Southern Seminary Magazine (Vol 90.1) The Light of Truth: Apologetics in the 21st Century
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“How do we speak<br />
to a culture that not<br />
only has lower rates<br />
<strong>of</strong> people who say<br />
<strong>the</strong>y believe <strong>in</strong> God,<br />
but who when <strong>the</strong>y<br />
do say <strong>the</strong>y believe <strong>in</strong><br />
God, give decreas<strong>in</strong>g<br />
importance to<br />
what <strong>the</strong>y’re say<strong>in</strong>g?”<br />
I<br />
was astounded by conversations with<br />
many Americans who watched <strong>the</strong> dramatic<br />
portrayal <strong>of</strong> Queen Elizabeth’s<br />
coronation <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> first season <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
television program, <strong>The</strong> Crown. Viewers<br />
wondered aloud where <strong>the</strong>y came<br />
up with “that strange language.” <strong>The</strong><br />
strange language <strong>the</strong>y were referenc<strong>in</strong>g was right<br />
out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Bible. For most <strong>of</strong> history, <strong>the</strong> British<br />
crown (and basically all <strong>the</strong> monarchies <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Western world) explicitly claimed a biblical and<br />
<strong>the</strong>ological legitimacy. It’s not by accident that<br />
Handel’s majestic an<strong>the</strong>m “Zadok <strong>the</strong> Priest” is<br />
what is played <strong>the</strong> very moment that <strong>the</strong> monarch<br />
is shrouded <strong>in</strong> mystery. <strong>The</strong> coronation even<br />
<strong>in</strong>cludes an ano<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g with oil just as with Samuel,<br />
Saul, and David.<br />
When we consider our own secular society,<br />
we must realize that <strong>the</strong> word “secular” actually<br />
emerged from <strong>the</strong> realm <strong>of</strong> politics. In <strong>the</strong> Middle<br />
Ages, <strong>the</strong>re was a union between <strong>the</strong> throne<br />
and <strong>the</strong> altar, and it was very well understood that<br />
a <strong>the</strong>ological justification was necessary for <strong>the</strong><br />
monarchy. In this context, <strong>the</strong> term “secular” began<br />
to be used to refer to <strong>the</strong> dist<strong>in</strong>ctly political<br />
power <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> government as opposed to <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ological<br />
and <strong>in</strong>stitutional power <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> church. But<br />
even though <strong>the</strong> dist<strong>in</strong>ction was made, it was<br />
made from with<strong>in</strong> a Christian worldview. After<br />
all, <strong>the</strong> “div<strong>in</strong>e right <strong>of</strong> k<strong>in</strong>gs” only makes sense if<br />
<strong>the</strong> legitimacy <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> regime is based upon a <strong>the</strong>ological<br />
affirmation.<br />
Today, <strong>the</strong> idea <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ism doesn’t even fit <strong>the</strong><br />
language <strong>of</strong> most governmental regimes. And it’s<br />
not just true <strong>in</strong> government but throughout our<br />
society. When I was a boy, it was assumed when<br />
new neighbors moved to your community that<br />
you’d ask <strong>the</strong>m what church <strong>the</strong>y wanted to attend.<br />
That would be considered a very rude question<br />
<strong>the</strong>se days, but you also wouldn’t be surprised if<br />
people answered, “No church at all.” We may take<br />
this for granted, but <strong>the</strong> reality is that it’s a stunn<strong>in</strong>g<br />
change <strong>in</strong> human experience.<br />
A Society Unbound from <strong>The</strong>ism<br />
We live <strong>in</strong> a society marked by secularization. And<br />
when I use that term, I’m talk<strong>in</strong>g about <strong>the</strong> sort<br />
<strong>of</strong> secularism that we’ve only experienced <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
wake <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Enlightenment and <strong>the</strong> advent <strong>of</strong> modernity;<br />
we live <strong>in</strong> a society where <strong>the</strong>ism has lost<br />
summer 2022<br />
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