C. F. Wimberly - Is the Devil a Myth?

It is the writer's firm conviction, in these days when the mostenthusiastic "bookworm" cannot even keep up with the titles of the bookoutput, that an earnest, sensible reason should be given for addinganother to the already endless list of books. We have enough books to-day,"good, bad, indifferent," with which, if they were collected, to buildanother Cyclops pyramid. The sage of the Old Testament declared in hisday, concerning the endless making of books; such a statement, comparedwith modern writing and publishing of books, sounds amusing.

Every possible subject, vagary, or ism, for which a book could be written,is overworked. Bible themes of all grades, from orthodoxy to ultra highercriticism, have flooded the land. Especially is the iconoclast in muchevidence; he is free lance, and shows no quarters. Cardinal tenets ofBible faith, so long unquestioned, are being smitten with a mercilesshand. Disintegration is the most obvious fact among us; nothing is toosacred for the crucible of what is termed "scholarship."

But why this book? Let us take a little survey. Over against the modernidea, that the race is endowed with all the inherent elements of goodnessnecessary to its regeneration, there is a correspondent belief that evilis only an error. When the race by social and mental evolution succeedsin eliminating all the superstitions and false dogmas, the body politicwill be self-curative, like the physical body, restoring itself by meansof inspiration, respiration, exercise, sleep, food, etc., once the causesof disease are eliminated from the system.

For several decades we have been approaching the doctrine which denies allPersonalismeither good or bad. When we repudiate the Bible teaching,that the source of all evil emanates from a great Personality, the Bibleteaching of the Incarnation suffers in the same proportion.

The title of this book is a question, and one by no means strained, ifconsidered from the view-point of modern thought. We have undertaken ananswer. If by reason and revelation we can arrive at a satisfactoryconclusion, the gain thereby cannot be overestimated. If the personalityof Satan can be successfully consigned to the religious junk pile, ourBible is at once thrown into a jumble of contradictions andinconsistencies. The result will be even worse than our enemies claim forit now. One of the late recognized writers on the Old Testament says: "TheOld Testament is no longer considered valuable among scholars as a sacredoracle, but it is valuable in that it is the history of a people." If theDevil is a Myth, our Bible can be nothing better than historical chaos.

In the preparation of these pages, we wish to acknowledge with deepgratitude the assistance of Mr. S. D. Gordon, author of "Quiet Talks"; Dr.I. M. Haldeman, author and preacher; Dr. Gross Alexander, editor, author,and preacher; Dr. W. B. Godbey, an author of great learning and extensivetravel; Dr. B. Carradine, evangelist and author; Dr. H. C. Morrison,college president, editor, author, and evangelist; Prof. L. T. Townsend,and Hon. Philip Mauro.

If the reading of this book shall bring to any struggling soul helpfulinformation concerning our common Enemy, we shall be doubly repaid for thelabour of its preparation. We send it forth saturated with prayer.

C. F. W.

Madisonville, Ky.

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."Genesis vi. 5.

That we may appreciate this discussion, removed as far as possible fromtheological terminology and theories, and get a concrete view-point, thefollowing head-lines from a single issue of a metropolitan daily willsuffice: "War Clouds Hanging Low;" "Men Higher Up Involved;" "Eighty-sevenDivorces On Docket;" "Blood Flows In the Streets;" "Gaunt Hunger AmongStrikers;" "Arrested For Forgery;" "A White Slave Victim;" "AttemptedTrain Robbery;" "Kills Wife and Ends Own Life;" "Two Men Bite Dust;""Investigate Bribery."

This fearful list may be duplicated almost every day in the year. Our landis deluged with crime, without respect to person or place; its blighttouches all circles from the slum to the four hundred. Wealth and poverty,culture and ignorance, fame and obscurity, suffer alike from this PandoraBox scourge. The march of historythe pilgrimage of the race, has enjoyedbut little respite from tears and blood. Those who strive to maintain astandard of purity, righteousness, and honour, are beset by strange,powerful, intangible influences, from the cradle to the grave. The childin swaddling clothes has a predisposition to willfullness, deception, anddisobedience; paroxysms of passion and anger are manifested with theslightest provocation.

Notwithstanding the barriers thrown up by the home and society; theincentives and assurances for noble, industrious living, the dykes arecontinually giving way, so that police power and the frowning walls ofpenal institutions are insufficient to check the overflow. The Church ofGod, with its open Book, ringing out messages of life and hope at everycorner; the object lessons on the "wages of sin," sweeping in full viewbefore us, like the reel-film of a motion picturedo not seem to lessenthe harvest of moral shipwreck.

According to some recent police records and statistics, only aboutone-half of the country's criminals are apprehended; if this is true ofthose who violate the law, a much smaller per cent. of those who break theperfect moral law, as related to domestic and religious life, are everexposed. When these facts are considered, the perspective for the reign ofrighteousness is lurid and hopeless. The country has been amazed,recently, at the revelations of how municipal and national treasuries arebeing looted by extortion, extravagance, and misrule, on the part of menholding positions as a sacred trust. Civilization fosters and maintains atraffic which has not one redeeming feature; besides killing directly andindirectly more men daily than were blown up in the battle-ship Maine.

Let us view the problem of evil from another angle: a writer on thesubject of food supplies says the earth each year furnishes an abundantquantity of fruits, meats, cereals, and vegetables to feed all herpeoples; yet gaunt famine is never entirely removed. Even in America asurprising per cent. of our people are underfed and underclothed. "Fiftythousand go to bed hungry every night in New York City," declares aprofessor of economics. The same ratio obtains in other large cities ofour land. Scenes of pinching poverty occur within a few blocks of the mostwanton luxury and extravagance. One lady spends fifty thousanddollarsenough to satisfy all the hungryon one evening's entertainment.Oranges rot on the Pacific coast by car-loads, when the children of theGhetto scarcely taste them.

Nature fills her storehouses, and tries to scatter with a prodigal hand,but her resources are cornered and controlled by a criminal system whichrevolves around the "almighty dollar"the root of all evil.