philosophy as the only hope of the world.
Humanism reached the peak of its popularity about 1930.
Since then the high-class magazines have discussed it increasingly
less. The only schooi of humanists which endeavored to effect
some sort of an organization are the Religious Humanists.7) The
maj ority of Religious Humanists are Unitarians. It seems t1':-at
this movemenCresen:;-bles Un:it;rianis;;;--i:lOt�ocly in its tenets but
also in its sterility. L. Mercier, professor of philosophy at Harvard,
said recently that humanism is dying. In 1933 more than 30
men, professors of sociology and philosophy, Unitarian ministers,
authors, ethical culturists, and others published A Hl�manist
Manifesto.S) This manifesto did not create the stir which its
authors anticipated.
5) Norman Foerster, Humanism and Religion; Forum, Sept. 1929,
p. 150. See also Lutheran ChuTch QuarteTly, Jan. 1939, p. 55 ff. J. W.
Krutch, The Paradox of Humanism. The Atlantic Monthly, Dec. 1927,
p . 756 fl.
6) FOTUm, Sept. 1929, p . 146.
7) The Humanist Press Association, 700 Oakwood Blvd., Chicago,
was organized by a number of Unitarian ministers and professors of
philosophy. According to newspaper reports of recent meetings the ob
jective of this group at present is to popularize Religious Humanism.
8) "The time has come for wide-spread recognition of the radical
changes in religious beliefs throughout the modern world. The time is
past for mere revision of tTaditional attitudes. Science and economic
change have disTupted the old beliefs. Religions the world over are
under the necessity of coming to terms with new conditions created by
a vastly increased knowledge and experience. In every field of human
activity the vital movement is now in the direction of a candid and
explicit humanism. In order that Religious Humanism may be better
understood, we, the undersigned, desire to make certain affirmations
which, we believe, the facts of our contemporary life demonstrate.
"Today man's larger understanding of the universe, his scientific
achievements, and his deeper appreciation of brotherhood have created
3 6 4 Mode= Humanism
a situation which requires a new statement of the means and purposes
of religion. Such a vital, fearless, and frank religion capable of fur
nishing adequate social goals and personal satisfactions may appear to
many people as a complete break with the past. While this age does
owe a vast . debt to the traditional religions, it is none the less obvious
that any religion that can hope to be a synthesizing and dynamic force
for today must be shaped for the needs of the present age. To establish
such a religion is a maj or necessity of the present. It is a responsibility
which rests upon this generation. We therefore affirm the following:
"1. Religious Humanists regard the universe as self-existing, not
created.
"2. Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has
emerged as the result of a continuous process.
"3. Holding an organic view of life, humanists find that the tradi
tional dualism of mind and body must be rej ected.
"4. Man's religious culture and civilization, as clearly depicted by
anthropology and history, are the product of a gradual development due
to his interaction with his natural environment and social heritage. The
individual of a particular culture is molded by that culture.
"5. The nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes
unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human values.
Humanism insists that the way to determine the existence and value of
all realities is by intelligent inquiry and by the assessment of their
relation to human needs. Religion must formulate its hopes and plans
in the light of the scientific spirit and method. J
"6. The time has passed for tl,eism, deism, modernism, and the
several varieties of 'new thought.'
"7. Religion consists of those actions, purposes, and experiences
which are humanly significant. Nothing human is alien to the religious.
It includes labor, art, science, philosophy, love, friendship, recreation
all that is expressive of intelligently satisfying human living. The dis
tinction between the sacred and the secular can no longer be maintained.
"3. Religious Humanism considers the complete realization of human
personality to be the end or man's life and seeks its development and :
fulfilment in the here and now. This explains the humanist's social
passion.
"9. In place of the old attitudes involved in worship and prayer the
humanist finds his religious emotions expressed in a heightened sense of
personal life and in a cooperative effort to promote social well-being.
"10. It follows that there will be no uniquely religious em otions and I
. attitudes of the kind hitl,erto associated with belief in the supernatural.
