Text: Romans 1:28
We live in an increasingly secular society. There are certain challenges that come with this. But what is secularism? Why is a secular society a challenge for Christians? We will consider these questions in this lesson.
Define “Secularism”
- Term was invented by George Jacob Holyoake (1817-1906), a British writer – he used the term to describe his views of promoting a social order separate from religion without actively dismissing or criticizing religious belief; this means he was not antagonistic to religion, but he thought it was unnecessary
- Today, secularism is about limiting or eliminating the influence of religion on society
- Politically – separation of religion/faith from government institutions, laws, and policies
- Culturally – separation of religion/faith from public life (faith is private, kept to oneself)
- Like many things, secularism is inherently progressive
The Separation of Church and State
- This is good and necessary – the church and the state must be separate
- Two distinct entities – the church is Christ’s body (Ephesians 1:22-23) and would crush earthly governments (Daniel 2:44); the church upholds the truth (1 Timothy 3:15) and the state punishes evil (Romans 13:4)
- When Jesus built His church, He never intended it to be allied with or attached to any human government
- However, this is a “red herring” – secularism is not about separation of church and state, but more than that
- If we were to stop here, we would agree with the secularists – but they don’t stop here (again, it is progressive)
The Separation of Religion from Government
- How is this different from the “separation of church and state”? – “separation of church and state” means no attachment between any church and the government; “separation of religion from government” means lawmakers do not rule based upon religious convictions
- Remember, governments are made up of people – how do those people decide what to do?
- The secularist believes that those decisions cannot be based upon lawmakers’ religious beliefs (ex: cannot oppose abortion, must support same-sex “marriage,” no Ten Commandments, etc.) – the secularist claims that making laws that are in line with “religion” is like setting up a theocracy
- Problem with separation of religion from government – no standard anymore; God’s law is the basis of right and wrong (Romans 13:3-4); love is the fulfillment of law (Romans 13:8-10); the Ten Commandments provided a foundation for a properly functioning society (Exodus 20)
The Separation of Faith from Public Life
- Once the secularists separate religion/faith from government, this is the next step – the way people interact with one another in society should not be influenced by religion (ex: force Christian bakers to participate in same-sex “marriage” ceremonies; transgender bathroom laws, etc.)
- This is an attempt to force Christians to compartmentalize their faith – limit it to the assemblies of their church
- Satan has tried to get Christians to do this for a long time – secularism is one of his tools
- Our entire lives are to be given to the Lord (Romans 12:1-2) – our faith is to be active (James 2:26) and visible (Matthew 5:16)
Results of Secularism
- As a society becomes more secular, there are certain consequences – these will affect us
- Disinterest in spiritual things – fewer people want to study/discuss the Bible or attend worship services; we need to continue to sow the seed (Luke 8:5-8); make time to assemble anyway (Hebrews 10:25)
- Opposition to divine truth – they will scoff at the idea of absolute truth and that truth is from God; we need to hold fast to the standard (2 Timothy 1:13); continue to speak the truth (1 Peter 4:11; Acts 20:27)
- Persecution of Christians – doesn’t start this way, but will progress to this (2 Timothy 3:12-13); prepare for it (Acts 21:11-14); do not fear (Matthew 10:28); rejoice and glorify God (Acts 5:41-42; 1 Peter 4:16)
Conclusion
- As we can see around us, we live in an increasingly secular society
- While it is possible this can be slowed down or reversed, there is a distinct possibility it will not be
- We need to recognize the challenges of living in a secular society and continue serving the Lord
