Participants:
Series Code: AU
Program Code: AU000024S
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00:00 - I don't know if you've noticed,
00:02 but we seem to be living in really uncertain times 00:04 and there are a lot of voices out there, 00:05 asking people to rip apart, 00:07 the foundations of society, 00:09 and replace those foundations with something else. 00:12 But what that something else is exactly, 00:14 nobody ever seems to say. 00:16 And it turns out some of these de-constructors are building 00:20 on long forgotten and wrongheaded ideas 00:23 that go back a really, really long time. 00:27 [Western music] 00:48 Jean-Jacques Rousseau isn't really one 00:50 of the more popular European philosophers, 00:53 even though his influence, 00:54 clearly contributed to some of the biggest upheavals 00:57 of the last few centuries. 00:59 Not the least of which, 01:01 were the likes of the French Revolution 01:03 of the late 18th century 01:05 and the communist overthrow of the Russian czars in 1917. 01:09 But go get a first-year textbook of Western philosophy 01:12 and just page your way through it, 01:14 and you'll find precious little space given to Rousseau. 01:17 He just isn't a top 40 philosopher. 01:20 So I thought today, 01:21 maybe in the spirit of fairness, 01:23 I'd spend some time talking about Rousseau's contribution 01:26 to 18th century thought, 01:29 not because I liked the guy, 01:30 but because the stuff he wrote kind of forces us 01:33 to explore the nature of human existence, 01:37 and it gives me the opportunity 01:39 to highlight the rather contrary thinking found 01:42 in the Bible, 01:43 that other great founding document 01:45 of Western civilization. 01:48 Rousseau was born in the city of Geneva, 01:51 son to a Swiss watchmaker, 01:52 which, of course, was a very prestigious trade, 01:55 back in the day. 01:56 In fact, we still kind of revere Swiss watches 01:59 and Swiss watchmakers to this day. 02:02 Other watchmakers from other countries didn't have 02:05 the same kind of clout 02:07 because, well, as Rousseau himself once said, 02:09 "A Genevan watchmaker is a man 02:11 "who can be introduced anywhere; 02:13 "a Parisian watchmaker is only fit 02:15 "to talk about watches." 02:18 I know that seems like kind of a slam against the French, 02:21 but it's really Rousseau's way of pointing out 02:23 that his father wasn't just a craftsman, 02:25 but a thinker and a philosopher. 02:28 In fact, from a very young age in early boyhood, 02:31 Rousseau's father taught him 02:32 to read the ancient classics. 02:34 And one of his all-time favorites 02:35 was "Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans" by Plutarch. 02:39 He found those stories so fascinating 02:42 that he would read them to his father 02:44 while his father was busy at the watchmaking work bench. 02:47 And sometimes, he would even act out the stories, 02:50 pretending that he was one of those ancient Greek heroes. 02:54 So Rousseau really had a pretty decent childhood. 02:57 But then when he was 10, 02:59 his father was arrested 03:00 for hunting on a wealthy man's land. 03:03 And because dad knew he didn't have the power 03:05 or the resources to beat this man in court, 03:08 he suddenly picked up 03:09 and moved away from the city of Geneva. 03:12 And personally, I suspect that to some extent, 03:14 it was that episode that contributed 03:16 to Rousseau's hatred for the wealthy and the privileged, 03:20 and the way that he thought civilization appeared 03:23 to be stacked in wealthy people's favor. 03:27 The budding philosopher was sent 03:28 to live with somebody else. 03:30 And to the surprise 03:31 of the staunch Calvinists he grew up with, 03:34 he eventually converted to Catholicism. 03:36 And some people have speculated 03:38 that he converted at least in part 03:40 because he didn't like the Calvinist doctrine 03:43 of total depravity, 03:44 which taught that human beings are born with a sinful nature 03:48 and do not have the moral resources 03:50 to redeem themselves. 03:52 That was an idea that really bothered him. 03:55 And later in his famous book, "Emile," 03:58 he wrote this: 03:59 "Let us lay it down as an incontrovertible rule 04:02 "that the first impulses of nature are always right; 04:05 "there is no original sin in the human heart, 04:08 "the how and why 04:10 "of the entrance of every vice can be traced." 