As an impressionable child I was very tempted to embrace the ideals of secular humanism. The idea that sin was not the issue but rather intolerance was the issue. That one person has no right to interfere with the beliefs and actions of another. Because I was young and impressionable. I didn’t really see the conflict between secular humanism and Christianity.
In the secular realm I adored the idea that man could conquer science and begin a conquest of space. That eventually mankind would rival God in our ability to craft planets and stars. In thousands of years. Taking cities into space as in the book “The City and the Stars” by Arthur C. Clarke. In millions of years. That we would overcome the laws of physics and rule the solar system, the galaxy and eventually the universe. That we would evolve into beings of spirit and then take our place as eternal beings.
Back then the mantra of secular humanism was overtly included in school curriculum and taught by young teachers who had unwittingly been exposed to it in their
training programs. Like me they didn’t understand that words can be crafted to appeal to the heart of a man. Yet those words can be more lethal than the poison of Asps. Take the idea that sin was only a moral construct not a life defining principle that could result in eternal death. That one person has no right to interfere with the beliefs and actions of another regardless of the consequences. Powerful ideals crafted by evil men whose only driving force was the devil himself.
I didn’t understand that these secular principles had already been tried and seen millions of innocent people sent to their deaths. Think of the Soviet Union under Lennon and Stalin. Under Stalin alone, it is said that 66 million were sent to an early grave in forced labor camps and gulags. Move back two hundred years to a time when revolutionary fervor swept through Europe resulting in the carnage that became the French Revolution. Then in the nineteenth century to the attempts at revolution in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a melting pot of humanism, which eventually led to the first world war in 1914.
So what led me to reject humanism and to embrace Christianity? Firstly, and I thank God that this is the case. My family has deep Christian roots on both sides. Deuteronomy chapter 7 verse 9 says this about those who fear the Lord our God; Jehovah: "Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His loving kindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments...” So God showed his loving kindness to me and I stayed with him and eventually moved away from secular humanism
Secondly, Jesus had a purpose for me and he began to to educate me in the things of God. From a child I experienced the presence of the holy spirit and the love of Christ in my life. The Lord brought about a situation where my dad passed when I was six years old, two of my brothers were young Christians, there were challenges in my family life and my schooling was not going well. So at the age of nine I began a two year stretch at an Anglican boarding school where the principal was also a Canon of the Church. He was a man of many talents and a strong faith in Jesus Christ.
What I learned during that time impacted on my life and helped to define who I would eventually become. At the time I became a capable student in the academic sense. I learned a lot about the bible and a lot about how a Christian life can be lived to the benefit of others from a man who lived his life that way.
Later the example my family set as a strong Christian family shaped my life and as a teenager and I was simply immersed in life with strong Christians who were leading strong Christian lives. I had discussions with my siblings about humanism and what they had to say on top of the fact that I had given my life to Christ as a child helped to set me free from it.
However, for many years I was a distracted Christian. For a long time I was caught up in a busy life as a farmer and a parent. Far to many years passed in service of myself and not God and in away humanism still had a foothold in my life. But eventually changes took place in my life and God caught my attention again. I guess you could look at John chapter 15 and say I may have come close to being cut out of the vine but the Father’s vine dressing finally came through and I came right.
John 15: 1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesa so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Finally, I came to an understanding of the battle of God versus evil. I came to see that secular humanism has become enshrined in our society and that it is causing carnage in the lives of our people. It has removed any shred of moral decency from the lives of so many. Our people are living lives that are in many senses depraved and they are having to accept the consequences even though they don’t realise it. Today We have children who often only have one biological parent living with them or who live with a grand parent. In some cases they live with people they are not related too. People who are addicted to substances and have to prostitute themselves or resort to a life of crime to support the addiction.
So personally if faced with the question. “Christian Evangelism or Secular Humanism?” There is no doubt in my mind. Christian Evangelism is the only choice you can make if you want the best for our people. When you see the impact that humanism has had in the past and that it is having now in New Zealand. What with the creation of a class who have nothing and live in servitude and who are denied the blessings of God because they are taught you can’t believe what you can’t prove. A people duped and ruled by a Super Elite that worship the Devil.
As Christians we need to join in prayer for God to raise strong Christian leaders to restart a revival after the likes of John Wesley in the United Kingdom in the eighteenth century. Sadly we stand in the Western World as the Church of Laodicea in Revelation chapter 3 verse 16: 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.’ 17 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked...’ So before a genuine revival can take place we need to take the advice of the Ancient of Days in verse 18: I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Amen Lord Jesus!
References
All scripture from http://biblehub.com/
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