Marxism, however, is not the only worldview that threatens to take the classroom hostage. Secular Humanism also vies for total control of education. In fact, Secular Humanism is the dominant worldview in our secular colleges and universities. It has also made gains in many Christian colleges and universities. Christians considering a college education must be well versed in the Humanistic worldview or risk losing their own Christian perspective by default.
Why? Because Humanist professors are unwilling to present the Christian perspective accurately, while many Christian educators feel duty-bound to give fair representation to the Humanist viewpoint.
Humanists recognize the classroom as a powerful context for indoctrination. They understand that many worldviews exist, and they believe Humanists must use the classroom to flush out “unenlightened” worldviews and encourage individuals to embrace their worldview. Christianity has been deliberately, some would say brilliantly, erased from America’s educational system. The direction of America’s education can be seen as a descent from Jonathan Edwards (1750) and the Christian influence, through Horace Mann (1842) and the Unitarian influence, to John Dewey (1933) and the Humanist influence.
Humanists recognize the classroom as a powerful context for indoctrination.
But we contend that Jonathan Edwards has more to say than John Dewey, and that Christianity should get back into the public square and influence educational policy. The Christian worldview is a fitting competitor to Dewey’s religious view (as summarized in A Common Faith). But since most Christian teenagers accept their older, “wiser” professors’ teachings uncritically and may therefore find themselves subject to Humanistic viewpoints, this study becomes necessary to equalize the battle for the mind.
Hosea’s statement, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (4:6), applies in spades to Christian college-bound students. Many never recover from their educational befuddlement, lapsing instead into atheism, materialism, new morality, evolutionism, globalism, etc. Others suffer for years from their near loss of faith. Those prepared, however, survive and flourish.
America’s colleges and universities are not the only areas of Secular Humanist influence, however. The mass media continually publish and broadcast the Humanist worldview. The 1990 Humanist of the Year was Ted Turner, chief executive officer of Turner Broadcasting System, which now owns TBS SuperStation, CNN, CNN Headline News, and Turner Network Television (TNT). In 1985 Turner founded the Better World Society; presently he is willing to present $500,000 to anyone able to invent a new worldview suitable for the new, peaceful earth.
According to Turner, Christianity is a “religion for losers” and Christ should not have bothered dying on the cross. “I don’t want anybody to die for me,” said Turner. “I’ve had a few drinks and a few girlfriends, and if that’s gonna put me in hell, then so be it.”1 Turner also maintains that the Ten Commandments are “out of date.” He wants to replace them with his Ten Voluntary Initiatives, which include the statements: “I promise to have love and respect for the planet earth and living things thereon, especially my fellow species—humankind. I promise to treat all persons everywhere with dignity, respect, and friendliness. I promise to have no more than two children, or no more than my nation suggests. I reject the use of force, in particular military force, and back United Nations arbitration of international disputes. I support the United Nations and its efforts to collectively improve the conditions of the planet.”2
Still another reason for examining the Humanist worldview is that many Humanists besides Turner have gained positions of considerable influence in our society. B.F. Skinner, Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Erich Fromm, all former Humanists of the Year, have powerfully affected psychology. Carl Sagan, another Humanist of the Year, preached his Humanism on a widely heralded television series. Norman Lear has produced and otherwise influenced a number of the shows on television today.
Ethical decisions are made for our young people by Humanist of the Year Faye Wattleton, former director of Planned Parenthood. Humanist Isaac Asimov wrote tirelessly for his cause. Clearly, Humanists are willing to support their worldview—often more faithfully than Christians.
Dr. David A. Noebel, president of Summit Ministries in Manitou Springs, Colorado, has been involved in training students in Christian apologetics for more than 30 years. This article comes from his book Understanding the Times.