04:14 What he's saying essentially, 04:15 is that he believed human beings 04:17 are born completely sinless, 04:19 and then the influence of the world, 04:21 eventually leads us to corruption. 04:24 In fact, he spent a lot of time praising 04:26 what he imagined to be a much better existence 04:30 in the far distant past, 04:31 in some kind of magical utopia 04:34 that existed before human beings created 04:37 awful things like civilization. 04:41 Now, if you go back to the 19th century, 04:43 and even a little bit earlier, 04:45 back to Rousseau's day, 04:47 you'll find lots of people pining 04:48 for a more natural existence. 04:51 They wanted to return 04:53 to what they imagined was a more exalted way of living 04:56 in the far distant past. 04:58 One of the more famous examples 04:59 from more recent times of course, 05:01 was the American author, Henry Thoreau, 05:04 who built himself, a tiny cabin in the woods 05:06 and separated himself from everybody else. 05:09 It's a story you find in this book, "Walden." 05:12 Some of you probably had to read this in college. 05:15 What Thoreau imagined was that he was separating himself 05:18 from the slavery of everyday human existence in part 05:22 because he didn't have to hold down a job anymore. 05:25 And near the beginning of this book, 05:27 here's what he says: 05:29 "I see young men, my townsmen, 05:31 "whose misfortune it is 05:32 "to have inherited farms, houses, barns, 05:35 "cattle, and farming tools; 05:37 "for these are more easily acquired than got rid of. 05:40 "Better if they had been born in the open pasture 05:43 "and suckled by a wolf, 05:44 "that they might have seen with clearer eyes, 05:46 "what field they were called to labor in. 05:48 "Who made them serfs of the soil?" 05:51 And then we get this depressing statement, 05:54 just a few sentences later. 05:55 He says, "But men labor under a mistake. 05:59 "The better part of the man is soon plowed 06:01 "into the soil for compost." 06:03 Probably not great reading when you head back 06:06 to work on a Monday morning. 06:07 "By a seeming fate," he says, 06:09 "they are employed, as it says in an old book," 06:12 and by that, he means the Bible, 06:14 "laying up treasures which moth and rust will corrupt, 06:17 "and thieves, breakthrough and steal. 06:19 "It is a fool's life, 06:21 "and they will find when they get to the end of it, 06:23 "if not before." 06:25 Of course, Thoreau is distorting 06:28 what the Bible actually says 06:30 because what Christ is talking about at that point 06:33 in the "Sermon on the Mount" 06:34 is not the act of just working for a living, 06:36 but making the accumulation of wealth, 06:39 your first priority. 06:41 What Jesus doesn't say is that you shouldn't go to work, 06:44 which becomes well really obvious if you take the time 06:47 to read the whole Bible. 06:48 Now, to be really honest, 06:50 I like reading this kind of stuff like "Walden," 06:53 because I have a soft spot for wilderness adventure. 06:56 So if you ask me would I like 06:58 to live in a cabin like "Walden" did, 07:00 yeah, of course I would. 07:02 But, unfortunately, it'd be hard to do this job 07:04 from the middle of the wilderness. 07:06 So you gotta wonder 07:08 where in the world did Henry Thoreau 07:09 get such a negative view of modern life and working? 07:12 Well, you got to admit he kind of has a point. 07:15 I mean, the fact that we get paid to go to work reminds us 07:18 that most of us would rather be doing 07:20 something else most days. 07:22 And it reminds us 07:23 that the book of Genesis is completely right when it says 07:25 that working hard is part of a curse. 07:29 But at the same time, 07:31 the Bible is still full of reminders 07:33 that hard work has become absolutely necessary, 07:36 now that we no longer live in paradise. 07:38 Let me show you just a couple of famous examples. 07:41 Here's one that you find over in the book of Proverbs, 07:44 where it says, "Go to the ant, you sluggard! 07:47 "Consider her ways and be wise, 07:49 "which having no captain, overseer or ruler, 07:52 "provides her supplies in the summer 07:54 "and gathers her food in the harvest. 07:57 "How long will you slumber, O sluggard? 08:00 "When will you rise from your sleep? 