Enlightenment Heritage

D

uring the Age of Enlightenment (mid-18th to early 20th century) a process known as higher criticism was becoming very popular in Europe. The major emphasis of this age was to state that reason is the primary basis of authority in the world. In keeping with the theme of the Age of Enlightenment, higher criticism asserts that the Bible is a collection of writings which were put together with human motives. 

The Age of Reason or Age of Enlightenment brought with it the primordial question: Did God really say that? It is no surprise that this question should be asked. After all, it is the very question that was used to instill doubt upon God’s Word on the very first people, Adam and Eve. “Did God really say?” (Genesis 3:1b).

The basic root of higher criticism is antisupernaturalism. Those who doubt that God’s Word is true have great difficulty with accepting the existence of supernatural activity, and therefore work diligently to explain away the miracles and spiritual aspects of the biblical text. The intent of higher critics is to state that the supernatural events of the Bible are nothing more than natural phenomena which were not understood by the less informed people of the ancient world.

This chronological arrogance has allowed many modern scholars to spread their misunderstandings of Ancient Near Eastern Texts with confidence, claiming that miracles and spiritual realms are accepted only by those of lower intellect.

Our world is filled with many mysteries. To believe that what we see is all that exists would be the equivalent of thinking that the world is flat. I find it interesting that the more we learn the less in tune with the spiritual realm we become. It would seem that ancient people were more sensitive to the spiritual realms of the cosmos than most of us in this current age of higher learning.

I have no doubt that the first higher critic is still using its ancient strategy to cast doubt upon the Word of God. And enlightenment fundamentalism makes us every bit as vulnerable as Adam and Eve.

Be a blessing,
Johnny

Writer: Capt. Jonathan Gainey was born in Jacksonville, FL in June, 1969. He has been married to Staci, the daughter of retired Salvation Army officers, for twenty years and they have four children ages 18, 16, 12, and 4. Jonathan was commissioned as an officer in June of 2002, and is currently serving in his third appointment in New Bern, NC, USA. He is working on a Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is the creator and manager of the Flocks Diner website, where his passion for learning and teaching is expressed and shared through writing and a weekly podcast.

 

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