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Bulletin articles
Secular vs. Spiritual
When we make a hard divide in our minds between the secular and the spiritual, it is almost certain that the secular will ultimately win out. This has been happening in our culture for many years, and the evidence should be plain enough. For example:
In science, God is not typically allowed into the discussion. Faith is considered to be at odds with reason and evidence. This is justified by many because science is only about explaining the natural. While that is true, Christians cannot afford to think that because something is “natural,” that means God is not necessary. Without God, there is no nature.
In education generally, religion has little footing anymore. There are exceptions, but typically a teacher would not be allowed to try to influence students religiously. God bless those teachers who still hold out their faith in the midst of an increasingly difficult situation.
In government, laws are often made with no allowance for religious or biblical influence. The no “establishment of religion” clause is made to mean that religion needs to stay out of the government rather than that the government needs to stay out of religion. The added “separation of church and state” concept (not in the Constitution) is turned on its head so that the state takes precedence and attempts to control the church.
In culture generally, those who believe in God are often considered to be of lower status intellectually and influentially. The broad culture is secular. As Schaeffer put it, nature has swallowed up grace.
Christians cannot afford to buy into these hard dichotomies. This is why we try to call attention to the underlying problems that we face — worldview issues that drive the thinking that we must somehow separate the secular from spiritual so much that the spiritual loses its preeminent place in our own thoughts. Christians often follow the lead of the culture, and this has devastating consequences.
This is what doctrines like deism do. This is what modernism and postmodernism do. This is what scientism does. God’s role in our lives is downplayed.
We often worry about modern-day Pharisaism, but the effects of modern-day Sadduceeism are just as destructive. We end up knowing neither Scripture nor the power of God.
For Christians, Christ is life (Philippians 1:21; Colossians 3:4). There are no decisions made apart from Him. There is no education apart from Him. There is no earthly citizenry apart from Him. There is no recreation without Him. Never is there a time when we divorce the Lord from our thinking. Rather, all we do, we do to His glory and in His name (Colossians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 10:5).
If that sounds too fanatical to us, we are doing discipleship wrong and have allowed nature to swallow up grace in our own lives.
- 20241117_Secular_vs._Spiritual.pdf (549.96 kB)
