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THEOLOGY AND THE SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS A STUDY OF THE RELATIONS OF THE SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS TO THEOLOGY BY HENRY CHURCHILL KING PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY IN OBERLIN COLLEGE SECOND EDITION HODDER & STOUGHTON NEW YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
Copyright, 1902 By THE MACMILLAN COMPANY Set up and electrotyped September, 1902 Reprinted February, 1904; July, 1907; August, 1910; April, 1912.
To the Members of the Harvard Summer School of Theology OF THE YEAR 1901 IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR INTEREST IN THE LECTURES THAT FORMED THE BASIS OF THIS BOOK
PREFACE
There is no attempt in this book to present a complete system of theology, though much of such a system is passed in review, but only to study a special phase of theological thinking. The precise theme of the book is the relations of the social consciousness to theology. This is the subject upon which the writer was asked to lecture at the Harvard Summer School of Theology of 1901; and the book has grown out of the lectures there given. In preparing the book for the press, however, the lecture form has been entirely abandoned, and considerable material added.
The importance of the theme seems to justify a somewhat thorough-going treatment. If one believes at all in the presence of God in history—and the Christian can have no doubt here—he must be profoundly interested in such a phenomenon as the steady growth of the social consciousness. Hardly any inner characteristic of our time has a stronger historical justification than that consciousness; and it has carried the reason and conscience of the men of this generation in rare degree. Having its own comparatively independent development, and yet making an ethical demand that is thoroughly Christian, it furnishes an almost ideal standpoint from which to review our theological statements, and, at the same time, a valuable test of their really Christian quality.
In attempting, then, a careful study of the relations of the social consciousness to theology, this book aims, first, definitely to get at the real meaning of the social consciousness as the theologian must view it, and so to bring clearly into mind the unconscious assumptions of the social consciousness itself; and then to trace out the influence of the social consciousness upon the conception of religion, and upon theological doctrine. The larger portion of the book is naturally given to the influence upon theological doctrine; and to make the discussion here as pointed as possible, the different elements of the social consciousness are considered separately.
It should be noted, however, that the question raised is not the historical one, How, as a matter of fact, has the social consciousness modified the conception of religion or the statement of theological doctrine? but the theoretical one, How should the social consciousness naturally affect religion and doctrine? In this sense, the result might be called, in President Hyde's phrase, a "social theology"; but, as I believe that the social consciousness is at bottom only a true sense of the fully personal, I prefer myself to think of the present book as only carrying out in more detail the contention of my Reconstruction in Theology—that theology should aim at a restatement of doctrine in strictly personal terms. So conceived, in spite of its casual origin, this book follows very naturally upon the previous book. Some of the same topics necessarily recur here; and references to the Reconstruction have been freely made, in order to avoid all unnecessary repetition.
That this social sense of the fully personal has finally a real and definite contribution to make to theology, I cannot doubt. I can only hope that the present discussion may be found at least suggestive, particularly in the analysis of the social consciousness, and in the treatment of mysticism and of the ethical in religion, as well as in the consideration of the special influence of the elements of the social consciousness upon the restatement of doctrine. Of the doctrinal applications, the application to the problem of redemption may be considered, perhaps, of most significance.
HENRY CHURCHILL KING. Oberlin College, June, 1902.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
page
The Theme1
THE REAL MEANING OF THE SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS FOR THEOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
The Point of View of the Theologian5
CHAPTER I
The Definition of the Social Consciousness9
The Sense of the Like-Mindedness of Men9
The Sense of the Mutual Influence of Men11 Contributing Lines of Thought11 The Threefold Form of the Conviction13
The Sense of the Value and Sacredness of the Person16
The Sense of Obligation18
The Sense of Love20
CHAPTER II
The Inadequacy of the Analogy of the Organism as an Expression of the Social Consciousness23
The Value of the Analogy23
The Inevitable Inadequacy of the Analogy24 It Comes from the Sub-personal World24 Access to Reality, Only Through Ourselves24 Mistaken Passion for Construing Everything25
The Analogy Tested by the Definition of the Social Consciousness27
CHAPTER III
The Necessity of the Facts of Which the Social Consciousness is the Reflection, If Ideal Interests are to be Supreme29
The Question29
Otherwise, No Moral World at all30 The Prerequisites of a Moral World30 (1) A Sphere of Law30 (2) Ethical Freedom30 (3) Some Power of Accomplishment31 (4) Members One of Another32 The Ideal World Requires, thus, the Facts of the Social Consciousness32
CHAPTER IV
The Ultimate Explanation and Ground of the Social Consciousness35
