Quick Take: Modernism

What is it?

Modernism broadly defines the philosophical movement which heavily influenced Western cultures in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Modernists believe that objective truth exists and can be discovered solely through reason, logic, and science. Modernism rejects anything that cannot be empirically tested or logically determined.

Proponents of modernism believed that human reason was the key to finding moral standards and equitable systems that could be universally adopted. The movement’s vision was an egalitarian utopia ushered in through ideals such as free-market capitalism and liberal democracy. However, the horrors of the two World Wars crushed the modernist dream of utopia, opening the door for postmodernism.

What is a Biblical view of it?

Christians worship a God of order (1 Cor. 14:33) who “upholds the universe by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3). Therefore, Christians should affirm the usefulness of logic, reason, and science in studying God’s creation.

Modernism, though, turns human reason into an idol. The false worship may not be as explicit as bowing down to a statue, but it does constitute idolatry by elevating reason above God (Ex. 20:3-5). Modernism does this by making man’s reason the sole arbiter of truth in place of God and His Word (Is. 45:19, Jn. 17:17). According to modernism, we do not need God’s revealed Word because logic and the scientific method will yield all of the knowledge humanity needs to flourish.

In making this claim, modernism exalts human faculties while it rejects the One who gave us those faculties in the first place. The only reason logic and the scientific method are useful is because our intellect is a gracious gift from God. Because God’s universe is coherent, even finite creatures such as ourselves can understand it (Mt. 16:3). In God’s kindness, He has allowed us to discover truths by studying His creation (Rom. 1:20) and has granted us knowledge of morality through the law “written on [our] hearts” (Rom. 2:15). However, these gifts should cause us to worship God with thankfulness (Rom. 1:21), not elevate human reason.

While the gifts of our intellect and our conscience are useful tools, they alone are inadequate to understand the world. Because sin entered the world through the first man, all people are sinners by nature (Rom. 5:12, Eph. 2:1-3). Thus, human reason is morally and intellectually deficient because sin has “darkened” our hearts and made our minds “futile” (Rom. 1:21-23).

In contrast to modernism, the Christian worldview affirms that God is the ultimate source of truth (John 14:6). His Word should be the foundation of our beliefs (Ps. 119:130), not finite human reason (Ps. 139:6). Only God’s revealed Scripture provides a complete picture of objective truth (1 Cor. 2:12-13).