What is it, why does it matter and how to address it
Many Christians are unfamiliar with the concept of secularism. They have not had the opportunity to consider the threat it poses for our society – for our children, and for future generations.
This resource is designed to help readers understand what secularism is, recognise the ways it subtly shapes society, realise how it is contrary to God’s will, and discern how we should respond.
Secularism – What is it?
Online dictionaries define secularism as:
1. A system of social philosophy that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship 2. The view that religious considerations should be excluded from civil affairs or public education
The UK National Secular Society describes it as a principle that involves two basic propositions:
1. The strict separation of the state from religious institutions 2. That people of different religions and beliefs are equal before the law
Most descriptions boil down to the basic idea of keeping God out of everyday life.
This means keeping your beliefs (unless it happens to be atheism) out of the public square – which includes public debate, public policy, public institutions (e.g. government and schools), and public spaces (e.g. the workplace).
In other words… it may be OK to believe in God as long as you keep it to yourself and you keep it private. Although people like scientist Richard Dawkins would even argue against this.
There is a ‘softer version’ of secularism which allows for expression of God in public as long as no one religion is given preferential treatment. This is sometimes referred to as ‘inclusive secularism’.
Inclusive secularism could be seen as consistent with Christian faith which holds that God gives people free-will and choice and does not impose belief onto people.
But groups in New Zealand, such as the Rationalist-Humanist Society and the Secular Education Network, are active in pushing for ‘exclusive secularism’, where God and religious faith would be restricted to a ‘private’ activity.
Why does it matter?
There are two ways to look at this…
From God’s perspective,
Christian understanding is that God created everything – life, family, community, government. God is sovereign over everything, and His desire is that He would be honoured and every sphere of life would function in line with His will.
For spheres (e.g. government or education) to operate as if God is irrelevant or to relegate God to the margins or the private sphere, is not giving God the honour He deserves.
From society’s perspective,
if God is real and,
if God is the source of all justice and goodness and truth and meaning…
then it would be unwise to exclude God from the public sphere.
Therefore:
If God is treated as irrelevant it can only have negative consequences for a society that tries to live that way.
Such a society would eventually see injustice and inequality increase; goodness, respect, and compassion decrease, and standards of truth and morality undermined. It also leads to erosion of freedom of belief and conscience.
Those with eyes to see will observe some of these signs in New Zealand today.
How do we address secularism?
Recognise that ‘exclusive secularism’ is hostility to God and be prepared to engage.
Understand that ‘exclusive secularism’ is a belief system like any other, as are atheism, agnosticism, and rationalist-humanism. There is no more evidence for it being ‘true’ than for Christianity. Whereas there is good reason to argue it has much less.
Understand that public spheres that seek to suppress or exclude Christian or any other religious expression, are actually giving priority to atheism or beliefs that say God is not important in the public realm.This is the myth of ‘secular neutrality’ or the so-called ‘naked public square’ – a public square where beliefs supposedly have no place.
Highlight the unreasonableness of people who oppose any inclusion of Christian faith in public spaces when around half of the people in our country still describe themselves as Christian. Why shouldn’t schools teach the basic ideas of Christianity and the profound impact it has had, and continues to have, in Aotearoa New Zealand?
Recognise that ‘inclusive secularism’, which permits religious ideas and comments, is not a bad thing. It gives everyone freedom to share their real convictions, not just atheists and exclusive secularists.
Work together – connect to New Zealand Christian Network via the web. If you are able, consider supporting the work we do promoting Christian viewpoints in the public square.
Key point:
Everyone has beliefs. A so-called ‘naked public square’ simply advantages some people’s beliefs (a minority) over others.
It is ironic that atheistic belief should be elevated in this way given that it has been consistently shown to produce more authoritarian regimes than almost any other (e.g. most communist dictatorships in the 20th century).
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We’re confused about marriage. We want ceremonies with vows “till death parts us”, yet every year half as many divorce as marry.
How do you picture “marriage”?
Weddings, like Hollywood productions, present the dream of perfect couples, it’s all about love and fulfilment. But that Hollywood self-fulfilment picture of marriage isn’t true.
Another picture of marriage
There’s another picture that surfaced last year in a blog post that went viral. Seth Adam Smith was unknown to most people until he wrote “Marriage isn’t for you”. He repeated advice his dad gave him, when he was having cold feet about marriage. The post was so popular the server crashed, and he featured on US TV news.
As the wedding approached Seth asked himself: “Was I making the right choice? Was Kim the right person to marry? Would she make me happy?” His dad’s response was sharp:
Core Bible teaching on marriage
The foundation for marriage is summed up at the very beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 2.
“For this reason” refers back to the story in Genesis 2; of how God made a human being, planted a wonderful garden and put the human there to cultivate and care for it.
God also recognised that it is not good for man to be alone so He made a suitable helper for him. Let’s examine what that means:
a helper is not subordinate. In the Old Testament, almost always the strong “help” the weak. This speaks of our human need for each other.
suitable implies both “like” and “appropriate”
Animals didn’t fit the need… So God made a woman who really was: “bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh” – a helper who matches.
