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Theological Table-Talk
By George S. Hendry

LEISURE AND LEARNING

Readers of these pages aye reassured that the absence of the Editor from his accustomed place at the head of the table is only temporary. He was recently awarded a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation and lie will be engaged in study in Europe for several months.

The support given to scholarly research by the wealthy foundations may serve as an appropriate topic to begin with on this occasion. The remarkable development of such aids to education which has taken place in recent time points to an increasing recognition of two things. One is that without opportunities to continue their own education educators cannot educate effectively. The other is that such opportunities are increasingly hard to come by because of the demands which the modern educational process makes upon those who are involved in it. This applies not only to those who teach in seminaries and other educational institutions. It is equally true, if not more true, of ministers, who are also engaged in the educational process. The harassment of the minister, of which much has been heard recently, is not conducive to serious study, and this results in an impoverishment of which many ministers themselves are keenly aware. Sabbatical leaves for ministers have not yet become established practice, but attempts to meet the problem in other ways are being made in various churches. Refresher courses and summer schools have long been familiar, but usually they are of rather brief duration. One major denomination has recently set up a program of scholarships to enable qualified ministers, who have served a stipulated number of years in the parish, to return to school and -undertake advanced study for a year or more.

Leisure for learning was Aristotle's prescription for happiness, and it is for this leisure, he thought, that we exert ourselves. "We renounce leisure to gain leisure," he put it epigrammatically; and he took it for granted that we would use our leisure for learning-

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indeed, the Greek word for leisure, scholé, also meant school. Aristotle's ideal has appealed to many whose scholarly bent was frustrated by the pressures of practical affairs. It was the frustrated scholar in Calvin that envisaged the joy of heaven as contemplation. Those whom the demands of teaching in school deprive of the leisure they would like for scholarship may feel that Aristotle's saying should be translated according to the alternative meaning of the Greek word: "We take time out from school to become better scholars."

ROMAN CATHOLICS AND THE PRESIDENCY

The quadrennial debate on the problem of a Roman Catholic for President was opened some months ago when the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States issued a statement denouncing the dissemination of artificial methods of birth-control in the foreign aid program. The debate is of more than academic importance on this occasion for two reasons. One is the urgency of the problem to which the bishops spoke. The growth of the world's population is rapidly approaching a point at which the available food supplies will be inadequate. The other reason is that two of the leading contenders for the Democratic Presidential nomination are members of the Roman Catholic Church. The reaction of these to the statement of the bishops reveals the dilemma of the Roman Catholic aspirant for the Presidency; if he takes the social and political doctrine of his Church seriously, he will lose the support of the majority of the voters, who oppose that doctrine, or, if lie does not take it seriously, he can hardly be considered a good Catholic-if, for example, he takes the position that a man's religion is his private affair and that it does not regulate his political activity, he sounds more like a Lutheran. Assuming that a Roman Catholic succeeded in getting himself elected to the Presidency, he might himself have to face difficult problems of conscience. How should he act, for instance, if a bill came to his desk which he recognized to be in the interests of American policy, but which was in conflict with the teachings of his Church? This kind of difficulty is recognized within the Roman Catholic Church itself, and it elicited the suggestion from one seminary professor that a President in such a position might resolve his problem of conscience by allowing the bill to become law without his signature. There was

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no immediate rush to welcome this Jesuitical suggestion by any of the current contenders for the nomination.

The teaching of the Roman Catholic Church on birth-control is well known, but the apparent inconsistencies it involves make it difficult for those who aye not Roman Catholics to understand how it can be held with such conviction and propounded with such confidence. The doctrine is ostensibly based on "natural law," a concept which has been abandoned by most moral philosophers, and which, in any case, seems too vague and general to furnish guidance on specific moral issues. Moreover, it has always been difficult to understand why, if it is established by natural law that the purpose of the conjugal act is the begetting of children, guilt should be attached only to the use of artificial (chemical and mechanical) methods of contraception and not to the use of the rhythm-method, since the intention in both cases is to frustrate the purpose of the act.

