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Chapter Four: To the Non-Christian (Part Two)
In the previous chapter, I spent some time speaking to non-Christians with definite religiousconvictions, whether convinced atheists or adherents to other world religions. In this chapter, I wouldextend my audience, and speak to those of you who are agnostic in some sense. Perhaps you are blithely agnostic – you have given little thought to the whole matter of religion, you don't know for sure what to think of spirituality and the afterlife, but your agnosticism is not an uncertainty born of deep thought and bitter striving of spirit. It surrounds you like the atmosphere, it is as natural as the air you breathe, you are frankly so busy with the affairs of this life that you have no time even to consider seriously whether you are an atheist, an agnostic, or anything else. Or maybe you genuinely areagnostic; you have struggled and striven with the weighty things of eternity, but to no avail, and withno blessed end of the peace of certain conviction for your souls. Perhaps you are downcast anddepressed, or cynical and bitter. Perhaps you are seeking for something to believe in, something greatenough to satisfy your empty heart. But in any case, no matter what your particular situation may be,you do not have definite, settled convictions on the topic of religion. It is to you that I now speak. Godgrant that you may find the certainty which you lack in the blessed truth of Christianity!
To the Secular and Satisfied
I would speak first to you who are largely secular, and feel no need to pursue religion or spiritual truth. Perhaps you would explicitly claim to have no religion; or perhaps, if one were to ask,“Are you a Christian?”, you would say, “I guess so. I never really go to church though”. Maybe youwould call yourself a Lutheran, or a Catholic, or a member of any other common denomination. Butwhen it gets right down to it, it's just a left-over label from some ancestor, and retains nothingmeaningful for you. It's perfectly incapable of describing you accurately. It really doesn't affect whatyou believe or how you live your daily life. In reality, you are more an American than a Christian (or whatever other religious label adheres to you by obscure tradition). What really affects how you see lifeis the philosophy of America – Hollywood and the public school system, Washington D.C. and theshopping mall – all the cultural forces that make America what it is.I would first of all solemnly assure you that you are not as non-religious as you think. Theculture of America is not “secular,” if by secular you mean, “not characterized by any religious beliefsor principles”. On the contrary, secular humanism is itself a deeply religious ideal. It is perhaps themost widespread religion in America; and if one were to affix a title to it, he could scarcely find any better name than “Americanism”.What does this religion look like? If you are an American, then you already know by instinct.Even without realizing it, you think in a million ways like a secular American, which is to say, ahumanistic individualist. Let me give you a few characteristics, so you can see more clearly what I amtalking about.American secular humanism is the religion that deifies individual autonomy. The creed of theday is, “If I hurt no one else and infringe upon no one else's individual rights, then I have the right to dowhatever I want to do. I can believe what I want, I can think what I want, I can act how I want, there isno outside standard to which I must submit. I'll do it my way, I'll pursue my own happiness, I'll shapemy own character and make my own mark. And as long as I leave everyone else to do the same thingwith their lives, it's okay. It's my fundamental right, in fact.”But American secular humanism does not just assert individual rights; it also has a deep-rooted belief in individual abilities: “I am able to do anything I want to do – I just have to believe in myself! I
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will follow my dreams. I won't let anyone tell me I can't accomplish my goals. If I work hard and trustin myself, I can be and do anything.”In connection with this confident belief in self, there is an equally deep-rooted conviction of self-worth: “I'm worth it! I'm a beautiful person! I worked hard for this, I deserve to enjoy it!”Everywhere and in every way, the producers and business owners of America are pumping out thesame prefabricated message: “You deserve our product! You deserve the best! You deserve to have itright away, without waiting! You deserve a good night's sleep! You deserve a secure financial position!” The cry of the day is instant gratification, because the non-negotiable principle of self-worthdemands no less. In fact, the one great crime against American secular humanism is not to believe inyourself, not to have a good self-image or a healthy dose of self-esteem. But has anyone paused towonder why, when the whole culture around us has given itself to building up self-esteem, there arestill countless persons all around who are willing to go to desperate lengths to try to get away from thecrushing sense of guilt and insufficiency that they still feel burning in their souls? Why is there somuch anorexia nervosa among American youths, why so many other neuroses, why such widespreadinsecurity? Could it be that the moral tenet of belief in yourself and your own intrinsic worth isincapable of meeting people where they're at, and satisfying them at their deepest level of need?Another feature of American secular humanism is its emphasis on the immediate and material.Most religions have emphasized the immaterial and eternal, the spiritual realities that are unseen. Thisone is focused solely on the here and now. It cries out for immediate fulfillment of material desires and pleasures. Work hard, and in this life you may become a millionaire and enjoy earth's greatest pleasures. Save wisely, and you can retire early and spend your days golfing in Florida or cruising theCaribbean. The crimes against other religions are frequently spiritual, and bring down eternalconsequences – if you lie, for instance (even with no material gain, as in the case of fraud), then youwill be punished in the afterlife. But in American secular humanism, if your lie does not rob anyone of anything material, it has no consequences. The only crimes are material in nature. They rob someone of their possessions or do material harm to their bodies.That is why the pecadilloes of modern America are not “white lies” or indulging a little glimpseof inappropriate sexual materials – those things are laughed off with little remorse. No, what the culturemore and more deems unacceptable, even if not yet outright criminal, are acts that have physicalconsequences. Smoking. Overeating. Too little exercise. Trans fats. Problem gambling. Anything thataffects the physical body or material wealth is quite out of vogue in America. But on the other hand,anything immoral but without immediate physical consequences, either to oneself or to others, iscasually dismissed.I have spent a little time describing the secular American religion, because I want you torecognize it for what it is – a true religion, possessing all the trademark characteristics of a religion,even while denying the name of religion. I could say much more; but it is so ubiquitous that, even withonly the few characteristics I've given, I'm sure you've already picked up on what I'm talking about. If you want to know further what the American religion is, then I can do no better than to point you toBarak Obama's famous letter to his daughters, entitled “What I Want for You – and Every Child inAmerica” (a quick google search will turn up countless online postings). It is not without reason thatObama won such a resounding victory in the last presidential race: he embodies the ideals and beliefsof American secular humanism. And this personal letter sums up what's important to him as articulatelyas anything else he's said or written. In sum, what matters is that all Americans might be given theopportunity “to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach”. This is the creed of the American religion of secular humanism.
