Is secularism starting to lose its appeal?
European evangelist J. John thinks that it is. He notes growing numbers–a million over the last few years–attending his evangelistic events. He notes the burgeoning number of evangelicals in France, from 50,000 a few years ago, to 700,000. He cites the large numbers of conversions to Christianity among Muslim immigrants. He focuses, though, on the sense he is picking up on that secularism is failing, and that the secularists are realizing it.
In his essay The Good Soil of Europe is Ripe for Sowing, John, a citizen of the UK of Greek extraction, notes five specific failures of secularism:
(1) The Failure of Explanation. Secularism promised to explain everything by means of science, but the biggest questions remain unanswered. “Life, consciousness, and even the universe itself remain mysteries. Thinking people are finding secularism barren and unsatisfactory. ”
(2) The Failure of Ethics. Secularism cannot function as a moral guide. Into that void are rushing politics, racism, “wokeness,” brutality, and ideological correctness. Human beings cannot live that way for long.
(3) The Failure of Expectation. The optimistic utopianism that the secularists began with has morphed into cynicism and pessimism. Secularism has turned into “a gloomy creed devoid of purpose and hope, and offers no guidance on goals and ambitions. What are we to live for? The answer is silence.”
(4) The Failure of Empowerment. Secularism has left people with a sense of their powerlessness. “Many people feel that their existence is dominated by unseen forces, whether fate, chance, or spiritual powers. Against such oppression, secularism is helpless.”
(5) The Failure of Excitement. “No one sings songs, flies banners, or holds festivals about secularism. It is the dullest, driest, and most depressing of beliefs.”
In contrast, says John, “the only creed that offers truly satisfactory answers to the challenges of life, death, and eternity is an authentic Christianity.”
In my book Post-Christian, I also explore, from some different perspectives, the implosion of secularism. The Kindle edition of that book is on sale, once again, from May 20-May 26, at a big savings.
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