Would David Hume attend your church?

Would David Hume attend your church?

I know what you’re asking, why should I even care? I don’t even know who David Hume is. Well, it’s about time you knew and its vital you ask this question. Do you attend David Hume’s church? Would He attend your church? David Hume (1711-1776) a Scottish Philosopher,  economist, essayist has been wildly influential on our western thought. Contrary to what you may have just thought:

“I’ve heard his name before… maybe that’s where Humanism got its name. Well Humanism did not rise from Hume’s teachings. In fact, David Hume famously wrote . . . ” For the record,  humanism comes from  human , a word used frequently for the species  homo sapiens”. We may often here secular humanism as being the antagonist of the church. What you may not know is Hume’s attack on reason, one of the greatest tenets of the Enlightenment has possibly impacted the modern American church more.

In his writing, Hume didn’t deny reality nor deny the existence of self.  That would just be ridiculous to carry his teaching to that end. However, he did deny we have the ability to rationalize them. So his problem was with the “process” of coming to holding one’s beliefs not the belief. He believed that most of our belief system is based on experiences that can not be proved or tested. Hume wasn’t asserting a disbelief in God nor in miracles. One could jump to such an opinion, but it leads to a melee with modern Atheism to do so. He simply believed we can’t have knowledge of God, thus here is the fulcrum of much of our modern day theology in the American church. This theology echoes Hume, when her (the church), messages and teaching claim God’s existence, doctrines, miracles can’t be explained, at least, not necessarily rejected because they go beyond human reason. The popular word would be “mystery”.

What does this look like in the modern day church? First it reduces truth to subjective intelligible communion with the Trinity and shrouds orthodoxy and the divine with mystery and asks the listener to surrender one’s will. This leaves the church rudderless with no objective truth marching the universal church forward with the anthem of orthodoxy. Such teaching can build coliseums and leave them looking like spiritual museums. Romans 10 speaks to this,

14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?^c And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel.

Scripture says without objective truth arising from Scripture, Preachers wouldn’t know they are to preach. The Lost wouldn’t know whom to believe. Without the objective truth of Scripture we can not obey the gospel. We do this not by surrendering our minds but having Scripture transform our minds. Churches are literally asking people to check their minds at the door and then meld what they hear in the sermon, a small group, a book, or Sunday school lesson with their own subjectivity. Less and less do you have the church sharing a common orthodoxy under a common teaching which the early church adhered to and felt was instrumental in Acts 2. The church didn’t rise up because of the moving of the Holy Spirit divorced from the objectivity of Scripture, but with it.

42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43And awe^e came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44And all who believed were together and had all things in common Acts 2:42-44.

What is occurring in many churches across America is an embracing of a common subjective “truth” that allows you to believe what you want to and what I want to believe and then some how believing that the the Holy Spirit is even capable of denying Himself and contradicting Himself in the process of speaking. What is happening is the modern church has convinced itself that this position will make it easier for more people to come to God. This is no different as many early philosophers and theologians believed such as Tillich and Bultmann. Good intentions do not allow for a Chrisiocentric World View to be built on objective truth and revelation. Without it, the moving of the Holy Spirit is subjected an encampment of atheism of sorts.

Do you attend David Hume’s Church? Would David Hume attend your church? Time to do some reflection. 1) What are the foundational tenants of your church? If they teach them you’ll be able to ramble off at least three or five.  2) Is doctrine being taught to the church as a whole? If you know what doctrine is than you’ve got a step on most others.  3) Does your church believe God can be known or is He mystery? They may say things like, “God is incomprehensible to our reason, but not by faith” or God’s word can only be understood by an inward personal experience”. Yes it is, by faith we are saved but our cognitive knowledge about God should not be trivialized when Scripture was given to communicate information. To deviate would be denying the classical logos doctrine that was the presupposition and foundational thought of the early church. Look at the writings of Augustine and you will see this. 4) Finally, Is God’s word taught in an objective or subjective way in your church? This is a broad question that we will deal with more in depth next time.

Next time we’ll look more closely at objective and subjective truth and the effects on the modern church in America.