The Bigger Picture

The new year is just over a week old now, and already I’ve started it out on a very positive note. Most of us are familiar with the expression, “Out with the old and in with the new,” especially at the start of a new year. In the past three days I’ve read one new book published on December 5, 2017, and I’m currently in the middle of a second new book published on January 3, 2018. Both have been informative and they have definitely captured my attention. For anyone looking for a challenge on expanding their current mindset, reading one or both of these two new books is a great way to get started.

The two books are (in the order I’m reading them as neither book outshadows the other): “Unimaginable: What Our World Would Be Like Without Christianity,” by Jeremiah J. Johnston, Ph.D., President, Christian Thinkers Society, and Associate Professor of Early Christianity, Houston Baptist University; and “Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality,” by Nancy R. Pearcey, M.A., Director, Center for Christian Worldview; Scholar-in Residence; and Professor of Apologetics, Houston Baptist University. She is also editor-at-large of The Pearcey Report.

Starting with the first book, from the many endorsement for the book, “Unimaginable: What Our World Would Be Like Without Christianity,” here are just a few of them (source here):

“Western culture is under assault, and it may not survive. That’s why ‘Unimaginable’ is so critical to this moment in history. I encourage you to share it with someone who thinks the Christian faith is outdated and irrelevant, because what comes after Christianity may be the end of us all.”

Phil Cooke, PhD, filmmaker and author of “Unique: Telling Your Story in the Age of Brands and Social Media”

“As we live in a world desirous of scourging religion from life, Dr. Johnston shows that without difference-making believers in Jesus, many of the greatest elements of our world would be missing. Atheist, agnostic, or lifelong churchgoer–read this book and realize the importance and power of Christianity.”

Gregg Matte, Pastor, Houston’s First Baptist Church

“‘Unimaginable’ is one of those rare books that successfully combines cutting-edge scholarship on the origins of Christianity with meaningful and thought-provoking reflections on the place of religion in the contemporary world. In a bold way, Johnston presents the strong and unflinching case that in terms of ethics, social values, and human equality the world is a better place because of the contributions of Christianity.”

Paul Foster, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh

“Always the scholar who keeps his finger on the pulse of real-world society and culture, Jeremiah Johnston has produced a volume that addresses the myriad of blessings Christianity provides. It immediately reminded me of the ‘New Atheist’ complaints in recent years that religion never produces good results. Read this book and you’ll have more answers than you’ll ever need!”

Gary R. Habermas, Distinguished Research Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy, Liberty University

“For the past few decades, Western society has been on a path to purge itself of Christian influence. If the trend continues, will progressives want what they get? Engaging and informative, this timely volume considers what our world and even modern Western society might look like without the tremendously positive impact of Christianity. I love the concept! Christian and non-Christian readers alike will walk away with a conviction similar to that of militant atheist Richard Dawkins: ‘Christianity may very well be the barrier preventing the world from becoming a place where freedom and justice are things of the past.'”

Michael R. Licona, PhD, Associate Professor of Theology, Houston Baptist University

“More than one hundred of the foremost atheists, agnostics, secularists, and philosophers have filmed interviews with me. Collectively, their accusation is that Christians do not know how to think critically. Jeremiah Johnston not only refutes the error, but presents the positive, seismic, irrefutable changes Christianity has brought to our world. Every Christian needs to know the crucial truths in this book.”

Dr. Jerry Johnston, jerryjohnston.com

“Many say Christianity is outdated and bigoted, based on a book of ancient myths. Jeremiah Johnston beautifully and biblically outlines that from politics to education to the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ, Christianity is actually the world’s greatest force for good.”

Janet Mefferd, radio host, “Janet Mefferd Today” and “Janet Mefferd Live”

The following is taken from the inside front cover of the book:

Is God Dying?

That’s what some people think and want. They say Christian beliefs and our way of life aren’t relevant anymore. But what critics and even many churchgoers don’t realize is the life-changing importance of Christianity.

Showing how the world would be a dark place without Christianity, “Unimaginable” guides you through the halls of history to see how Jesus’ teachings dramatically changed our world and continue to be the most powerful force for good today. Learn . . .

· How Christianity has stood against the evils of slavery (more than once), racism, eugenics, and injustices toward women and children

· Why democracy, freedom as a universal value, and modern education and legal systems owe much to Christianity

· How Christians throughout the ages have demonstrated the value of human life by sacrificially caring for the sick, handicapped, marginalized, and dying

· How people of faith are extending God’s kingdom through charities, social justice efforts, mental health initiatives, and other profound ways

This provocative and enlightening book is for anyone concerned about where our world is heading. (Quote source here.)

Regarding the second book, “Love Thy Body,” I found a couple of reviews online. The following review is by Tim Challies, co-founder of Cruciform Books, a book reviewer, and author:

It is always a big deal when Nancy Pearcey releases a new book. It’s a special pleasure when that release is timed for the beginning of a new year. Such is the case with “Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality.” In this new work she brings her unique voice to some of the most pressing moral issues of our day. “’In Love Thy Body,’” she promises, “we will move beyond click-bait headlines and trendy slogans to uncover the worldview that drives the secular ethic. By learning the core principles of this worldview, you will be able to engage intelligently and compassionately on all of today’s most controversial moral challenges.”

