27 Quotes by Philip Schaff

Religion and liberty are inseparable. Religion is voluntary, and cannot, and ought not to be forced. This is a fundamental article of the American creed, without distinction of sect or party. Liberty, both civil and religious, is an American instinct. Such liberty is impossible on the basis of a union of church and state, where the one of necessity restricts or controls the other. It requires a friendly separation, where each power is entirely independent in its own sphere.

The history of the Church is the rise and progress of the kingdom of heaven upon earth, for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.

If Christians are ever to be united, they must be united in Christ, their living head and the source of their spiritual life.

Without His Resurrection the death of Christ would be of no avail, and His grave would be the grave of all our hopes. A gospel of a dead Savior would be a miserable failure and delusion. The Resurrection is the victory of righteousness and life over sin an death.

One man with truth on his side is stronger than a majority in error, and will conquer in the end.

To give up faith in Christ is to give up faith in humanity; to believe in Christ is to believe in the redeption and final glorification of men; and this faith is the best inspiration to a holy and useful life for the good of our race of the glory of God.

Paul was the only scholar among the apostles. He never displays his learning, considering it of no account as compared with the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, for whom he suffered the loss of all things, but he could not conceal it, and turned it to the best use after his conversion. Peter and John had natural genius, but no scholastic education; Paul had both, and thus became the founder of Christian theology and philosophy.

The idea of universal history presupposes the Christian idea of the unity of God, and the unity and common destiny of men, and was unknown to ancient Greece and Rome.

If we wish to be good, we must first believe that we are bad.