PCA HISTORICAL CENTER
Archives and Manuscript Repository for the Continuing Presbyterian Church

Manuscript Collections :
Synthetic Collections :

Harry Emerson Fosdick
Synthetic Collection #093
Box #tba

Content Summary: A small collection of original editions of Fosdick's sermons as issued by the Riverside Presbyterian Church, including the infamous "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?". Other materials in this synthetic collection include a representative assortment of critical works issued in response to Fosdick's modernist views. In addition, a link to Dr. Clarence E. Macartney's rebuttal, "Shall Unbelief Win?" is provided below in PDF.
It was Fosdick's controversial and inflammatory sermon [see folder 12, below] in 1921 that many look to as the starting point for the modernist controversy that raged until near the close of the Depression era. Other events were certainly part of the larger story, but Fosdick's role in the controversy is clear.

Span dates: 1921-1928; 1936 Size: 0.25 cu. ft. (one box)

Access: This collection is open to researchers.

Preferred citation:
PCA Historical Center, St. Louis, Missouri.

Related collections and resources:
Macartney, Clarence Edward, "Shall Unbelief Win?" [PDF]







fosdick1921

Box
File—Contents:

ƒ01—Finding Aid

ƒ02—Biographical Information: Obituary; photograph of gravesite

ƒ03—Fosdick, H.E., 1921, "Are Christian Missions in the Far East Worthwhile?," [sermon, delivered 16 October 1921]

ƒ04—Fosdick, H.E., 1921, "Do We Want War in the Far East?," [sermon, delivered 9 October 1921]

ƒ05—Fosdick, H.E., 1921, "Does Our Western Christianity Need Reformation?," [sermon, delivered 23 October 1921]

ƒ06—Fosdick, H.E., 1921, "Progressive Christianity," [sermon, delivered 8 May 1921]

ƒ07—Fosdick, H.E., 1921, "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?," [sermon, delivered 21 May 1921]

ƒ08—Fosdick, H.E., 1921, "Shall We End War?," [sermon, delivered 5 June 1921]

ƒ09—Fosdick, H.E., 1922, "Handling Life's Second-Bests," [sermon, delivered 29 October 1922, 14pp.]

ƒ10—Fosdick, H.E., 1922, "Jesus the Revelation of God," [sermon, delivered 8 October 1922, 14pp.]

ƒ11—Fosdick, H.E., 1922, "Real Issues and Great Choices," [sermon, delivered 12 November 1922, 14pp.]

ƒ12—Fosdick, H.E., 1922, "What Shall We Do With Jesus?," [sermon, delivered 26 November 1922, 13pp.]

ƒ13—Fosdick, H.E., 1923, "A Christian Crusade Against War," [sermon, delivered 11 November 1923, 13pp.]

ƒ14—Fosdick, H.E., 1923, "The Divinity of Jesus," [sermon, delivered 11 February 1923, 16pp.]

ƒ15—Fosdick, H.E., 1925, "The Farewell Sermon of Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick to The First Presbyterian Church of New York, Sunday, March 1, 1925,"

