19th christianity accomdodationist vs. protectionist Biblical critics Essay

19th christianity accomdodationist vs. protectionist Biblical critics - Essay Example Van Gogh and Monet painted vivid paintings, Beethoven and Chopin composed wonderful pieces, and Dickens and Dickenson wrote beautiful passages. The continuing developments in the understanding of the natural law of the world raised questions about Christianity. Historical consciousness in addition to nineteenth century advancements created a field of Biblical Critics and Protectionists, as more people looked at the occurrences in the Bible. ‘Accommodationist’ held the position that Christianity must change in a way that reflects advances in science, philosophy, and biblical scholarship. ‘Protectionist’ held that Christianity had no obligation to change, and Christianity must be protected from the challenges that scholarship presents. Both sides had many scholars. This paper looks at the accommodation view held by Strauss versus the protection view held by A.A. Hodge and B.B. Warfield. Strauss believed the essence of Christianity was true, but critically disagreed with many important tenets of the faith. â€Å"To all, belief, not built on demonstration, doubt is inherent, though it may not be developed†¦.just as the believer is intrinsically a skeptic or critic, so on the other hand, the critic is intrinsically a believer† (Strauss, 157). Strauss stated the Bible came into its being through mythical means. He believed that Jesus unified God and humanity. However, Jesus did not perform miracles. Instead, the stories of Jesus’ miracles were added to the Bible through orally transmitted stories that by the time the disciples wrote the New Testament were showing that Jesus had disobeyed natural laws. â€Å"The mythical view once admitted, innumerable, and the never otherwise to be harmonized, discrepancies and chronological contradictions in the Gospel histories disappear, as it were at one stroke† (Strauss, 56). Strauss claimed that mysticis m appeared throughout the Bible. Strauss claimed mysticism created Jesus’