It is not hard to see that we no longer live in a Christian dominated society. The fluidity of thought, values, and the definition of what is right and wrong changes so quickly it is hard to keep up. All the while there is one group or another crying out that their human rights have been violated. Like the winds that come together to form a tornado, these voices of discontent and confusion are growing. What will remain when they collide? Will we come out of the storm a kinder, gentler people or will it destroy everything in its path?<\/p>\r\n
Tom Holland a renowned author of Ancient History and Medieval Christendom.[1]<\/a> In Holland\u2019s lecture \u201cOn Puritanism and Iconoclasm\u201d at the Roger Scruton Memorial Lectures,[2]<\/a> he takes a historical look at Christianity\u2019s influence on Western morals and thought.<\/p>\r\n The speaker claims that all thought whether Christian or scientific requires an act of faith. He continues that Humanistic and Enlightenment claims of universal human rights, morals, and values are rooted in Genesis. The Humanistic assumption that people have value simply because they are, without a reason lacks the necessary scientific logic for proof.<\/p>\r\n Holland cites Darwin to show that enlightened scientific thought apart from Christianity does not lead to the moral \u201cvirtues of humility, grace, forgiveness, and charity,\u201d [3]<\/a> which are at the heart of universal human rights of dignity and freedom. He claims that it was Christianity that introduced society to compassionate acts toward the disenfranchised. The more our society has attempted to rid itself of God, the more it has cried out for those in need. Now that society is legally obligated to care for others,[4]<\/a> the Christian community still does a more effective, and economical job of meeting real needs.<\/p>\r\n Holland later articulates that it is Christianity that introduces humanity to the concept of change as a positive factor.[5]<\/a> The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 2 Corinthians 3:18 that we are being transformed from glory to glory. Essentially, the growth mindset [6]<\/a> is part of our creative nature as image bares of the Creator God.<\/p>\r\n Christianity\u2019s \u201ccapacity to supply existential significance to any human being regardless of culture, colour and class, or to anchor our reflexive commitments to the transcendent dignity of the human person and the absolute metaphysical equality between human persons\u201d [7]<\/a> is unmatched. While it is possible to strive for and claim the importance of human rights and freedoms separate from God, it often translates into \u201cvarious earthly utopias\u201d [8]<\/a> that fall short of the ideal.<\/p>\r\n I think about the homeless crisis in Seattle today. The government\u2019s attempts of \u201ccompassion\u201d has resulted in an ever-increasing number of individuals on the streets, violence, drugs, crime, and garbage. It is the non-profits that seem to have success in helping people actually getting off the streets. The situation has driven businesses, tourists, employees, and customers out of this once beautiful city.<\/p>\r\n I wonder if the Western thinkers of today, by turning their backs on the foundations of the universal beliefs they hold dear, they have left themselves open to constant rootless changes taking them further away from the desired outcome.<\/p>\r\n [1]<\/a> Tim Keller, \u201cNietzsche Was Right: Review: \u2018Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World\u2019 by Tom Holland,\u201d The Gospel Coalition<\/em>, September 2020, https:\/\/www.thegospelcoalition.org\/reviews\/dominion-christian-revolution-tom-holland\/.<\/p>\r\n [2]<\/a> Tom Holland, \u201cOn Puritanism and Iconoclasm\u201d (Roger Scruton Memorial Lectures, Oxford, October 20, 2021), https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bcPj46PkFlo.<\/p>\r\n [3]<\/a> James Orr, \u201cEternal Resurrection: Review: Tom Holland\u2019s \u2018Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind,\u2019\u201d The Critic<\/em>, December 2019, https:\/\/thecritic.co.uk\/issues\/december-2019\/eternal-resurrection\/.<\/p>\r\n [4]<\/a> Holland, \u201cOn Puritanism and Iconoclasm.\u201d<\/p>\r\n [5]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\r\n [6]<\/a> Carol Dweck, \u201cThe Growth Mindset,\u201d https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-71zdXCMU6A.<\/p>\r\n