The Problem Stated

Chapter One:

The Rule of Christ or Cult of the Expert

THE PROBLEM STATED

A sober look at contemporary Western thought in the wake of both the Renaissance and Enlightenment reveals that René Descartes’ dictum remains as relevant as ever: “There is nothing so absurd or incredible that it has not been asserted by one philosopher or another.” Because ideas have consequences, the ideas of thinkers and philosophers are eventually applied in cultural life. If these are not made subject to the Word of God, they can have disastrous outcomes because they manifest fallen man’s rebellion against God’s law-order. Today, we live in an era of perpetual revolution manifest by an intense intellectual activism in all cultural and political life. This requires, indeed demands, a distinctly Christian response. But herein lies a serious problem. From where can that Christian response come? What is the basis and foundation of a distinctly Christian response to the socio-political crisis of our time? That question is the subject of this monograph.