“Teachers, convinced that there are no objective truths to learn, teach ‘processes’ instead, offering ‘experiences’ instead of knowledge and encouraging their students to question existing values and to create their own.” – Veith, G. E., Jr. (1994b). Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture. Crossway, p. 59

              The seeds of a society which perpetuate the beliefs and practices of a people over generations are planted in the education of the next generation. The beliefs of those who teach will unavoidably influence both what is taught and how it is taught. At times the “how” of the educational process can affect the next generation just as profoundly as the “what”. The fruit of the future society grows out of these “how’s” and “what’s”.

              When today’s teachers, primarily in the formal institutions of learning having been indoctrinated by the teachers of the teachers, thoroughly believe that objective truth does not exist, they teach processes since to them there is no actual truth to pass on. They teach processes so that each student under them can discover their own truth rather than have to accept a universal truth or even a consensus of their society. This method creates students who question everything except the falsehood that truth does not exist and that their teachers are deceiving them.

              The experiences offered and promoted by the teachers feed this search but give no solid foundation for the student to build any meaning to life. The experience offers shifting sands for worldview construction as any such experience can be interpreted by the recipient in multiple ways. Even if one finalizes their own interpretation, another can come along and reinterpret that experience differently. The former may hold to their final interpretation despite the latter’s challenge, yet no stable community of belief can be built upon such unshared foundations.

              While the humanistic mainstream of today’s relativistic culture and resulting educational system believes that such processes and experiences can equip today’s students with their own self-supporting belief system, our fallen nature sets an impassible obstacle for such work to result in truth. While those who deny truth exists are not bothered by challenging them with this fact, the truth inherent in reality means they will never discover the truth that actually prospers their lives.

              Only with God’s saving grace overturning this dysfunctional educational process can students acknowledge the existence of truth and see value in seeking after it. Still, the deceptive nature of this educational process draws many into its trap as even Christians submit themselves and their children to learn through these processes and experiences. In submitting to such subjectivity rather than valuing objective truth, they forsake the fruits of a life living in accordance with truth both for themselves and the members of the future society.

              In order to prevent this demise of society’s connection to truth itself, we must return to believing in truth and educating others in line with objective truth rather than subjective processes. We must then align our thoughts and feelings with what learn from God’s revelation in both His Word and in nature. Only this can direct our practices both individually and collectively away from such educational foolishness. Then can we hope to lead ourselves and lead others to truth and a flourishing society now and future.

“Christians can agree that people do construct meanings for themselves — philosophies, religions, ideologies, and rationalizations– all in a vain attempt to evade the truth of God. Constructing one’s own meanings and one’s own gods rather than acknowledging the one living God is called idolatry.” – Veith, G. E., Jr. (1994b). Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture. Crossway, p. 63.

              People construct shelters for themselves from physical elements which they want to avoid. They also construct rationalizations and meanings for reality in order to escape the truth of God. Those who refuse to submit to God and His truth create all manners of philosophies, religions, and ideologies on the grander scale and daily rationalizations on the smaller scale. Some are consciously devised and others unconsciously utilized to avoid facing reality. As John Calvin once stated, man is an idol factory. These attempts to evade God’s call to faith and obedience serve as idols quite effectively as a sculptured image of the creature.

              While non-believers live their entire lives under such influences, followers of Christ can also succumb to such idolatry. Such idolatry in the believer results in nearly as much harm as in the unbeliever. While the believer is secure in their salvation, they may still hinder their witness and limit the blessings of life by pursuing these false idols.

              Many Christians live under the power of simple lifestyle rationalizations. By either neglecting the reading of His Word or simplistic attempts at exegesis, they convince themselves that certain behaviors or beliefs are acceptable. Pursuit of entertainment and pleasure distract many from true joy in God’s ways. Pursuit of power or wealth at the expense of ethics and morals tempt many to excuse themselves from guilt. These rationalizations become little idols which grant permission to rebel.

              Many also go further and due to similar reasons under the power of vain philosophies, deceptive ideologies, and even replacement religions such as cults. Social justice perverts the Biblical term we know as justice into a play for power and even a false gospel if taken too far. Charismatic personalities gather followers, slowly leading others further and further away from God’s truth, so the followers will idolize the person more than God. The list of possible idols like this fill both history books and the contemporary headline.

              In order to tear down such idols in our own thinking and from the world around us, we must return to reading God’s Word and deriving our beliefs and values from the Bible, so that our thoughts and feelings align with what we read there, thus directing our practices both individually and collectively away from such idols. Only then can we hope to lead ourselves and lead others to truth.

