Jeremy Bentham AD 1748-1832

                                           John Stuart Mill AD 1806-1873

                                           Bertrand Russell AD 1872-1970

Psalm 14:1 “The fool hath said in his heart there is no God.”

When we read the history of Modern Missions we see the continuation of the Book of Acts or the moving of the Holy Spirit. What is interesting is to see how God can take one man and use that man to touch someone else who in turn touches someone else.

For example, we have John Newton who not only corresponded with John Wesley, but also communicated with Thomas Scott and Thomas Scott preached the Word so powerfully that a young man by the name of William Carey was so quickened by the Holy Spirit that he brought in what is now known as the “Modern Missionary Movement.”

What we see in the spiritual realm with the Holy Spirit – we also see in the natural realm with some of the so-called philosophers and their ideas that were passed on until evil strongholds were built.

One such man is Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)  who is probably not as well known as some of the other philosophers that we have been looking at or even one of his disciples known as John Stuart Mills. Jeremy Bentham was an atheist as well as an apologist for homosexuality. Both of these men rejected Biblical law and advocated ethical theory based upon human reasoning.

Both of these men set the stage for what we today call liberalism or what is now known as the “progressive movement.” Bentham was the original liberal who was dead set against the Christian order and English Common Law as represented by Blackstone. It was during this time that all English speaking countries followed Blackstone’s commentaries and his support of English Common Law. I remember seeing Blackstone commentaries of Scripture here in the USA, but they have now been set aside.

Bentham set himself against the Apostles of Christ, Scriptures, and 1700 years of Christian heritage. Some of the philosophers before him did not go as far as Bentham in denying the existence of the Christian faith. It was Bentham who penned: “Religion has inflicted the deepest injury upon humanity,” Religion for him was the Christian faith. For Bentham, “if God does not explain Himself to the satisfaction of human reasoning then He loses His right to exist,” and because God does not explain Himself to the satisfaction of human reasoning then he does not exist for Bentham and so it is man (Bentham) who sets the standards of what is right and wrong.

Bentham was also the driving force in the introduction of homosexuality, according to him, if it did not produce ‘bad consequences.’

Just like John Newton influenced Thomas Scott and in turn Thomas influencing William Carey and bringing in the Modern Missionary Movement, so it is with Jeremy Bentham. Although his disciples – John Stuart Mill and Bertrand Russell eclipsed him in being well known, it was Bentham who set the stage for what we call “political liberalism.”

Although Bentham went only as far in confessing his atheism, but his disciple John Stuart Mill let it all out and before he died became the god-father of Bertrand Russell who died in 1970.

It was John Stuart Mill who was a proponent of “feminism” and “gender equalitarianism.” It was Mill who laid the groundwork for free sex, no-fault divorce, abortion and the destruction of the nuclear family.

Bertrand Russell, godson of John Stuart Mill, is probably one of the most famous atheists of all time and wrote the little pamphlet called: Why I Am Not a Christian. Bertrand Russell was a prime mover shaping the worldview that we now have in the Western world.

It was Bentham who took Thomas Aquinas’ idea that human reasoning was another path way to gaining knowledge and building a platform for ethics built on human reasoning. Bentham operated on the premise that there are two things that mankind is faced with: pain and pleasure, that he calls “sovereign masters.” So in his twisted reasoning there is no personal Creator, but only nature operating under pain and pleasure.

This reasoning has led to the breakdown of moral standards that we see now in our language, movies, art forms, news casts, dress, bill boards, etc. Now we call the murder of children “a choice,” the killing of the elderly “humane,” miserable unnatural perversions “gay” and witchcraft sold to our children as “harmless fun.”

Scripture tells us in Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

The problem we face today is if all that is evil is good then what is left to call evil? This is why our modern society finds it hard to define evil. This is why Christians are called “homophobes” accused of hating homosexuals and who face heavy fines if they speak against certain sexual sins according to God’s laws.

This is why we find in our political, legal and social systems today – the required action is what produces the greatest amount of pleasure. How true that when we reject God and His moral standards – anything goes, because there is no ultimate standard to judge what is ultimate good and true.

The separation of human reasoning from the influence of sacred doctrine will create an atmosphere where anything is accepted and then honored. This is what we are seeing in our Western Civilization today.

JOHN LOCKE 1632-1704

2 Chronicles 1:10  “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

We see from Scripture that Solomon started his rule of Israel on the right foundation of wisdom and law: God, who is the source of all knowledge and wisdom, and established the laws for mankind. But, later on Solomon forgets God, he sets aside God’s commandments and laws personally, and so we see the result of this until he comes to the end of his life and returns to his God. In Ecclesiastes we understand how Solomon is very persistent in his teaching in order to convince his son Rehoboam not to make the same mistake in setting God aside.  