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Now that I've described just what I mean by the secular and satisfied – those who operate inagreement with the principles of American secular humanism – let me tell you the message that trueChristianity has for you.Most fundamentally, Christianity will give you a vastly greater hope for deeper and more lasting joy, by pointing you away from yourself and directing your gaze to another who is better able to satisfyand save, and who is far more worthy of esteem and trust. You have been taught all your life to believein yourself – but what happens when you become embroiled in a situation too great for yourself? Whatif you look deep within and still do not find the “goddess” that you're supposed to see? What if youonly find someone on the verge of destruction, with no power to escape? I promise you, as certainlyand ardently as I know how, the day will come when you look within yourself and find nothing butinsufficiency. It might not be in this life (although it well might be, for the most unshakeable certaintiesof this life are so fleeting and unstable) – but one day you will stand before eternity, face to face withthe God who created you; and there will be no escape from the power of his wrath if you have not yetcome to Christ for your salvation. What will you tell him on that day, when he demands of you a reasonfor why you lived proudly and independently, why you did things your way instead of his way? Therewill be nothing you can tell him and nothing you can do to escape the terror of his presence. Youtrusted in yourself for a lifetime; but for an eternity you will learn to regret the weakness and folly of your choice.You long for meaning, significance, and self-worth; but how sad that you look to a place whereyou will not find it! Your own heart, though created in great beauty and with wonderful skill, has been broken down and disfigured. If you would ever see yourself truly beautiful again, then you must learnto confess your unworthiness and rebellion, and look to him who really is worth admiring and trusting.How deeply you have yearned for an admirable character within yourself; and oh, how you will rejoicefor all eternity, when you wake up one day with the very likeness of Jesus the Savior formed withinyour heart by the almighty power of the Spirit of God! Then you will truly be beautiful, and shine likethe stars in your glory, for you will reflect the matchless beauty of Christ. But you will know this beauty for which you long only if you learn to deplore the sinfulness by which you have marred theimage of God in you, and trust in Christ alone to save you by his free and boundless grace, and so tochange you back into his own image.You know by an unerring instinct that you cannot believe and delight in yourself and hope tofind eternal rewards thereby; so instead you seek only immediate and temporal rewards. If you couldonly see the folly of this! You tell others, “If you believe in yourself, you can do anything”. But whatdo you say to the man who has already done everything, who has made it to the top, and now,depressed and alone, he finds no satisfaction in his piles of riches and resounding accolades? What doyou tell him when he looks at it all, despairs, and would take his own life?Or what do you tell the health-conscious young woman who has always lived well and healthily,who exercises everyday, who avoids trans fats and never smokes, and before she is thirty receives thediagnosis of terminal cancer? What do you tell the man who has always worked hard and believed inhimself, who has led a good, full, successful life, and now he is eighty years old and on his death-bed,and he is terrified of what's beyond, and cares nothing for the accomplishments which his family willcelebrate at his funeral? Oh, that you would spend a day in the house of mourning, and see themeaninglessness and vanity of what you're giving your life for
! “What does it profit a man if he shouldgain the whole world, but lose his soul”
? Though you believe in yourself for a hundred years and gainthe accolades of the whole world, yet the weight of eternity is bearing down hard upon you, and if youhave no savior, it will swallow you up and destroy you with eternal torments! I wish I could impress
1Ecclesiastes 7:22Matthew 16:26
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If I Could Tell You Just One Thing - Chapter 4
The true message of Christianity has something to say to everyone. In this chapter I address the secular and satisfied, the downcast and depressed, the cynical and skeptical, and the seeking and unsure.
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