In sum, though secularism seems self-assured and confident, it is rife with weaknesses. 1) Secularism has been assumed, not proven. We need to remember that the view of reality that secularists take for granted is simply a view they have constructed—it is not clear and obvious. The “immanent frame”, the idea that the only things …

How (Not) To Be Secular (7) – The Shortcomings of Secularism Read More »

Secularism is a system that seems to give people the meaning and answers they seek. And it has taken root in a time of unprecedented safety and prosperity. Yet secularism is not satisfying. For as soon as unbelief becomes an option a doubt arises: Is this the right option? Just as the believer is tempted …

How (Not) To Be Secular (6) – The Malaise of Secularism Read More »

According to Taylor, if we identify religion as one of the core, historic faiths, then religion is declining. But if we think of it as a spiritual or semi-spiritual belief that answers life’s ultimate questions, then religion is as popular today as it has ever been. In short, religion isn’t dying, it is changing. One …

How (Not) To Be Secular (5) – Effects of Secularism Continued – Expressivism Read More »

The things we do change our beliefs. Every man, even very wicked men, want to think good of themselves so they find ways to justify their behavior. Rather than change their behavior so that it reflects what is right, they redefine their belief as to what is right so that they can consider their behavior …

How (Not) To Be Secular (4) – Some Effects of Secularism Read More »

A common myth is that secularism is what is left when we have stripped all former belief in superstition and falsity. The reality is that secularism is a system that was built up slowly over time. How did men construct secularism? First, our idea of the relationship between the individual and the community changed. We …

How (Not) To Be Secular (3) – Secularism: A Created Alternative Read More »

We are prone to think in terms of belief versus disbelief, religion versus secularism, faith versus reason, and so on. But these maps are much neater and tidier than the spaces in which we live. On the one hand, faith endures in our secular age, on the other, believing doesn’t come easy. Our faith is …

How (Not) To Be Secular (2) – Secularism is Messy Read More »

We are told that we live in a “secular world” or in a “secular age”, but what does mean? This question is important if we want to wisely engage with our unbelieving neighbors and find ways of witnessing to and blessing our secular community. There are three ways to define secular: The first is the …

How (Not) To Be Secular (1) – Introduction Read More »

Next to the Bible, over the last two thousand years no book has been read more than Virgil’s Aeneid (though Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy is a close second). The Aeneid is a story about the work and sacrifice that are required to do something great (in this case, found Rome). Time and again Aeneas is forced to choose between doing what …

Virtue in Literature (12) – Duty: Aeneid (10th Grade) Read More »

In the modern era two growing and developing countries looked to fill their frontiers: the United States looked to the vast western plains and Russia to its seemingly limitless eastern territory. In the United States the western frontier became a place of opportunity—the Homestead Act allowed both native-born citizens and immigrants to receive at no …

Virtue in Literature (11) – Little House in the Big Woods (1st Grade) Read More »

The twentieth century was the bloodiest century in history. Take that in for a second. We are accustomed to think of the Middle Ages as barbaric and “Dark”, but the economic pressures of a subsistence agrarian economy limited the extent and length of their wars, holy days in the church limited when wars could be …

Virtue in Literature (9) – The Hiding Place: Mercy (9th Grade) Read More »