Bible quotations are taken from the
New International Version of the Bible
Copyright © 2002 by Zondervan
except as indicated
the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1987 by Zondervan
Where is the wise man? Where is the
scholar? Where is the philosopher of
this age? Has not God made foolish
the wisdom of the world? For since
in the wisdom of God the world
through its wisdom did not know him,
God was pleased through the
foolishness of what was preached to
save those who believe. Jews demand
miraculous signs and Greeks look for
wisdom, but we preach Christ
crucified: a stumbling block to Jews
and foolishness to Gentiles, but to
those whom God has called, both Jews
and Greeks, Christ is the power of
God and the wisdom of God.
I Corinthians 1:20-25
Prologue
Hot buttons. Press one and prepare yourself for a heated
argument. It used to be that politics and religion were the hot
buttons but, in the last few decades, we define
the hot buttons with greater precision. Abortion, socialism, euthanasia, liberal sex
education in the schools, pornography, homosexuality, recreational drugs … the
list goes on. The passion, pro or con, in these arguments is intense and
growing. The buttons are more numerous and getting hotter. Typically,
participants in the arguments were often labeled "Conservatives"
on one side and "Liberals" on the other side. These
labels were appropriate if discussing economics, taxes, and the power of
government; however, the new hot buttons have merged with the old hot
buttons creating a new dynamic in every aspect of society. The old
labels do not define the fundamental cause of today’s polarization,
"Christianity" and "Humanism." I use these words in quotes because they
are labels that require further definition. These issues are not debated
like intellectuals sitting at their gentleman’s club with brandy and
cigars quietly deliberating the pros and cons of the issues. Rather is
it like adolescents in a verbal street fight hurling names at each
other. I have also observed that, over the past few decades, the debates
have become institutionalized.
It is interesting to note that 150 years ago these terms
were not hot buttons. In fact, most of American society was in agreement
on these issues. Then, about 150 years ago, a fundamental change began
in the American (and Western society) and with it a new hot button –
evolution. Evolution is tightly linked to most of the
hot buttons mentioned above. Humanism, although already a
well-developed philosophy, surged into popularity at
the same time. By the early 20th Century, Humanism was
established throughout much of the Western world as Socialism, Communism,
and Progressivism, all of which are
joined at the hip with the glue of Humanist philosophy.
In discussing the polarization caused
by the Humanism - Christianity debate,
it is necessary to be clear about the terms "Humanist"
and "Christian" as used in this book. A complete
understanding of Humanism is best gained by reviewing Appendix 3, The
Humanist Manifesto and we will explore the depths of it later in the
book. However, for labeling purposes, we can
describe a Humanist as person who believes:
-
The universe exists without any divine influence, all organisms,
including humans evolved by natural selection
-
There is no God, there is no spiritual existence, and the only
existence is physical
-
Religion is an impediment to the advancement of society
-
Morality is relative and defined by the individual and/or
society. Moral standards change with the preferences of society
-
Sexual perversion, abortion, and drug
use are individual rights not to be condemned by society
-
Perfection of humanity is based on the advancement of society, collectively.
The description above is painted in broad strokes.
Actually, there are many flavors of Humanism just as there are many
flavors of Christianity. Humanism will be discussed in
greater detail in Parts 2 and 3 where we will reveal the relationship
between Humanism, Liberalism, Socialism, and Progressivism. Christianity
is more difficult to define. The basic definition of
a Christian is stated as follows: A person who believes
that:
-
There is a Triune God who created all physical and non-physical
existence
-
Man is a unique creation made in the image of God
-
God cannot be known through philosophy or reasoning
but he, and his plan for humanity, is revealed through the Holy
Scriptures
-
Man is sinful by nature and is doomed to hell
-
God begot a son, Jesus, who became a sacrifice for the
redemption of all humanity through his death and resurrection
-
Repentance and faith in Jesus and the efficacy of his death and
resurrection is sufficient for an individual’s salvation.
But, as discussed in Chapter 4, this definition does not
cover the various "human artifacts" introduced into the practice of
Christianity as we observe the "Political Church", "Philosophical Church",
"Social Church", and more recently, the "Scientific Church".
