The Critics Speak | thebereancall.org

TBC Staff

There are signs of the existence of a mortal fear among some of the younger students of theology that in the rapid progress of scientific criticism they may be left behind. They have heard about Galileo and Copernicus, the decrees and anathemas of councils, bulls against comets, and similar instances of "religious" bigotry, until--forgetting that these were simply instances of old science disputing the claims of new science, a phenomenon which occurs continually--they have determined that nobody shall get the start of them in the race of modern scientific investigation. Hence, whatever assertions or demands a scientist or a critic may make, they hasten to accept his statements and obey his behests. But this plan of unconditional surrender may be carried too far; and when men believe everything that scientific men have guessed at, and admit and indorse the vagaries of scientific visionaries, before even their inventors and authors are satisfied of their truth, they remind one of the mythical 'coon which Davy Crockett treed, and which, on learning who the hunter was, said: "Colonel, you need not fire, I will come down." It is not best for men to part with their common sense, or lose their balance for fear of being laughed at a thousand years hence. It is safe to hasten slowly. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken, but some things that can not be shaken will remain; and it is possible that there will be, after all the whirlwinds of criticism, some things which can not be shaken; and the only way to find out what they are is to wait and investigate, and see.

A story is told of a lunatic who, finding his way into a crowded church and grasping one of the pillars supporting the gallery, said: "I am going to pull the house down!" Timid women screamed and shouted, but an old minister calmed the tumult by calling out: "Let him try! let him try!" So there are men who are perfectly willing to have the critics try their hands at the Bible, and will abide the results. If they can grind it to powder, let them do so; if they grind themselves to powder, it will only be another instance of the rat gnawing the file (Hastings, "The Wonderful Law,", 1895, pp. 14, 15).