Correcting Enlightenment Myths about Christianity Will Preserve the Good in Western Culture

Correcting Enlightenment Myths about Christianity Will Preserve the Good in Western Culture
This final episode in the series Is Christianity Harmful for Human Flourishing? builds on what we have learned in the preceding episodes:
i. The historical evidence shows that Christianity, despite being far from perfect, has been the most positively transformational worldview for human flourishing in the history of the human race.
ii. Setting the record straight about a number of influential cultural myths about Christianity like the myth of the Dark Ages, the exaggerations in the narratives about the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Galileo affair, witch trials, and maybe most significantly the myth of religious violence in contrast to non-religious violence, provides good reasons for rejecting the overarching influential myth that Christianity is harmful.
iii. The evidence is that the features of western culture that many people consider positive and beneficial to human flourishing, and continue to attract millions of people to immigrate to western liberal democracies, owe their existence to the Christian worldview and enough Christians living out the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament.
iv. Once this overarching myth “that Christianity is harmful,” is no longer seen as adequately supported by the evidence, the influential myth of Enlightenment Humanism that the values of Christianity can and must be adopted by a culture without being rooted in the foundational doctrines of Christianity ought to be abandoned.
v. Moreover, the evidence of the last 300 years shows that the more the roots are cut, the more the fruit gets twisted. That is, the fruit (the features of western culture that most people consider good for human flourishing compared to most of the history of the human race) that grew out of the resources of the Christian worldview and the behaviour of enough Christians authentically living out the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament, gradually, but still all too quickly, become twisted into something quite different, some becoming unrecognizable or even the opposite of the original values.

What should we do? Even though western culture is far from perfect, it is the best we’ve been able to do so far, and it shouldn’t be demolished too quickly under the naive assumption that we can easily do this again, much less be able to build back better!

When unbelievers are able to agree with the 5 points above, it is my appeal that they would be willing to do renovations on their worldview.

I am especially referring to the myth of Christian violence, that Christianity is somehow more prone to violence and war than non-religious ideologies are. We have seen in earlier episodes that the historical evidence does not support that position. This assumption has played an appreciable role in the Enlightenment project to have the fruit without the root of Christianity and especially in the radical version of the separation of church and state where all religious ideas should be kept out of the public square. Please stop destroying the root that provides the needed resources for the fruit that most people recognize as remarkable for human flourishing that has appeared in western culture. To switch the metaphor slightly, please stop sawing off the branch where the fruit grows and upon which we are all sitting!

I know that one can’t just make oneself believe in the Christian roots if one is not persuaded of their veracity. But you can choose to stop fighting against its influence in culture! Look for common ground with Christian believers to work together for human flourishing within an environment of tolerant pluralism (without relativism), and rather than dogmatic secularism.

My appeal to Christian believers would be to have hope and courage, and continue to be salt and light while obeying God’s two commissions – the Great Commission by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20, and the Cultural Commission given by God in Genesis 1: 26-28. Chuck Colson said: “The Great Commission, to make disciples of all nations is only properly understood in light of the Cultural Commission, which describes the original purpose and plan God had for His image bearers.... We’re to sustain and renew His creation, defend the created institutions of family and society, and critique false worldviews.”

Contribute positively to the culture and world you are in by preventing decay as salt does, and dispelling the darkness as light does. Find common ground with unbelievers who agree about the goodness of the fruit, even if they do not yet accept the root from which it sprung. And work towards persuading, not imposing policies based on the desirability of the fruit for human flourishing. Do this within the ethical boundaries of Jesus and New Testament teaching.

“Work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” Jeremiah 29:7