| |
 On May 17, 1844, German biblical scholar and major proponent of Liberal Theology Julius Wellhausen was born.
Julius Wellhausen was a major contributor to the liberal, secular view of theology that undermined Christianity throughout Europe and the West. His controversial theory about the Pentateuch—that it is a compilation of four literary sources, laid the foundation for most subsequent Old Testament criticism.
Under his influence many theologians throughout Western Europe and America questioned or abandoned the authority of Christ. He denied the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch and believed that later editors put the Old Testament together using a variety of materials.
Liberal Theology was an aggressive attempt to merge the Bible with modern science and philosophy. These new liberal theologians applied Darwin’s evolutionary theory to Christianity and spoke of the evolution of the Bible, of the Church, and even of the soul. To the liberal theologians, the Bible was not a product of revelation, but a collection of myths, legends, and a few historical facts. It was not the Word of God but only contained the Word of God. The liberal theologians, like the evolutionary scientists, discarded the supernatural. They denied the virgin birth and the deity of Jesus Christ. They also denied that man is sinful, and that Christ died on the cross to atone for man’s sin. All these views stemmed from their basic belief that the Bible was not divinely inspired.
|
|
