During recent years various forms of existential philosophy have swept through college campuses, both secular and religious, in North America. Younger men have found enormous appeal in some forms of existentialism. At times the reaction has suggested the discovery of something new, and in theological circles, the discovery of something not accessible through orthodox religion.
Existentialism is almost as difficult to interpret as it is impossible to describe. It may be wholly secular and totally atheistic, or it may appear as Christian philosophy that fits into the milieu of Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or the Orthodox establishment. It can also be at home with Judaism.
The support of intellectuals in each of these persuasions has made existentialism something “faddish” in educational and theological circles during the last two decades. This was especially so under the glamour of famous European exponents, such as Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Kafka, Sartre, Camus, Jaspers, Tillich, and a host of others. Not all who bandied these names about had read their works of course, but the vogue swept on nonetheless.
When our own SDA college campuses felt these currents, it was inevitable that many questions arose. It was for the purpose of answering some of these questions that certain men were asked to prepare papers for full discussion by an augmented research committee in October, 1967. These men were assigned topics, but were otherwise unfettered in their writing and, since they were in different parts of the world, there was no collaboration between them, and their assessments were quite personal and independent.
After free discussion of these papers, during which Dr. D. W. Holbrook was the Moderator, the following conclusions were reached:
Existentialism cannot be precisely defined. In fact, an exact definition is usually avoided by existential philosophers, since to define it would be to lose it in the bondage of too restricted confinement.
It is a somewhat radical philosophical departure that was foreseen by Pascal and worked out more methodically by Kierkegaard and his successors in this area.
Existentialism, as the name suggests, relates the destiny of the individual thinker to the ideas that engage and can be understood by his own mind.
In Christian existentialism this philosophy means that Christian beliefs are valueless except as they are vital experience in everyday life.
This vital existential experience has, however, always been a major emphasis in the doctrine of regeneration, so that by the new birth in Christ, all beliefs fundamental to the soul’s salvation become, through the Holy Spirit, a cohesive, vital and continuing daily experience.
In the area of dogma, fundamentalist Christians of all persuasions are confronted with the fact that the Christian existentialists, especially the later ones, were of the modernist schools of thought. Instances are given in these papers.
Existentialism stresses some vital lessons for the Christian believer. For instance, doctrinal beliefs can be but ice-cold declarations unless they come alive and warm in a believing heart and a victorious life. Having said this, we must conclude that (a) these vital lessons are found in the New Testament commands and exhortations to live our beliefs and to be what we pretend to be, (b) in the area of doctrinal belief, there is little or nothing in existentialism that is not offered to us in Biblical teachings as we Adventists understand them.
Existentialism does appear to stimulate spiritual curiosity and concern among college students, but it has to be admittedly that a large percentage of them arrive at confusing arguments against the validity and importance of the teachings of the Christian church. To them there ceases to be a clear, convincing structure of objective truth expressed by a “Thus saith the Lord.” The over-emphasis on relationships and processes tends to destroy a conviction that absolute truth exists for the purpose of man’s redemption.
In the broad spectrum of truth, ranging from absolute objective truth to subjective relationships, the existential enthusiast tends to emphasize only the one extreme of subjective feelings as compared to absolute objective truths. Some existential enthusiasts would contend that Ellen G. White was one of their number, and it would require no great scholarship to compile a list of supporting quotations to this end. It would, however, be just as easy to put together an equally impressive list showing her belief in, and the importance of, absolute unchanging truth. Which means that Ellen G. White really stood in the middle of the road, removed from extremes in these matters. That is where we think we should all join her in our search for eternal values.
The General Conference Biblical Research Committee