THE Christian Answer is the fruit of corporate writing on the part of five members of The Theological Discussion Group which has met twice a year for the last decade, "to consider issues of common concern in the interpretation of Christian faith for our day" (p. vii).
The first chapter contains an analysis of the world situation today by Paul Tillich. Tillich divides modern history into three phases. There was first the period of bourgeois revolutions. This period was marked by "belief in reason," that is, revolutionary reason (p. 2). "It was the belief that the liberation of reason in every person would lead to the realization of a universal humanity and to a system of harmony between individuals and society" (p. 3). The second phase of modern history was that of the "victorious bourgeoisie." This period was marked by the control of “technical reason." "The decisive feature" of this period was "the loss of control by human reason over man's historical existence" (p. 5)' Today we are in the third phase of modern history. The foundations of bourgeois society have now been destroyed. The release of reason from authority has not produced the expected harmony between individual and general interests (p. 6). Planned reason is now employed to control the Frankenstein monster produced by technical reason. But while controlling this monster, planned reason also irritates it into destructive action (p. 7)' Giving up hope for rational harmony, men allow such forces as "passion," "libido" and others to have free play (p. 12). They surrender themselves, with fanaticism, "to irrational and unconditioned purposes” (ibid.). All objectivity disappears. In art men tum to surrealism (p. 30), in philosophy to existential truth. "Thus, in the third period of modern society, technical reason is employed to execute the commands of an existential decision above which there is no rational' criterion" (pp. 32f.).
It would seem that, after painting such a dark picture, Tillich might be ready to listen to the voice of a truly transcendent God. Not so, however. He gives fair warning, as it were, to his collaborators who are to formulate the answer to the hopeless situation he has portrayed that they must by no means turn to anything higher than that which reason, which is a law unto itself, can produce. "The answers themselves must acknowledge and accept the positive contributions of the modern period. Here the principal point is the elevation of reason as the principle of truth above all forms of authoritarianism and obscurantism” (p. 44). Moreover Tillich asserts that "man is fully rational only on the foundation of, and in interdependence with, non-rational factors” (p. 11).
The Christian Answer must give full sway to reason, and when it does it will appear that "the achievements of man, as though by a logic of tragedy, turn against man himself" (p. 44). And this must always be true. The only answer that is acceptable is an answer that itself automatically turns into a question mark.
The other authors of the book are not slow to oblige. They are at pains not to offend reason by the idea of “‘asserted authority’” (p. 74). “The Bible is not itself the revelation but the record of the revelation" of God to man (p. 98).
The real authority of Scripture is that of "luminous and compelling insight” (p. 79). The God presented by this insight is, of course, to be called transcendent but He is transcendent only in a Pickwickian sense. He is eternal only as the permanent factor in time. He is immutable only as the principle of continuity in the universe (p. 106). God's perfection is nothing that He is in Himself apart from the world, but consists in the “communication of His being and goodness to that which is other than Himself” (p. 103). Hence, too, the idea of the creation of the world and of man must not be taken as an historical event but as a "sublime and inspired philosophical myth" (p. 107; see also pp. 137, 141). God comes to expression in the "rich diversity of the world." It is of the essence of the trinity to teach us this. The true view of man is that he "occupies a middle position on the scale of being" (p, 109). This amounts to saying that in his lower aspect he participates in the world of those irrational forces of which Tillich spoke and in his spiritual aspect he participates in that aspect of Reality that men call God. Man cannot help being sinful inasmuch as he is man.
The Christ of The Christian Answer is also carefully patterned after the demands of the planned reason of the modernist discussion group. His divine nature is, of course, identified with a dynamic principle in the universe (p. 116). There is some evidence, we are told, to indicate that the resurrection appearances of Christ "were spiritual rather than physical in character" (p. 119). The atonement that He wrought was not that of a "blood sacrifice" but that of a "'demonstration of His righteousness’" (p. 122). In Christ men have, as it were, a concrete manifestation of what they mean by God as the principle of Reason in the universe. He therefore binds men, all men, together in unity. Aubrey speaks of the "Christian principle of universalism” (p, 147). All men are the children of God (p. 84). "To believe in the God of Christianity is to believe that all men are indeed brothers" (p. 83). God forgives all men even while He requires them to be perfect. He seems to think that in this way He can get men to do their best. Presumably in this way He expects them to join the universal church which is said to be the continuation of the incarnation of Christ.
It is plain, of course, that the "narrow fundamentalists" are not expected to apply for membership in this new church. Such as believe in a really transcendent God and in historic Christianity are throughout portrayed as the only really hopeless people in the world. They have darkened counsel by dogmatism and literalism. They have refused to trim their God and their Christ to the pattern shown them by autonomous reason. Yet if anything is also plain from The Christian Answer, it is that its answer is no answer. It offers no God and no Christ in terms of which an answer might be given to the problem presented. Tillich insists that the leprosy of the human race is incurable; the other writers have portrayed a Christ who, in order to touch and heal the leper, must Himself be a leper. And this is not only the Christ of Henry P. Van Dusen, the editor of the volume, but also of John A. Mackay, president of Princeton Seminary, a member of the Discussion Group which the volume represents (p. ix).