Another brick in the stronghold was being laid by John Locke, who in some way is looked upon as being the father of ‘modern education.’ John Locke is the one that said that if our minds were like a blank sheet of paper, how would it be filled? His answer: “through experience.” In other words, as we experience life we fill that paper with the knowledge we acquired. This is what the book of Ecclesiastes is about; which is what Solomon learned from what he lived out in his life.

Our “Christian” knowledge should come through the revelation of Jesus Christ through Holy Scripture and personal experience of His presence in our lives. In Scripture we are taught how to live, or in other words, we are taught morality; the principles and laws we are to live by. However, John Locke’s philosophy would be that we understand life and morals through experience, determining your own definition of good and bad.

Psalm 119 is one of the great Psalms that exalt the Word of God. Look what is said: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.”  (vs. 9)

I have two grandsons ages 18 and 14. How will they keep their way pure? Through experience? Or, by the direct revelation that comes from the Word of God?

“Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.” (vs. 24) I told my two grandsons to choose their friends wisely, but their counselors even more wisely. God’s Word revealed by God’s Spirit – is our best Counselor.

“Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.” (vs. 98-100) 

During the 18^th century John Locke was a key figure in seeing humanistic rationalism beginning to replace Holy Scripture in Europe and then soon afterwards, here in America. About mid-1650 these radical ideas began to over-take the universities in England and soon also began the downward course of universities like Harvard in America. Originally Harvard was established to be a training base for pastors, but it soon succumbed to the radical ideas put forth by men like John Locke.

Because of what was happening at Harvard, conservative churchmen opened up Yale University in 1701 and the college of New Jersey, now known as Princeton University in 1748. However, the breakdown of the Christian faith at university level was done by John Locke and some of his fellow colleagues.

Historians Charles Taylor and Jerrold Seigal claim that Locke’s “essay concerning human understanding” marked the beginning of the modern Western conception of the ‘self.’

“Wallbuilders” comments, “It is not an exaggeration to say that without John Locke’s substantial influence on American thinking there might well be no United States of America.”

Like I said about Thomas Aquinas, from him we received many good things and this is true of John Locke as well. John Locke was raised as a puritan protestant, but later his confidence in human reasoning led him to doubt 

the doctrines of the Trinity, the sovereignty of God, the atonement of Christ, and the resurrection of Christ; which are essential to the Christian faith. This “human reasoning” moved him little by little into the camp of what was known as the Latitudinarians. 

The Latitudinarians were a group of Anglican Christians active from the 17th through the 19th centuries and who were opposed to the dogmatic positions of the Church of England. They allowed ‘reason’ to inform theological interpretation and judgment.

When one looks at John Locke’s ‘philosophical system’ in addressing knowledge, God is completely out of the system. However we, who have a Biblical worldview know that God, and in particular Jesus Christ, is the source of all knowledge and wisdom.  

“Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3

If the mind starts out like a blank sheet of paper, like John Locke states, then how does it process the first data that enters it? If it is not God and His revelation from Scripture, then how do we know that what or who is interpreting – is correct? Eventually we begin to process information in a wrong way that leads to a disintegration of our social systems like economics, education, marriage, law and justice, etc. This would seem to be what is happening today in the West, in America. True knowledge, and the wisdom that knows how to use our right knowledge, comes from God.

We read that: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:13) If we depend solely upon our mind and reasoning then how do we know that something is true or not? In our public education system today we are being taught that our mind of reason is sufficient to discern ‘truth’ apart from God’s word. What has been the result of this in our society? Decay; the crumbling of a godly society!

John 14:6: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Colossians 2:2-4: “Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Thomas Aquinas, when he suggested that there could be a second method of thought built on human reasoning apart from Scripture, laid down the first brick that others could begin to build on.

The next brick layer in building the evil stronghold that is destroying Western Civilization is Rene Descartes with his famous saying: “I think therefore I am.” Descartes was born in 1596 in France, went to a Jesuit college at the age of 8 and then earned a law degree at the age of 22. An influential teacher set him on a course to apply mathematics and logic to understanding the natural world.

Rene Descartes, living in Holland at the time, compartmentalized his life. He did not hold to the fundamental beliefs of the church. At the age of 38 he committed fornication with a woman. In this day and age we would not think much about it, but in Holland that was not something that was done. It is estimated that the illegitimacy rate was a low 0.69%; that is before humanism came in and began to destroy the fundamental Scriptural truths. Now some of the illegitimacy rates in the Western world are as high as 60%.