08:02 "A little sleep, a little slumber, 08:04 "a little folding of the hands to sleep, 08:06 "so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, 08:09 "and your need, like an armed man." 08:13 Or what about this one from one of Paul's letters 08:16 to the Thessalonians. 08:17 He says, "For you yourselves know how you ought 08:20 "to follow us, 08:21 "for we were not disorderly among you 08:23 "nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, 08:26 "but worked with labor and toil, night and day, 08:29 "that we might not be a burden to any of you, 08:31 "not because we do not have authority, 08:34 "but to make ourselves an example 08:35 "of how you should follow us. 08:37 "For even when we were with you, 08:39 "we commanded you this: if anyone will not work, 08:43 "neither shall he eat." 08:46 So on the one hand, 08:47 the Bible tells us we have to work because we sin. 08:50 And then on the other hand, 08:52 the Bible tells us that we need to submit 08:53 to this new way of living 08:54 and make the most of it 08:56 because, well, this is the way it's supposed 08:58 to be right now. 08:59 So let's get back to Jean-Jacques Rousseau 09:02 because he actually said 09:03 that civilization itself is a curse. 09:07 And I'll be right back after this 09:08 to show you what he meant when he said that. 09:11 [gentle music] 09:12 - [Woman Voice-over] Here at the Voice of Prophecy, 09:14 we're committed to creating top quality programming 09:16 for the whole family, 09:17 like our audio adventure series, "Discovery Mountain." 09:20 "Discovery Mountain" is a Bible-based program 09:23 for kids of all ages and backgrounds. 09:25 Your family will enjoy the faith building stories 09:28 from this small mountain summer camp, Penn Town. 09:31 With 24 seasonal episodes every year 09:33 and fresh content every week, 09:35 there's always a new adventure, 09:37 just on the horizon. 09:42 - One of Henry Thoreau's major influences, 09:44 it seems was the Swiss philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 09:48 who utterly lamented the plight of hardworking people 09:51 when compared to the wealthy landowners 09:53 who just paid other people to work for them. 09:57 So Rousseau spent a lot of time trying to imagine 09:59 how this situation came to be. 10:02 And on one occasion, 10:03 when the academy at Dijon in France, 10:05 put on an essay contest, 10:07 he suddenly had this major epiphany. 10:10 It was 1749, 10:12 and the contestants had to answer this question in an essay: 10:16 "Has the restoration of the sciences and arts contributed 10:19 "to the purification of morals?" 10:22 Here's what they were asking. 10:24 People realized that Europe was now busy, 10:26 clawing its way out of the dark ages, 10:29 which began when the Western Roman empire collapsed. 10:32 And they were wondering if a return 10:34 to classical ancient learning 10:36 was actually some kind of benefit to society. 10:39 And most people would have said, "Yes," 10:41 but not Rousseau. 10:43 When he saw that ad in the paper, 10:45 he went out for a walk to think about his answer. 10:48 And that's when he came to this conclusion: 10:50 "Society was not getting better 10:53 "and civilization was a massive problem for humanity." 10:57 That idea became one of his first books, 11:00 called "The Discourse on the Arts and Sciences." 11:03 And then a few years later, 11:04 he expanded those same ideas 11:06 and wrote his most important work of political philosophy, 11:09 his "Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Among Men." 11:13 I have both books in one volume. 11:16 And this is kind of where things start 11:18 to get, well, weird. 11:21 What Rousseau does is travel back in time 11:23 to imagine a world where people are basically animals. 11:27 It's kind of like the theory of evolution, 11:29 even though it predates Darwin by about 100 years. 11:32 The truth is that lots of people have been toying 11:35 with the idea of evolution for a really long time; 11:38 in fact, for centuries. 11:40 And what Darwin did in the 19th century was come up 11:43 with a mechanism to explain 11:44 how evolution could happen; 11:46 the process of natural selection 11:48 and survival of the fittest. 11:50 What Rousseau did, long before Darwin, 11:53 was travel back through time in his imagination 11:56 to this wonderful world 11:58 where he said people live much better lives. 