Ecclesiastes 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
My next few blogs are a bit more academic, hopefully you can make it through the reads. I am trying to keep them concise.
Issues in the current Western World are calling for new ideas, yet Solomon, the wise Israeli leader of old wrote, “…there is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Writers of our day coin the new agendas; humanism, progressivism, secularism, modernism, then postmodernism, and the New Age Movement. Yet, are these agendas and theories which come from the latest guru really “new,” or is it possible they are the same agendas or theories that have themed through ancient cultures and are coming to the surface once again in this present age? Should we adapt to our culture or force the culture back into truth, the absolute truths of the Holy Scripture? These are the questions which will be pondered, considered, and possibly countered in the following essay.
Many in the Christian Church sit and wait for somebody to effect change on our current state of education in America. This is critical because as we focus on education we are focusing on the future of America. Abraham Lincoln stated, “The philosophy of the classroom today will be the philosophy of the government tomorrow.”
Currently, America is engaged in a great Civil War, i.e., a battle of worldviews. On one side, according to Noebel (1991), is the Christian worldview and on the other is the humanistic worldview, which is divided into various subgroups.
Our culture has been immensely affected by changes in thought from the Renaissance to today, and, for most of these ideological changes, the Church has sat on the sidelines and done or said nothing. “Postmodern” thinkers, if I may, assert there are no real truths, everything is relative, human life only has value given it by the individual, as all beliefs are only constructs of the culture or society (Veith, 1994). The average American may think this is far-fetched, but this way of thinking has become a stronghold in many influential geographical areas which, in turn, affects the heartland of America, the very fabric and soul of this nation. In response to this group of new age thinkers, Francis Schaefer (1982) wrote the Christian Manifesto. In it he asserted Christians have let humanist thinking into the culture in the 20th century by not understanding the whole picture of the western culture. Schaefer states,
“The basic problems in this country in the last eighty years or so, in regard to society and in regard to government, is that they have seen things in bits and pieces instead of totals. They have very gradually become disturbed over permissiveness, pornography, the public schools, the breakdown of the family, and, finally, abortion. But they have not seen this as a totality – each thing being a part, a symptom, of a much larger problem. They have failed to see that all of this has come about due to a shift in worldview – that is, through the fundamental change in the overall way people think and view the world and life as a whole. This shift has been away from a worldview that was at least vaguely Christian in people’s memory (even if they were not individually Christian) toward something totally different – toward a worldview based upon the idea that the final reality is impersonal matter or energy shaped into its present form by impersonal chance” (p. 423).
What can a reformer due to affect change in our culture? First, we must be vocal about our beliefs. Our culture, America, has come to a breaking point. We, as the Church, must make our voice heard! We can no longer sit idly by, not using our intellect to counter the latest agendas and ideologies of the day. Second, we must gather data and support our communication with historical facts, quantitative and qualitative data from educational experts, absolute truths, and wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Next, we must understand our current culture and understand how to gain a platform to speak to the worldviews of the day. Further, challenges of invading our culture must be analyzed so one can be as effective and influential as possible. Finally, we must prepare the next generation as we must be posterity in motion, as current leaders pass on there must be new younger leaders who emerge to take the baton. The torch must continue to burn; there must not be a breach.
Resources:
King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Noebel, D. (1991). Understanding the times. Manitou Springs, CO: Harvest House Publishers.
Schaefer, F. (1982). The complete works of Francis Schaefer: A Christian worldview, Volume Five, A Christianview of the west. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Veith, G.E. (1994). Postmodern times: A Christian guide to contemporary thought and culture. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
