The Implications of 20th Century Liberalism on Modern-Day Evangelicalism

By Nate Kreider

In the war against liberalism that Machen is waging, he arrives at the topic of doctrine, and the objection thereof by the liberal theologians. In his rebuttal, Machen pushes back against the idea that “teachings are unimportant” (quote from 16). The main thrust of this ideology, and the main phrase which he deals with though, is the phrase “Christianity is a life, not a doctrine”. Now if you are at all familiar with modern-day Christian lingo, you might know this term by such things as “Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship’’, or people might say “I don’t (want to) know theology, but I just want to know Jesus”. While the idea of what these phrases are perpetuating might be true, it is not a holistic truth. 

The definition of theology, according to dictionary.com, is “the field of study and analysis that treats of God and of God's attributes and relations to the universe”. In essence, it is to know God; who He is, and how He relates to His creation. Now first and foremost, to those who say they just want to know Jesus, you either don’t believe He is God, or you are already studying theology and you might just not know it. Most of the time, hopefully, it is the latter. I say this because if you believe He is God, and you are attempting to know Him more, you are in fact practicing theology. It is impossible to be a Christian and not study theology, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. The main thrust of our faith, might I say our religion, is to know God, and to be in the right relation with him through Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ is our means by which we might know God, then to know Him is already to be in the practice of Christian Theology. 

Colossians 3:10 says: “...and have put on the new self, which is being renewed towards knowledge according to the image of the one who created it”. This verse tells us that not only at salvation are we now a new man, but we are also being renewed with the end goal of restored knowledge in accordance with the image of the one who created us. The end goals of our being saved are a renewed soul, and a sanctified knowledge of God. A quick Greek note: The verb ἀνακαινούμενον is in the passive form, meaning that this action is being done to us. A conclusion from this is that not only are we saved to be theologians, but Christ is actually the one who carries us through this process of coming to know God more fully. Christ empowers our theological study, whether we like it or not. 

    Liberal theology has certainly crept into the modern day evangelical church. Its ideologies run rampant, and its anti-intellectualism has crippled the church. Not every believer has to be a scholar, or a systematics, or a Ph.D., but all believers are called to be greater, more fearful knowers and worshipers of their creator — theologians.