One can see that, by the definitions alone, the potential
for conflict between Humanists and Christians is great.
The conflict becomes even more intense when the basic philosophies of
each are implemented. The intensity of the conflict began with Darwin
and his theory of evolution by natural
selection (atheistic evolution). A quick glance at the contents page of
this book reveals that nearly one-fifth of the book is devoted to the
Creationism - Evolutionism" debate.
One might legitimately ask, "Why devote so much of this book to
evolution when hundreds of books have already been written on the
subject?" I must admit I deliberated on this for quite some time;
however, there are three important reasons to revisit this subject in
the context of Humanism, Christianity, and the
polarization of America.
The first reason is that evolution in itself is an important element in the
Humanist - Christian conflict. As such, it is important
to see both sides of the argument. The issue is far more complicated
than the efforts to prove one side or the other wrong. In order to
understand how Humanists promote and use evolution as a tool in
advancing their agenda in other areas, we must understand how Humanists
established evolution as fact without meeting the rigor of the
scientific method necessary for other legitimate
scientific pursuits. The methods used in promoting evolution are used
today in advancing the anti-Christian agenda described in the Humanist
Manifesto. As Sun Tzu says in his book, The Art of War,
we must know the foe and a good way to gain insight to how Humanists
promote their agenda is to study how they promote evolution.
The second reason is that evolution is a thread that runs throughout the
fabric of Humanism. Humanists use it to support Atheism, abortion,
and anti-Christian policies in our society and
government. It is the justification for eugenics and
euthanasia. It is the door that opened our public schools to the Humanist
philosophy.
The third reason is that evolution is one of the cornerstones without which
Humanism would collapse. Humanism is based on the presumption that
there is no God and, therefore, Man is the highest expression
of existence in the universe. This argument can only survive if there is
no divine Creator and evolution by natural selection offers
a "proof" that there is no God. For the Humanist, the
philosophy of Evolutionism is far
more important than the science of evolution.
Although an important element in the Humanism - Christianity conflict, evolution is just the
beginning. In Part 2, we explore how the concept of Secular Humanism
developed among the Enlightenment philosophers and is now expressed in
modern Socialism and Progressivism. Although
Humanism, as the organized movement we see today, is a relatively new
philosophy, it has been with humanity for millennia, at
least in spirit, and we will investigate how the values expressed by
Humanists today were and integral part of the Roman Empire as it began its decline. In fact, the conflict between Humanism
and Christianity has been an integral part of the Christian struggle from the beginning.
The major polarization of America
began in the 1960’s. As courts with activist judges and liberal agendas supported abortion,
pornography, teaching evolution in
public schools, and banned prayer or religious
references in schools and other public venues, it became apparent that
Christian values were under attack; not just by people
who held a different view as in the past but by courts and government
institutions. Humanism was becoming institutionalized. A Christian could
not pray in school, but the teacher could explain how we got here
without any divine intervention. Students who raised
objections to natural selection, prayed or wore a crucifix might find
themselves suspended for a few weeks. The principles of Humanism
were gradually replacing the principles of Christianity
as the basis of social morality and ethics.
The implementing arm of Humanism is
progressive politics and it has been a
factor in America for over 100 years. In Part 3, we will explore the
development of Progressivism and specific impacts it
has on religion, education, morality,
economics and, particularly, the Christian community. Also discussed are solutions and actions the Christian
community can take to survive and thrive in an increasingly hostile
climate. How can we raise our children in a society that promotes sexual
promiscuity, homosexuality, and abortion? What should the response be to a society that increasingly
considers "Christian" as a derogatory word? How should a parent react
when they find out the school has arranged for their daughter’s abortion
without their knowledge and the courts support the school? What should a
parent do when a child is suspended from school for wearing a crucifix?
How can the Christian community engage and witness to the secular
community? Part 4 investigates solutions to these issues. The early
Church was faced with similar challenges. However, those Christians did
not merely survive they thrived. Perhaps the solutions for the
challenges facing the modern Church can be found in the early Church.
Talk about "hot button" issues! However, as bleak as this
picture appears, there is a solution. And every Christian
already knows what it is – it just has to be implemented.