Atheism and Secularism
As we wrap up our study on “A Field Guide on False Teaching” (Ligonier Ministries) reminder that God willing we will begin our six week pre-service discipleship hour summer study on “Prayer” starting Sunday June 5, 2022. We invite you to join us then! Under Section III: False Religions and Worldviews the fifth section in the Field Guide is “Atheism and Secularism”. Here are a few quotes from this book.
“An estimated 250 to 500 million people worldwide do not profess faith in any deity”
To personalize this consider that in 2010 40.4% of those in the county where our church building is located (and many of us live) identify as “None” (source from city-data.com):
40.4% identify as having no religion in 2010! Presumably this number is even higher now twelve years later. Either way though, this means this group of people who bear God’s image are a key part of the mission field the Lord has entrusted to us to bring the gospel of Christ to. They are right here in our backyard.
A few more quotes from the book:
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859) “was seized upon by atheists as providing a scientific justification for their view. Darwin’s work fostered secularist agendas in Western countries, primarily through Karl Marx’s application of Darwin’s principles to his economic and political theories. In Das Kapital, Marx appealed to Darwin’s contributions.”
-”In 1963, the supreme court ruled that school sponsored Bible reading and prayer were unconstitutional.”
Key figures mentioned in the book who have promoted and held to secular atheism: Baron Paul-Henri Thiry d”Holbach, Denis Diderot, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Frederich Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell, George Holyoake, Madalyn Murray O’Hair, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Stephen Hawking, Peter Singer, Phlip Pullman, Ray Kurzweil.
A biblically faithful response/key verses of God’s Word to consider:
The Lord appeared and declared to Moses: “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14).
Romans 1 declares that God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20)
“Materialism [a core belief of atheism] asserts that there is no purpose in things, and the teleological [purposeful] interpretation of nature must give way to the mechanical [merely descriptive] one.” -Herman Bavinck (Christian theologian)
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. (Psalm 33:8-9)
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? (Job 38:4)
The Lord “upholds the universe by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3)
7 For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with a skillful psalm.
8 God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne. (Psalm 47:7-8)
…it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment… (Hebrews 9:27)
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, (1 Timothy 2:5)
The Ligonier False Teaching book gives very helpful guidance on what to focus on with friends who hold to these views: “focus on the question of existence, focus on issues of morality and focus on reconciliation to God” (p.216-217 Kindle edition). May it please our God to lead our blind, deceived secular/atheistic friends to hear the good news of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, be converted, convicted of sin and respond in repentance of their sins and trust in Christ alone!
Note: we strongly encourage you to own, read, and return to this wonderful guide often. It will help you seek to witness faithfully for the Lord Jesus Christ to neighbors, friends and loved ones. There are usually copies of this on our book rack of free books at church—look for the on the Lord’s Day.
Additional resources for further study—
Articles, Talks, Debates:
The Great Debate: Does God Exist? (Greg Bahnsen vs. Gordon Stein)
Atheist Christopher Hitchens vs. Christian Douglas Wilson Debate
Christians vs. Atheists Debate (James White and Jeff Durbin vs. Dr. Clark and Dan Ellis)
Epic Debate Over God’s Existence 3 vs. 3
Secularism: The Cosmos Is All That Is by Dr. James Montgomery Boice
Books:
The End of Secularism by Dr. Hunter Baker
Idols for Destruction: The Conflict of Christian Faith and American Culture by Dr. Herbert Schlossberg
Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity by Nancy Pearcey
Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology by Dr. J.P. Moreland
The Devil and Karl Marx: Communism’s Long March of Death, Deception and Infiltration by Dr. Paul Kengor