How can it be, Metaphysically, that we do Influence One Another? 35 Not Due to the Physical Fact of Race-Connection36 We are not to Over-Emphasize the Principle of Heredity37 Not Due to a Mystical Solidarity39 Grounded in the Immanence of God40
What is Required for the Final Positive Justification of the Social Consciousness, as Ethical?44 Must be Grounded in the Supporting Will of God44 God's Sharing in our Life48 The Consequent Transfiguration of the Social Consciousness49
THE INFLUENCE OF THE SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS UPON THE CONCEPTION OF RELIGION
Introduction53
CHAPTER V
The Opposition of the Social Consciousness to the Falsely Mystical55
What is the Falsely Mystical?55 Nash's Definition55 Herrmann's Definition56
The Objections of the Social Consciousness to the Falsely Mystical57 Unethical58 Does not Give a Really Personal God58 Belittles the Personal in Man59 Leaves the Historically, Concretely Christian62
CHAPTER VI
The Emphasis of the Social Consciousness Upon the Personal Relation in Religion, and so Upon the Truly Mystical66
The Social Consciousness Tends Positively to Emphasize the Personal Relation in Religion66 Emphasizes Everywhere the Personal66 Requires the Laws of a Deepening Friendship in Religion67 Requires the Ideal Conditions of the Richest Life in Religion68
The Social Consciousness thus Keeps the Truly Mystical70 The Justifiable and Unjustifiable Elements in Mysticism71 (1) Emotion, the Test71 (2) Subjective Tendency72 (3) Underestimating the Historical72 (4) Tendency toward Vagueness73 (5) Tendency toward Pantheism73 (6) Tendency to Extravagant Symbolism76 The Protest in Favor of the Whole Man78 The Self-Controlled Recognition of Emotion82
CHAPTER VII
The Thorough Ethicizing of Religion86
The Pressure of the Problem86
The Statement of the Problem87
The Answer89 Involved in Relation to Christ89 The Divine Will Felt in the Ethical Command90 Involved in the Nature of God's Gifts91 Communion with God, Through Harmony with His Ethical Will92 The Vision of God for the Pure in Heart92 Sharing the Life of God93 Christ, as Satisfying Our Highest Claims on Life94 The Vision of the Riches of the Life of Christ, Ethically Conditioned96 The Moral Law, as a Revelation of the Love of God98
CHAPTER VIII
The Emphasis of the Social Consciousness Upon the Historically Christian102
The Social Consciousness Needs Historical Justification102
Christianity's Response to this Need103
THE INFLUENCE OF THE SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS UPON THEOLOGICAL DOCTRINE
CHAPTER IX
General Results105
The Conception of Theology in Personal Terms106
The Fatherhood of God, as the Determining Principle in Theology109
Christ's Own Social Emphases111
The Reflection in Theology of the Changes in the Conception of Religion113
CHAPTER X
The Influence of the Deepening Sense of the Like-Mindedness of Men Upon Theology115
No Prime Favorites with God116
The Great Universal Qualities and Interests, the Most Valuable117
Essential Likeness Under very Diverse Forms121
As Applied to the Question of Immortality124
Consequent Larger Sympathy with Men, Faith in Men, and Hope for Men127
Judgment According to Light, and the Moral Reality of the Future Life132
CHAPTER XI
The Influence of the Deepening Sense of the Mutual Influence of Men Upon Theology136
The Real Unity of the Race136
Deepening the Sense of Sin139
Mutual Influence for Good in the Attainment of Character145 Application to the Problem of Redemption147 The Consequent Ethical and Spiritual Meaning of Substitution and Propitiation150
Mutual Influence for Good in our Personal Relation to God160 In Coming into the Kingdom160 In Fellowship within the Kingdom162 In Intercessory Prayer164
Mutual Influence for Good in Confessions of Faith167 Complete Uniformity of Belief and Statement Impossible169 Complete Uniformity of Belief and Statement Undesirable171
The Consequent Importance of the Doctrine of the Church177
CHAPTER XII
The Influence of the Deepening Sense of the Value and Sacredness of the Person Upon Theology179
The Recognition of the Personal in Man180 Man's Personal Separateness from God180 Emphasis upon Man's Moral Initiative181 Man, a Child of God183
The Recognition of the Personal in Christ184 Christ, a Personal Revelation of God184 Emphasizing the Moral and Spiritual in Asserting the Supremacy of Christ185 The Moral and Spiritual Grounds of the Supremacy of Christ188 (1) The Greatest in the Greatest Sphere188 (2) The Sinless and Impenitent One192 (3) Consciously Rises to the Highest Ideal194 (4) Realizes the Character of God195 (5) Consciously Able to Redeem All Men196 (6) Complete Normality under this Transcendent God-Consciousness and Sense of Mission197 (7) The Only Person Who can call out Absolute Trust198 (8) The One, in Whom God Certainly Finds Us199 (9) The Ideal Realized200 Christ's Double Uniqueness201 The Increasing Sense of Our Kinship with Christ, and of His Reality205
The Recognition of the Personal in God.207 The Steady Carrying Through of the Completely Personal in the Conception of God. Guarding the Conception208 God is Always the Completely Personal God212 (1) Consequent Relation of God to "Eternal Truths"212 (2) Eternal Creation214 (3) The Unity and Unchangeableness of God216 (4) The Limitations of the Conception of Immanence217 Deepening the Thought of the Fatherhood of God218 (1) History, no Mere Natural Process218 (2) God, the Great Servant219 (3) No Divine Arbitrariness220 (4) The Passibility of God221 As to the Doctrine of a Social Trinity222 Preëminent Reverence for Personality, Characterizing all God's Relations with Men226 (1) Reflected in Christ226 (2) In Creation230 (3) In Providence232 (4) In Our Personal Religious Life233 (5) In the Judgment237 (6) In the Future Life240