This lecture covers the two main types of criticisms leveled against Christianity during the Enlightenment period: biblical and philosophical. In addition you’ll see how some Christians dug their heals in and worked hard to defend their faith while others gave ground but reinterpreted Christianity in a way that would not only survive the criticisms but also attract “cultured despisers.” We’ll conclude with a brief sketch of unitarianism in America.
This is lecture 13 of a history of Christianity class called Five Hundred: From Martin Luther to Joel Osteen.
All the notes are available here as a pdf.
—— Notes ——
Early Views of Biblical Inspiration
“The Holy Spirit did not simply inspire the meaning or sense of the words contained in Scripture, which the prophets and apostles then set forth, expressed, and embellished with their own words by their own will. The Holy Spirit supplied, inspired, and dictated the very words and each and every utterance to the writers.” –Johann Quenstedt (1623-1687)[1]
“The Hebrew Original of the Old Testament…is, not only in its consonants, but in its vowels—ether the vowel points themselves, or at least the power of the points—not only in its matter, but in its words, inspired of God” –Helvetic Consensus (1675)[2]
In the 18th c., we have Deism and Pietism.
In the 19th c., we have higher criticism and revivalism.
In the 20th c., we have secularism and Pentecostalism.
Enlightenment[3] (1650-1890)
- Not an organized movement but widespread current of thought
- Critical of superstition, enthusiasm, fanaticism, and supernaturalism
- Philosophy is no longer the handmaiden of theology but an independent field
- Though in France the Enlightenment was anti-Christian, it was embraced by Christians in other places like England and Germany
- Three phases (according to Alister McGrath)
- Demonstrating the rational nature of Christian belief (John Locke’s The Reasonableness of Christianity)
- Could derive Christian beliefs from reason alone
- Reason sits in judgment over revelation
- 1751 French Encyclopédie: multi-volumes covering all human knowledge and written by atheist Denis Diderot (1713-1784) and the Philosophes
Deism (17th-18th centuries)
- Revelation, ritual, and traditional practices minimized or written off as superstitious
- Clergy criticized for
- Keeping people in bondage
- Monopolizing truth using their authority
- Freedom to inquire and religious toleration
- Essence of religion is morality expressed in universal principles
- Idea that all religions contained the same basic moral precepts
- 1738: Pope Clement XII denounced Deism
- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
- Cut miracles out of the gospels[4]
- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Philosophical Criticisms of Christianity
- 1656 – Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) excommunicated from Talmud Torah congregation
- 1777 – Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion by David Hume (1711-1778)
- Only have knowledge of what we directly experience (empiricist)
- Cannot determine cause from effect (the world does not point to a creator)
- Miracles were made up, based on hearsay, or the result of ignora