JOHN MCLEOD CAMPBELL

A notable feature of the book market at the present time is the reissue of theological works which were of major significance at some earlier day. Does this reflect a spontaneous revival of interest in these works, or is it to be ascribed to some form of commercial enterprise? Is this an age of reprints, or an age of repristination? At all events, the reprints include some books which deserve to be remembered, and one of these is The Nature of the Atonement by John McLeod Campbell, which has recently been reissued, with an introduction by Professor Edgar Dickie of St. Andrews University (James Clarke & Co., London, 1959).

The Nature of the Atonement, which was first published in 1856, ranks as one of the major theological classics of the nineteenth century. It inaugurated a new phase in the discussion of the atonement, which has been carried on with special animation in the English speaking world during the last hundred years. In a survey of this phase of the debate which he made in 1949 the late T. Hywel Hughes enumerated no less than forty-one contributions which bad appeared in Great Britain alone since Campbell's time, and the number has been substantially increased in the last ten years.

John McLeod Campbell has been called the greatest theological

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mind produced by the Church of Scotland in the nineteenth century. The Church, however, can take no credit to itself for this, since it deposed him from the ministry while he was still a young man, and it never received him back. Born in a highland manse and educated at the University of Glasgow, Campbell became minister of the parish of Rhu on the Gairloch in 1826, but after a devoted ministry of five years he was called to answer to a charge of heresy in the General Assembly. The heresy which he was charged with teaching was that Christ died for all men, and not only for the elect, as the currently accepted orthodoxy maintained. Despite the support of some of his parishioners and a specially noble plea by his father, he was condemned by a large majority after an all-night debate, and he spent the remainder of his active life ministering to an independent congregation in Glasgow. He died in 1872.

The Nature of the Atonement, which was the fruit of long meditation on its theme, advanced the thesis that Christ atoned for the sins of the world, not by enduring the punishment of sin, in which, the author maintained, there was no atoning virtue, but by offering to God a perfect confession, a perfect repentance, "a perfect Amen in humanity to the judgment of God on the sin of man." The thesis is worked out in a prolix and involved style which makes the book heavy reading, but once the reader has overcome this obstacle, he cannot fail to be impressed with the power of the argument and the reverent spirit in which it is developed.

The book has, of course, been vigorously criticized. Campbell's notion of a vicarious confession has been described as everything from eccentric to Pelagian. Yet, even its critics have paid tribute to the greatness of the book, which, though somewhat faded with the passage of time, can still be sensed by discerning readers. The book certainly continues to deserve to be read, not only for its historical significance, but as an example of the best kind of theological writing, in which a great soul wrestles with a great theme.

THEOLOGY IN THE SPACE AGE

The prospect that man may soon be able to burst the confines of this little world, in which he has spent the whole of his existence hitherto, and venture forth into outer space, lends a new relevance

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to some of the perplexing problems that arise when faith is viewed against a background of infinite space. Belief in creation, for example, takes on a different character when the created world is pictured, not as a magnified three-story house, of -which this earth forms the central and most important floor, but in terms of the inconceivably vast universe disclosed by modern astronomy. It is not that belief in the creative act of God has been made more difficult -for creation is one hypothesis favored by some contemporary astronomers to account for the origin of the universe-but the discovery of the immensity of the universe has made it increasingly difficult to attach decisive significance to a planet which is only a minute speck surrounded by countless myriads of others

The problem of man's significance in a universe which dwarfs him was already present to the mind of the Psalmist: "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" (Ps. 8:3f.) Pascal also was deeply exercised by the disproportion, as he called it, between man and his cosmic environment: "The whole visible world is but an imperceptible speck in the ample bosom of nature. No idea approaches it. We may swell our conceptions beyond all imaginable space, yet bring forth only atoms in comparison with the reality of things. It is an infinite sphere, the center of which is everywhere, the circumference nowhere.... What is a man in the infinite?" And in one of his most haunting sentences he declared, "The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me." Pascal consoled himself with the reflection that, though man cuts only a puny figure against the backdrop of the universe, he has one asset which makes him nobler than the universe-he is endowed with the power of thought; he knows the universe, and the universe does not know him, "Man is but a reed, the feeblest in nature, but he is a thinking reed." But even this reflection may seem less consoling in face of the facts as they are now known; for the mind itself reels before the immensities which have been brought to light by modern astronomy, and the disproportion between man and the universe has been magnified to an awesome degree. When we consider that this earth on which we live is one of about ten billion stars which form the Milky Way, and that the Milky Way is only one among innumerable galaxies which lie millions of light-years distant, is it not presump-

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tuous to suppose that this is the stage on which the decisive drama of creation takes place?

