The Christian challenge in post-modern times
 Regular Network Norwich & Norfolk columnist James Knight starts a new series on spreading the gospel in challenging times.
Let me start this message firstly by welcoming you all to the newly expanded Network Norfolk site; and secondly by wishing everyone a happy new year.
I’m about to embark on a ten part series, the theme of which is Spreading The Good News, in which I will be talking about the challenges ahead as we try to reach out to a nation of lost souls, how we can understand what is required of us, and how best we can achieve our goals as we glorify Christ. This, collectively, is the big challenge in post-modern times, as we are faced with an atheism that is going through a strange phase at the moment. On the one hand, there seems to be a self-congratulatory atheistic proliferation sweeping the so called intellectual quarters, yet on the other hand atheism looks tired and weary as the same old objections to Christianity are wheeled out each time, easily discredited by good the Christian folk who are prepared to be apologists for a faith that fills them with pride and joy.
The reason we care so much is because we know full well that those who think religious belief is the last refuge of the deluded could learn so much about themselves from the words of Christ in the Bible, for we know how He changes lives. These are words that have the truth and power to command even the most stubborn minds and the most unexcitable hearts. His words have the power to transform even the biggest sceptics, for they show us the way to know God.
Atheistic disillusionment
In a world that has a paucity of sound arguments against the existence of God, the atheistic case is beginning to look conspicuously outdated - and to the trained eye it reveals itself to be tautological, illogical, inaccurate and sometimes just plain silly. Every single atheistic argument that I have encountered has been easily refutable; most of them rest on muddled logic and fuzzy analyses. And this is the big challenge - even though philosophically atheism’s credibility has all but evaporated, its power is as strong as ever.
Of course there are differences in tolerance too. Ever since America ’s victory of independence over Britain, it has been almost impossible to get a seat in US office unless some semblance of religious belief was announced; for non-theists simply did not get elected. Now I see no reason why a Christian should wish a non-theist man or woman to fail in an election if he or she had the right credentials. But I’m afraid atheism is sometimes less-tolerant; that is to say - since its exponential growth and expanding influence it has become much less tolerant towards religion - particularly the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).
We are forever being reminded of the ‘bad things that have been done in the name of religion’, but sometimes anti-religious campaigns have produced murder and persecution, other times they have produced ill feeling and separatism. Nietzsche (a philosopher for whom I have much dislike) was right when he claimed that there is something about human nature that makes it capable of being inspired by what it believes to be right to do both wonderful and appalling things. I am sure all of us can think of many examples of situations where a religious belief has caused a man to act reprehensibly, and equally I am sure we can all think of examples of situations where a better understanding of Christ’s way of living would have yielded better actions.
The famous remark by Professor Steven Weinberg that - “In an ordinary world good people will do good things and bad people will do bad things, but for a good person to do bad things it takes religion” - is both deeply flawed and yet contains some truth as well; it is not difficult to see why such an opinion is widely held. In truth the behaviour of both theists and atheists is almost always determined by the context it holds outside of its intrinsic constituents - whether it be social, psychological, political, methodological or ideological. When factors which are external to, say, religious compassion, anchor themselves in the minds of their adherents they can cause all sorts of contemptible behaviour, particularly when personal factors cause the adherents to depart from the moral and historical rubric. Perhaps we have to look at the antithetical argument to see the real magnified truth - a truth we find in Christ. There is surely not a person alive who could fail to see that if every man, woman and child lived as Christ instructed them to, we would have a world of much greater love, peace and harmony. This is the truth that can conquer all the ‘wisdom’ of the atheists - if the truth is to be found in Christ, then it is Him on which we must help them focus
 While it is true that atheistic thinking holds much sway over the minds of many individuals, I think it is also true that atheism’s inauspicious past has made many people look for an alternative. Sometimes they turn to religion, sometimes they look for a third alternative, to which the word ‘ambivalent’ can be aptly applied. If atheism has cast a dark shadow over the world, it is up to us Christians to stand up and once again assume our full height as mouthpieces for God. Those who are ‘ambivalent’ are so often looking for a better alternative; therefore it is up to us to show them an alternative that is so wonderful and beyond their imagination. Atheism is no longer the ideal religion of modernity. It is true that it was once seen as the sensible alternative to theism - ushered in by years of religious atrocities and by the Enlightenment. But postmodernity and the perennial harmony of Christianity and science has displaced nearly all that stands before it and in doing so has set a challenge to 21st century Christians - a challenge for us to shine our light even brighter than before.
