A few days ago, we posted “Faith or Faith,” speaking on the contrast between Christian faith and modern faith. The same word, faith, is used, but has an opposite meaning.  

Modern man cannot talk about the object of his faith, only about the faith itself. So he can discuss the existence of his faith and its “size” as it exists against all reason, but that is all. Modern man’s faith turns inward.  

In Christianity the value of faith depends upon the object towards which the faith is directed. So it looks outward to the God who is there, and to the Christ who in history died upon the cross once for all, finished the work of atonement, and on the third day rose again in space and in time. This makes Christian faith open to discussion and verification.  

On the other hand, the new theology is in a position where faith is introverted because it has no certain object.  It is in contrast to the preaching of the apostolic proclamation of salvation through Jesus Christ which proclaims Jesus Christ as its object.    

Thoughts developed and/or taken from the works of Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer, Trilogy – The God Who Is There