Francis Schaefer (who spoke in some of our Operation Mobilization conferences back in the late sixties) said that one of the problems we have today is that our Christianity is compartmentalized. He used the illustration of the upper and lower floor. In the upper floor we have our spiritual life and in the bottom floor is everything else, and there are no stairs in between.

I have seen this in Europe. Even my own father-in-law (from Finland) would say that his religious life is a private affair. He would never talk about it. Even today, not only in Europe but also in the United States, we have politicians who advocate for homosexuality, gay marriages, and abortion on demand and still have a standing in the churches.

When we do not begin with Christ as the source of all knowledge and wisdom we then either begin with ourselves or try to find some ‘truth’ outside of ourselves, and in doing so we miss truth and reality altogether. We miss our entire purpose in life.

Rene Descartes took the first approach to build his philosophy by trying to seek some ultimate truth within himself and the ‘great book of the world’ and eventually came up with his famous statement: “I think therefore I am.”

He let his doubts about God bring him to make this statement. Through his demented reasoning he goes from doubting his existence to proving his existence, and from there, to proving the existence of God. I am sure that God is relieved that Rene has proved His existence!

Rene Descartes starts with himself and goes from doubting to proving his existence and then to the fact that God exists. If this seems confusing then join the club because this is what you get when you do not start with God. But, no matter how you try to disprove God’s existence, the fact remains that God created life and established foundations, and He laid down the law for mankind to live by.

The Bible teaches us that there is only one way to build our foundation of knowledge and that is “in the fear of the Lord.” (Proverbs 1:7) Without knowing that God exists it can be said that we cannot know anything for certain.  It is ridiculous to prove our own existence without first knowing that God exists. We are told in Acts 17:28: “For in him we live and move and have our being.” This is truth and faith on our part gives truth its life.

So what we are seeing is a fast moving away from what the Bible teaches. What we see coming out with Rene Descartes’ thinking is that man’s intellect is the great judge concerning what is believable and certain, and that Scripture is not the truth or the judge of our thoughts. Man is becoming his own self-made ‘god’ thinking what he wants to think, according to his own evil heart.

Descartes was trying to come to a knowledge of God through his own existence and reasoning, but for those of us who adhere to the teaching of the Bible we realize the existence of God is seen through the Father revealing Himself through His Son Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ revealing Himself through His indwelling Spirit.  

Matthew 11:27: “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

When we look at the bricks laid down over the centuries to build the evil stronghold that is destroying Western Civilization we begin to understand why today in the 21^st century the name of Jesus Christ is so hated.

Proverbs 30:5-6 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”

“Soft days for evangelical Christians are past, and only a strong view of Scripture is sufficient.” (Quote from Francis Schaeffer)

We read that for any offense:  “A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (Deuteronomy 19:15) This is good for most things that come our way. If a prophetic word is given to me I want it established by the testimony of two or more witnesses. Often the Lord has brought a thought to my mind about a certain thing, subject, etc. The thought does not contradict Scripture, but before I speak it or publish the thought I want two or more witnesses to back it up.

Is this foolish or is it wise? I think it is the latter and when we look at some of the ideas and philosophies that have shaped our culture over the centuries it would have been good to stick to this advice. Most of the men that we will be looking at in the weeks ahead are men who have had a Christian background.

For example:

Rene Descartes – Roman Catholic

John Locke – Puritan, Protestant

Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Calvinist, Protestant

Jeremy Bentham – Anglican, Protestant

Ralph Waldo Emerson – Congregationalists, Protestant

Charles Darwin – Anglican, Protestant

Frederick Nietzche – Lutheran, Protestant

Karl Marx – Lutheran, Protestant

John Dewey – Congregationalist, Protestant

Jean-Paul-Sartre – Roman Catholic and Protestant

Nathaniel Hawthorne – Congregationalists, Protestant

Mark Twain – Presbyterian, Protestant and

Ernest Hemingway – Baptist, Protestant

One thing that we need to keep in mind is that not only do ideas have consequences, but they can be good or bad and we need to be able to discern whatever comes our way. First, if an idea cannot be backed up by Scripture then we need to be wary of it. We see this today with some of our so-called prestigious universities that have ruined the faith of our children who attend these places.

As I mentioned before, Thomas Aquinas born in Italy in 1225 was not only a Dominican Friar and priest, but an influential philosopher and theologian. He was considered one of the top proponents of natural theology; which is a branch of theology based on reasoning and ordinary experience, to be distinguished from revealed theology based on Scripture and religious experience.

As I stated before, Kevin Swanson said in his book APOSTATE: “His influence on Western thought is considerable, and much of modern philosophy was conceived in development or refutation of his ideas, particularly in the areas of ethics natural law, metaphysics, and political theory.”

Thomas Aquinas is honored as a saint by the Catholic Church as well as honored as a Doctor of the Church. Core teaching for new priests is the study of Aquinas’ works.

