That was written when?

If you have ever read Machen's Christianity and Liberalism you were probably like me wondering over and over again, if Machen had come back from the grave to write this in the early 21st century. Church historians are right to point out that history repeats itself, although in the case of Christianity and Liberalism it is being repeated in "Conservative Evangelicalism" instead of Protestant Liberalism. I was struck the other day with something else that was prophetic of the present day when it was written over 70 years ago.

The preface to Louis Berkhof's Manual of Christian Doctrine was written on May 10, 1933 which is 10 years after the publication of C&L but still in the period were Protestant Liberalism was wreaking havoc on the church. What Berkhof says in his preface is totally relevant today as well:

After the publication of my Systematic Theology, the publisher requested me to prepare for publication a more compendious work on Christian doctrine, which might be fit for high school and college classes, and might also be used profitably by our older catechumens. Mindful of the great importance of the proper indoctrination of the young people of the Church, I did not have the courage to refuse, but undertook to prepare a brief manual. The work seemed particularly important to me in view of the widespread doctrinal indifference of the present day, of the resulting superficiality and confusion in the minds of many professing Christians of the insidious errors that are zealously propagated even from the pulpits, and of the alarming increase of all kinds of sects that are springing up like mushrooms on every side. If there ever was a time when the Church ought to guard her precious heritage, the deposit of the truth that was entrusted to her care, that time is now. (He continues the preface by explaining the layout and workings of the book.)
May 10, 1933

Since I am starting to think about my upcoming catechism year of teaching 7th and 8th graders the truth of God's Word and the doctrines of the church, I now have a fire lit underneath me and some extra motivation!