~ Part 2 ~
The alternative gospels

As we saw in our first study, our Christian faith guides us to see the world and our task in it in a particular way, which is faithful to the Scriptures. The Gospel of Jesus Christ calls us back to that perspective, and renews us to live in harmony with it. However, that is not the only gospel being proclaimed in our world. There are alternative gospels which seek to have us live in terms of different, competing visions of the world and of our life. These competing gospels can be grouped together in several categories:

• paganism
• humanism
• dualism

1. On the basis of your current understanding, what do you take each of these terms to mean?
   
2. Are they terms which you readily use yourselves?
   
3. Do they usefully describe real beliefs and ways of life, or are they rather obscure and do not mean a great deal to you?
   

The term "pagan" is used here not in a derogatory way, but as a technical term for a particular non-Christian religious outlook. Paganism is a view of the world that is polytheistic (multiple gods) and magically inclined, and identifies the divine with one or more parts, aspects, principles or forces within the creation. It deifies various creatures and sees in them the source of meaning and power for the creation. Paganism is idolatrous religion, which frequently worships representations of the creatures considered divine, and sees the powers of the gods somehow present within the idol.

A pagan worldview expresses a belief in a multiplicity of divine and semi-divine beings which govern the world and the forces within it. Paganism tries to manipulate these beings by magic or religious ritual, and by gaining power over these beings which govern various forces in the world, they can be controlled for personal advantage. Belief in magic comes from a pagan worldview. It is not necessarily associated with Satan worship.

Paganism is obviously incompatible with Christian faith, because all of the things which we can worship or treat as the source of meaning and purpose in life are created by God. As such, they are dependent on God for their own meaning and purpose, and cannot provide meaning or purpose for us. That can come only from God.

Paganism is not an irrelevant issue for us, or of interest only with regard to countries overseas where pagan religions are highly visible. Pagan religion is making a comeback in Western societies such as New Zealand. You probably know it as the New Age movement.

1. What view of the world are these articles promoting?

   
   

2. How would you debate with someone who followed New Age teachings?

   
   

3. Many computer games and fantasy novels utilise a pagan and magical worldview as their basic scenario. Is it acceptable for Christians to play such games or read books of this kind?

   
   

4. Why is a pagan, magical worldview dominant in computer games, which after all utilise an anti-magical, scientific technology? Is there an inconsistency or paradox at work here?

   
   

The essence of humanism is that it rejects any authority or power outside of human life, and believes that human beings alone have the ability to improve our lives for the better. There is no need of God, or deliverance from sin, or similar Christian beliefs, because we are able to resolve our problems on our own. Faith in God is at best irrelevant (but permissible for consenting adults in private) and at worst detrimental to tackling our own problems by abdicating responsibility to save ourselves. Humanism may be atheistic, although some humanists are Deists (God exists but is not concerned with us and has not given us revelation. Religion is a phenomenon of purely human origin).

The humanist world-view sees everything as secular, with human freedom as the highest good to which we can aspire, and so it rejects any claim that God has sovereignty over us. By developing human powers it aspires to self-realisation and fulfillment.

The French Revolution was the epitome of humanism. The slogan of the revolution was "No God, No Masters." It was a rejection of any authority imposed from outside. Thus the revolutionary principle was:

accept no law save that which you impose on yourself.

1. How can you see this principle at work in New Zealand today? Can you see any part of life it has not influenced in some form?

   
   

2. Are you influenced by this principle at all? If so, what can you do about it?

   
   

3. What do you see as the alternative to such a view?

   
   

It is not impossible, because of our sinful nature, for pagan or humanistic ideas and perspectives to function in our thinking and living alongside of Christian faith. In such a case, we are functioning with a dualistic worldview.

Dualism is the acceptance of two separate principles by which we live, and human life is divided into two according to the principles accepted for various parts. In one part of life, we live according to the principle of Christianity, while in another part we accept humanist or pagan principles.

This can be seen in the way we distinguish between the "natural" and the "spiritual." This distinction is based on the idea that in at least part of our lives we can live independently of God and his revelation to us. For instance, in our academic study we can operate on the basis of "reason," while our faith depends on God's "revelation."

For some areas of life, unaided human thought is considered sufficient for us to be able to arrive at the truth. Study of the creation around us, and of human society, is thought to be possible without revelation, because it is immediately accessible to us through use of human reason, applying empirical and experimental techniques to discover the truth.

For our "spiritual" lives, however, we need God to reveal the truth to us, because we cannot discover the truth for that area unaided. Thus the Scriptures and the work of the Holy Spirit are necessary for us to be able to learn what we need to know.

Thus God's world is distinguished into two realms, that where reason is pre-eminent, and that where revelation is pre-eminent. This dualism can be expressed in the following word-pairs, which betray an unbiblical way of seeing the world.

1. Can you think of other "word-pairs" like those above which divide life into parts on the basis of different principles applying for each part?

   
   

2. Do you use these "word-pairs" yourself consciously (deliberately) or unconsciously (without necessarily meaning anything specific thereby)?

   
   

Sometimes what we are learning is in direct conflict with what we believe as Christians. How do we deal with this situation?

We have a number of options:

• we can compartmentalise our thinking and living, keeping the two realms of study and faith strictly separate. What is "true" for our studies may not be "true" for our faith, and vice versa.

  
  

• we can change to a less threatening subject or discipline, or abandon our studies altogether.

  
  

• we can abandon our faith because we can no longer see it as credible as a result of what we have learned.

  
  

• we can accept what we are being taught as if it were true, in order to be able to pass the exams and graduate, while secretly denying the truth of what we are learning.

  
  

This brings us to the last option,

• we can challenge the basis of such thinking, in order to bring it into line with our faith.

  
  

1. Have you ever felt your faith threatened by something you have learned in your course? How have you reacted to this - using one of the strategies above?

2. If we are learning truth about God's world, can this really be in conflict with what God has revealed in Scripture?

3. Do Christians need to sacrifice their brains in order to believe?

4. Can the Christian faith contribute something distinctive to your studies?

   
   

The conflicts which arise as a result of isolating our faith from our studies are based on one simple principle: paganism, humanism and Christianity all demand total allegiance to their governing principles. They are competing, opposing and incompatible ways of seeing the world and our place within it, with their own distinctive character. They are all totality perspectives, which include within their framework the whole of reality. Nothing is in principle excluded.

We do not need to live a split existence in order to cope with the tensions between our Christian faith and our studies. We can instead seek to develop an understanding of a distinctively Christian worldview which is able to guide and direct us in every area of life; not just our personal and private faith, but in everything we do, including our study. Christianity is as total in its perspective as either paganism or humanism.

The christian worldview sees creation as divided not into two realms subject to different principles, but divided into two kingdoms, that subject to God, and that in rebellion against God. The problem is not that some parts of creation cannot be subject to God's sovereign rule, but that they refuse to be subject. God's kingdom encompasses all that exists, even rebellious subjects.

It is possible, indeed necessary, for us to bring all our thinking into subjection to God, and to think in a way which is shaped by his revelation to us, not by the humanistic worldview undergirding studies in our educational institutions.

The humanistic worldview does not have a privileged access to the truth about the world. Christian faith likewise can provide us with a robust and academically credible approach to interpreting the world around us.

Every area of life can be brought into subjection to God and be redeemed through the Spirit by the death and resurrection of Christ. We can see the redeeming grace of God at work in every area of daily life, including our studies, reshaping our thinking and guiding us in our academic tasks.

1. What implications does this have for study? Does it apply to scientific theory, sociology, technology, etc.?

   
   

2. What could a Christian perspective in your discipline look like, and how would it differ from a humanistic perspective?