“A Secular Age” at His Age???

I recently met with Pastor Jim after hearing he was officially enrolled in school for the first time since he graduated seminary in 1992! This Thursday, January 23rd, he is hitting the books, well, hitting a book: A Secular Age. The class, “A Secular Age”, is an exploration of this book written by Charles Taylor, and it is led by Dr. Richard Topping, an ordained Presbyterian Minister, currently the president of the school where the class is being taught, Vancouver School of Theology. Thankfully we do not just live in a secular age, but a digital age too, because Pastor Jim will be joining this class over zoom, instead of flying out to Vancouver every week!

A Secular Age is a 700 page book dense with knowledge. It is one of those books that you have to put down and think about. Here is one of the quotes that Pastor Jim loves and that sits with you for a bit:

“Why was it virtually impossible not to believe in God in, say, 1500 in our Western society, while in 2000 many of us find this not only easy, but even inescapable?”

A Secular Age highlights the growth of secularity since the 1600s, with significant events like the Protestant Reformation, Gutenberg printing press, the Enlightenment, Deism, industrialism and the rise of science marking this shift towards secularity. What is “secularity”, though? Charles Taylor, in his book, defines it in relation to three aspects:

1. Matters of church & state are separate
2. People find less identity and involvement in faith communities
3. There is a growing plurality of spiritual viewpoints

Secularity is perhaps not entirely a bad thing, as some Christians may view it. Affirmation of secularity might make Christians defensive, thinking “What about ‘Christian society’? What will happen to it?”, but the age of Christendom is over, and what if that is a good thing! Secularity brought about much good that would not have happened if we still lived back in the times of “Christian” society. A secular age has brought about the end of slavery; a secular age has brought women into prominence. Talents people have can be used to glorify God outside the church, something that was not regularly promoted in Christendom. Secularity helps show the world in an evolutionary way, a reforming way, something that reflects the nature of God. 

The country of Canada is a prototypical example of secularity. UOttawa, for example, has students from so many different cultures, faiths, and mindsets. The diversity is beautiful, but it is not something that could exist under Christendom. Personally, one of my favorite things about Canada is that even though people find less identity in Christianity, the authenticity and genuineness of the Christians here is so real and encouraging. Authenticity is something that secularity helps grow, and it can also be an excellent way for Christians to evangelize and share our faith'. 

Returning to the comparison of the 1500s and the 2000s, the difference between these two times is that we are allowed to question and learn. We are allowed to question authority, facts, and even the church, if we want to. The blind faith people had during Christendom is not the same blind faith people have today. In the 1500s, the only option was blind faith because of blindness to knowledge, while today we have knowledge, yet we still yearn for this blind faith.

Wrapping up, Pastor Jim is a bit nervous to start back up at school, but moreso he is excited, since he is just viewing it as a learning opportunity and a good break to have in the busy week of church life. He will be doing this class from 12-3 every Thursday for these next 11 weeks, so he will be unreachable then. Please honor this time for Pastor Jim to remain uninterrupted, choosing to contact him before or after. Whenever you see him, make sure to ask him about how his class is going (he will definitely have something fascinating to say about it!)

This leaves us with one final, big question: “With him becoming a student again, is Pastor Jim eligible to become a student intern here at Knox????"