Marriage is a spiritual discipline
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5 deals extensively with marriage and specifically quotes Genesis chapter 2. He goes on to say:
This is a profound mystery – I am talking about Christ and the church.
Marriage echoes God’s love for us in Christ. In marriage we should love as God loves us. Marriage is a “spiritual discipline”.
Seth’s dad expressed deep truths about God’s intentions for marriage.
Marriage isn’t for you. It’s not about you. Marriage is about the person you married.
That’s the Creator’s plan. Genesis 2 tells us that woman and man were “made for each other”, but Genesis 1, telling of the creation of humans, talks about the image of God.
So God created humanity in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Love and partnership between man and woman echoes the love within the Godhead. We are to love our wives or husbands as God loved us, but we are also to love and share as God does!
Talk of loving like God seems idealistic. Since Genesis 3, the world is broken by human sinfulness.
Living in a broken world: Marriages in the Bible
Think of Abraham and Sarah, they seem a perfect couple, but Sarah has Abraham sleep with a slave-girl (Gen 16:1-3), and then gets jealous (Gen 16:5). The only perfect marriages in Scripture are the ones we don’t see close enough to see the cracks.
Just as all humans are broken (sinful) and need to repent, all marriages need repentance and God’s grace – as does every other sphere of life.
Marriage can only work with forgiveness and grace – between spouses.
If you are thinking of marriage: Are you asking “Is marriage for you”, or are you ready to live for your future spouse and children?
If you are married: Are you behaving as if the marriage was “for you”? How can you change that?
If you prepare people for marriage: How do you help people understand what marriage really is, and to aim for the real thing?
Tim Bulkeley has been pastor (in England), missionary (in Congo) and taught Old Testament (for twenty years at Carey Baptist College) he and Barbara live between Tauranga and Rotorua and attend South City Baptist Church. They have four adult children and one granddaughter. Tim podcasts and has several websites including his latest project Reading the Bible Faithfully.
Regional Advocates are an important part of New Zealand Christian Network’s structure.
Last year we announced contacts in 14 regions from Northland to Southland.
At the end of 2013 we farewelled Derek Allen who was the Regional Advocate in Waikato.
We are pleased to announce – and very grateful to – Mike Walker (Hamilton South) and Keith Harrington (Taupo) who have agreed to cover the Waikato Regional Advocate role for the Network in a joint arrangement.
“Although this is a first in terms of the Network’s regional structure” said Glyn Carpenter, “I am sure it is a development we will see more of in the future.
In fact, one of the ideas I will be talking to Regional Advocates about when I travel round in May and June, is the idea of having a younger generation leader working alongside the Regional Advocate(s), as a way to help connect younger Christians to the message of unity and mission, and partly to help develop the next generation of senior church leaders.
Regional Advocates help national unity and mission by helping ensure that messages sent out from the Network reach the right people in their regions, and also by sending information about local issues and initiatives which may be relevant or of interest to other parts of the church to NZ Christian Network for wider distribution.
Ideologies, “isms”, such as secularism, embrace the same concerns as the Christian gospel. They are concerned about the good life, about the purpose and meaning of being human, of living well in the world, forming communities, making moral choices etc.
This resource is designed to help people recognise a gospel by any other name.
Secularism is a belief system
An article on the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists website (reason.org.nz) states:
“The NZARH strongly believes that government should be secular; that is dealing with the issues of this world rather than following a religious agenda. Our law should not give one set of beliefs privilege over another and the state should treat religious organisations the same as any other organisation … Societies in which all people can openly express and practice their beliefs are far better places to live in than those that enforce dogma – religious or otherwise.”
The NZARH strongly believesthat government should be secular; that is dealing with the issues of this worldrather than following a religious agenda. Our law should not give one set of beliefsprivilege over another and the state should treat religious organisations the same as any other organisation … Societies in which all people can openly express and practice their beliefs are far better places to live in than those that enforce dogma – religious or otherwise.
What is secularism?
David Koyziz answers:
Secularism may be described as an idolatry which, as its name indicates, worships some created thing, or more than one thing, within the saeculum – the present age.
As Koyzis asserts, secularism is, like all ideologies, inescapably religious. Rather than equating ideology and religion, Koyzis goes on to say that an ideology flows out of the religious commitment of a person or community.
Neither the NZARH nor groups such as the New Zealand Secular Education Network can claim high ground or neutrality in this regard. There are some issues to address with regard to the statement of the NZARH for example:
The statement proceeds from faith – “the NZARH strongly believes”. This is of course inevitable with all such bottom-line statements of conviction. We believe before we affirm.
The statement characterises religion as being only concerned with issues that are otherworldly and future – not with “the issues of this world”. This is a highly contentious assumption, one that Christians, as well as followers of other religions would contest.
The statement contends that one set of beliefs should not be given privilege over others. Do the NZARH hold this to be the case in propagating their own faith position?
The statement accuses others of seeking to “enforce dogma”. Do they seek to stand above that accusation themselves?
