Liberalism and Modernity
Liberalism and Modernity
By Edward P. Wimberly
March/April 1991
Liberalism has been understood as an effort of thoughtful Christian theology to embrace the values of the freedom of thought, tolerance, and humanitarianism. There has been an emphasis on expressing the diversity of thought and western democratic values within the life of the church. It seeks to make itself relevant to the scientific and rational understanding of life. While condemning the doctrine of total depravity, it has embraced a positive doctrine of human possibility and fulfillment. It has also emphasized the ethical demands of the Gospel, the infinite value of each human being, and the command for love. There has been the effort to emphasize social sin and salvation over personal sin and salvation. There has also been a rejection of the tendency toward individualism and personal piety or devotion in Christianity. There has been a concern to apply scientific and historical methods to the Bible in order to bring it in line with modern rationality.
There have been a host of problems identified with theological liberalism. It has been accused of leaching a shallow view of sin, which gives liberalism a naive optimism about history. Critics have also charged that liberals place too much hope in the progress of science to alleviate human suffering. They do this by reinterpreting traditional Christian beliefs, and ultimately all of life, in light of technological and scientific categories.
In recent years I have been on a pilgrimage to recover the evangelical dimension of my faith. I am trying to hold in tension some positive aspects of liberalism with my evangelical background. I am convinced that our inhumanity towards each other is so basic to our human condition that we dare not abandon the personal dimension of sin and salvation. I also believe that the liberal emphasis on social responsibility, respect for the dignity of each person, and the command of love need to be central to our faith as Christians. I believe the way in which the mind of the early church worked is not that far removed from how our minds work today. We need to see clearer how biblical faith can inform us, particularly in light of the new attitude of science.
Edward P. Wimberly is associate professor at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois.