A Brave New World

As part of my summer reading, I recently finished Aldous Huxley’s classic A Brave New World. Huxley composes a provocative novel about a possible future of mankind and civilization. Civilization has finally reach its utopia. A key theme of this civilization in A Brave New World is stability. Stability, thus world peace, is achieved when mankind is happy. The opening scene of A Brave New World presents a shocking view to the reader and the means of obtaining happiness for all man. The whole of civilization revolves around entertainment and pleasure. Promiscuity is the norm and to deviate from the normal results in banishment from civilization. A key idea is that everyone belongs to each other and the idea of being alone is blasphemous. Huxley guides his characters through this Utopian civilization and brings his characters in contact with “savages.” These savages are uncivilized and essentially represent the untamed, natural character of Man. The whole story is fascinating and well crafted.

As I read A Brave New World, it was scary to see how accurately it portrayed the headlong rushing of our modern American civilization toward a utopia absence of thinking and consumed by feeling. Huxley writes from a Behaviorist viewpoint, so true human nature is not completely represented. Nevertheless, I was fascinated by Huxley’s depiction of future civilization absent Jesus the Christ. Huxley’s “savage” wrestled with this idea, the absence of God, with the World Controller. Modern America now faces a future without the restraints of a God. Easy entertainment blasts our senses and thinking into a happy dullness. Promiscuity through e-porn is the new American norm though many might not voice it as such. We pursuit happiness in itself and feeling good as the ultimate good and purpose of life. In contrast, Jesus the Christ promises true life if we come to him and pursuit him as the ultimate good and purpose of life. I believe that happiness is a large part of the Christian life but not the end in itself. The end goal is a person, a relationship, not a idea or feeling. Huxley does not wrestle with these Christian themes but does lead the reader to question what greater purpose in life might be and warn the reader of a civilization that loses its soul in pursuit of stability and good feeling.

Keep in Step with the Spirit

A book I read a couple of years ago while in the airport was  J.I. Packer’s Keep in Step with the Spirit (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005).

• He collates a biblical theology of the Holy Spirit – to mediate Christ’s presence on earth – a Christocentric focus of Spirit. 
• He emphasizes the Holy Spirit’s primary role in our sanctification.
• He critiques the Augustinian, Wesleyan, and Keswick teachings on holiness.
• He critiques and interprets the charismatic movement. 
• He exegetes Romans 5 and 7 with regard to the Holy Spirit. 

I was refreshed by  J.I. Packer connecting the biblical and historical theology with contemporary theology and everyday life in this book. This is one book that impacted my thinking a couple of years ago, so I thought I might read it again since such books are indeed rare. I’m actually surprised more people do not have it on their book lists under the Holy Spirit.  

“The essence of the Holy Spirit’s ministry, at this or any time in the Christian era, is to mediate the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. Under this ministry I as a Christian writer and you as a Christian reader live already, though our thoughts about it may be lagging behind the reality [emphasis mine].” (pg. 49)

Marsden’s Reforming Fundamentalism

George Marsden currently is a professor at the University of Notre Dame. Marsden’s book Reforming Fundamentalism is the premier monograph about the birth and demise of New Evangelicalism as a movement. Marsden surveys this movement by documenting the founding and early history of Fuller Theological Seminary (FTS) – the primary fountainhead of New Evangelicalism. The title, Reforming Fundamentalism, accurately reflects the ideals of the original founders of FTS. The division between Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism did not happen until several years later (1957); thus, the original founders of FTS (founded in 1947) were themselves Fundamentalists and called themselves Fundamentalists (p. 10). In fact, it wasn’t until 1957 that Harold Ockenga popularized (but did not create) the term “New Evangelicalism” (p. 3).  

 

Broader evangelicalism is a massive conglomeration of Protestant beliefs, and New Evangelicalism has influenced many of these beliefs. Every serious student of theology and every pastor should read Marsden’s work in order to appreciate and evaluate the recent conservative, American heritage they inherit. Reforming Fundamentalism is a fast paced read and will captive the attention like a good novel except Reforming Fundamentalism is thrillingly true.  

 

Evaluation of Reforming Fundamentalism

Strengths:

• Mardsen seems to write from an unbiased, objective viewpoint on a controversial subject. 
• Mardsen writes the early history of FTS as a narrative with plot rather than an institutional history book. Mardsen centers book on key people rather than strict chronological dates. The book develops theme of reforming fundamentalism rather than the mission statement of the school or raw history of FTS.
• Mardsen is careful to distinguish between Fundamentalism of the 1950s and narrower contemporary Fundamentalism (p. 300). Mardsen recognizes that broader Evangelicalism and New Evangelicalism are not the same rather New Evangelicalism as a movement was absorbed into broader Evangelicalism

Weakness:

•   Marsden seems to associate the Fundamental-Evangelical (1950s Fundamentalism) cause with Dispensationalism (p. 76). Though the Dispensational macro-hermeneutic was typical of Fundamental-Evangelicals, Dispensationalism was not an issue that defined a Fundamental-Evangelical.

 

See Summary of Reforming Fundamentalism by D. Borkert for a brief survey of the contents of Reforming Fundamentalism.