Reformed Preaching In A Scientific Age

Rev. A. Barkley BA. Trowel & Sword, April/May 1955 (Part 1)

Preamble: April 25 (Anzac Day), 1955 saw the official opening of the Reformed Theological College in Melbourne where both newly installed lecturers, Rev. J.A. Schep and Rev. A Barkley gave their inaugural addresses. Prof. Barkley’s subject was, “Reformed Preaching in a Scientific Age,” which was printed in T&S over two editions. Few people at that time could have imagined the speed of advancement or the extent of scientific discoveries in the years that were to follow. However the role of the preacher remains unchanged so Prof. Barkley’s words of wisdom are just as relevant today as they were back then, even though science in the twenty-first century has to some extent become indistinguishable from what we might call pseudoscience. We strongly recommend you read through the whole article. His concluding remarks, including a quote from General Omar N. Bradley of the United States Army, contain some powerful messages which we would do well to heed.

Reformed Preaching In A Scientific Age

It has been claimed by men of science that we have entered upon a new era in the history of the human race – the Atomic Age, they call it. The discovery of the atomic bomb has in some measure thrown the word in confusion and fear seems to overshadow the nations. A new world of power has been exposed to exploitation by the genius of man. The study of science has captivated the imagination of students throughout the civilised world and terminology, once confined to the precincts of the laboratory, is now on the lips of the children. In the press we are daily confronted with the expressions “atomic energy”, “nuclear physics” and “radio activity” etc.

The greatest and most important single factor in the creation of the civilisation of the present hour has been the development and application of what is commonly called “the scientific method”. This method consists of four steps in the process of establishing a theory. 1. There is observation to discover the facts. 2. Generalisation, ie. an effort to combine in one statement characteristics common to the objects under observation. 3. Formulating an hypothesis, which is an attempt to find a principle underlying them all. 4. Testing this hypothesis by seeing how it works in some unexplored direction. As a scientist writing in “The Christian Graduate” states, “Not only does modern science start with facts; it repeatedly turns to them to test its hypothesis. It reasons upwards from its primary facts inductively, and then downwards to a set of consequences deductively”.

That some wonderful results have been achieved by this method, no one would dare to contradict. In the realm of medicine alone we have an abundance of evidence of the benefits brought to sufferers through the discoveries of the past twenty years. Dread diseases can no longer claim their victims unchallenged, and research work still goes on in the war against bacteria. The effect of the results of this scientific method upon the minds of men and women has been both subtle and extensive. A.S. Nash in his book “The University and the Modern World” draws attention to the exalted place held by science when he writes “In the whole domain of knowledge the predominant mode of thinking has been so deliberately modelled on the natural sciences that it is not an exaggeration to say that the scientist in the modern world receives a veneration, which for human credulity can only be compared with the superstitious regard which the medieval peasant paid to his priest”.

In the realm of education the god of science holds the place of pre-eminence, and the influence of the scientific method extends throughout the plans for training the rising generation. Some thoughtful people are becoming concerned as they see the possibilities. When they read about the devastating powers of a hydrogen bomb and listen to the words of warning from the lips of prominent scientists, they begin to wonder if science has not produced a monster that threatens to destroy us. Even Albert Einstein trembled as he thought of the possibilities of the destructive power of atomic energy and he was forced to the conclusion that science was no guide. He writes, “Objective knowledge provides us with powerful instruments for the achievement of certain ends, but the ultimate goal itself and the longing to reach it must come from another source”.

The question which we must now consider is, Has the Reformed preacher a message for such an age as this? Can he take his place as one of the marching army prepared to accept the challenge of the so called scientific method, or is he to take his place in a funeral procession in the midst of which there is a coffin with the remains of Calvin and loud cries of mourning, lamentation and woe? I am persuaded that he should be in the forefront of the battle for he has a message for this age that is vital. A message that no other preacher has got, however popular and cultured he may be.

Reformed Preaching In A Scientific Age

Rev. A. Barkley BA. Trowel & Sword, June/July 1955 (Part 2)

The Reformed preacher must declare in face of all the claims made by modern science that there is the Revelation of a Sovereign God, particularly in His Word. If the scientist says, “How do you know there is a God,” wen can answer by asking, “How do you know there is not?” There is no time to waste on an idle discussion about the existence of God. The Reformed Teacher must have his convictions and like the prophets of old be prepared to speak with the authority of, “Thus saith the Lord.” His authority, therefore, cannot be found in human powers or in the advance of science. In an article which appeared in the Free University Quarterly some years ago, Prof. Waterink ably defends the necessity for true scholarship to begin with Divine Revelation. He states, “The Christian life-view faces the questions of life in a different way. It sees the problems, recognises them, has a deep respect for them. It has respect for any and all efforts which are made to solve these problems. But it has itself received, not found, not won by conquest, but “obtained” as grace the solution of many of the questions by reason of the fact that it sees the truth not only as a problem in time, but also as the revelation from Eternity. It sees Eternity behind time and out of this Eternity God has spoken and allows His light to shine, even over the mysteries and riddles of life.”

In the name of scholarship the Bible has been attacked and much attention has been diverted to the defence of the Authority and inspiration of Scripture against these attacks. The Reformed preacher must not concede anything to the critics otherwise he will lose the power of the Spirit. There is no need to fear the consequences as far as any attack upon the Word of God is concerned. The Bible has withstood the efforts of man to destroy it for centuries and yet today it is printed in more languages than ever.