As Christians we should be quite wrong, in my view, if we thought that the rise of postmodernism was a bad thing, for it has three favourable precepts. Firstly it can help reverse the early twentieth century displacement of long-standing tradition and bring back to full strength the Christian conservatism which will, by definition, yield better individuals and thus better societies. Secondly the cultural crossovers which it espouses are always useful benchmarks when it comes to spreading the good news of Christ to those to whom it has been difficult to reach out in the past. If Christianity is the whole truth, this truth needs to make its way into the minds of the masses - even those who subscribe to other religious faiths. And thirdly, postmodernism recognises that capitalism will not, by itself, achieve success in the world. It recognises the beneficial nature of spirituality - but this presents a different challenge to Christians, for not all types of spirituality are good in themselves.
There is a lot of work ahead for Christians; but the seabed underneath the swamp of atheism is beginning to suck away the wet spongy land on which atheism supports itself. The atheistic disillusionment is very gradually bringing people back to the Christian way of thinking. In various parts of the country there is wonderful growth amongst the Pentecostal movement and gospel churches. There are tens of thousands of people who have completed the Alpha course (in fact, there are over 75 million world-wide). Even the best-selling books of the atheist polemicists have, in my view, done a great deal to expose atheism as an irrational and intellectually impoverished cause (see my two columns - A Hot Knife Through Butter parts one and two, in which I give a fuller explanation of this).
Yes, there is much to be positive about. There are many people out there who are ready to hear the good news if only we are willing to share it with them. I am sure in a country such as this many of you feel alone at times, as though you are clinging on to a belief that the majority of people in this country think you’re mad for having; in the workplace, on the streets; in your family perhaps. You think that in many circles and places being a Christian makes you stand out like a sore thumb. But fill your hearts with hope, my friends - Christianity is growing again, and it is up to us to help it grow even more. It is up to us to help fill the empty churches and to fill the full ones even more. Do not be afraid to invite as many people as you can to church - you might be surprised by a few people. One thing is for sure - if we do not ask them, it is highly unlikely that very many will come on a whim of their own volition.
A challenge for the new year
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven. Matthew 5:14-16
And this is what I want to convey to everyone as we begin these fresh challenges in 2009. I want to encourage everyone to travel with hope in your heart, knowing all the time that Christ is guiding you every step of the way. The challenge to spread the good news in post-modern times is a big one, for it involves an essential duality - believing in Christ and believing in oneself because of Christ.
In the past I have written several series on here - ‘Objections to Christianity’, ‘The Crisis Within Atheism’, and ‘Visions of New Beginnings’ in which I examine the psychological distinctions between Christianity and atheism - as well as covered many other important topics and individual columns - all of which can be viewed on my ‘collection of columns’ page. I hope you can join me in the forthcoming weeks for ‘Spreading The Good News’ as I take on this fresh challenge of helping and encouraging the Christian readers to make a difference wherever we go. Every year brings with it fresh challenges and opportunities to impact on people in our world. I believe that we are a generation that can be one of the most influential of all time, maybe even THE most influential - it is up to us to make sure that that happens. The people of the world need us - after all, we have the most remarkable thing to share with them - the news of Jesus Christ and how He became man, died and rose again so that each of us can have salvation and eternal life with God.
The views carried here are those of the author, not of Network Norwich & Norfolk, and are intended to stimulate constructive debate between website users. We welcome your thoughts and comments, posted below, upon the ideas expressed here. You can also contact the author direct at james.knight@norfolk.gov.uk
James is a Norwich local government officer, author and Proclaimers church member in Norwich. You can access his current collections of columns here
Meanwhile, if you want to find out more about Christianity, visit: www.rejesus.co.uk |
