认识现代神学_35_新福音主义:其失败(续)
主讲:林慈信牧师_校对:刘加立弟兄_英文:XSS姐妹_中文:姣姐妹
Contemporary World Theology,session 35.认识现代神学第35讲。我们继续讲新福音派,他们的失败。上一讲最后我们讲到,事实上这个新福音派主义开始的时候,也就是说在1940年代、50年代,他们很多的领袖们都是受到经典的加尔文主义所影响的。好,我们现在来举一些的例子。
Bernard Ramm,兰姆,中文有他的《基督教释经学》这本书,though a Baptist,was deeply influenced by the writings of Abraham Kuyper. 虽然是浸信会人士,但是深深受到凯伯的著作所影响。Gordon Clark,克拉克,who himself may no longer want to be completely identified with the movement,虽然大概他不会愿意认同新福音派运动,is a minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church,Evangelical Synod. 是改革宗长老会福音派总会的牧师。Carl F. H. Henry,卡尔·亨利,the movement’s loudest voice,就是新福音派运动的最大声的那一位,dedicated one of his earlier books to Gordon Clark,Cornelius Van Til,and Harry Jellema. 在他最早的著作之一里,他把这本书献给克拉克、范泰尔、Harry Jellema(杰莱玛)。
我先停一下,解释一下。这个兰姆后来在1980年,也就是说这本书写完之后的七年,就完全认同了新正统神学的。克拉克多年来与范泰尔辩战,但是他仍然是改革宗圈子里面的一位的护教学家,卡尔·亨利仍然一直坚持在经典的福音派的立场上。The neo-evangelical call for the penetration of the gospel into society,into education,into culture,is a call Calvinism has been making for many years. 新福音派人士呼吁基督教人士,要使福音渗透到社会、教育界、和文化界,这个是加尔文主义多年来呼吁的一些的事。The fear of neo-fundamentalist anti-intellectualism is a fear Calvinists have long drawn attention to. 他们惧怕新基要主义太过的反理性,这个是加尔文主义人士也是注意的一个,或者担心的一件事。
The neo-evangelical attack on neo-fundamentalism’s reduction of Christianity and religion to a separate compartment of life is an attack Calvinism has been making for some time. 新福音派人士批评新基要派把基督教和宗教约化为人生的一个个别的一个部门,这个是加尔文主义多年来批评的一件事。As we have noted in an earlier chapter,正如我们在本书上文指出,Machen,often identified with fundamentalism,never felt that that word alone was sufficient to describe fully his views. 梅钦往往是与基要主义认同的、等同的,但是他多年来认为基要主义这个词是不足够形容他全部的观点的。He much preferred the term “Calvinism.” 梅钦宁愿以“加尔文主义人士”自居。
Even today,the Calvinist finds himself in deep sympathy with much of the neo-evangelical emphasis,就算到了今天(是指这本书写作的出版的年日,是1973年),改革宗加尔文主义人士仍然很同情新福音派运动所强调的要点—the call for a Christian message that will not seek to solve all social problems by merely asserting that salvation alone is the answer,他们呼吁要传一种的信息,不会说所有的社会的问题只需要把救恩讲清楚就可以解决了; a search for Christian principles to apply to economics,sociology,and the natural sciences,加尔文主义也同情新福音派人士要追寻一些的基督教原则,应用在经济、社会学和自然科学上; a more constructive attitude toward science and philosophy,对科学和哲学采取一个比较积极性的态度; the encouragement of the scholarly defense of Christianity,鼓励用学术来为基督教辩护; a more tolerant attitude toward varying views of eschatology,对默示论的不同的观点采取比较容忍的态度,and a shift away from so-called dispensationalism,最后,从所谓时代论的立场有所转变; a condemnation of neo-fundamentalism’s “fissiparous tendencies”,指责新基要派的“好战的倾向”; the rightness of Christians seeking to make “a friendly approach to those whom they are seeking to reach for Christ.也愿意认同一种“比较友善的进路来接触我们传福音的对象”。”
At the same time,但是与此同时,there are problems which neo-evangelicalism has not solved,有些问题是新福音派的人士没有解决的,and there are “points on which it seems that the new evangelicalism is in danger of compromising the Christian religion.”在某一些的要点上,“新福音派运动似乎妥协了基督教的宗教,或者至少有这种的危机”。
那下面是五方面的弱点:
No. 1. 第一方面的弱点。 Leaders within the neo-evangelical orbit have called for a reopening of the evangelical debate on the authority and inspiration of Scripture. 新福音派圈子的人士,有些领袖呼吁要重新辩论福音派的圣经的默示和权威观。And,though any effort to study the Scriptures must be encouraged,虽然我们要鼓励任何对圣经的研究,the course of this new debate has not been altogether profitable. 但是这个的辩论的进路,不一定带来好处的。Some like Ramm and Carnell,有些的人士,例如Ramm和Carnell,C-a-r-n-e-l-l,deal extensively with the relation of science and Scripture,他们用很多的篇幅讨论科学与圣经之间的关系,and leave the impression that the Bible is to be interpreted in the light of science and not science in the light of the Bible. 给人的印象是,他们认为需要从科学的观点来解释圣经,而不是从圣经的观点来解释科学。