12:02 All we had to think about back then before civilization 12:05 was where to find food, 12:06 just like the animals' lives were simple 12:08 and absolutely free. 12:10 And he said the reason for that 12:12 was because we didn't actually need each other. 12:14 If your instincts drove you to procreate, 12:16 you just did it, 12:17 you didn't have to get married. 12:18 If someone ate all the food in one location, 12:20 you just picked up and went somewhere else. 12:23 And way back when, in this imaginary paradise, 12:26 people didn't get sick, 12:27 and Rousseau said 12:29 they were naturally compassionate and kind. 12:32 What he came up with was almost a caveman's version 12:34 of the Garden of Eden, 12:36 but of course, it never actually existed. 12:41 "What happened," Rousseau said, "was that eventually, 12:42 "we started to cooperate with each other, 12:45 "and then we built communities. 12:47 "And then at some point, 12:48 "somebody accumulated more 12:50 "than he actually needed for himself. 12:53 "And then he got the idea that owning stuff 12:55 "was pretty beneficial. 12:57 "And presto! We were suddenly plunged 12:59 "into the depravity of civilization, 13:02 "which did nothing, 13:03 "but help out a few powerful people." 13:06 Rousseau explained that we can lay the blame 13:09 for all of our human suffering 13:11 at the feet of whoever invented the concept 13:14 of private property. 13:16 And that's a theme that you still hear circulating 13:20 to this day. 13:22 Rousseau said that we eventually suppressed 13:24 our natural compassion for each other 13:26 and used logic and reason 13:28 to justify our violence and cruelty against each other. 13:32 We became philosophers, rationalizers, 13:35 and that, he said, was the beginning of everything bad. 13:39 Here's the way Rousseau said it, 13:40 back in the 1750s. 13:42 He wrote, "It is philosophy that isolates him, 13:45 "and bids him say, 13:46 "at the sight of the misfortunes of others: 13:49 "Perish if you will, 13:50 "I am secure. 13:52 "A murder may be, with impunity, 13:55 "committed under his window; 13:56 "he has only to put his hands to his ears 13:58 "and argue a little with himself 14:00 "to prevent nature, 14:01 "which is shocked within him, 14:03 "from identifying itself with the unfortunate sufferer." 14:07 And on, and on, and on, he goes. 14:11 And what Rousseau basically argues is that communities 14:14 and civilization became tools in the hands 14:17 of powerful oppressors. 14:19 "Civilization," he said, "Ruined the human race." 14:22 "And now, millions of people have become slaves 14:25 "to the powerful." 14:27 In one of his most famous lines, 14:28 Rousseau wrote, "Man is born free, 14:31 "and everywhere, he is in chains." 14:34 Now, I'm sure you've had the odd day 14:36 where you feel like that when you go to work 14:37 because there is something about working for a living 14:40 that feels just a little like slavery. 14:44 But what I want you to notice now, 14:46 is how back in the 18th century, 14:48 Rousseau is actually anticipating a train of thought 14:51 that would create some of the biggest upsets 14:53 in human history. 14:55 His ideas helped fuel the violence of the French Revolution. 14:59 After all, the revolutionaries believed 15:01 they were overthrowing a system 15:02 that was holding them down. 15:04 It also anticipated Karl Marx, 15:06 who argued that civilization had to be ripped down 15:09 and replaced by a system 15:11 that favored the working class. 15:13 Those ideas came from Rousseau, at least in part, 15:18 because what Rousseau wanted to do was rip apart 15:20 the foundations of civilization 15:22 so we could return to this imaginary state of pure nature 15:26 he had dreamed up in his imagination. 15:30 But let's be honest about this: 15:31 the French revolution and the communist revolution, 15:35 they were abysmal failures 15:37 that quickly devolved into more violence and more oppression 15:43 because it turns out human beings are incapable 15:46 of changing their essential selfish nature. 