Perhaps it is only one stage. The possibility that life may exist in other parts of the universe, which has long intrigued the human imagination, has obviously been enhanced, and it adds new dimensions to the problem of the "absoluteness" or "finality" of Christ. Professor Norman Pittenger discusses the question in his recent book on Christology (The Word Incarnate, Harper, 1959). He expresses the belief that "If there are 'people' in other worlds, God is in some fashion appropriate to such circumstances in relationship with them." He recalls the lines of Mrs. Hamilton King:

"God may have other Words for other worlds, But for this world the Word of God is Christ."

And he continues: "We must believe as Christians that what God reveals in Christ is 'of a piece -with,' of one substance with' what he is doing everywhere else. The love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord is the very love which 'moves the sun and the other stars.' The Eternal Word who dwelt in true man in Jesus is the Word 'by whom all things were made,' 'who is the light that lighteneth every man'-whether that 'man' be on this earth or somewhere else in the creation" (p. 251). Professor Pittenger concedes that speculation on these matters is idle at present. Perhaps it is likely to remain so; for so far as the exploration of the universe is concerned, it is evident that even under the most favorable conditions the space-traveler cannot do more than paddle in the rim of the vast ocean that surrounds us; even if lie could travel with the speed of light, it would take him two million years to reach the nebula in Andromeda. It seems a little premature to speak of "the conquest of space."

No doubt recent achievements mark real triumphs of human ingenuity, but it is open to question whether they are likely to contribute to the improvement of the human condition. What shall it profit a man if he conquer space and lose spaciousness?

CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS

A practical proposal for improving relations between Catholics and Protestants has been advanced by Professor Oscar Cullmann, the dis-

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tinguished New Testament scholar. Originally presented as a lecture at Zurich, Rome and Paris in 1957, it has now been published in a small book by the Wm. B. Eerdmans Company under the title, A Message to Catholics and Protestants. Professor Cullmann's proposal is a very modest one. He does not claim that it will do anything to resolve the dogmatic differences which separate Catholics and Protestants and to promote their ultimate reunification in one church. On the contrary, he is emphatic that, since Catholics and Protestants are divided over basic issues concerning the very nature of the church, reconciliation between them is, humanly, impossible; they could only be united if, as he puts it, Catholics stopped being Catholics or Protestants stopped being Protestants. Further discussion of these issues would seem, therefore, to be futile, but this is not Cullmann's conclusion. He thinks it can and ought to be pursued in frank recognition of the facts of the situation.

However, his proposal has not to do directly with theological discussions between Catholics and Protestants, but rather with improving the atmosphere in which such discussions may take place. Cullmann seeks to divert our attention from our division as Churches and direct it toward our solidarity as Christians or as brothers in Christ. Noting that the Pope no longer describes Protestants as -heretics" but as "separated brethren," lie pleads that we take our brotherhood seriously-more seriously than our separation-and that we give practical expression to it by mutual offerings for the poor and needy on either side. He finds a Biblical precedent for his proposal in the offerings which were made in various parts of the Gentile church for poor members of the Jewish church at Jerusalem (Rom. 15:26, 2 Cor. 8-9, Gal. 2:1-10). He explains that these offerings had an ecumenical character, for they were to bind together the Jewish and Gentile missions; and though lie recognises that the relation between Catholics and Protestants in the modern world is different from that between Jews and Gentiles in the New Testament, he suggests that similar offerings, made on a reciprocal basis, might fulfill an analogous function and serve as symbols, not indeed of unity, which does not exist, but of "brotherhood among all who invoke the name of Christ." Cullmann further suggests that an appropriate time for such offerings would be the week of prayer for unity which is observed annually in January in both parts of divided Christendom.

Cullmann's proposal has had a mixed reception on both sides.

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Some have welcomed it warmly and put it into effect. Others have voiced the obvious criticisms, and with these Cullmann deals patiently at the end of his lecture. He makes no exaggerated claims for his proposal. But if it is true, as he says, that Catholic and Protestant theologians and Biblical scholars can meet and discuss questions of common interest calmly and without polemics, this indicates that a certain degree of brotherhood already exists among the "separated brethren," and if this new proposal can do something, however slight, to increase that brotherhood, it ought not to be lightly dismissed.

