I have been reading about this idea of compartmentalization. The reason for this is that David Barton referred to a time in American history when everyone in politics had to affirm a Christian doctrinal statement in order to serve in public office. In fact, he went on to say that for 200 years it was imperative that voters looked at the private life of an individual to know if he would be fit for public service.
We have now encountered a shift in societal thinking. Now people assert that public and private life are unrelated. This means that many Americans would say that though a man does not operate morally in his private life, he will still perform the duties of his public office morally. The politician may behave and live in one manner, yet that lifestyle will have no effect on his policy decisions. People blindly trust this to be the case when they support Supreme Court Justices. They believe that each Justice is capable of separating their world view (their belief system) from their rulings. This idea of separation is called compartmentalization.
I have heard that Bertrand Russell was one of the early proponents of compartmentalization in politics. He was opposed to the idea that those in political office must affirm Christian principles. In fact, he openly condemned the very idea of Christianity...
“There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths. Almost inevitably, some part of him is aware that they are myths and that he believes them only because they are comforting. But he does not dare face this thought! Moreover, since he is aware, however dimly, that his opinions are not real, he becomes furious when they are disputed.”
Bertrand Russell, Human Society in Ethics and Politics
While America slept, Bertrand Russell (British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian) was able to influence the landscape of American politics. The attacks from Academia don't end there. Finite human reason and logic are the only basis for intellectualism today. If one looks to any power other than human intelligence alone he is ridiculed and abased. These attacks on Christianity and our Creator are blatant and condemning. Yet Christians sleep.
*Robert Green Ingersoll:
“I do not regard religious opinions…as exotics that have to be kept under glass, protected from the frosts of common sense or the tyrannous north wind of logic. Such plants are hardly worth preserving. They certainly ought to be hardy enough to stand the climate of free discussion, and if they cannot, the sooner they die the better.”
*American political leader, and orator during the Golden Age of Freethought, noted for his broad range of culture and his defense of agnosticism.
We sleep because we have been lulled into compartmentalization. We have bought into the thinking that there is a disconnect between sacred and secular. Sacred is for the church in very compartmentalized ways, secular is for every other area of our lives... work, home, play, etc.,
Let me illustrate by asking how we should apply the following verse:
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
II Peter 2:1-2
I've waited three weeks to see what others might have to say regarding compartmentalization, and no one has commented, so I will add my thought.
ReplyDeleteHaving a Biblical worldview is absolutely vital for us believers. Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 that our minds must be renewed by the Word of God so that our lives are transformed. We, as believers, cannot compartmentalize our thinking if we are to be conformed to the image of Christ and be salt and light in this fallen world.
At the same time, the world cannot truly compartmentalize its thinking; thus, whether admitted or not, a secularistic humanistic worldview will affect every thought and action of the person who espouses such thinking (intended or not). Even a believer is capable of such pernicious thinking if his mind is not daily renewed by the Word.
I apologize...my comment didn't directly answer the question posed at the end of the article of how to apply II Peter 2:1-2. Obviously, the world's system has only false teachers and prophets. They are everywhere, not just in educational settings (where we normally think of having teachers), or religious settings(where we normally think of false prophets).
ReplyDeleteThat said, please allow me to posit one practical application of II Peter 2:1-2. It behooves us as parents to be viligant about training our children and protecting their minds, until they have developed a Biblical worldview. In spite of what Bertrand Russell says, we can't truly separate the sacred from the secular (or vice versa) in our thinking and actions.
Again, our minds must be renewed and transformed so that every thought and action is sifted through the grid of God's Word, resulting in a truly Biblcal worldview.
The idea of a Biblical world view is something new to me over the last couple of years. I have grown up in the church for the last 37 years. I lived a very compartmentalized life. I ask myself why didn't I get it? I didn't even realize I was living my life that way. The difference in my life the past 2-3 years is that I have been in the Word regularly, going to Bible studies, reading Christian books, and hearing these truths preached. I read a book recently titled "The Christian aetheist, Believing in God but Living like He Doesn't Exist." That's what I did for years. I believe that's what a lot of Christians do. We try to live good, moral, lives. Go to church, teach Sunday School. Church and living moral lives becomes a big part of our lives but never BECOMES our lives. Our lives should reflect Christ no matter where we are, what we are doing, or who we are with. A very difficult thing to do and as the post before said, impossible unless you are in the Word and making and intentional effort to seek Him daily, one step at a time.
ReplyDelete