"11. Man will learn to face the crises of life in terms of his knowledge '
of their naturalness and probability. Reasonable and manly attitudes
will be fostered by education. Humanism will take the path of social
and mental hygiene and discourage sentimental and unreal hopes and I
wishful thinking.
"12. Believing that religion must work increasingly for j oy in living,
Religious Humanists aim to foster the creative in man and to encourage
achievements that add to the satisfactions of life.
"13 . Religious Humanism maintains that all associations and insti
tutions exist for the fulfilment of human life. The intelligent evaluatiOl',
transformation, contl'Ol, and direction of such associations an.d institu
tions with a view to the enl,ancement of human life is the purpose and
program of humanism. Certainly religious institutions, their ritualistic
forms, ecclesiastical methods, and communal activities HlUst be recon- '
stituted in order to function effectively in the modern world.
"14. The humanists are firmly convinced that existing acquisitive
and profit-motivated society is inadequate and that a radical change in
methods, controls, and motives must be instituted. A socialized and
cooperative economic order must be established for the equitable dis-
Modern Humanism 3 6 5
Modern humanism must not be confused with the Humanism
of an Erasmus, Petrarch, eolet. - Rather, H is more 'Closely related
to such ethnic religions as Confucianism and Buddhism. Irving
Babbitt, the outstanding literary humanist, turned to Primitive
Buddhism, or Hinayana, as is evident from a posthumous essay
published in 1936, The Dhammapada.9l Modern humanism resem
bles Greek sophism, which endeavored to produce individual
goodness through cooperative- human endeav�r.
-
Humanism is
very closely related to Modernism, in fact, the two have fre
quently been identified. Theoretically Modernism professes to be
theistic and opposed to the materialistic implications and non
theistic (i. e., atheistic) preachments of humanism. In reality,
however, the chasm between the two is not very deep nor very
wide, and a number of Modernists have conveniently transferred
to the other side. The Modernist D. C. Macintosh speaks of the
humanists as "Christian mutiles"; W. A. Brown says that the
"Christian" shares with the humanist the conviction that man is
fully competent to become what he ought to be; and Shailer
Mathews sees little in the message of humanism which differs
from the social gospel of the Modernist, except that the humanist
substitutes human capacity for God.10)
Essentially there is little difference between the views of the
various humanists. They are usually divided into two schools, the
Columbia group, under the leadership of ,John Dewey, and the
Chicago school, under E. S. Ames. The division offered by Elias
Andrews adapts itself to our purposes, and we shall follow it
because it presents a rather comprehensive view of the aims of
humanism.H)
1. Philosophic Humanism is based on the philosophy of John
Dewey and F. C. Schiller, that knowing and doing go hand in hand.
There can therefore be no rigid tenets about any truth; in fact,
the only certain thing in life is constant change. All intellectual
and moral values are dependent entirely upon what men do.
There are no eternal standards, for the good is never the same. All
tribution of the means of life. The goal of humanism is a free and
universal society in which people voluntarily and intelligently cooperate
for the common good. Humanists demand a shared life in a shared yvorld.
"15, Humanism will (a) affirm life rather than deny it; (b) seek
to elicit the possibilities of life, not flee from it; and (c) endeavor to
establish the conditions of a satisfactory life for all, not merely for
the few."
Included in the list of signers are: John Dewey, E. A. Haydon, E. H.
Barnes, Maynard Shipley, H. Randall, Jr., R. W. Sellars, J. J. Weinstein.
9) T. S. Eliot, in Baillie and Martin, Revelation, p. 16 fI.
10) The references are to Ht�manism, Another Battle Line, edited
by Wm. P. King and containing essays by ten well-known Modernists.
11) Elias Andrews, Modern Humanism and Christian Theism, 1939,
Grand Rapids.
3 6 6 Modern Humanism
moral values arise out of action, out of the constant intercourse
among men. So-called religion is only the idealizing of the
present soci