Philip Arthur Bence PhD Thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

14
on his theological writing. The intention is that each
statement should be read, not as my own opinion or
evaluation, but as a statement of the theologian's
thought.1
I. HARRY EMERSON FOSDICK
Historians looking back on our time may regard Harry
Emerson Fosdick as the premier American preacher of the
twentieth century. Without the least hesitation, the author
of the definitive biography gave Fosdick this position of
pre-eminence."1
In a fulfillment of the American dream, Harry Emerson
Fosdick rose to his position of prominence from a quite
ordinary background. .2. The son of humble, pietistic
parents, Fosdick did little to distinguish himself through
his early years. During his teen years, he struggled with
the fundamentalist faith, yet remained faithful to the
church. During his second year in university, he gave up
belief in Biblical literalism. He would have left faith
completely had it not been for mentors who showed him the
value of a liberal Christianity.
With new foundations for faith in place, Fosdick went
on to Union Theological Seminary in New York, and from there
to two pastorates in that metropolitan area. During the
second pastorate, he became deeply embroiled in the great
controversy between theological fundamentalists and
liberals. As a consequence of that battle, the Presbyterian