Leaven Leaven

Volume 8 Issue 3 Theology and Ministry Article 13

1-1-2000

The Way of the Modern World: Or Why It's Tempting to Live as if The Way of the Modern World: Or Why It's Tempting to Live as if

God Doesn't Exist, Craig M. Gay God Doesn't Exist, Craig M. Gay

Carl Flynn

Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven

Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology

and Philosophy of Religion Commons

Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Flynn, Carl (2000) "The Way of the Modern World: Or Why It's Tempting to Live as if God Doesn't Exist, Craig M. Gay," Leaven: Vol. 8 : Iss. 3 , Article 13. Available at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol8/iss3/13

This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Leaven by an authorized editor of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact Katrina.Gallardo@pepperdine.edu, anna.speth@pepperdine.edu, linhgavin.do@pepperdine.edu.

158 Leaven, Fall 2000

~~ ~~~.~ e>~2:o ~~8t;;~ =~~

~ ~ ~~ ~ °ZCRADDOCK~ 'r ft'I ~ ,.. LIPSCOMBBOOKSBOOKSBOOKSBOOKSBOOKSBOOKSBOOKBOOKSBOOKSBOOKSBOOKS

Craig M. Gay, The Way of the(Modern) World: Or, Why It'sTempting to Live As If God Doesn'tExist (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,1998),313 pages + bibliography +index. Reviewed by Carl Flynn.

In The Way of the (Modern)World, Craig M. Gay, who servesas associate professor of interdis-ciplinary studies at Regent Col-lege, argues that the theologicalassumptions behind the politics,economics, and technology of theWestern intellectual traditionhave brought about a phenom-enon that he calls practical athe-ism. Practical atheism, "an inter-pretation of human affairs thatexcludes the reality of God" (p.5), is characterized by "the desireto maintain autonomous controlover reality by rational-technicalmeans" (p. 10). Secularity is thelogical conclusion of practicalatheism and is what troubles theauthor throughout this work,

Book ReviewsMarkus H. McDowell,Eleanor Daniel,Editors

particularly since so many Chris-tian thinkers have contributed toits foundations. In fact, the wayin which the church unknow-ingly bolsters secularity in itsthought and ethics is one of thecentral themes in this work. Gayis also uneasy about the effectthat this secularity has uponhuman existence. Citing Henri deLubac, Gay suggests: "Mancannot organize the world forhimself without God; withoutGod he can only organize theworld against man. Exclusivehumanism is inhuman human-ism" (p. 15). As a result, Gay iseager to point out instanceswithin our secularized politics,economics, and technology where"man's inhumanity to man" isevident. Gay moves betweenthese two concerns throughouthis tale of how practical atheismhas come to be the order of theday.

The opening three chapters

constitute the heart of Gay'sanalysis. Each chapter examinesthe development and currentstatus of modern secularity as it isexpressed in Western politics(chapter 1), technology (chapter2), and economics (chapter 3).The chapters follow a similarpattern. In the first portion ofeach chapter, Gay unveils theworldliness of our present societywith respect to the culturalelement under discussion. Sec-ond, he sketches the developmentof this secular perspective fromthe beginning of modernity (theWestern intellectual tradition thatcommences with Descartes) tothe twentieth century. Third, hetraces the theological develop-ments in the Christian tradition(generally moving from theProtestant Reformation to thepresent) that unwittingly helpedto create and perpetuate modernsecularity. Gay concludes eachchapter with a constructive

1

Flynn: The Way of the Modern World: Or Why It's Tempting to Live as if G

Published by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 2000

theological proposal designed tocounter the theological andexistential difficulties he sees inthe mass socialization of themodern nation-state; the destruc-tive power of technologicalrationality; and the depersonaliz-ing, practical rationality of capi-talism.

In chapter 4, Gay focuses on atheme in the subtext of his argu-ment thus far-" the worldly selfat the heart of modern culture"(p. 181). He asserts that themodern shift from a self that isdefined in relation to externalentities (e.g., the good, the true,the beautiful) to "autonomousself-creation" has created" thera-peutic man," whose chief concernis personal well-being (p. 191).Gay traces this development fromwithin and without the Christiantradition. He concludes with acorrective to our" culture ofnarcissism," suggesting that ifself is perceived as God's cre-ation, then people stand in theperspective within which to livemeaningful lives.

Gay shifts his emphasis inchapter 5 to the church and itsrelationship to the modern world.The greatest "heresy" of themodern church, he suggests, isthe exchange of divine authorityfor human autonomy. In thistransaction the church has under-mined itself, accommodating itstheology to the secular ideologiesit helped to create. Therefore, anyattempts churches make toengage modern culture must takeinto account the dialecticalrelationship that necessarilyexists between the church and

secular society. Gay posits that onthe one hand, this relationshiphinders the proclamation of thegospel in the modern climate. Yetan awareness of the relationshipprovides the church with creativeways to challenge the secularconsensus. It is to this task thatGay turns.