Since Cullmann's proposal was made, tangible proof of the possibility of cooperation between Catholic and Protestant theologians has been furnished by the recent publication in Germany of a large volume of essays entitled Begegnung der Christen ("Meeting of Christians"). This volume, which is published jointly by a Catholic and a Protestant firm, is edited Jointly by Professor Cullmann and a scholar from the famous Benedictine Abbey of Einsiedeln, and in it sixteen theologians from each side have contributed parallel essays on the themes which stand at the center of the division between them, such as the unity of the Church, Bible and tradition, justification, the primacy of Peter, and the Virgin Mary. The essays are of high quality and they are written in a spirit which is far from the polemics of former days. It is hoped that a fuller notice of the book may appear in THEOLOGY TODAY in due course.

SCIENCE AND RELIGION

It is commonly taken for granted in religious circles that the warfare between science and religion, which has raged so fiercely in the past, has now been ended, if not with a peace-treaty, at least with an armistice. This view is not shared by all scientists, if we may judge by the speech delivered by Sir Julian Huxley at the Darwin Centennial celebration at the University of Chicago last November. The publication of The Origin of Species in 1859 was the occasion for one of the bitterest phases of the war, in which Sir Julian's grandfather, Thomas H. Huxley, took a leading part-he played Aaron to Darwin's Moses. But no doubt it was more than filial piety that prompted the grandson to use the occasion of the Centennial (with

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questionable propriety, some thought) to predict the eventual "disappearance of religions" before the onward march of science.

Instead of yielding to the temptation to console themselves with the reflection that such predictions have been heard before, theologians would be wiser to ponder the lamentable failure of communication, which Huxley's speech reveals. For if they have succeeded in persuading themselves that science and religion have come (or can come) to terms with each other, they have evidently failed to communicate the fact to him; and if they have failed with a scientist of his eminence (assuming, of course, that he is not actuated by an antecedent prejudice against religion), can they assume that they have been more successful with the average intelligent person who is impressed with the achievements of modern science?

It would be interesting to inquire how many Christian believers have adjusted their understanding of the faith to the scientific theory of evolution. Some of them, it may be suspected, keep their religion and their science in separate mental compartments. Langdon Gilkey, who has written a notable book on the doctrine of creation, stated in a recent article that no one can believe in the literal truth of Genesis and at the same time employ scientifically trained geologists to locate oil But some do. Some may even use the profits obtained from Such oil to subsidize journals that maintain the literal truth of Genesis.

Genesis v. geology, however, is no longer the burning issue. This phase of the debate reached its reductio ad absurdum in Tennessee in 1925. The question today is whether the evolutionary account of man's origins is compatible with the doctrine that man is created by God in his own image. To this question two kinds of answers are offered in contemporary thought. According to one, evolution may be regarded as the method of creation. Indeed, some philosophers of science have felt that it is impossible to account for the emergence of new levels in the evolutionary process without invoking some creative factor, though whether this is to be construed as a nisus or thrust, immanent in the process, or ascribed to the direction of a transcendent, divine purpose, is a question on which they differ. Among those who have experimented with this line of thought arc such names as Bergson, Alexander, Whitehead, Lloyd Morgan, and, more recently, the French Jesuit scholar, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, whose posthumous book, The Phenomenon of Man, indicates that the problem

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is also being taken seriously in Roman Catholicism. The second approach to the problem concerns the interpretation of the doctrine of creation itself. The doctrine has commonly been taken to be an account of man's origins, and, of course, the location of the creation narratives at the beginning of Genesis appears to lend support to this view, but some theologians have raised the question whether this does not shift the accent from the center to the periphery. Nearly half a century before Darwin, Schleiermacher suggested that the religious meaning of the doctrine of creation was to be found in the expression it gave to man's continuing dependence on God rather than in the account it offered of how lie was brought into being. And in our own time Tillich says that creation expresses a relation rather than an event. But some may feel that the whole problem needs further study before they can accept the position that theology has no interest in the question of origins.

The absence of polemics between scientists and theologians is certainly to be welcomed, but it would be unfortunate if it led to neglect of the problems which lie in the area where their interests converge.