Thomas Aquinas gave us many good things, but like Kevin Swanson brings out that one flaw in his reasoning is when he suggested that there could be a second method of thought built on human reasoning apart from Scripture. This thought eventually gave our secular universities the open door to kick God out of higher education; which is what we see today. It is said that just before he died he made a statement to his friend, Reginald Piperno: “All I have written seems like straw to me.”

What does Scripture say: “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:1-6

The apostle Paul said: “I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:1-4

We know that in back of all these worldly philosophies is the sinister, warped mind of Satan and his hatred towards anything that pertains to Jesus Christ. What we see is how brick by brick, idea upon idea – a system was built that tore us away from the reality of Scripture; from the truth. Because of this we find that evil strongholds have taken over the higher education and is taking us back to paganism; a pagan society where God is not worshipped or obeyed.

DUCK DYNASTY DEBATE

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

When this debacle came out about the Duck Dynasty I was motivated to put down a few thoughts.

I have never watched the reality series Duck Dynasty, but I have listened to the testimony of Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the series. Like my text says, “There is a way that seems right to man, but it leads to death.” In the 20^th century, which is known as the century of genocide, we have seen where some of our governments have killed over 150 million people. This does not include war killings. Why did this happen? I believe it happened and will continue to happen because man is trying to take the place of God and thinks his way of living is better than God’s way. One thing that I have learned from history is that man makes a very ‘bad god.’

A question that comes to my mind is: What is the real debate about? Is it over homosexuality, abortion, government control, or what? I think it is a debate on whether we are going to follow God’s way or man’s. Are there two ways of thinking or two sets of knowledge or truth? Let me try and explain what I mean.

Thomas Aquinas born in Italy in 1225 was not only a Dominican Friar and priest, but an influential philosopher and theologian. He was considered one of the top proponents of natural theology; which is a branch of theology based on reasoning and ordinary experience to be distinguished from revealed theology based on Scripture and religious experience.

Kevin Swanson in his book APOSTATE says: “His influence on Western thought is considerable, and much of modern philosophy was conceived in development or refutation of his ideas, particularly in the areas of ethics, natural law, metaphysics, and political theory.”

Aquinas, with his idea of natural theology, opened the door for other philosophers to join in and this in the 21^st century eventually has brought us to the place where human reasoning and ordinary experience is competing with God’s Word – the Bible, with man taking the place of God. This to me is where the real debate is. Can we trust only human reasoning and experience? Looking back in history, and just in the 20^th century, I would say “Absolutely NOT!” Because, as I stated, “man makes a very ‘bad god.’

Are homosexual men/women sinners and going to hell? Yes. Is the practice of homosexuality sin? Yes! Are there heterosexual men/women sinners going to hell? Yes. Is sexual intercourse outside of marriage sin? Yes!  The book of Romans is very emphatic about it, saying that “we all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)  THIS IS WHY WE ALL NEED THE SAVIOR; WHY GOD HAD TO MAKE A WAY FOR US THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN AND AMEN!!!

We celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Savior, but we need to keep in mind the following verses:

Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

The real debate is between man’s reasoning and personal experience verses   Holy Scripture and religious experience. Right now in our universities it is man’s reasoning that is winning the debates. This is why there is such a war against the Word of God. We are not allowed to quote it in any of our public discourse in courts, schools, etc. We often hear the pundits say that because there are some who do not recognize or accept Scripture – we cannot use it. Ridiculous! I say, I do not accept man’s reasoning, so then we cannot use man’s experiences either in determining right and wrong, lie and truth.

God’s word is: “Living and active; sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  (Hebrews 4:12)

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11 KJV)

Paul tells us in Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

We as God’s people need to be so saturated with the Word of God that the principles of the Bible not only come out of our mouth in our daily discourse, but also will be seen in our daily living.

The opponents will always try and change the debate by looking at ‘religion’ and the damage that has been done by Islam, Hinduism, Crusades, etc. When I was in Nainatal (India), a hill station in the Himalaya Mountains, I was asked to speak in a Hindu college. They told me that they did not want me to speak about religion. I said that was fine because I did not want to speak about religion, but about the life of one solitary figure that has impacted the world like no other: Jesus Christ. When they heard that they said, “Oh! that is fine.”

My prayer is that we, who say we follow Christ, be so filled with His Word that out of our mouths (out of the abundance of our hearts) will come forth God’s wisdom, that weakens and humiliates man’s. I for one, have had enough of the puny wisdom of man. We need God’s great wisdom for living out our lives in the fullest, the way God intended for mankind. Like I said, men make terrible gods and we have all the inhumanities to prove it.