The beginning of the 20th century witnessed a cultural breakdown that
threatened to destroy the very roots of Western civilization. The cause of
this dissolution was an idea or philosophy known as liberalism. The word
liberal comes from a Latin word which means "free." In a modern sense,
a liberal is someone who desires freedom from something or freedom to
do something.
The Roots of Modern Liberalism: Standing in opposition
to liberalism is conservatism. Conservatism is the
principle or practice of conserving (preserving)
established traditions or institutions and opposing
changes in them.
Religious Liberalism vs. the Christian Witness: The rise of Modernism
.Weakening the very foundations of Christian truth, religious liberals
advocated "higher criticism" of Scripture and refused to take the Bible
literally, believing the Word of God to be little more than a collection
of ancient myths.
Affirmation of Christian Truth: The Fundamentals. During the first half
of the 20th century, God raised up a host of great preachers, Bible
teachers, and Christian thinkers to defend the faith against the
heresies of modernism and liberalism, and to help people stand firmly
on the fundamentals of biblical truth.
Liberalism and Conservatism in the Arts: Throughout the centuries,
the arts music, painting, sculpture, literature have been a reflection of
society. During the 20th century, the arts reflected either the liberal
philosophies of the age or the conservative values that have
steadfastly stood the test of time.
Modern Art : The world of art experienced a
gradual change during the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Toward the
end of the 19th century, a movement known as impressionism became
prominent.
Modern Literature: The liberal art of the first half of the 20th century, much
of the literature of the same period also reflects modern man's rebellion
against God and absolutes and his flight from objective reality toward
subjective relativism.
The Twenties and the Great Depression: When the Humanist Manifesto I appeared in 1933, advocating "a
socialized and coopera tive economic order," the world was in the throes of a great economic depression.
Liberal politicians, humanist thinkers, and modernist clergymen seized the opportunity to play upon the
fears of the unemployed and destitute to urge the adoption of a new economic and social order.
The Great Depression: The stock market crashes. It seemed to many people that the prosperity of the
Roaring Twenties would last forever. But in less than a year, both America and the rest of the world
was plunged into one of the worst economic disasters ever experienced the Great Depression.
Effects of the Depression around the World: The Great Depression soon spread to Asia, Europe, and other
parts of the world, bringing great hardship to millions of people. Germany was especially hit hard by the
Depression, losing the little gains she had made through the previous decade. Many other countries also
experienced eco nomic difficulties as many of their financial institutions and industries failed during the
Depression.