A Faith for HABBIS FRANKLIN RALL THE ABINGDON PRESS NEW YORK CINCINNATI CHICAGO Copyright, 1936, by HARRIS FRANKLIN RALL All rights reserved no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a re view written for inclusion in magazine or newspaper. Printed in the United States of America First Edition Printed October, 1930 Second Printing, March, 1937 Third Printing, July, 1938 Fourth Printing, June, 1940 TO M. g. J. R. M. E. B. CONTENTS PAGE A FOREWORD 11 I. THE MEANING OF FAITH . . . .15 1. The Loss of Faith . . . .15 2. What Faith Is and Does ... 16 3. The Battle of Faiths . . . .20 4. A Faith for Today . . . .23 II. WHAT RELIGION Is AND DOES . . 27 1. The Roots of Religion . . .27 2. What Religion Is and Does . . 30 3. The Marks of Religion . . 33 III. WHAT Is THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION . 36 1. Christianity in History . . .36 2. What Is the Essence of Christianity 38 3. Two Ways of Looking at Christianity 40 4. The Religion of a Person . . .45 5. The Religion of Redemptive Good WiU 46 6. The Religion of the Spirit . . 48 7. Permanence and Advance . . .50 IV. FAITH IN GOD 53 1. The Grounds for Belief in God . . 53 2. The Right to Believe ... 59 V. SCIENCE AND RELIGION . . . .65 1. Science in the Modern World . . 65 7 8 CONTENTS PAGH 2. The Service of Science . .66 3. Science and the Knowledge of God . 68 4. Science and Religion in the Life of Men 70 VI. How CAN I KNOW GOD ... 74 1. What It Means to Know God . . 74 2. The Ways of Knowing God . . 76 3. The Certainty of God ... 83 VII. How SHALL WE THINK OF GOD . . 88 1. A Personal God 90 2. A Good God 92 3. The Godof Power . . . .94 4. The Farness and the Nearness of God 97 VIII. GOD AND THE WORLD .... 103 1. The Living God . . . .103 2. Natural and Supernatural . . 104 3. God in the World of Nature . . 106 4. Concerning Providence and Miracles 109 5. God in Human History . . . 113 6. God in the Life of the Individual . 117 IX. GOD AND THE FACT OF EVIL . . . 121 1. The Problem of Evil . . . .121 2. The Problem of the Good . . .122 3. A World of Order . . . .125 4. A World of Fellowship . . .127 5. A World of Pain . . . .128 6. A World of Freedom and Toil . . 131 7. Some Errors and Problems . .133 8. Keligions Final Answer . . .137 CONTENTS 9 PAGE X. WHAT Is MAN 140 1. The Origin of Man . . .140 2. What Is Man 142 3. Human Nature Good or Bad . . 148 XI. WHAT SIN Is AND DOBS .... 155 1. Our Lessened Sense of Sin . .155 2. What Is Sin 158 3. The Consequences of Sin . . .162 XII. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SAVED . 167 1. The Place of Salvation in Eeligion . 167 2. To What Are We Saved . . .170 3. From What Are We Saved . . 174 4. By What Are We Saved . . .177 XIII. SALVATION THE CHRISTIAN WAY . .182 1. God as the Challenge to Man . . 182 2. The Response of Man to God . . 185 3. The Death of Christ and the Saving of Men 188 4. The Remaking of Man . . .191 XIV. THE WAYS OF LIFE 195 1. The Way of Love . . . .198 2. The Way of Truth . . . .201 3. The Way of Joy 204 4. The Way of Work . . . .208 XV. PRAYER 211 1. What Is Prayer . . . .211 2. The Laws of Prayer . . . .214 10 CONTENTS PAGE 3. The Practice of Prayer . . .217 4. What Shall We Ask For . . .221 XVI. THE MEANING AND PLACE OP THE BIBLE 223 1. Yesterday and Today . . .223 2. The Book of God and the Book of Man 225 3. Theories Old and New . . .228 4.How Shall We Use the Bible . . 230 XVII. I BELIEVE IN THE CHURCH . . . 234 1. The Inevitable Church . . .234 2. What Is the Church . . .236 3. The Function of the Church . . 237 4. The Church and the Churches . . 243 XVIII. THE LIFE TO COME 247 1. Time and the Eternal . . .247 2. Faith in the Life Eternal . . .250 3. The Grounds for Our Belief . . 251 4. Some Questions and Objections . 255 5. About Judgment and Hell . . . 257 XIX. A SOCIAL FAITH 261 1. The Social Need . . . .261 2. The Relevancy of Religion . . 263 3. Individual and Social . . . 264 4...