Ideologies, “isms”, such as secularism, embrace the same concerns as the Christian gospel. They are concerned about the good life, about the purpose and meaning of being human, of living well in the world, forming communities, making moral choices etc.
Ideologies are, in this sense, gospel stories – declarations of good news. This is the meaning of “gospel”, as we find it in Scripture. It is a public word, not uniquely a Christian word. It was widely used in the first century as the proclamation of good news through the Roman Empire. The Priene inscription, from 9 BC, makes use of the word as follows:
Caesar [Augustus] through his appearance has exceeded the hopes of all former good messages [euangelia], surpassing not only his benefactors who came before him, but also leaving no hope that anyone in the future would surpass him, and since for the world the birthday of the god was the beginning of his good messages [euangelia]…
The gospel of Christ, the gospel of God’s kingdom and reign in Christ, has always been proclaimed not only as the biblical vision and promise of life but always in contention with other visions and promises, other stories of the good life, told by emperors, educators, politicians and ad makers.
Such was the case in the days of the prophets when Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian or Persian stories of the good life were on offer. Such was the case in the days of Jesus and the 1st century disciples when Roman versions of the gospel were widely proclaimed – peace and blessing in the name of the Caesar who was lord and saviour of the world. When Paul proclaimed Jesus as Lord, he consciously did so in contention with the alternative Lord of the day, the Roman Caesar.
What are the threats and opportunities that present themselves in this era of secularism? Surely the greatest threat is that secularism will proclaim itself as the only way; that the secular ideology will be enforced as dogma to the exclusion of other faith positions. The danger in this is that the Christian gospel will be locked out of the main arenas of public debate and decision making, as though it was irrelevant or outdated.
However, there is also opportunity in the current secular context in which many find themselves in Western nations such as Aotearoa New Zealand. In the words of Stanley Hauerwas:
I think this is a time that God is finally helping us Christians get over what is called Christendom – namely, when we thought we were in control of the world. It’s terrific. We’re discovering we’re going to be forced to learn to live by our wits. When you have power, it dulls the mind, and it dulls the intellect. We’re learning what it means to live without power. We may learn to live wittily again. When you’re not in control then you have to know those who are in control better than they know themselves in order to survive. That’s great. We can do that now in a way that I think is quite promising.
Amen. May we graciously and courageously take such opportunity.
References
Hauerwas, S. (2011). Sunday Asylum: Being the Church in Occupied Territory. The House Studio and The Work of the People.
Koyzis, David T. (2003). Political Visions and Illusions: A Survey and Critique of Contemporary Ideologies. Downers Grove, Ill. IVP.
Stenhouse, J. and Wood, G. A. (Ed’s.). (2005). Christianity, Modernity and Culture. Adelaide, Australia. ATF Press.
Rod holds a BA (Sydney University),ThL (Australian College of Theology), MEdS (Institute of Christian Tertiary Education), and a PhD from Macquarie University, is married to Rosanne and they have four adult children and two granddaughters.
NZCN Press: Evangelicals urge care with ‘healing oil’ reports
New Zealand Christian Network is urging people to be careful about reports that ‘healing oil’ promoted by an evangelical church can cure people.
Network national director Glyn Carpenter said “NZ Christian Network is the New Zealand member of the World Evangelical Alliance, and represents a biblical voice in New Zealand. Evangelical Christians who base their faith on the Bible would not support the contention that oil can heal problems such as physical ailments or failing marriages.
We do believe in a God who can heal and does heal, but this does not happen every time we want it, and certainly not because oil is applied. Oil is used in many churches in the course of prayer for healing, but it does not cause or guarantee healing”.
Carpenter said “It does not appear from the media reports that the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God – the church promoting the healing oil event in Auckland this weekend – has actually said anything in their promotion that we would disagree with.
“If however it is claimed at the event or anywhere else that oil actually has healing power, that would be a different story”.
New Zealand Christian Network is a broad-spectrum network of churches and Christian leaders, with a Board of Reference that includes leaders from all the main denominations. It seeks to present a biblically orthodox position on issues, reflecting the views of the majority of Christians in New Zealand.
Contact Glyn Carpenter National Director, New Zealand Christian Network Mobile 022 184 7466
To the Body of Christ: Warning re person travelling NZ
A single man (approx 50 yrs of age) whose name is Torsten Nenzen is currently in the country and making a nuisance of himself in many different church situations.
He engages people with false theology, especially young women. When he is confronted he acts strangely and refuses to declare himself or cooperate. He then accuses people of being satanic and posts things about them on his website, which he does so through secret recordings he has been taking while in those churches.
For years he has been sending strange emails to various Christian leaders.
Torsten has been expelled from numerous churches around the world, and he records and publishes these encounters. He has had some difficulty in Sweden which appears to have been related to an obsession with the Swedish Crown Princess, and has been expelled from Canada (where he used to have residency), and barred from the USA.
Our experience is that he should be told to leave any church property immediately and not return. We are notifying the police about him, and if he does come onto our church property again, we will be calling the police.
