Welcome to Studies with Stearman.

Join us as we look deeper into the Bible.

Strengthen your faith with us, even as we see the day approaching.

And now, here's Gary.

Well, last week, we went back to the year 1922,

and we tracked through the words of a very famous sermon,

written and delivered by Harry Emerson Fosdick,

on tolerant Christian fellowship,

and accepting an inclusive Christian fellowship.

Inclusive in the sense that it called for an open communion

table, rejecting no one. It called for tolerance for every belief, except for one, that is

fundamentalism. The title of the sermon was, shall the fundamentalists win? And it was at this

point that the fundamentalist became sort of the public whipping boy. 1922. Essentially, to review a

little bit, FOSDIC called for reason, for logic, for understanding as new scientific developments changed the focus of human

intention and belief. He said Christianity must shift to accept these new situations. Belief in a deity

who controls the universe is outmoded.

He said belief in a special theory of atonement, the shed blood of Lord Jesus Christ, is outmoded.

He said the Christian fellowship should include people who believe anything.

It doesn't matter what you believe. The idea is not creed, but ethics.

Your creedal belief is secondary to your ethical behavior, he said. As far as the virgin birth,

as far as the blood atonement, as far as, well, any of those old and ancient time-worn, shop-worn ideas are concerned, he said,

those are outmoded.

...