Others,like Klaas Runia,其他的人士,例如Runia,R-u-n-i-a,are now distinguishing between inspiration and authority,现在在圣经的默示和权威之间做出一种的区分,in pointed contrast to a position like that of B. B. Warfield,这个是很明显的与华尔菲特的立场不同的,while at the same time insisting apparently on a verbal inspiration that leaves the Bible free from all error. 作了这个区分之后,他们又坚持一种的所谓圣经话语上的默示,圣经是没有错误的。Still others,like Ralph Earle and Daniel P. Fuller,还有其他人士,例如Earle,E-a-r-l-e,还有Daniel Fuller,就是富勒神学院创办人的儿子,distinguish sharply between inspiration and inerrancy,在默示和无误之间做出鲜明的区分,seeming to affirm inspiration but deny inerrancy. 似乎相信圣经的默示,但是否认他的无误。
Lightner,for example,characterizes Fuller’s view of inspiration as that which “makes certain that we have an authoritative record of all that God wanted to make known. Lightner,达拉斯神学院的教授,他这样形容富勒,就是富勒神学院创办人的儿子的默示观,他说:富勒要确定我们有一本权威性的圣经,记录了上帝一切要向人启示的事情。But it was not God’s intention or purpose to secure inerrancy in peripheral matters. 但是上帝的心意并不是在一些边缘的事情上确保圣经的无误。
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‘Peripheral matters’ ,边缘的事情,include Scriptural data which have nothing to do with faith and life,就是与信仰和生活无关的圣经资料,such as minor historical details,例如比较次要的历史的细节,grammatical constructions and the like.还有文法上的字句的构造等等。” Carnell’s views on Scripture have been interpreted frequently as belonging to this latter category. Carnell的圣经观一般来说都是属于这一类的。Others may not speak with the strength that Carnell uses,其他的学者可能写书、讲话没有 Carnell那么的坚定,but nevertheless express some hesitancy to stress total or complete inerrancy. 但是他们仍然会不愿意强调圣经的完全的无误性。
No. 2 第二方面的弱点。 Leaders within the neo-evangelical circles have demanded consideration for the study of ecclesiology. 新福音派运动里面的一些的领袖们坚持教会必须重新的考虑教会论。In particular,they have called for a new look at the question of fellowship and separation. 他们特别呼吁要重新审视信徒的相通和教会的分别出来。When should a believer leave a church which condones liberal teaching? 当一间教会同情自由派的教导的时候,信徒应该在什么时候离开呢?Can a believer have fellowship across denominational lines? 一个信徒可以与其他的宗派的信徒有交通、团契吗?On what basis can he have fellowship? 他又根据怎么样的一个依据进行交通团契呢?What should be the Christian’s attitude toward the World Council of Churches? 那么基督徒对世界基督教教协(WCC)的态度又应该是什么呢?
These are not easy questions to solve,这些问题并不容易解决,and we must be grateful that neo-evangelicalism has drawn our attention to them. 是我们也必须感谢新福音派运动让我们注意这些问题。But we must also note that,但是我们也必须注意到,neo-evangelicalism has yet to provide a clear answer to them. 到目前为止,新福音派运动还没有提出一些清晰的答案。Especially in recent years it has,in fact,shown ever more willingness than before to collaborate with liberals on an “equal partners” type of theological dialogue. 特别近年来,新福音派人士越来越愿意以一种的“同等的伙伴”的这种的方法与自由派人士合作,进行神学的对话。
The danger here,as Profesor John Sanderson of Covenant College has indicated,正如圣约大学的John Sanderson(桑德森),教授指出,这里有一个危险,就是is that “of absorbing Liberalism’s attitudes,就是吸收自由派神学的态度的危险,at the cost of losing the sharp edge of evangelicalism’s basic beliefs.同时有危险失去福音派的清晰的基本的信仰的立场。” No opportunity presented for discussions with the neo-liberal can be seized if it involves,with it,a compromise of theological purity. 假如与新自由派人士对话会妥协掉信仰的纯正性的话,那么我们不可以抓住所有这些的机会的。It is sometimes not easy to keep this balance. 保持这种的平衡往往是不容易的。But it is a balance one can endanger without putting both feet on the wrong side of the line. 这个是一个的危机,我们如何的不完全的与自由派妥协呢。
No. 3 第三方面的弱点。 Neo-evangelicals have called for an investigation of the relation between science and Scripture. 新福音人士呼吁教会要重新的审视科学与政治之间的关系。But until now,the results have not been either uniform or always profitable. 但是到目前为止,这种的讨论的结果并不一致,甚至乎不一定带来好处。In particular,Ramm’s efforts at harmonization have been criticized in many areas as an effort to subject Scripture to science. 特别是兰姆的观点往往受到批评,认为他的努力是把圣经伏在科学之下。
Some,like John C. Whitcomb,有一些的福音派人士,例如Whitcomb(惠特科姆),这个是科学创造论的一个创始人,have labelled such views a “double revelation theory.” 他称兰姆等人士的观点为一种“双重启示论”。According to this theory,根据这个的理论,God is said to give to man two revelations of truth,Scripture and nature,上帝给人两种真理的启示,就是圣经的启示和自然的启示,“each of which is fully authoritative in its own realm,每一种的启示在它自己的范围里面是完全的有权威性的: the revelation of God in Scriptures and the revelation of God in nature. 就是上帝在圣经里的启示和上帝在自然界的启示. . .
