By Jennifer Potter

              In Psalm 11 David laments, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)- a sentiment which fits well within the context of our current cultural dissolution, a dissolution resulting in part from cultural adherence to ideology over relationship, covenantal relationship.  When we base the principles underlying our thinking upon an ideology, we forfeit the stability of foundational covenantal principles in both the society and the individual …”for as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7 KJV)[E1] .” Therefore, let believers practice covenantal thinking, rejecting ideological influence, that a stable foundation may be put into place for both the individual and for the larger society. 

              In order to reject an ideological influence, we must be able to recognize its presence.  The word ideology originated with Enlightenment thinkers of the French Revolution who were looking to create a new science which would be useful in developing new truths to replace the old foundations of society. Simply put, ideology was the study of man’s ideas or sense perceptions.  This study was to form the new enlightened or rational societal foundation, one without need for transcendence. Man was to be the center of this endeavor. While ideology as a science did not persist, in the 1800s, a focus upon man and his own perceptions took hold of thinkers who were still searching for ways to alter the foundations of society and produce a man centered utopia.  Men more readily practiced eisegesis in their formulation of truth reading into their studies that which their own senses preferred.  This eisegesis resulted in myriads of thought systems such as the communism of Karl Marx revolutionizing cultures even into the present.

              Today, ideology as a term is used to describe a system of thought developed through man’s eisegetical study which proscribes acceptable thought and behavior centered around abstract premises with little care about their rationality. As they have moved into popular culture[E2] , the ongoing revolutionary fervor of man’s ideologies has eroded previous cultural foundations; now force is used to apply ever-morphing ideologies upon masses of people.

              While the practice of forcing others to fit into a narrow and evolving ideology seems to have conquered our present culture, believers need not be ensnared. Through covenantal thinking we can reject ideological absurdities. Our thinking, when based upon exegetical truth keeps us within the context of the covenantal relationships established by God. Understanding, developed from exegesis of the Word, means our lives can be defined by relational rootedness with the Creator and with one another. Paul tells the Ephesian church to “…try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord” in the context of their relationship to Him as His children (5:10 ESV).  In Ephesians 4, Paul encourages them to remember that “…they are members of one another” bounded by the covenant and the relationships it creates (4:25 ESV).  Covenantal relationship bounded by broad stipulations forms the foundation upon which we can return stability to our own lives and the life of our culture.  Ideologies tear down but covenantal relationship builds up.

              So, what do the righteous do when the foundations have crumbled?  According to Psalm 11, first remember that God is on his throne watching the children of man and testing the righteous until such time as the wicked and their false ideologies will be destroyed holding to the promise that ” …the upright shall behold His face (Ps. 11:7).”  In the interval, the time of testing, we live based upon covenantal thinking rejecting vain philosophies and ideologies (Colossians 2:8) and rightly exegeting the Truth of God found in the Bible. Embracing the covenantal relationship bounded by the Creator’s stipulations keeps us from falling for the narrow eisegesis of man centered ideologies thereby rebuilding the crumbling foundations and offering the stability of Truth. 

Further Study:

https://www.biblegateway.com. English Standard Version (ESV). Accessed September 4.2023.

https://www.biblegateway.com. King James Version (KJV). Accessed September 4, 2023.

Kennedy, E. (1989). A cultural history of the French Revolution (p. 20). New Haven: Yale University Press.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antoine-Louis-Claude-Comte-Destutt-de-Tracy[E3] ,

Cranston, M. (2023, June 17). ideology. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/ideology-society. Accessed June 17, 2023.

Sypnowich, Christine, “Law and Ideology”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2019 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/law-ideology/>. Accessed June 17, 2023.

Uzgalis, William, “John Locke”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2022 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2022/entries/locke/>.  Accessed June 17, 2023.

Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of ideology. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved July 15, 2023, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/ideology

 [E3](Britannica, Antoine Louis; Kennedy, 56)