Coram Deo Blog

30 June 2008 at 10:48 am by Will Walker · culture, idols

Modern Confusion

Addressing the issue of secularization in the modern world, Os Guiness offers these insightful comments:

Less and less of life had been left to God, chance, or human spontaneity, as more and more of life has been classified, calculated, and controlled by the use of reason — in science and technology.

The modern world quite literally ‘manages’ without God. We can do so much so well by ourselves that there is no need for God, even in His church. Thus we modern people can be profoundly secular in the midst of explicitly religious activities.

The modern world has scrambled things so badly that today

we worship our work,

we work at our play, and

we play at our worship.”

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9 Comments »

Abraham Serafino on 2 July 2008 at 1:57 pm

It seems to me that this secularization, even within the church, has been going on for ages… this epithet about worshipping our work (worshipping the works of our hands) has been true of American churches at least as far back as the fifties. And look at the early churches that Jesus had to encourage to return to their First Love in Revelations. I know I’m guilty of leaving God out of my day-to-day. I can just read my Bible in the morning and then leave Him waiting for me in my room while I go off to work alone. Ouch.

Deanna Altman on 3 July 2008 at 8:02 am

More often, God seems to be using good old-fashioned natural disasters to cut through the modernism and secularism. I guess I’m assuming (but not pretending to really know) that survivors are less confused about God and their need for Him. I am just a witness to these disasters, but I’m taking notes…

Perhaps the state of our economy will unscramble some of what’s been scrambled for the rest of us. We can hope!

Ben on 5 July 2008 at 2:38 am

“More often, God seems to be using good old-fashioned natural disasters to cut through the modernism and secularism.”

Wow, really Deanna??? How so?
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“The modern world quite literally ‘manages’ without God. We can do so much so well by ourselves that there is no need for God, even in His church.”

It’s not that there’s no need for God, it’s just that there’s no proof that a God exists.

Will Walker on 5 July 2008 at 8:10 am

Ben, I respect your position of belief … that there is no God (or at least no proof of a God). However, if you are going to make such an extreme and exclusive faith statement, I want to hold you to the same standard you seem to be holding others. That is, do you have any proof that a God, in fact, does not exist?

Ben on 7 July 2008 at 11:57 pm

Will, no I don’t have proof that a God does not exist.

Ben on 8 July 2008 at 12:17 am

“I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal God is a childlike one, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth. I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being.” – Albert Einstein

Deanna Altman on 8 July 2008 at 11:57 pm

“How so?” Really, Ben?

God or no God, you must understand how natural disasters twist apart, burn, dismantle and flood modernism, right? Natural disasters seem to also minimize the need/place for secularism, although perhaps, in part, it was extreme secularism that caused the delay in aid to the people of Burma/Myanmar following Cyclone Nargis.

Ben on 9 July 2008 at 11:13 pm

Deanna,

I guess I get what you are saying about natural disasters and modernism, but I’d use GREAT CAUTION in claiming that God causes natural disasters. What proof do you have? What will keep you from ending up like your neighbors at Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas?

Deanna on 10 July 2008 at 12:49 am

Ben,

I absolutely agree. I would not necessarily share my views (that God is capable and has just cause for allowing natural disasters) outside of this kind of forum. What would be the purpose? As you pointed out, how could I prove it? I would rather let God speak for Himself in that way, if He choses.

Regarding the so-called church you mentioned – wow – makes me sob. Doesn’t seem to be a very effective way to “engage the culture”, which is really to say, “love people where they are”…

But as a Christian, and because they claim to be, I have to apologize for them, if only to you. Yeah, sorry is a good place to start…