The theologian is the God-appointed interpreter of Scripture,上帝指定神学家来做权威性的圣经的解释,and the scientist is the God-appointed interpreter of nature,却指定科学家来解释自然,and each has specialized tools for determining the true meaning of the particular book of revelation which he is called upon to study.科学家跟神学家自有自己的一套的专门的工具,来确定上帝呼召他要研究的那一种的启示。”
The end result,argues Whitcomb,Whitcomb的论点是,结果是, is a type of approach which leaves such questions as the origin of the universe,man,the magnitude of the flood,etc.,to the scientist to solve,Whitcomb认为,结果就是一种的方法,是让科学家去解决这些的问题,例如说宇宙的起源、人类的起源、洪水的范围,等等,and not the theologian. 而不让神学家去解决这些问题。The theory closes the door to a biblical look at science’s domain. 这个理论就把门关上,不让圣经来审视科学的范围。
Though Whitcomb does not use the language in his analysis,it would not be hard to superimpose the old Kantian categories onto this “double revelation theory”,虽然Whitcomb没有用下列的词汇,但是我们不难看到在他的分析中有着(就是在他对这种双重启示论的分析中有着)老旧的康德的概念,and say that ultimately it is advocating that the noumenal cannot investigate the domain of the phenomenal. 意思就是说,这种双重启示论就认为物质体的范围不能够审视现象界的事物( Noumenal,phenomenal. Noumenal是物质体界;phenomenal现象界)。
The total position in any final sense cannot therefore work out “a truly Christian philosophy of scientific methodology”,这种的立场至终不能够产生一种“真正的合乎基督教的科学方法论”,until it challenges “the false metaphysical foundations that underlie so much of modern scientific methodology,” 除非他向“现代的科学方法论的背后的一些的错误的形而上学基础”做出挑战,foundations which seem to be assumed in the neo-evangelical’s view of the revelation between the Bible and science. 这些的现代的科学的方法的基础,往往有新福音派人士所假设的,当他们讨论到上帝在科学和圣经两个范围里面的启示的时候,他们所用的前提往往就是这些现代的科学的方法论。“If science is to do its work it needs the presuppositions which the Bible alone can give it. 假如科学要完成他的任务的话,它需要……惟有圣经所能够提供的前提的(这段话是范泰尔所说的). . .”
In view of the confused metaphysical basis for this new evangelical analysis and openness to science,既然新福音派人士在他们的分析上,他们的形而上学基础是那么的混乱,既然他们对科学是那么敞开,many fear properly it may bring a new openness to evolution. 很多人恐怕新福音派人士会重新向进化论敞开。Carnell’s advocacy of what he has called “threshold evolution” has been attacked,though perhaps without full understanding of Carnell’s use of the terms. Carnell的所谓“门槛进化论”受到批评,虽然批评者不一定完全了解Carnell的用词法。
But,however one may interpret Carnell’s exposition,不过无论我们如何解释Carnell的解释,the difficulty,as Carl Henry has pointed out,is “that these phrases contribute to a verbalillusion which attracts the interest of the contemporary evolutionist somewhat under false pretenses. . . .” 但是卡尔·亨利说,问题是“这些的词汇让人进入到一种的字词的幻觉,好像有点欺骗当代的持进化论观点的人士”。Carnell’s employment of conventional scientific phrases with a contrary intention,Carnell往往用了一些传统上科学的用词,但是他的用意是相反的,“therefore runs needless apologetic hazards.因此在护教上,面对不必要的威胁。”
这个是第三方面的弱点。
我们下次来看第四方面,还有第五方面的弱点。
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