15:50 Now, I know that some of you are wondering 15:52 where in the world I'm gonna go with this. 15:54 And if you're patient, 15:55 I'm gonna take a quick break, 15:56 and then I'll come back 15:57 and show you where we're going 15:59 because even though the French revolution 16:01 was a bloody, violent spectacle, 16:03 and the Soviet Union ultimately failed, 16:06 some of Rousseau's thinking lives on to this very day. 16:10 So don't go away, 16:12 I'll be right back. 16:14 [gentle music] 16:16 - [Woman Voice-over] Life can throw a lot at us. 16:17 Sometimes we don't have all the answers, 16:21 but that's where the Bible comes in. 16:23 It's our guide to a more fulfilling life. 16:26 Here at the Voice of Prophecy, 16:28 we've created the Discover Bible Guides 16:30 to be your guide to the Bible. 16:32 They're designed to be simple, easy to use, 16:34 and provide answers to many of life's toughest questions, 16:37 and they're absolutely free. 16:39 So jump online now, 16:41 or give us a call 16:42 and start your journey of discovery. 16:45 - When Rousseau was done expanding on the ridiculous idea 16:48 that our ancient caveman ancestors, 16:51 our animal ancestors were somehow more pure 16:55 and more compassionate than we are, 16:57 well, he sent a copy of his brand new book 16:59 to the famous skeptic, Voltaire. 17:02 And of course, Voltaire was known 17:05 for being rather biting in his criticism of other people. 17:08 So here's what Voltaire said in reply to the book: 17:11 "I have received, sir, 17:12 "your new book against the human species, 17:15 "and I thank you for it. 17:16 "No one has ever been so witty as you are in trying 17:20 "to turn us into brutes." 17:22 Or in other words, 17:23 back to our primitive animal existence. 17:26 "To read your book," Voltaire said, 17:27 "makes one long to go on all fours. 17:30 "As, however, it is now some 60 years 17:33 "since I gave up the practice, 17:34 "I feel that it is unfortunately impossible 17:38 "for me to resume it." [Shawn chuckles] 17:40 In other words, Voltaire found this idea 17:43 that human civilization was the cause 17:45 of all our problems, ridiculous. 17:49 Now, that's not to say 17:50 that oppression doesn't happen in civilization 17:53 or that powerful people don't take advantage of others 17:56 because, well, they absolutely do, 17:58 we all know that. 17:59 But the idea that all of us would be better 18:01 if we just took away the rules of civilization, 18:05 that's a preposterous and dangerous idea; 18:08 this idea that our ancestors were peace, loving primitives, 18:12 who were pure and innocent flies in the face 18:15 of absolutely everything we know. 18:18 Just because there are aspects of our civilization 18:21 that definitely are problematic, 18:23 that doesn't really mean 18:25 that the essential problem is the civilization itself. 18:31 The real problem, according to the authors of the Bible, 18:35 is human nature. 18:37 Rousseau would like us to believe 18:38 that human beings in their natural state 18:41 are completely innocent, 18:43 but the Bible comes a lot closer to reality. 18:47 Psalm 51 is a poetic masterpiece 18:49 that King David wrote 18:51 after he'd been caught committing adultery, 18:54 and then committing murder to cover his tracks. 18:57 And this Psalm doesn't spend much time talking about 18:59 how powerful and privileged, David was, 19:03 even though those things were obviously a factor 19:05 in his guilt. 19:07 Now, instead, David points 19:09 to a much more foundational problem 19:11 and he writes this: 19:13 "For I acknowledge my transgressions, 19:16 "and my sin is always before me. 19:19 "Against You, You only have I sinned 19:21 "and done this evil in your sight, 19:24 "that you may be found just when you speak, 19:26 "and blameless when you judge. 19:29 "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, 19:32 "and in sin, my mother conceived me." 19:37 The real problem in this world is not 19:39 that we sin against each other, 19:40 even though we most certainly do that. 19:43 And there's little question 19:45 that the prophet Nathan did underscore 19:47 David's power and privilege 19:49 when he came to confront him over what he'd done. 19:52 There's also very little question 19:54 that God warned the Israelites at the very beginning, 19:57 "Don't you ask for a king," 19:59 because Kings do have a way of oppressing people. 20:03 But at the end of the day, 20:04 the real problem, 20:05 the essential foundational problem in this world is us. 20:09 And by that, I mean all of us. 20:12 Power just has a way of magnifying the problem 20:15 that we all have. 20:17 Rousseau insisted that you and I 20:18 were born completely innocent, 20:20 but David says he was conceived in sin 20:23 and brought forth in iniquity. 