While new faiths flourished, parts of Protestantism were losing their traditional faith. Seminaries in Europe, especially Germany, bowed before modern trends. They rejected anything supernatural in the Bible as “unscientific.” They even ripped away Jesus’ resurrection, the very heart of the Gospel. As Paul wrote,
“IF CHRIST HAS NOT BEEN RAISED…”
If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:14-17)
Since seminaries prepare church leaders, European liberalism influenced the ruling clergy of mainstream denominations and their schools. For example, the original (1636) mission statement of Harvard University affirmed Jesus Christ as “the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.” But higher education has its own hierarchies that relate to prestige and accreditation. Soon, liberal professors led Harvard to reject God and the Bible. In reaction, conservative Christians started Yale University (1701). But the same pressures were at work. Today, Yale is known for atheism and communism. In such circles, those who still claim to be Christian re-define “salvation” as improving social conditions, and “unity” as ecumenism— mutual acceptance among denominations that remain separate bodies.