In his closing chapter, Gayproposes that the way to engagemodern secularity is "to give abetter theological account ofindividuality, freedom, andpersonality" (p. 276). He suggeststhat seeing human beings as"response-able" creatures thatrequire relationship is the firststep in responding to modernnotions of control, anxiety, andsecularity. When people come tosee themselves in this relationalperspective, grounded in thefellowship of the triune God, thenpatience, hope, and expectationwill overwhelm the despair thatis so common in our time. Gaysuggests that this quality of livingis what the apostle Paul intendsby his charge in scripture to livein, but not of, the world.

Thoughtful Christians of theRestoration heritage shouldseriously consider this work notonly for its compelling treatmentof the development of modernsecularity but also for its treat-ment of the role that politics,economics, and technology havein the formation of persons-especially Christian persons.Understanding these two aspectsof Gay's work is crucial for thelife and ministry of our churchesin the postmodern world.

While this book is clearly

Theology and Ministry 159

written, it assumes the reader'sfamiliarity with the history ofphilosophy and theology fromthe Renaissance to the present. Iassigned the book to a sopho-more-level introductory course,and many of the students foundit too difficult to understandapart from considerable elucida-tion from in-class lecture, discus-sion, and outlines. The bookwould be ideal for an upper-levelmajor course in religion or phi-losophy, or for a graduate-levelseminar in contemporary theol-ogy or ethics.

CARLFLYNNis a Ph.D. candidatein theology at Baylor University,Waco, Texas.

Kevin J. Vanhoozer, 15 There aMeaning in This Text? The Bible, theReader, and the Morality of LiteraryKnowledge (Grand Rapids:Zondervan, 1998). Reviewed byJohn Castelein.

Here is a persuasive andmoving sermon. Its text may wellparaphrase John 1:1: "In thebeginning was the Meaning, andthe Meaning was with God, andthe Meaning was God." Its themeis bold and urgent in light of theserious epistemological andhermeneutical challenges facingchurches and Christians today. Itis also a meticulously researched,rigorously argued, and elo-quently written defense of thepossibility of communicatingtruth in literature.

It argues that today'spostmodernist deconstruction

2

Leaven, Vol. 8 [2000], Iss. 3, Art. 13

https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol8/iss3/13

160 Leaven, Fall 2000

("undoing") of authors, texts,readers, and knowledge in gen-eral can be prevented fromdegenerating into the total nihil-istic loss of determinate meaningonly if the presence in the uni-verse of the Trinity revealed inthe Bible is acknowledged.Meaning in the universe is athorne in God, not in Derrida'schaotic language.

Vanhoozer repeatedly ex-presses his appreciation for themany ways in whichpostmodernist critics forbid us tobow before the idols of our owninterpretations. He quotes exten-sively from Nietzsche, Derrida,Foucault, Barthes, Rorty, andFish, who help us understandhow our interpretations are never11 innocent." Readers are alwaysinfluenced by their hunger forpower over others (in pride or inviolence), by their need to justifythemselves at all costs (ideology),and by the vocabularies and rootmetaphors of their historicalcommunities (the social construc-tion of knowledge).

However, the resultant humil-ity before the text, which is agood thing, should not become ahumiliation of the text. As ethi-cally responsible interpreters,Christians should oppose reduc-

ing the meaning of the text asintended by the author to thereader's projections, expectations,and desires.

Vanhoozer seeks to preservethe transcendence of the meaningin texts against hermeticists(claiming meanings apart fromauthors' intentions), againstcynics, and against all otherreductionist views. To do this, hemarshals impressive supportfrom influential thinkers such asC. S. Lewis, Emmanuel Levinas,E. D. Hirsch, George Steiner,Alvin Plantinga, John Milbank,Paul Ricoeur, [ean-Luc Marion,and Anthony Thiselton.

However, this research pro-fessor at Trinity EvangelicalDivinity School relies mostly on J.L. Austin and John Searle'stheory of speech acts to healthose components of humancommunication thatdeconstructive criticism haswounded. Metaphysically, Godthe Father is the "Iocutioner"who, by the active power of hisword, can resurrect the authorthat deconstruction killed.Hermeneutically, God the Son isthe "illocutioner" who, as theWord that intends to do some-thing, can redeem the text thatdeconstruction enslaved to

meaninglessness. On the reader /reception level, God the Spirit isthe" perlocutioner" who caneffectively reform the reader into aresponsible, obedient listener.

Vanhoozer's book answersthe challenges of Stanley Fish's IsThere a Text in This Class? and ofVanHarvey's The Historian andthe Believer: The Morality of Histori-cal Knowledge and Christian BeliefHe argues that the only way toovercome today's hermeneutic ofrelentless suspicion is with anAugustinian hermeneutic of faith("1 believe in order to under-stand"). He defends an episte-mology of critical realism becauseit balances conviction (in theintended meaning of the text)with humility (before the mes-sage of the text).

He concludes that our modelshould be Luther, who resistedboth pride (that seeks to over-come the text) and sloth (thatseeks to avoid the text). Chris-tians today must stand, under-stand, and withstand with thesewords: "Here 1stand. So help meGod. My conscience is captive tothe Word of God."

JOHN CASTELEIN is professor ofcontemporary theology at Lin-coln Christian Seminary, Lincoln,Illinois.

3

Flynn: The Way of the Modern World: Or Why It's Tempting to Live as if G

Published by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 2000