R. Albert Mohler Jr.'s Blog, page 258

The Briefing 01-26-17

Senate Democrats promise fight if Trump's Supreme Court nominee isn't "mainstream"New York Times (Michael D. Shear and Adam Liptak) — A Supreme Court Pick Is Promised. A Political Brawl Is Certain.New York Times (Carl Hulse) — Democrats, With Garland on Mind, Mobilize for Supreme Court Fight

Divinity schools abandon theological heritage and require gender-inclusive language to refer to GodNational Review (Katherine Timpf) — Top Divinity Schools: Use Gender-Neutral Language to Refer to God

Defender of the faith? Queen's chaplain resigns after criticizing Koranic reading in Christian serviceThe Telegraph (Camilla Turner) — Queen's chaplain resigns over cathedral Koran reading row saying he has a 'duty' to defend Christianity

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The Briefing 01-25-17

Ultrasound as "stealth warfare"? Pro-abortion article defies science, rationality, and moralityThe Atlantic (Moira Weigel) — How Ultrasound Became PoliticalThe Federalist (Sean Davis) — Abortion Science: Heartbeats Are Imaginary, Unborn Babies Aren’t Alive, And Ultrasounds Are Just Tools Of The Patriarchy

Solving the world's problems or part of the problem? World Economic Forum meets in Davos, SwitzerlandWall Street Journal (Greg Ip) — We Are Not the WorldNew York Times (Andrew Ross Sorkin) — What to Make of the ‘Davos Class’ in the Trump EraNew York Times (Michael J. de la Merced and Russell Goldman) — How Davos Brings the Global Elite Together

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The Briefing 01-24-17

Trump reinstates Mexico City Policy, a pro-life measure that prevents US aid from promoting abortionUSA Today (Gregory Korte) — Trump wields his presidential pen, signing memos on trade, hiring, abortionPolitico (Jennifer Haberkorn and Nolan D. McCaskill) — Trump signs sweeping order that could gut Obamacare

NY Gov. Cuomo promises to expand access to free abortions that are "medically necessary"New York Times (Vivian Yee) — Andrew Cuomo to Widen Access to Free Abortion and Contraception

Is it good stewardship for a billionaire to fly a private jet to Puerto Rico to rescue 30 stray dogs? Palm Beach Post (Christine Stapleton) — Bloomberg’s daughter, Peggy Adams team up to rescue dogs from PR

Ethics, resource allocation, and the call to stop searching for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370New York Times (Russell Goldman and Michelle Innis) — 239 People Are Dead. Should Searchers Keep Looking for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?

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Impossible to Believe — Preaching in a Secular Culture

This post is the second of three in a series on Preaching in a Secular Age.

The previous post in this series examined Peter Berger’s explanation for the progress of secularization in the Western world. In addition to Berger, Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor has also carefully traced the influence and effects of secularization on the West. As he explains in his important book, The Secular Age, the way people hold to theological convictions and religious principles in the modern era is fundamentally different than how people believed in the past. Modernity has made religious belief provisional, optional, and far less urgent than it was in the pre-modern world.

I had this notion pressed upon me in some force when I was a doctoral student and I had the opportunity to attend a seminar with Heiko Oberman, a prestigious history professor from the University of Arizona and one of the world’s greatest scholars on the Reformation. Oberman was about seventy years old at the time; I was in my early twenties.

Halfway through the lecture, Oberman, through no fault of our own, became exasperated with the class. “Young men,” he said, “you will never understand Luther because you go to bed every night confident you will wake up healthy in the morning. In Luther’s day, people thought that every day could be their last. They had no antibiotics. They didn’t have modern medicine. Sickness and death came swiftly.” Oberman’s point was that when Luther closed his eyes at night terrified he was afraid he might wake up in hell. Luther recognized that every day might be his last and he could very quickly find himself either face to face with God or the devil.

