Category Archives: Christian History

Tim, a high school biology teacher, was asked by one of his students about evolutionary theory that teaches living things have evolved over time, versus God creating everything as we see it. The student wanted to know if God used evolution. Tim hesitated, after all this was a public high school and he could get in trouble discussing his faith, or refuting textbook teachings, according to school board policy.

Tim knew of other teachers, and professors, who had been reassigned or disciplined for teaching, or using material that supports, creation and the theory of intelligent design. Even sharing prominent research that reveals the many problems with evolutionary theory would get you thrown out of the NSTA (National Science Teachers Association), at least on a credibility level. In Tim’s hesitation the lunch bell rang and the students hurried out without waiting for a response, but what about next time?

What should Tim have done? Why has academia closed its door on a divine foot, and with such fervor? It seems that something else is going on here besides academic pursuit of truth.

Let’s continue our historical tour from the past few weeks…

Twentieth Century: Secular Humanism

With all the philosophical changes that took place in the universities over the previous century it is easy to see how, in the early twentieth century, the academic community came under the influence of a secular humanist worldview (man centered vs. God centered). This view permeated all of the major disciplines with a snowball affect into the public school systems by the mid to late twentieth-century:

• 1925 Scopes trial—the teaching of evolution vs. creation—even though evolution lost this battle it set the stage for the dominance of evolutionary theory to take over in the public schools within the next few decades.
• 1933 Dewey’s educational theories enter the public school textbooks and teacher training, all based on the ideology of secular humanism.
• 1947 Separation of Church and State (exactly 300 years after the Old Deluder Satan Act!)
• 1961 secular humanism was ruled a religion (they could receive tax benefits), yet it was allowed to be the reigning philosophy in education because it was deemed ‘non-institutional.’
• 1962 No school prayer.
• 1963 No Bible reading in public school.
• 1980 No Ten Commandments (or other religious postings) allowed in public places.

 The result of this progression?

• Public Education expelled Christian thinking and therefore expelled God.
• Academic Scholars who held to a Christian worldview in their fields of study began to be blackballed.

The trickle-down effect from the universities to our public schools has led to the overall change in culture and worldviews that we see today, including politics, where God is nowhere to be found.

Early Twenty-first Century: The Effect of Isms

Everyone is anything they want to be as long as you are not a bully, a bigot or display any type of phobia. And, you cannot question the so-called “fact” of evolution across the academic disciplines. The many philosophical changes that occurred in education and culture of the twentieth century has lead to the choice of ‘isms’ we see today…

In science:

Naturalism, Materialism, Physicalism, Evolutionism, Scientism…

In society:

Progressive Secularism, Relativism, Hedonism, Anarchism…

In faith:

Pluralism, Skepticism, Agnosticism, Atheism…

In culture:

Modernism, Postmodernism, Socialism, Modernity…

Not sure where the God of the Bible fits into any of these? He doesn’t.

According to Nancy Pearcy and Francis Shaffer, the academic emphasis on the fact/value split has lead to the apathetic attitude towards religious truths and many of the “isms.” The split is seen as: Facts are truth, values are negotiable; facts are objective, values are subjective. This has made it nearly impossible for Christian truths to be taught in the public arena. Even though these truths are based on facts they are treated as negotiable and subjective values.

Checkout this short promo for Nancy Pearcey’s book “Saving Leonardo,” a book I highly recommend for any thoughtful Christian. She touches on so many important areas of life that have shifted our culture’s worldview, and in many ways that we are often unaware:

(The Future) Mid to late twenty-first century: Modernity

What we will be up against in the next few decades will be the greatest challenge that has ever faced Christianity, according to Os Guinness, DPhil, Oxford and Christian Apologist. This challenge comes in the form of modernity:

“The terms modernism and postmodernism are sets of ideas, but modernity refers to far more than ideas. …Modernism as a philosophy may oppose faith outright, but modernity does not. Its damage is not through opposition but through seduction and distortion. It doesn’t say, for example, ‘No faith allowed here’ but ‘No faith is needed here.’ Contrary to Jesus and the Torah, modernity claims that man can now live ‘by bread alone,’ or rather by science, technology, management and marketing alone. Secularists do not want God, whereas the secularized [the result of modernity] have no need of God, and that is only one of the many seductions and distortions of modernity.”

-Os Guinness, “Impossible people” pgs. 62, 65

Watch this insightful (and entertaining) documentary by Actor, Ben Stein to get a full grasp of what has happened in academia: “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed”  (approximately 90 minutes)

In this current age we must strive to know the LORD as the Psalmist prayed:

Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.  -Psalm 86:11

Today, we must learn to be bold in our faith as the Apostle Paul was:

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.   –2 Corinthians 10:5

Going Deeper

To navigate the culture as a Christian in the next few decades, I highly recommend reading and sharing:

1.  A Practical Guide to Culture, Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World, by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle. This is a valuable resource for Christian parents, students, and those working with young adults, and a must have for any Christian’s library.

2.  “Christian Church History Outline – from the time of Jesus to the 21^st Century,” by CARM (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry)—Ryan Turner (article)  https://carm.org/church-history-outline

3.  “Saving Leonardo” and “Total Truth,” by Nancy Pearcy

4.  “Impossible People,” by Os Guinness

Reflection

1. In your own words recap the history of Christianity that we have covered (helpful hint: Narrow the key concept from the 10 eras that we covered over the last several posts into one sentence each). Knowing the basic overview of this timeline will help you in those one minute opportunities you might have to share (or correct).
2. Prayer focus: The trials and persecution of historical Christianity and how God, in His mercy and grace, has walked with, and protected, His people over the years. Ask God how you can be part of His Kingdom plan for the future.