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EPILOGUE:AFTER THE NIGHT-- 'But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night' St Peter (2 Pet. 3:10) (159:1) As many of the books cited in this commentary suggest, the beginning of the nineteenth century was a period in which many Christians were preoccupied with the study of prophecy. The Bible still carried enormous authority and Christianity stood as a powerful force in society. Many leaders of thought adhered firmly to a literal understanding of Scripture. Missionaries were engaged in evangelizing nations in all parts of the globe as the hope of Christ's return was being preached from pulpits and expounded in books throughout the Christian world. The extraordinary technological progress transforming society and the material prosperity of Western nations was frequently identified as the natural outcome of Christian belief. However, by the end of the century the prestige of Christianity, confidence in traditional beliefs, and Christian influence in government and education were all being rapidly eroded. (159:2) Developments both in science and religious scholarship completely changed how the generality of educated people perceived the Bible. The publications of scientists such as Sir Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin, and religious scholars like Schleiermacher, Mohler and Strauss led many to distrust or even abandon their belief in the inspiration of the Bible and the divinity of Christ. (159:3) Despite these trends there remained a substantial number of conservative Christians who continued to adhere to traditional views about the meaning of the Bible and who firmly believed that Christianity would be vindicated by the literal fulfilment of biblical prophecy. As the century drew to a close and it seemed that their interpretations of prophecy had been misguided, Christian scholars and preachers were confronted with having to admit they had been wrong about the Scriptures at a time when many of their followers were already beginning to doubt the Bible's reliability. The seeming lack of fulfilment following upon such high hopes at a time of such heavy criticism was a crushing blow to mainstream Christianity. Thereafter, a process of secularization gained a momentum that Christian leaders have never been able to halt.
(159:4)
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