20:27 So here's where I'm gonna go with this. 20:29 I mean, I could probably go in 100 different directions 20:32 because, well, the Bible really does speak about oppression 20:36 by powerful people, 20:37 and it does condemn those powerful people 20:39 who take advantage of the poor; 20:41 it does it in no uncertain terms. 20:45 The Bible also spends a lot of time contrasting 20:49 the fallen kingdoms or fallen civilizations 20:52 that humanity built in this world, 20:54 and it compares them with the ultimate kingdom of Christ. 20:58 So we'll give Rousseau partial marks today, 21:01 for at least noticing that something is wrong 21:04 with the way that human beings run this place. 21:07 In fact, that's really one of the major themes 21:10 you find all the way through the Bible. 21:12 It says that the human race is divided into two groups: 21:16 there's a group that tries 21:17 to rebuild paradise by itself, building cities, 21:21 and there's another group that seeks 21:22 to be part of the kingdom of God. 21:24 One stream builds walled cities, centers of civilization, 21:28 where powerful people offer peace and protection in exchange 21:32 for what amounts to labor and slavery, 21:35 kind of like Rousseau described. 21:37 The other stream seeks communion with God 21:39 and understands that the human heart is the real source 21:42 of all of our suffering, 21:44 and that you and I are completely powerless to change 21:47 what's wrong with us. 21:48 So I guess what I'm getting at is this: 21:51 if we wanna take Rousseau's word for it, 21:54 then all of our problems are actually caused 21:56 by somebody else. 21:58 "Somebody else," he says, "ruined your natural innocence. 22:01 "The reason you're unhappy and life is hard 22:03 "is because somebody else did that to you. 22:06 "If only those other people didn't exist," he says, 22:08 "then life would finally be happy." 22:11 And I guess what bothers me about this 22:13 is that I'm hearing more and more 22:14 of that same kind of talk right now, 22:17 as the world gets more and more polarized. 22:21 What we seem to have right now, 22:22 is a return to this idea 22:23 that there's nothing wrong with me 22:25 and that there's something wrong with everybody else. 22:28 It's everybody else's corruption 22:30 that's ruining this place, 22:32 it's the system that's keeping me down. 22:34 If only all those powerful, privileged people 22:37 were suddenly gone, 22:38 then life could return to a pure natural state 22:41 and we could all be equal, 22:43 and my natural goodness could shine. 22:47 Except we all know instinctively, 22:50 that's a bunch of baloney; 22:53 people are not naturally good. 22:56 I mean, there's no doubt that a worldly system, 22:58 constructed by selfish people, 22:59 is going to be wildly imperfect. 23:02 And there's little doubt 23:03 that when you give selfish people, a little bit of power, 23:05 they're almost always going to abuse it. 23:08 I mean, just look at the former Soviet Union; 23:10 it's exhibit A for the writings of Karl Marx. 23:13 Back in 1917, revolutionary seized power 23:17 and they took it away from the royal family; 23:20 from the one-percenters, I guess you could say. 23:23 But then in a remarkably short span of time, 23:26 those same revolutionaries accumulated 23:28 all that same power for themselves, 23:31 and we suddenly had millions of people living worse lives 23:34 than they did before, 23:35 while members of the party leadership drove around 23:37 in nice cars and lived in great homes. 23:41 Eventually, people were even persecuted and executed, 23:45 simply for what they believed. 23:47 Political dissidents were sent to the Gulags in Siberia. 23:51 And all that really happened there 23:53 was a shift in abusive power, 23:56 and that's because 23:57 the real problem on this planet never changes. 24:01 I'll be right back after this. 24:03 [dragon roars] 24:05 - [Man Voice-over] Dragons, beasts, cryptic statues; 24:09 Bible prophecy can be incredibly vivid and confusing. 24:13 If you've ever read Daniel or Revelation 24:15 and come away, scratching your head, 24:17 you're not alone. 