“I’ve often wondered where Jesus would apply His hastily made whip if He were to visit our culture. My guess is that it would not be money-changing tables in the temple that would feel His wrath, but the display racks in Christian bookstores.”― R.C. Sproul, Lifeviews: Make a Christian Impact on Culture and Society

              While truth always blesses and benefits one’s life, truth does not always feel good. Hearing R.C. Sproul’s biting words of rebuke against the average so-called Christian bookstore will bless all who respond rightly to it, yet the realization stings when accepted. Simply put, not all that self-proclaims itself as Christian truth actually teaches Christian truth despite its popularity on a store bookshelf.

              R.C. questions whether or not Jesus would respond to the promulgation of such lies and deceits in these stores as he did with the money-changing tables. The money-changers painted themselves as ones who enabled the public to bring the correct type of currency to the temple service for offerings. In reality, their business opportunity included unjust exchange rates that extorted money from their customers. To Jesus, they were bringing deceit and evil into the very house of God they claimed to serve. He saw them as wicked hypocrites and drove them out.

              Today’s popular so-called Christian authors portray themselves as sources of Christian truth, yet much is repackaged worldly foolishness. Psychological approaches to life and convenient justifications for one’s sinful lifestyle compete with over-simplified legalistic approaches to serving God depending on one’s natural bias towards one or the other. The books often feed more of what one already believes about God, faith, and life than changing one’s sinful nature with God’s actual truth.

              While Jesus no longer walks physically on this earth and we should not take a whip into the local bookstore for any such similar action, some response is needed by those who pursue God’s truth. A correct response to these contemporary distortions begins with knowing what God’s Word actually says and discerning the distortions of today’s books whether explicitly Christian or simply offering an alternative view of life to Christianity. From there, courage can carry one through to engagement with the broader culture starting with one’s friends, church community, and neighbors.

              With knowledge, discernment and loving engagement, we can proclaim Godly beliefs, teach others to value what God values, align our thoughts and feelings with God’s ways, and direct Godly practices in ourselves and our communities. We and others around us who follow this example will flourish in God’s blessing through such work.

Exodus 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven bbove or on the earth beneath or in the waters below” — Idolatry is rejection of truth and an attempt to replace God — Veith, G. E., Jr. (1994b). Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture. Crossway, p. 63 – NIV

              Reflexive images brought to mind by the mention of particular words offer efficiency of thought, but may hinder deeper insights into a heavier topic. The mention of idols quickly brings to mind statues small and large, ancient civilizations like Greece or modern tribal groups with carved poles. As a Christian, these idols repulse our sensibilities and are easier to reject. Isaiah mocked the idea of carving an idol out of wood while using the left-overs to warm himself (44:14-17).

              Mentally stopping at imagining such a ridiculous physical object as our recipient of worship endangers us by not exposing other less conspicuous idols in our lives. Veith in his book, Postmodern Times, goes deeper by stating that “Idolatry is rejection of truth and an attempt to replace God”. Ultimately, the sin of idolatry arises from any active or passive placing of something above God. He connects the rejection of truth with such an act of replacing God because God is truth and the source of all truth we may possess.

              From the Old Testament, we see not only the Gentile peoples worshipping other idols, but the very people of God, the Hebrews falling prey to this rejection of God and His truth. Throughout history, the heart and mind of mind collaborate to create alternatives to the God of the Scriptures, and thus create idols sometimes physical and sometimes simply abstract ideals. Today, our society continues and somewhat extends this idolatry by denying truth altogether.

              By reaching such a low point in our understanding of our reality, thinking that truth either does not exist or that we are able to create our own truth, we are creating idols of such mental rationalizations. In order to tear down such idols in our own thinking, we must return to aligning our beliefs and values with God’s truth such that our thoughts and feelings align with His, thus directing our practices both individually and collectively after His ways rather than the false idols of our increasingly ungodly culture. We and others around us who follow this example will flourish in God’s blessing through such work.

“We do not segment our lives, giving some time to God, some to our business or schooling, while keeping parts to ourselves. The idea is to live all of our lives in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and for the honor and glory of God. That is what the Christian life is all about.” R.C. Sproul

              In a sense, the division of our time is practically divided into such silos of work, rest, entertainment, family, or church. Different days of the week and different schedules of the day routinely give time to different aspects of daily and weekly life. This can lead to intense attempts to balance our hours, to cover the needs of life with sufficient allotted time, and to find time to recover from the cycles of life.

              A fundamental error of man lies in this piecing together time resources to cover the necessities of such daily life without seeing the whole as life before God. We have forgotten that we are called to be stewards of our time as much as stewards of our tangible resources like money and our intangibles like skills and talents. Such stewardship attitude prevents us from losing sight that all of life is intended to be worked out before our Creator.

              No part of the day, of the week, or of our lifetimes are exempt from consideration in how they serve God. We cannot step away from this responsibility and choose how we spend a period of time without looking at how it serves God. While this initially feels burdensome, we are told in Matthew 11:28-30 that His burden is light.

              With this in mind, we can order our days, weeks, and years in light of our stewardship to God. We should order our beliefs, our thoughts and feelings, and our practices in light of seeking after that commendation of “good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23). We and others around us who follow this example will flourish in God’s blessing through such work.