The Reformers took their stand on the authority of the Scriptures and that is why attention is drawn to the inspiration of the Scriptures at the beginning of the confessional statements. The great preachers in Reformed circles confronted their hearers with the fact of God and His revelation. Calvin was the Biblical theologian of his age. To quote Dr. Loraine Boettner, “Where the Bible led there he went; where it failed him, there he stopped short. This refusal to go beyond what is written, coupled with a ready acceptance of what the Bible did teach, gave an air of finality and positiveness to his declarations which made them offensive to his critics”. It is not always possible for the preacher to be an authority on one branch of science nor is it necessary, but he should speak with far greater authority because he takes his stand upon what Gladstone described as “the impregnable rock of Holy Scripture”. To strike such a note of certainty in an age of fear and distress is the prerogative of every ordained minister who is espoused to the Reformed faith.

The Reformed preacher has an important task in this age of science because he has a creed. The scientist presents his conclusions as they have been derived from his research. There are certain things he has come to accept and he is guided in his thinking by what have come to be regarded as facts. His work is systematic otherwise he has no hope of arriving at worthwhile results. Those responsible for the drawing up of the Reformed confessions were scientists of the first order. They were theologians and theology is the science of the Sciences. Calvin wrote his institutes not merely for the sake of producing a theological treatise, but rather to provide a means whereby the truth God had revealed might be presented in systematic fashion. The confessions such as the Belgic Confession and the Westminster Confession of Faith present a systematic summary of the main doctrines of the Scriptures. The preacher who knows his confession has a guide that will enable him to present the teaching of the Bible in logical fashion.

The plea that there should be no creed but the Bible has been in some measure responsible for the increasing number of sects that have arisen in the past fifty years. It is a dangerous assertion, for while we in Reformed circles acknowledge the infallible authority of Scripture, we want to know what is taught in the Bible. When we quote from the Catechism or Confession we are presenting what we accept as a true statement of Scriptural teaching. What valid objection can be raised against a clear presentation of the vital doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the Word of God? How can we persuade men, if there is confusion in the effort to set forth what God has revealed in His Word? No one would dare substitute a confessional statement for the Bible, but it serves a useful purpose in enabling members of the church to speak with one voice as to the teaching of the Bible.

Someone might raise a further objection and say that instead of preaching a creed we should preach Christ. The claim is made by some modern evangelists that they preach Christ and not a creed. But what does it mean to “preach Christ?” To find an answer it is helpful to turn to the preaching in the days of the apostles. They did not preach a theory of their own, neither did they concentrate on an argument with paganism. They did not indulge in the utterance of pleasing platitudes on brotherhood. The keynote of their preaching was, “that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.” Centuries later Luther made a similar declaration when he said, “To preach always Him, the true God and man. This may seem a limited and monotonous subject, likely to be soon exhausted, but we are never at the end of it.”

The Apostles spoke about the Divine plan of Redemption formulated in Eternity. They declared that there was a purpose in the coming of Christ into the world; they had a great deal to say about sin and the atonement for sin; they laid stress upon the fact that Christ died for others and rose again from the dead. In Apostolic days they preached predestination, election, total depravity, regeneration, repentance, justification, adoption, sanctification, judgement, heaven and hell. All this was involved in preaching Christ. All these doctrines are set forth in the Reformed confessions. To preach Christ you must preach a creed otherwise you cannot expect intelligent belief. When Jesus spoke to Martha before the resurrection of Lazarus, He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in Me though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” Then follows the question, “Believeth thou this?” Christ revealed himself to Martha and there was demanded of her acceptance of what constituted a creed.

It is remarkable that so many Arminian and Modernist preachers denounce the necessity of a creed in days such as these. The Marxist disciple has got his creed. He turns to the writings of Marx and Lenin and quotes the statements of his masters and is prepared to sacrifice on their behalf. Each false religious system has got its creed and the devotees have been prepared to defend it with the sword. Yet so-called evangelists and teachers say “no creed” and even despise those who dare to adhere to such.

If there is no creed one must ask, is there theology? Any such theology must in large measure be a theology of experience. In his introduction to Dr. Warfield’s monumental work entitled, “The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible” Dr. Cornelius van Til states, “It is only the followers of Calvin who have a theology that fully fits in with the idea of Scripture. Only a God who controls whatsoever comes to pass can offer to man His interpretation of the course of history in the form of an existential system. An evangelical, that is a virtually Arminian theology makes concessions to the principle that controls a “theology of experience”….. Such evangelicals have done and are doing excellent detail work in the defence of Scripture but they lack the theology that can give coherence to their effort.” Preaching that merely plays on the emotions is not sufficient for this age or any other.

General Omar N. Bradley of the United States Army uttered these solemn words a few years ago: “With the monstrous weapons man already has, humanity is in danger of being trapped in this world by its moral adolescents. Our knowledge of science has clearly outstripped our capacity to control it. We have too many men of science, too few men of God. Wo have grasped the mystery of the atom, and rejected the sermon on the mount. Man is stumbling blindly through a spiritual darkness while toying with the precarious secrets of life and death. Our world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we do about peace, more about killing that we do about living. This is our twentieth century’s claim to distinction and to progress.”

Never was there an age that presented such a challenge to those of Reformed persuasion. To every branch of the Reformed churches in the world surely comes the call, “Proclaim the glorious truth that there is a sovereign God who has revealed Himself. Carry out the command of Christ when He said, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Teach the doctrines of the Word of God, teach the Law of God. It will not make you popular, for many do not want to trouble about doctrines and the Law of God is despised. But surely the true and earnest preacher is not out to seek popularity. He must labour as one who will be answerable to God. Blessed is the one, who at the end of the journey can say with Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course. I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day.”

Rev. Alexander Barkley