And, indeed, that is exactly what she does and exactly what she delivers. As in all her works, she shows that the prevailing worldview around us is one that involves a two-tiered reality that places theology and morality in the realm of what is private, subjective, and relativistic while placing science in the realm of what is public, objective, and valid for all people. Thus secular science reigns supreme over all other matters, including faith. This then leads to a fact/value split where values are placed in the first realm and facts in the second. Your values are for you to live by, perhaps, but they have no bearing on the rest of humanity.

In “Love Thy Body” she shows how this very divide is at the heart of so many of today’s moral issues. The world around us neglects the core unity of human beings and instead divides us into two-tiered beings. “Christianity holds that body and soul together form an integrated unity—that the human being is an embodied soul. By contrast, personhood theory entails a two-level dualism that sets the body against the person, as though they were two separate things merely stuck together. As a result, it demeans the body as extrinsic to the person—something inferior that can be used for purely pragmatic purposes.”

After a thorough introduction that will get you caught up if you have not read Pearcey’s previous works, she turns her attention to six key issues, each of which can be explained and combated through a right understanding of the secular worldview that underpins them. In “The Joy of Death” she shows how body/person dualism is behind arguments for abortion and infanticide while in “Dear Valued Constituent” she looks at euthanasia, stem cell research, and even the growing movement toward transhumanism. “Schizoid Sex” shows how the hookup culture so prevalent on campuses today claims to set the body free, but actually diminishes its important. “The Body Impolitic” and “Transgender, Transreality,” turn to homosexuality and transgenderism. The final chapter, “The Goddess of Choice Is Dead,” turn from the individual to wider society.

Put together, this is a powerful book that brings Pearcey’s unique and uniquely-helpful voice to crucial issues. “We live in a moral wasteland,” she says, “where human beings are desperately seeking answers to hard questions about life and sexuality. But there is hope. In the wasteland we can cultivate a garden. We can discover a reality-based morality that expresses a positive, life-affirming view of the human person—one that is more inspiring, more appealing, and more liberating than the secular worldview.” Read this book to grow in your ability to do that very thing. (Quote source here.)

The second review of the book is much longer and it is by Bill Muehlenberg at CultureWatch. I’ve included excerpts from that review below:

Life and death. Sex. Just a few of the massively contentious issues of our time. Whether speaking of abortion, eugenics, assisted suicide, pornography, homosexuality or transgenderism, these are the hard-core topics occupying the attention of so many today – both in theory as well as in reality.

How we are to understand and assess all these hot potato ethical issues can be very difficult indeed. The problem is, most folks simply look at an individual issue and try to wade their way through it, instead of seeing the bigger picture. As noted Christian apologist Francis Schaeffer said decades ago, “The basic problem of the Christians in this country in the last eighty years or so is that they have seen things in bits and pieces instead of totals.”

Thus when dealing with individual moral topics, one needs an ethical model (be it utilitarianism or whatever) with which to assess them, and this in turn should come out of one’s overall worldview. So the proper way to assess an issue such as euthanasia is to see it in terms of one’s worldview.

Worldview thinking was of course one of the chief emphases of Schaeffer, and it has been as well for one of his better-known students: Nancy Pearcey. She has already demonstrated her more than capable grasp of such matters in her earlier important volumes, including Total Truth (2004) and Finding Truth (2015).

In her brand new volume she looks in detail at these contentious ethical issues, and takes us back to see the bigger picture: “The problem is that many people treat morality as a list of rules. But in reality, every moral system rests on a worldview. In every decision we make, we are not just deciding what we want to do. We are expressing our view of the purpose of human life.” . . .

And this is no mere book of philosophy or lofty ideas. It is a very practical book that reminds us of the importance of ideas, and how bad ideas can harm us so very much. But the book is one of hope as well. It not only demolishes faulty worldview thinking, but it points the way forward.

Says Pearcey, “Christians have to become familiar with secular worldviews and learn to uncover their dehumanizing and destructive implications. Only then will the other person be open to considering Christianity as a credible alternative.”

The concluding paragraph nicely sums up the heart and spirit of this book, and of where Pearcey wants us to take all this:

Christians must be prepared to minister to the wounded, the refugees of the secular moral revolution whose lives have been wrecked by its false promises of freedom and autonomy. When people are persuaded that they are ultimately disconnected, atomistic selves, their relationships will grow fragile and fragmented. Those around us will increasingly suffer insecurity and loneliness. The new polarization can be an opportunity for Christian communities to become safe havens where people witness the beauty of relationships reflecting God’s own commitment and faithfulness. (Quote source here.)

As Christians in our society today, we often don’t recognize how much the secular worldview has become a part of our own lives. These two books give us a very clear picture of the differences between a Christian worldview and lifestyle and a secular worldview and lifestyle.

I’ll end this post with the words Jesus said to those who believed in him. He said in John 8:31-32: If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. . .

Then you will know the truth . . .

And the truth . . .

Will set you free . . . .

YouTube Video: “Lose My Soul” by TobyMac, Kirk Franklin, and Mandisa:

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