15 October 1960 A.D. Death: Dr. Charles Erdman—Professor at Princeton Seminary
15 October 1960 A.D. Death: Dr. Charles Erdman—Professor at Princeton Seminary
We believe he died in 1960, not 1984 as the article below notes.
We believe he died in 1960, not 1984 as the article below notes.
Archivist. “October 15: Death of Charles Erdman.” This Day in Presbyterian History. 15 Oct
2015. http://www.thisday.pcahistory.org/2015/10/october-15-3/.
Accessed 15 Oct 2015.
October 15: Death of Charles Erdman
It
was at the momentous Syracuse, N.Y. meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church, U.S.A. where Dr. J. Gresham Machen was officially defrocked from the
ministry of that denomination. That action in turn then prompted the founding
of what was to become the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Also in attendance at
that General Assembly in Syracuse was one of Machen’s many adversaries, Dr.
Charles R. Erdman, a man who was by all accounts staunchly evangelical. Yet he
found himself in opposition to the course taken by Dr. Machen— he found himself
siding with those very men who took a decidedly modernist and unbelieving
approach to the Scriptures.
The Syracuse Herald gave
some coverage of Dr. Erdman’s visit to his birthplace in Fayetteville, NY that
year, noting:
“Dr.
Erdman was born in Fayetteville, where his father was a Presbyterian minister,
but when he was three weeks old, his parents moved to another charge.
[Erdman’s was born on June 20, 1886]
“In
spite of the short time Dr. Erdman was a resident of the Onandaga County
village, however, he has frequently visited his birthplace and this week,
before the adjournment of the General Assembly which he is attending, he will
again visit his birthplace, he said Saturday.
“Dr.
Erdman’s father, the Rev. William Jacob Erdman, preached in the same church,
and lived in the same manse as did the father of Grover Cleveland, former
President of the United States. His youngest daughter is the wife of Francis
Grover Cleveland, son of the late former President.
“The
greater part of Dr. Erdman’s boyhood was passed in Jamestown. He also lived in
Chicago where his father was pastor of Dwight L. Moody’s church. He was
graduated from Princeton University in 1886 and from Princeton Seminary in
1891. He holds [honorary] doctor’s degrees from Wooster College, Princeton
University and Davidson College.
“For
six years following his ordination in 1891 he was pastor of the Presbyterian
Church at Overbook, Pa. Then he became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church
of Germantown, Pa., where he remained until 1906 when he became a Princeton
professor.
“He
became a member of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions in 1906 and in
1926 was elected as president, an office he still holds. He was elected
moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly in 1925. In the same year he was
moderator of the New Brunswick Presbytery. In 1910 he was a delegate tot he
World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh and in 1922 to the National Christian
Council in Shanghai.
“He
is the author of many books, including The Ruling Elder, Sunday Afternoon with a Railroad Man,
Coming to the Communion, Within the Gates of the Far East, The Return of
Christ, The Lord We Love, The Spirit of Christ, The Life of D.L. Moody, and
expositions of most of the books of the New Testament.
“Dr.
Erdman’s wife was Miss Estelle Pardee of Germantown, daugher of a widely-known
coal operator. His son, the Rev. Calvin Pardee Erdman, also a Presbyterian
minister, has preached in Hawaii and California….
“The
Erdmans have a summer home at Saranac Lake.”
Embedded
in that newspaper account are a few clues for the observant reader as to why
Dr. Erdman found himself an opponent of Machen. Erdman had become attached to
the denominational board of foreign missions, and Machen had been critical of
that Board for fielding missionaries who held low views of Scripture. Moreover,
Erdman’s personal and family connection to D.L. Moody might indicate a faith
and a theology that was more generally evangelical and less confessional or
Reformed in nature. Politics may also have had a part. By familial connection
with Grover Cleveland, Dr. Erdman may have been a Democrat, whereas J. Gresham
Machen was decidedly libertarian in his views and more of a political
free-thinker.
Long-time
Princeton Seminary professor Charles Erdman passed away on this day, October 15, 1984.
Words to Live By:
Why some men make the decisions they do is often a puzzle beyond our understanding. In pondering this point, we realize how much we must seek to live humbly in the fear of the Lord, for there are times when it takes a clear head and a resolute faith if we are to stand fast on the sure counsel of God’s Word. Too many of us are shaped by our associations, much more so than we realize. Seek instead to be shaped by the Word of God. Live each day as honestly as possible, confessing your sin, repenting and seeking the Lord’s mercy and grace.
Why some men make the decisions they do is often a puzzle beyond our understanding. In pondering this point, we realize how much we must seek to live humbly in the fear of the Lord, for there are times when it takes a clear head and a resolute faith if we are to stand fast on the sure counsel of God’s Word. Too many of us are shaped by our associations, much more so than we realize. Seek instead to be shaped by the Word of God. Live each day as honestly as possible, confessing your sin, repenting and seeking the Lord’s mercy and grace.
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