“A century ago a person may have committed adultery flagrantly and in defiance of God and man, but he would have admitted that what he was doing was a sin. What we have today is not only immoral behavior, but a loss of moral criteria.” Veith, G. E., Jr. (1994b). Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture. Crossway, p 18.

              In other words, “sin” no long carries the weight it did in the past. While sins like adultery, stealing, and so forth have been around from the earliest descendants of Adam and Eve, we live in a time when the conscience of the broader public has become so seared, that it is hardly a thought any more. Not only have individuals become numb to the guilt of sin, but a majority are losing awareness that sin exists in the first place.

              Many of us feel like this is unprecedented in our lifetimes and we are somewhat correct, but this is not truly unprecedented in history. In Biblical history, we are told of an age, in fact multiple ages of Israel’s history when everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21;25, Judges 17:6, Isaiah 5;21, Deuteronomy 12:8, Jeremiah 11:8).

              Over the past few generations in America, we lived with a consensus about many sins being wrong and deserving of public denouncement. Having a child out of wedlock, adultery, public drunkenness, and other sins were enough for someone to lose some value in their public reputation. While still treated as a person in the image of God, their sins were considered a warning sign that all was not well for them.

              Today, such sins do not produce such a response from the public at large, but are so commonplace that their acknowledgement in the public sphere produces little to no response. We have lost the criteria as a society to look upon such sins as even being sins. Loss of this mooring leads us inevitably to seeking more and more after what is right in our own eyes.

              To recover from such a loss of moral criteria, we must first discern where we went off the tracks with our beliefs, our thoughts and feelings, and our practices individually and collectively. Then we must systematically shine the light of God’s truth on them, exposing them so we can restore this public consensus.

“To be conformed to Jesus, we must first begin to think as Jesus did. We need the “mind of Christ.” We need to value the things He values and despise the things He despises. We need to have the same priorities He has. We need to consider weighty the things He considers weighty.”― R.C. Sproul, The Holiness of God

              R.C. Sproul understood something that many today miss in their getting caught up in the daily flow of life. He understood that belonging to Christ meant becoming like the one who redeemed us from sin and death, including not only our beliefs about reality, but in our values, our thoughts and feelings, and our actions. If we truly believe that Christ is the Son of God and that we owe all our being and all our salvation to His work, everything about us should change from our previously unredeemed state.

              This “mind of Christ” must go beyond superficial make-up replacing our old desires and preferences inclined towards sin. It must penetrate deeper and deeper to remake us in the image of God in man, best exemplified by Christ himself, our elder brother. We must think about ourselves, about our lifestyles, about our relationships, and more as Christ would have us think.

              Our desires should become more and more pleasing to Him and His desires, thus leading us to feel differently that those who do not follow Him. When we value what He values, we will prioritize different things in our daily life, and thus act differently than the world around us. We will be concerned about what Christ is concerned about.

              We will be changed inside out. We will resemble Christ not simply because we go to church or make a profession of faith, but because our new natures of beliefs and values will pour out of us naturally. We are to respond to Christ’s calling us to become like Him by submitting to this sanctifying work in all our beliefs, our thoughts and feeling, and our practice individually and collectively. R.C. had this right on target.

2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God” – NIV

              As we do today, Paul encountered numerous philosophies and religions which at their cores opposed a true knowledge of God. Each sought to explain life, to guide lifestyles, and to ultimately justify rejecting the God who not only created all things, but rules sovereignly over the universe. To this God of Abraham, we must answer regardless of whether or not we were to create in our minds some false explanation of reality.

              Paul’s first goal was to glorify God by proclaiming the truth which had been revealed to him, but accomplishing that goal included overcoming these false arguments and pretensions. In order to evangelize others, bringing them into the kingdom, God through him had to overcome these falsehoods with spirit and truth. These arguments against God and pretensions denying Him had to be demolished. 

              Today, many “-isms” offer an alternative view of reality, an excuse to deny the God who requires us to come to Him through faith alone in Christ alone. Scientism and materialism claim that all reality is encompassed by the physical and no spiritual reality including God exists. Legalism in its myriad forms seduces men and women to believe they can earn their freedom from the guilt of sin. Woke-ism deceives with its perverted definition of justice, enslaving instead of freeing its followers to another law they cannot fulfill.

              We should follow in Paul’s footsteps both in opposing the false arguments and pretensions within our own minds and lives that mislead us from true worship as well as the same lies that deceive others around us today. To accomplish this we must first discern the lies in all their forms, uncovering not only their foundations but all the ways their deceits extend into our beliefs, our thoughts and feeling, and our practice individually and collectively. Then we must systematically shine the light of God’s truth on them, exposing them so we can demolish them. We and others around us will flourish in God’s blessing through such work.