St. Paul and Protestantism: With an Essay on Puritanism and The Church of England Paperback – November 17, 2017

I'm reviewing vol. 9 of the 15 vol. "Works of Matthew Arnold", Macmillan, London, 1904, which includes "St Paul and Protestantism" (1870), "Puritanism and the Church of England" (1870), "Last Essays on Church and Religion" (1877). In "St Paul" he gives a rationalist/religious interpretation of Paul in opposition to the Calvinism and supernaturalism of the Dissenter sects. He read Greek, and criticizes some orthodox translations. In "Puritanism" he attacks the Calvinism of the Dissenter sects -- a criticism that is relevant to much American Protestantism today. He also criticizes the Dissenters for believing they must separate from the state church (Church of England) over opinions on metaphysical doctrines (which they mistakenly attribute to Scripture, he says), and over opinions on correct form of church government (congregational, presbyterial vs. episcopal). He wants the C of E to liberalize to admit all forms of English Christianity (well, perhaps not Romanism!). He wants the Dissenters to reunite with the state church in order to maintain national purpose in pursuit of the good -- the kingdom of God. "Last Essays" includes (1) "A Psychological Parallel" which makes a brilliant comparison between belief in physical resurrection and belief in witches. Both ideas appear in the Bible and in centuries of Christian teaching and were believed by good men. Rejecting these beliefs does not require us to reject the Bible or Christianity or deny the virtues and truthfulness of mistaken men. (2) Two lectures on Bishop Butler. Joseph Butler wrote "Analogy of Religion in 1736 in reply to the Deism of his day. In Arnold's day, it was still hailed as the definitive repudiation of skepticism. Arnold demolishes Butler's argument -- yet in other writings Arnold quotes with praise Butler as a pious and true guide. (3) "The Church of England" is his last appeal for defense of the established state Church, in face of growing demand for disestablishment. Arnold, the social conservative, believes the state has a duty to maintain a public institution for the promotion of goodness. (4) "On the Burials Bill" is a curious (to us) discussion of a hot topic -- parliament was debating whether to permit unbaptized persons to be buried in parish church graveyards -- public space controlled by state-appointed clergy.I recommend this, and Arnold's two other books on religion, "Literature and Dogma" (1873) and "God and the Bible" (1875) to anyone interested in the development of Protestantism and skepticism since Darwin and Strauss, or in the tumult in Victorian religion in which everyone was deeply engaged, even Prime Minister Gladstone.