ƒ16—Fosdick, H.E., 1927-1941, Twenty-one Sermons by Harry Emerson Fosdick. Boxed set issued by the Riverside Presbyterian Church, New York City, NY. Includes "A Visitor's View of the Riverside Church," by Eugene C. Carder and a small tract on the architectural features of the church. Fosdick's sermons include the following titles:
1. "Christianity's Supreme Rival," preached at the Park Avenue Baptist Church, 13 Nov. 1927, 16 pp.
2. "What is the Matter With Preaching?," reprinted from Harper's Magazine, July 1928, 20 pp.
3. "Overcoming the World," preached at the Park Avenue Baptist Church, 18 November 1928, 15 pp.
4. "What Do You Say To Yourself?," from the October 1929 issue of The American Magazine, 16 pp.
5. "Christ and the Inferiority Complex," preached at Temple Beth-El, 20 October 1929, 14 pp.
6. "A Little Morality is a Dangerous Thing," at Temple Beth-El, Sunday 27 October 1929, 14 pp.
7. "Pull Yourself Together," preached at Temple Beth-El, New York, 24 November 1929, 14 pp.
8. "Handicapped Lives," preached at Temple Beth-El, New York, 19 January 1930, 13 pp.
9. "The Personality of Jesus - The Soul of Christianity," at Temple Beth-El, 13 April 1930, 15 pp.
10. "The Mystery of Life," preached at Temple Beth-El, New York, 4 May 1930, 15 pp.
11. "Moral Independence," preached at Riverside Church, New York, 19 October 1930, 15 pp.
12. "What Are You Standing For?", preached at Riverside Church, New York, 30 Nov. 1930, 14 pp.
13. "The Ghost of a Chance," preached at Riverside Church, New York, 28 December 1930, 15 pp.
14. "Handling Life's Second-Bests," preached at Riverside Church, New York, 18 January 1931, 14 pp.
15. "Our Moral Muddle," preached at Riverside Church, New York, 8 March 1931, 14 pp.
16. "Personal Responsibility in the Present Crisis," preached at Riverside Church, 15 Nov. 1931, 14 pp.
17. "A Fundamentalist Sermon By A Modernist Preacher," at Riverside Church, 17 January 1931, 14 pp.
18. "Six Ways to Tell Right from Wrong," preached at Riverside Church, 30 October 1932, 14 pp.
19. "Personal and Social Religion: Part I - Christianity's Stake in the Social Situation," preached at the Riverside Church, New York, 20 November 1932, 13 pp.
20. "Personal and Social Religion: Part II - Through the Social Gospel into Personal Religion," preached at the Riverside Church, New York, 27 November 1932
21. "Superficial Optimists, The Peril of a Serious Time," at Riverside Church, 8 January 1933, 14 pp.
22. "Five Sectors of The Peace Movement," preached at Riverside Church, 10 January 1937, 13 pp.
23. "Are We Fit To Keep Our Democracy?," preached at Riverside Church, 2 June 1940, 13 pp.
24. "God Talks To A Dictator," preached at Riverside Church, 13 October 1940, 13 pp.
25. "When the Devil Looks Like An Angel," preached at Riverside Church, 27 April 1941, 13 pp.

ƒ17—Fosdick, H.E., 1929-1933, A second boxed set of Twenty-one Sermons by Harry Emerson Fosdick, with these dated more narrowly, 1929-1933 [note that one sermon appears to be missing from the set and that there is some duplication with the sermons in the above listed set; the bold numbers indicate items unique to this set] :
1. "Christ and the Inferiority Complex," [Temple Beth-El, New York, 20 October 1929; 14 p.] 14
2. "A Little Morality is a Dangerous Thing," [Temple Beth-El, Sunday 27 October 1929; 14 p.] 16
3. "What Do You Say To Yourself?," [reprint from the October 1929 issue of The American Magazine; 16 p.] 17
4. "Pull Yourself Together," [Temple Beth-El, New York, 24 November 1929; 14 p. 18
5. "Handicapped Lives," [Temple Beth-El, New York, 19 January 1930; 15 p.] 19
6. "Making the Best of a Bad Mess," [Temple Beth-El, New York, on 2 March 1930; 13 p.] 20
7. "The Mystery of Life," [Temple Beth-El, New York, 4 May 1930; 15 p.] 21
8. "What are you Standing For?" [Riverside Church, 30 November 1930; 14 p.] 22
9. "The Ghost of a Chance," [Riverside Church, 28 December 1930; 15 p.] 23
10. "Handling Life's Second-Bests," [Riverside Church, 18 January 1931; 14 p.] 24
11. "Our Moral Muddle," [Riverside Church, 8 March 1931; 14 p.] 25
12. "The Service of Religious Faith in Mental Health," [Riverside Church, 23 October 1932; 14 p.] 26
13. "Six Ways To Tell Right From Wrong," [Riverside Church, 30 October 1932; 14 p.] 27
14. "Personal and Social Religion," Part I: Christianity's Stake in the Social Situation [Riverside Church, 20 November 1932; 13 p.] 28
15. "Personal and Social Religion," Part II: Through the Social Gospel into Personal Religion [Riverside Church, 27 November 1932; 13 p.]
16. "Superficial Optimists, The Peril of a Serious Time" [Riverside Church, 8 January 1933; 14 p.] 29
17. "Superficial Optimists, The Peril of a Serious Time" [second copy, and what appears to be a second printing, with a heavier paper cover with title and Scripture text only]
18. "Christianity More Than Duty--Not Weight But Wings," [Riverside Church, 15 January 1933; 13 p.] 30
19. "Christianity More Than Duty--Not Weight But Wings," [second copy, and what appears to be a second printing, with a heavier paper cover with title only] 31
20. "The Conquest of Fear." [Riverside Church, 5 March 1933; 14 p.]

