The following is an excerpt from a book of sermons called "Christian Humanism" by Russell Henry Stafford. This book was published in 1928 with no copyright renewal found per the Library of Congress. In this portion, Stafford submits Jesus himself showed characteristics of a humanist and Stafford offers an alternate interpretation of certain biblical narratives...
THE GOOD LIFE sermon excerpt
"Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit . . . ? —I Corinthians 6:19
As at the Renaissance, so again in our day much of the best thinking is of the type known as humanism. Humanism is that type of thought which is interested in every phase of the life of mankind, but with reference to this world only. There are three main sources of the rise of contemporary humanism. One is an altruistic idealism, generously concerned for the improvement of living conditions—an effect of the quickening of the social consciousness. Another is the unprecedented progress of late of the applied sciences, making the adequate expression of this social idealism more feasible now than ever before. The third is a feeling, prevalent in many minds dominated by scientific concepts, of uncertainty as to whether there be any other world than this, so that concerning other possible realms of being it is deemed unwise to speculate.
The aims of humanism have never been better designated than in the title of a recent book by the English philosopher, Mr. Bertrand Russell, “Education and the Good Life”—an excellent book, within the limitations of Mr. Russell’s naturalistic viewpoint. Humanism, seeking the Good Life through education, is a force for the right, so far as it goes, and has found religious expression in the Ethical Movement, under the inspiration of that true prophet of righteousness, Felix Adler.
Now humanism has so many exponents conspicuous for lucid intelligence and elevated motive, that this type of thought must be attractive to every reflective person of our time, irrespective of his creed. But the Christian is disturbed as to the legitimacy of this interest because many humanists offer their views as an alternative to the Gospel. For they regard the Gospel as a system of metaphysics, chiefly concerned with the next world, and so belittling man’s life on earth. Now it is undoubtedly true that the Gospel has often been misrepresented to this effect by zealous advocates of its claims. But we, within the fold of the Church, may well remind ourselves of a fact which outsiders are wont to overlook, namely, that the popular practice of Christianity has often departed far from the example and teachings of its founder. We shall, therefore, do well to study the life of our Lord from this standpoint, to inquire whether per chance Jesus himself may not have been more nearly in harmony with humanism than with the other worldliness of some of his avowed disciples. My own conclusion, upon making such a study, is that Jesus was a humanist; with this difference, that, while he was dominantly concerned with the life of mankind in this world, he nevertheless recognized consistently that heaven overarches the earth, giving warmth and light for earth-experience. By this conviction Jesus the humanist was released from the benumbing frigidity of agnosticism, and in him all that is good and attractive in humanism was infused with assurance
and buoyancy, with such a glow as is lamentably lacking in most mere humanists.
Humanism, in search of the Good Life, is concerned, first, for the well-being of the body; for
the body is the foundation of our life in this world. And it is often alleged that Christianity
cares nothing for the body. Some of its dogmas would seem to indicate shame and contempt of
physical processes. Some of its saints have hated the body, and hounded it into a premature
grave by the repellent austerities of their asceticism. Granted; but no authorization for such
contempt, not to say vilification, of the body, is to be found in Jesus. And surely he counts for
more, in the religion he originated, than do any or all of his saints.
For we find Jesus honoring the body by healing the sick. How he healed them does not matter
in this connection. He was at least concerned enough for health to be the enemy of disease,
and sometimes to address himself to the restoration of men’s bodies before he gave heed to their souls. So the follower of Christ should be at one with the humanist in caring well for the body, to preserve its harmonious functioning, or to restore such functioning when it has been impaired.
Further, beyond this negative tribute to the body in his regard for health, our Lord indicated by his own way of living, and by at least one telling phrase, a positive reverence for the body, such a reverence as would logically lead to deliberate physical culture in quest of true beauty. Beauty does not consist, be it noted, in pulchritude of form and appearance, which the light- minded seek through the accessories of the toilet, costume and cosmetics; rather it is a matter of the vigorous and effective interplay of sound nerves and strong, flexible, resilient muscles; of firm and disciplined physique. Jesus himself was a carpenter; he had built up his body in boyhood by hard and skilful labor. Through the period of his ministry, he kept fit by long pedestrian journeys; probably few if any of us could equal Jesus as a walker, and in general endurance. And the words of our text, to the effect that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit—remember what the Temple stood for in Israel— are an echo of certain words of our Lord himself about his death and resurrection: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” —an enigma which the evangelist explains by saying, “He spake of the temple of his body.” There is food for much meditation in these words. He who marks and digests their significance can hardly ever again fall into the perverse error of some Christians, of holding the body in light esteem."
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