Taylor makes the same point, although not as anecdotally as Oberman. As Taylor notes, on this side of modernity when people believe, they are making a choice to believe that previous generations did not make. Belief is now a provisional choice, an exercise of personal autonomy. When people identify as believers in Jesus Christ they are making a far more individualistic statement than was possible in years past. Furthermore, they are doing so in the face of alternative worldview options that were simply unavailable until very recently. In fact, as I was doing research for my book on atheism I learned that the very first use of “atheist” in English came from Miles Coverdale who invented the word during his time translating Scripture. The remarkable thing to notice is that Coverdale had to invent a term for someone who did not believe in God because he did not know anyone who actually held that conviction. No one in the Elizabethan age would have denied God’s existence.

Perhaps the central insight from Taylor’s book is his categorization of the pre-modern, modern, and post-modern time periods with respect to the worldview options available in a culture. As Taylor argues, western history is categorized by three intellectual epochs: pre-Enlightenment impossibility of unbelief; post-Enlightenment possibility of unbelief; and late Modern impossibility of belief.

In the pre-Enlightment era it was impossible not to believe. One simply could not explain the world without some appeal either to the Bible or to “enchantment,” to return to Weber’s terminology. No other worldviews were available to members of society other than supernatural worldviews, particularly the Christian worldview in the West. While society had its heretics, there were no atheists among them. Everyone believed in some form of theism, even if it was polytheism. As Taylor simply states, it was impossible not to believe.

That all changed with the Enlightenment and the availability of alternative worldviews by which one could frame a comprehensive account of the world set over against the Christian worldview. These alternative worldviews made it possible for members of society to reject the supernaturalism of Christianity for a naturalistic worldview. Taylor’s careful phraseology here, however, is also important to note. While it was certainly possible not to believe, it was also the case that it was not likely that people would reject the Christian worldview because the theistic explanations for life were simply more pervasive, binding, and persuasive than non-theistic worldviews.

The intellectual conditions in Europe and on American university campuses have now secularized such that it is impossible for those under such conditions to believe in God. In other words, we have arrived at the third intellectual epoch of Western society: impossible to believe. As Taylor observes, to be a candidate for tenure at a major American university is to inhabit a world in which it is virtually impossible to believe in God. Under the first set of Western intellectual conditions, not everyone was a Christian, but all were accountable to a Christian worldview because there was no alternative. Secularization in American culture has reversed the conditions: not everyone is a non-Christian, but all must operate under a secular worldview that denies the legitimacy of a Christian worldview. In three hundred years, Western intellectual conditions have moved from an impossibility of unbelief to an impossibility of belief.

So what does this mean for us as preachers? We must recognize that these intellectual conditions now prevalent in Europe and in the American universities are quickly filtering down from the elites to the general culture. The mechanisms in this process are fairly easy to trace. In fact a number of polls reveal that the greatest predictor for whether you will find yourself in an increasingly secular space comes down to whether you live near a coast, a city, or a university.  Given that the future of America is increasingly defined by most of its population being coastal, urban, and university-educated, you can see that the future of America is also increasingly secular.

Given these cultural changes, we need to recognize we are not preaching to people who hear us in the same way as previous generations in Western societies. Furthermore, we are not preaching with the same authority, culturally speaking, as we once did because we no longer represent the dominant, established worldview of the culture. Instead we now represent a worldview that is not only considered marginal but subversive of the new intellectual and moral regime. Even the people in our churches believe in a way that is more provisional and less theologically grounded than in previous generations.

The question remains, what does preaching look like in the secular city? How do we preach a binding authority when people do not even realize they are under authority? How do we preach the objective truths of a non-provisional gospel? How do we preach the authority of a single book, its singular Savior, and a faith once for all delivered to the saints when most people hold, even unconsciously, to a firm commitment to pluralization?

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The Briefing 01-23-17

President Trump's inaugural address, the media's reaction, and a tale of two AmericasNew York Times (Peter Baker and Michael D. Shear) — Donald Trump Is Sworn In as President, Capping His Swift AscentNew York Times (Editorial Board) — What President Trump Doesn’t Get About AmericaWall Street Journal (Gerald F. Seib) — Donald Trump Indicts Political System, Remains the OutsiderWall Street Journal (Editorial Board) — Trump’s Populist ManifestoWall Street Journal (Peggy Noonan) — President Trump Declares IndependenceFinancial Times (Editorial Board) — President Trump’s challenge is to narrow the rift he widenedNew York Times (Carl Hulse) — Trump’s Message: Ask What Your Government Has Done to You