ƒ18—Burns, Vincent Godfrey, Fosdick and the Fundamentalists: A Review of the Great American Controversy in the Protestant Church (New York: The League for Public Discussion, n.d.), 13pp.

ƒ19—Craig, Samuel G., Christianity According to Dr. Fosdick (St. Davids, PA: the author, 1923), pb, 45pp. [photocopy]

ƒ20—Fountain, Charles Hillman, The Case Against Dr. Fosdick : A Reply to the Report of the Committee of the New York Presbytery Which Exonerated Him of the Charge of Teaching Doctrines Contrary to the Bible and the Westminster Confession of Faith (Plainfield, NJ : by the Author, 1924, Second and Revised Edition), 24pp.; 18.5 cm.

ƒ21—McPherson, G.W., Radicalism Unmasked (New York: The Yonkers Book Company, 1922), 18pp.; 20cm. ["Reply, as given in The Old Tent Evangel on July 23rd, 1922, to the recent criticisms of Old Testament Miracles, by the Reverend Harry Emerson Fosdick…"]

ƒ22—McPherson, G.W., The Virgin Birth (New York: The Yonkers Book Company, 1922), 28pp.; 18.5cm. ["…second sermon in the series…Radicalism Unmasked…in which the author discusses a recent sermon by Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick…"; also in this folder, "The Christian Creed: Tent Evangel Edition (tract)]

ƒ23—Morrison, Henry Clay [1857-1942], The Follies of Fosdick (Louisville, KY : Pentecostal Pub. Co., 1936), 45pp.; 19cm. [photocopy].

ƒ24—Park Avenue Baptist Church, 1928, Sunday service bulletins for 15 January and 15 April, 1928

ƒ25—The First Presbyterian Church of New York and Dr. Fosdick (New York: First Presbyterian Church, circa 1925), 61pp.; 20cm. [published by the church in defense of Dr. Fosdick]

ƒ26—Wyckoff, Albert Clarke, Review of The Modern Use of the Bible, in Christian Leadership, Vol. 1, No. 4 (July 1925) 3-6, 10-11.

As part of the above collection, the following published works by Dr. Fosdick are also on file in the PCA Historical Center :
Fosdick, Harry Emerson, A Great Time To Be Alive: Sermons on Christianity in Wartime (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1944, first edition), hb, [viii], 235pp.
____________________, A Guide to Understanding the Bible: The Development of the Ideas within the Old and New Testaments (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1938, fifth edition), hb, xvi, 348pp.
____________________, The Living of these Days: The Autobiography of Harry Emerson Fosdick (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1956, first edition), hb, ix, 324pp.

[Additional donations are welcome, particularly for other early editions of individual sermons, service bulletins, and for materials written in opposition to Dr. Fosdick]


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