When I was in college, fifty years ago, I read several books by Christian philosopher Francis A. Schaeffer. In the late 1960s and early 70s he was one of the most influential evangelical writers in the world. His classic trilogy, The God Who is There (1968), Escape from Reason (1968), and He is There and is Not Silent (1972), were together a brilliant analysis of the secular philosophical and moral trends in Western Civilization in the 20th century.
Based on his historical study Schaeffer also made predictions for the future tendencies of Western Civilization and the United States for the end of the end of the 20th century and on into the 21st. One of his key theses was that Western intellectual culture had slowly adopted the naturalistic worldview, denied belief in God, and rejected the Bible as the basis for absolute morality and ethics. This intellectual decline by the mid-1960s had made its way down into popular culture and society.
Schaeffer argued that this was the philosophical result of a growing rejection of Aristotelian logic. That logical system, formulated by Aristotle in the 4th century BC, and adhered to by nearly every Western legal and moral system since, maintains that two contradictory propositions cannot both be true. In other words, “A” cannot be “non-A.” Instead, He said that by the middle of the 20th century subjective relative presuppositions had taken hold in intellectual circles.
Schaeffer predicted that by the end of the 20th century this cultural revolution would be complete even in the United States. He stated that, unless there was a cultural return to Christianity (which he doubted would happen), secular humanism would be the dominant ethos in every area of society including education, arts, medicine, government, history, religion, and even science. This fact, Schaeffer warned, would inevitably make being a Bible believing Christian increasingly difficult.
We are now into the third decade of the second millennium and, sad to say, Schaeffer’s predictions surely came to pass. By the turn of the century, secularism was in full control of the moral and academic culture of this nation and most others in the Western world. At about that same time, the ultimate consequence of this philosophical decline raised its head in a movement called Postmodernism. That movement says that truth is relative and never objective or absolute. Everyone has his or her own narrative of what is true based on his or her cultural background and personal belief system. Thus, no one can claim to know or possess any exclusive understanding of what is factual in any situation. And they are always changing. This especially applies to determining what is right or wrong. Non longer can it be said that “A” is not “non-A.” They can both be equally valid depending on how any person sees it.
This has now progressed to where we are now. The whole current “woke culture” and “cancel culture” are direct consequences of this Postmodern intellectual trend. Now what is right is purely what the ever evolving media and power elites (politicians, academics, Hollywood, etc.) say it is. And, if you disagree with the elite’s consensus narrative, you are labeled a reactionary, a hater, or just plain evil. (Note how this mind-set is totally self-contradictory and self-refuting.)
A prime example of this shifting ethos is the growing acceptance of homosexual activities and same-sex marriage. Twenty years ago most Americans still upheld the Biblical principle of marriage: one man and one woman. This standard was reflected in the marriage laws of nearly all U.S. states. In June, 2015, the US Supreme Court struck down all state bans and ruled that same-sex marriage is a right guaranteed in the United States Constitution. (Just where exactly in the Constitution is it mentioned? I guess it is alluded to in the same place as is abortion.). So much for three thousand years of the definition of marriage based on Biblical teaching. My prediction is that laws against polyandry and polygamy will be next to fall.
In light of the trends he predicted, Francis A. Schaeffer wrote another book titled, How Should We Then live (1979). He stated that we Christians must boldly uphold the Biblical worldview and moral standards even as the tides of secularism rise against them. We must not, as most liberal mainline denominations have already done, compromise what the Scriptures assert are right and wrong beliefs, actions, and morals. We live in an immensely dangerous era. Without a moral or philosophical True North compass upon which to navigate, there is no telling in what direction this chaotic cultural situation will go. We must fight intellectually and spiritually the Postmodern presuppositions that are obliterating western society and morality. We must stand for the Truth. It will be a costly challenge. So get ready.