24:18 Our free focus on prophecy guides are designed 24:21 to help you unlock the mysteries of the Bible 24:24 and deepen your understanding of God's plan 24:26 for you and our world. 24:28 Study online or request them by mail 24:30 and start bringing prophecy into focus today. 24:34 - Build all the man-made solutions 24:36 for inequality and suffering that you want, 24:38 and the essential problem is still there, 24:40 it's a broken human heart. 24:43 That's what Rousseau 24:44 and countless others have failed to understand. 24:46 It's the fact that you and I, 24:47 all of us are fallen human beings 24:49 and we can't solve our worst problems. 24:52 Here's how the Apostle Paul described it. 24:54 He said, "For I delight in the law of God, 24:57 "according to the inward man. 24:58 "But I see another law in my members, 25:00 "warring against the law of my mind 25:02 "and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, 25:05 "which is in my members." 25:06 "O wretched man that I am! 25:08 "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" 25:12 In other words, he says, "I wanna be good, 25:13 "but I can't change my essential nature." 25:18 This utopia that Rousseau imagined, 25:20 this place where primitive people live pure, peaceful lives, 25:23 it's a myth. 25:24 I mean, there was a paradise at one point, 25:26 but we ruined it. 25:27 And the fallout from our rebellion against our creator 25:30 is a broken human heart, 25:32 so tainted by sin 25:34 that you're powerless to change it. 25:36 No law, no government, 25:38 no political ideology is gonna fix it. 25:41 Now, that doesn't mean you don't participate in civilization 25:44 because even though human government 25:46 is not a great substitute for the kingdom of God, 25:49 it's all we've got right now, 25:51 and we have an obligation to the best of our ability 25:53 to live with what we built. 25:55 For the most part, 25:56 the laws we've created are there 25:58 to make a peaceful coexistence somewhat possible. 26:02 And, by and large, our system of civilization, 26:04 mostly exists to contain the problem 26:07 of a fallen heart. 26:08 Until Christ returns, 26:10 this is what we've got. 26:12 So it bothers me when I hear voices calling 26:14 for the utter deconstruction of Western civilization. 26:17 It bothers me that we appear 26:19 to be one of the most intolerant, unforgiving generations 26:22 to ever walk the earth, 26:24 and we always wanna blame somebody else for everything. 26:27 So what would happen if all of us owned it together? 26:30 What if we could admit 26:31 that we're all part of the problem? 26:35 What appears to be happening right now, 26:36 is kind of a radical deconstruction, 26:39 the kind that fueled the French Revolution, 26:41 the kind that was born on the ideas 26:43 of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. 26:45 People seem to be mindlessly ripping everything down 26:48 without thinking it through. 26:49 I mean, don't get me wrong, 26:50 there is something wrong with this world 26:52 and we shouldn't turn a blind eye to injustice, 26:54 but what's happening right now, 26:56 should concern us 26:58 because we're ripping things down 27:00 without asking ourselves why it was built 27:02 in the first place, 27:03 and nobody talks about what they plan to replace it with. 27:06 And when we're finished ripping apart, 27:08 our basic civilization, 27:09 we're gonna find out we still haven't solved 27:11 the biggest problem; the sinful heart. 27:14 And until we solve that, 27:16 we solve absolutely nothing. 27:19 Paul complains that he can't fix what's wrong with him, 27:22 and he says, "O wretched man that I am! 27:24 "Who will deliver me from this body of death?" 27:26 And then he gives the answer. 27:27 "I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 27:30 "So then, with the mind, 27:31 "I myself serve the law of God, 27:34 "but with the flesh, the law of sin." 27:37 Believe me, God has noticed the injustice, 27:39 the problems with our world, 27:40 and He's promised to dissolve human government completely 27:43 and restore the kingdom of Christ, 27:45 where we all get restored; 27:47 in a place, the Bible says, lives by God's commandments, 27:51 not human commandments. 27:53 And that's when the problem is finally solved. 27:56 I'm Shawn Boonstra, 27:57 you've been watching "Authentic." 28:00 [Western music] |
Revised 2021-09-29