SEEK 3 – Is the Future Capitalist or Communist?
Question: Are we progressing to a better world? Is the future Western Capitalism, Chinese communism, or something else?
Bible Reading: Isaiah 11:1-9
Text: “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9)
What is the future going to be like? What will happen? In chapter 1 we saw that there are some who think the future of the world is going to be very short. The end of the world is nigh! In chapter 2 we saw that some think the future of the world will be that of a remade humanity – where we will be split into hundreds of genders, and be able to move freely between them. Both of these are what we call dystopian. The dictionary definition of ‘dystopian’ is “an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives”. Filmmakers and authors love this. Just think of The Truman Show, Planet of the Apes, the Matrix or Blade Runner. Or TV series like Black Mirror, The Hunger Games or The Handmaid’s Tale. Or books like 1984 and Brave New World. By the way I am not recommending any of these – they are illustrative of a particular genre – one that is getting more and more popular.
People have always anticipated or feared the end of the world. But what is strange that alongside the increase in dystopian books and movies, most of us are brought up to believe in the inevitability of human progress. When Tony Blair was elected as the Prime Minister of Great Britain on May 1st, 1997, his theme song was D:Ream’s Things Can Only Get Better. Many people believe that. The human race is evolving. We are ‘progressing’ from out of the slime, we are moving on from the ancients, we are leaving the Dark ages and striding forward to an enlightened brave new world. That is why they speak of the ‘wrong side of history’. If you don’t accept their values and views, then they think you are backward and on the wrong side of history – they of course are on the right!
But belief in the inevitable progress of humanity is not only delusional, but also dangerous. Why? The belief is delusional because it is not true. Of course, there have been improvements in science, communication and technology. This has brought many advantages for us. But they don’t necessarily make all human life better. We can now fight wars more mechanically, spread lies more easily and destroy creation more quickly. Are we really more intelligent than the ancient Greeks? Are we more musical than Beethoven? Are we better writers than Shakespeare and Dante? Better philosophers than Confucius and Pascal? Are we better people than our ancestors?
The dangerous part comes when people believe that if only their system was in power (communism, capitalism or any of the other ‘isms’) then things would just get better. And if it doesn’t, they blame the ‘other’ – with dreadful consequences. Hitler believed in inevitable progress and thought it would be achieved if the Jews, Slavs, disabled and other groups could just be got out of the way!
Today in the Western world we have ‘progressive’ elites who think that if only we all follow their self-evidently good values, then we will live in Utopia. When that doesn’t happen – they too look for someone to blame. I suspect that Bible believing Christians are high up on the list!
The trouble is that those who label themselves progressives are in reality ‘regressives’. As they reject Christianity, they are going backwards to the values and practices of the pre-Christian Greco/Roman/Pagan world, not advancing into a new era of human progress.
Does that mean that we should despair? Is the world going to inevitably decline? Should Christians basically get in the lifeboats? No – we have a far greater hope. As our passage Isaiah 11 – amongst many others – states. Isaiah looks forward to a time when the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. That is a time when death, destruction and decay will be destroyed.
It sounds impossible and it is impossible – for human beings. But not for God. That is whilst we respect politicians, we don’t expect or trust them to deliver paradise on earth. It’s good for young people (and others) to take an interest in politics, but please don’t let political ideology take the place of Christ. He is the wisdom that this world needs. He is its future. Trust him. And do not fear. He’s got the whole world in his hands!
Consider: Why do you think people believe that the world is inevitably getting better? What political ideologies have you been tempted to follow? What can we do to make the world a better place? Why is it good to look for the return of Jesus Christ?
Further Reading: That Hideous Strength – C S Lewis (This is the third part of Lewis’ sci-fi trilogy – and though it was written decades ago it was prophetic in seeing how the Western world would develop).
Black Mass – John Gray (This is not a Christian book, but it does show how having utopian beliefs is dangerous. Gray is very good on the analysis but poor on the solution because he does not have Christ. Being Christless means being hopeless!)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank you that you have promised to bring justice for the poor of the earth. That there will come a time when the whole earth will be filled with your glory. We long for that day of peace and harmony. A day when wars will be no more. We pray that we would be those who long for your coming. Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus. Amen.
That Hideous Strength – How the West Was Lost – Melvin Tinker Part 1
Thank you David. It’s always interesting to read your observations. I have found the last few years march towards communism alarming but take comfort in the Lord and His word. I’ve found the church’s acceptance of it sad. The lockdowns always seemed from the start an immoral act against the poor and most vulnerable and a crushing of the middleclass. Now the radical net zero green agenda more of the same. The ULEZ is an open attack on small businesses. I’m puzzled that more church leaders don’t see through this money grabbing nonsense. You are right CS Lewis saw it all in his book That Hideous Strength. Thanks for your insights. Enjoy your time in Scotland. God bless you and your family.
Thanks David and I agree that some people today think we are so much better than people in the past and that we are ‘evolving’ into something greater. I once watched three astronauts on board the International Space Station being interviewed about space exploration. If I remember rightly, they thought that humans reaching out into space and perhaps finding other worlds was so exciting and ‘the only way we can evolve and become more than what we are’! I really think they had been watching too many Star Trek episodes! Anyone with even basic knowledge of space and the incredible distances between stars and galaxies measured in light years would realise that the astronauts comments came from cloud cuckoo land! And if we can’t even take good care of our own planet, stop fighting wars and destroying the beautiful creatures that God has made, I don’t think we have ‘evolved’ even enough to go back to the moon! The only way I believe we can become more than what we are, is to turn to Jesus Christ and be transformed by Him.