Identity politics and the Women's March: A closer look at Saturday's protestsNew York Times (Lori Adelman) — How the Women’s March Could Resurrect the Democratic Party

Facts vs. "alternative facts"? Why the media has such a hard time defining truthNew York Times (Sydney Ember and Michael M. Grynbaum) — News Media, Target of Trump’s Declaration of War, Expresses AlarmUSA Today (Heidi M. Przybyla and Fredreka Schouten) — At 2.6 million strong, Women's Marches crush expectations

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The Briefing 01-20-17

The history of Inauguration Day, the pageant of democracy, and the peaceful transfer of powerNew York Times (Nicholas Fandos) — Your Guide to Inauguration Day 2017

In final news conference, Obama reflects on his legacy, doesn't promise political silenceNew York Times (Michael D. Shear and Peter Baker) — In Farewell, Obama Sets Red Lines That Would Pull Him Back Into FrayUSA Today (Gregory Korte) — 'I believe in the American people:' Obama upbeat in last news conference

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The Briefing 01-19-17

Why the Left fears Sec. of Education nominee Betsy DeVos, champion of parental choice in educationBoston Globe (Annie Linskey) — Senate grills Education pick Betsy DeVos on experience, family donationsWall Street Journal (Editorial Board) — Who’s Afraid of Betsy DeVos?

Canadian judge rules pro-life ad depicting unborn fetus too emotionally distressingWashington Post (Cleve R. Wootson Jr.) — Canadian judge bars graphic antiabortion bus ads — to prevent an ‘uncomfortable environment’

What are Christians to make of the report that the abortion rate is falling in the US?Associated Press (David Crary) — New report: Abortions in US drop to lowest level since 1974

Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway will be first sitting White House official to address March for LifeWall Street Journal (William McGurn) — Kellyanne Conway and the Life of Her Party

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The Briefing 01-18-17

In final days as president, Obama commutes sentence of traitor Bradley "Chelsea" ManningNew York Times (Charlie Savage) — Chelsea Manning to Be Released Early as Obama Commutes Sentence

Church of England Archbishops call for Christians to "repent" for the ReformationThe Guardian (Harriet Sherwood) — C of E archbishops call on Christians to repent for Reformation splitArchbishops Justin Welby and John Sentamu — Reformation Anniversary: Statement from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York

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The Briefing 01-17-17

Feminism and abortion: Under pressure, Women's March releases statement excluding pro-life womenNational Review (Alexandra DeSanctis) — Update: Women’s March Removes Pro-Life SponsorThe Atlantic (Emma Green) — These Pro-Lifers Are Headed to the Women’s March on Washington

Theological confusion: Scottish Episcopal Church allows anti-Christian reading from the KoranBBC — Church 'deeply distressed' by Koran offence, says primus

Vatican invites doomsday prophet who supports forced abortion and sterilization to speakLife Site News (Pete Balinski) — He supports forced abortion, sterilization. Next month, he’s speaking at the Vatican.

Theological horror and the fascination with evil: Author of 'The Exorcist' dies at 89New York Times (Paul Vittello) — William Peter Blatty, Author of ‘The Exorcist,’ Dies at 89

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The Briefing 01-16-17

Moral logic in FL marriage law defies logic of the sexual revolution to protect childrenPalm Beach Post (Jane Musgrave) — Biological dad cut out of life of child produced during affair

Religious liberty in the military: Chaplains shouldn't have to choose whether to serve God or the armyNew York Times Magazine (Ana Marie Cox) — Sue Fulton Thinks Equal Rights Make the Military Stronger

Religious liberty in the balance: Why the Fairness for All campaign is a threat to religious libertyReligion News Service (Kelsey Dallas) — Religious freedom advocates are divided over how to address LGBT rightsChristianity Today (Kate Shellnutt) — No Middle Ground: Evangelical Leaders Reject Compromise on LGBT and Religious Rights

What the decline of the American mall says about our changing American societyWashington Post (Yoo Jung Kim) — American malls are declining. Their loss is a tragedy for me and my family.New York Times (Nelson D. Schwartz and Nick Wingfield) — Amazon to Add 100,000 Jobs as Bricks-and-Mortar Retail Crumbles

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