Now let me tell how the study of Higher Criticism and New Theology destroyed my evangelical faith, and what a baneful influence they exerted upon my spiritual life, and how they finally dragged me down to the depths of doubt and unbelief. But before going farther, I must explain what I call Higher Criticism and New Theology.
When I addressed a body of theological students in a certain seminary where the New Theology and Higher Criticism are being taught now, I told them plainly what havoc this New Theology and Higher Criticism have made in my Christian life, and how they are sapping the very life of the Christian churches at present, and I warned them sincerely against this misleading, dangerous teaching.
After the address, one of the professors who heard me came and asked, “What do you mean by ‘Higher Criticism’? Do you mean by it the destructive Higher Criticism only, or do you include even the constructive Higher Criticism?”
I answered him: “I don’t know. It is very difficult to draw a line between ‘destructive’ and ‘constructive’ in the so-called modern Higher Criticism. But all criticism which destroys faith in the perfect, divine authority of the Bible I call Higher Criticism, and all theological teaching which destroys belief in the perfect deity of Jesus Christ I call New Theology.”
These are the definitions of these two terms which I use in this book. Of course there are all grades of Higher Criticism and New Theology, ranging from the mildest, almost touching the border line of evangelical faith, down to the very deadliest, which never ceases blaspheming Christ and the Holy Scriptures; but whether they are mild or extreme, these doctrines are a real poison to the Christian faith. Not only did I almost kill my spiritual life by absorbing such poisons into my own system, but also by introducing such poisons into the Japanese churches, I did great damage to the cause of Christ in my country.
A friend has asked me whether I still feel the evil effects of the study of such books on my spiritual life.
I answered him, “Yes. If you once absorb poison into your system it is very hard to get entirely rid of the evil.”
He also asked me whether it is wise for one to read such books in order to know our opponents’ positions.
“Yes,” I said. “Sometimes it is necessary for us to study books of this kind in order to find out their fallacies and untruths.”
But even then we must be very careful not to be poisoned ourselves. It is sometimes necessary for the student of chemistry to enter the chemical laboratory and handle deadly poisons, in order to make important experiments, but at such times the student must take as perfect precaution as possible not to take the poison into his own body and die.