Book Review: How
the West Really Lost God A New Theory of Secularization, by Mary
Eberstadt (2013)
The thesis is straightforward. Family
is the bedrock of society, and it is inextricably intertwined with faith, and
the institutions of faith. Faith and family rise and fall together, as cam be
demonstrated statistically without reference to causal mechanisms. The impact
to society can be seen in multiple dimensions. Children raised in broken
families (divorced parents, unwed mothers) have much higher rates of lifelong
problems and lower church attendance (using church attendance as an external
measurable indicator of faith), that correlates with other dysfunctional
behaviors. Of course, babies that are aborted never get to church.
The author points out a surprising (to
me), but obvious in retrospect, trend. As churches relaxed doctrine regarding
Christian behavior with respect to sex and marriage, they simultaneously began
to decline in attendance. No super spiritual cause and effect here - fewer
families staying together, getting married to have children, and so on, means
fewer children raised in church. On the other hand, parents who stay together,
work through difficulties, persevere because they are following the teachings
of faith, see the need to take their children to church to instill in them
similar values, and find friends who will be good influences.
That the worldly behaviors of
Christians are beneficial for society as a whole is obvious to all.
Unbelievers, of course, believe that moral actions result from people being
good and doing what is right without reference to God. The problem is, that
doesn’t seem to be working. Raising children in healthy home environments,
donating to charity, living healthy lifestyles, obeying the law — are these
behaviors that result from church attendance and faith in God or from growing
up in healthy homes? The author’s point is that it is not possible to separate
these as causes.
And yet - this was not the author’s
intention - I have to wonder if the spiritual dimension of obedience to the
Faith has power that we cannot see. That understanding love not to be Eros
but agape carries the supernatural empowerment to be able to love in a
way that seeks the best, the highest, the most God-like outcome for the
beloved. For surely this is what Ephesians 5:25 both commands and implicitly
enables. The world cannot accept this.
Is there hope for Western society and civilization? The author offers arguments for and against. But in the
end, speculating about the future of the effects of removing God are less
important than whether we can learn from its roots and change the course of the
future. From my perspective, God could act in His sovereignty (and He will), but before that final unveiling
(apocalypse), he has given us the responsibility to learn from His word. The
kings of Judah the from Solomon to Zedekiah demonstrated the outcomes of
obedience or rebellion. Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Hezekiah, Josiah all prospered
because they did what was right in the Lord’s eyes. Twelve kings did what was
evil in the Lord’s eyes, ultimately ending in the Babylonian captivity. Jehoiakim,
Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah were all taken to Babylon as prisoners. Jeremiah
pronounced a curse on future generations:
Jeremiah 22:28 Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken
pot, an object no one wants? Why
will he and his children be hurled out, cast into a land they do not know?
29 O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says: “Record this man as if
childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his
offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in
Judah.”
Will we learn from history, or repeat
it?
