Introduction
One of the most influential figures of the French Revolution at the turn of the 18th Century was a man by the name of Maximilien Robespierre. Rising to power at the height of the revolutionary fervor, Robespierre faced two primary challenges in his maniacal pursuit to bring about change: (1) removing enemies and (2) implementing ideals.
In the first instance, enemies of the French Revolutionary ideas included the Church and Monarchs, yet also ultimately encompassed anyone who dared to disagree with their opinions. The second challenge was implementing the revolution’s ideals of civic virtue and purity*, primarily manifested in the elevation of individual rights to liberty, equality, and fraternity over traditional and institutional structures.
During what became known as the Reign of Terror, Robespierre unflinchingly wielded a newfound killing machine, the guillotine, with utmost efficiency. Thousands fell victim to its precision, including the French King and his Queen. However, before these grand ideals could be fully realized, he ironically became a victim of this device, facing his demise at the hands of his former allies.
While this was the end for Robespierre, it was just the beginning of the widespread ideas he and the French Revolution stood for. Indeed, these ideas have continued to permeate the minds of 18th-century thinkers, profoundly influencing our culture and saturating the very air we breathe.
What are some of these ideas?
- Low view of God: By removing God, the revolution cultivated cultural atheism and naturalistic explanations for life’s big questions, such as our origins and purpose. The transcendent gave way to the immanent: eternal truths were replaced with materialism, forms for matter, and now no one could ask and answer the universal WHY? Man is nothing more than a cosmic accident derived from cosmic debris, gallivanting around, as Francis Schaeffer says, a cosmic orphan.
- Low view of Authority: By dismantling the sovereignty of the Church and the Monarchy, the revolution instilled a lasting skepticism of authority. With God and traditional institutions removed, the individual could emerge as the primary authority. Former shackles of divine ordination were released, and any authority structures tied to an antiquated system must give way to the collective will of the people.
- High view of Humanity: Liberated from God, the Church, and bowing the knee to a King or Queen, humanity was freed to express their raw and individuated reality as they saw fit, so long as it aligned with the mood of the moment. The result was that humanity, more specifically, reason, tested in the realm of the natural world, became sovereign. Unhinged from God, the Church, and an aristocratic hegemony, man was now free to sail as the captain of his ship, the master of his fate, and all that.
- High view of the State: The revolution promoted a sort of community where flourishing meant maintaining virtue and purity through underlining individual rights retained by fraternity, equality, and liberty. To achieve this utopian ideal, individuals prioritized the nation’s collective good over self-interest, where, in preserving this aim, the ends often justify the means; the outcome was usually not pretty. Secular replaced sacred. The good of the whole stood in for the glory of God.
The problem is that when these ideas are put into practice in real-life settings, such as marriages, schools, workplaces, the military, and the marketplace, the consequences are likely to be far-reaching and take on forms unlike anything we’ve seen before—enter the opening ceremony of the Summer 2024 Paris Olympics.
What are some more consequences of these ideas?
- When God is removed, the transcendent is rendered obsolete, meaning that desire, morality, ethics, values, and standards have no foundation outside of themselves. Therefore, the collective desire, morality, etc., is a moving target based upon the spirit of the age, or really, who or what group is in power at that time. Might makes right. The Bible is no longer relevant. The only thing that matters is what can be seen. What happens to media? Popular opinion. What about the legal system? What authority is appealed to on matters relating to the unborn? Marriage?
- When authority is irrelevant, history has no place, traditions are disregarded, cultures crumble, essential skills are lost, and we’re left with the icy-cold, rigid journey of progress without voices from the past to warn and to guide. All that is solid is melting, as Marx clairvoyantly stated. Ultimately, the individual becomes god, leading to an obsession with the personal.: Personal will to power, personal autonomy, and fierce demands for self-expression.
- When humanity is exalted, the expressive needs of the individual take precedence, causing society to become therapeutic (driven by what is felt) and evolve in response to the collective emotions. This results in a fragile self-consciousness, obsessing over self-image, social status, and projecting one’s most pleasing reflection of who we want to be through whatever means (social media and otherwise). Furthermore, entertainment is tailored to one’s particular algorithm, serving us a most self-structured sumptuous banquet of superficial delights. Gone is the laying down of one’s life as Christ commanded. Gone is the bearing of another’s load as Paul commanded. Gone is the suffering as one follows in the footsteps of Christ, as Peter commanded.
- When the State is god, pragmatism drives progress, elevating the function of man over his being. Mankind becomes what it produces and nothing more. One’s name is replaced with the title ‘comrade,’ beauty is exchanged for efficiency, creativity for productivity, character for obedience, and individual value for commodification. Work is not pursued as an expression of God’s image, but instead, the haste for leisure is accentuated. One’s vocation is not an extension of God’s hand on earth, but a box to be checked, a domain to be exited, and a place to be avoided. Conformity becomes the creed.
In the end, what are we left with?
Overstimulated humans who are depressed, anxious, discontent, selfish, restless, yet still aspiring heroes living their very own fantasy world, they control, they enter at will, and turn off when it’s no longer satisfying. Commitments are a mirage, hard work is observed, not deployed, and learning is short-circuited. In the end, we’re left with the shell of a man or woman created to know God, but who suppresses His truth in unrighteousness. It is these consequences, among others, that need to be addressed today.
Where are young adults turning to address their needs and the myriad questions that arise from merely owning a smartphone and having access to the internet?
God’s Alternative Program (GAP)
One local church with one discipleship mission is answering the call. It is answering the call in full recognition of and desire to, as one British commentator implored leaders, “…heal troubled hearts, still racing minds, and mend broken trust.” GAP is wading into this cultural malaise to serve as a bridge for young adults transitioning from home to home.
What do I mean?
GAP is like a bridge, if you will, between a student’s stages of life: childhood home (life) and the making of their new adult home (life), whether that begins in college, the military, trades, or the workplace. We are a bridge, offering students a season to season, a time to transform, a place to ponder, a corridor to consider, and a moment to marinate and then take their next best step toward their new adult life.
Biblically speaking, we do what Paul instructed his protege, Timothy, to do, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2 Tim. 2:7, ESV).
What does this mean?
Think on these things. Consider. Reflect. And, like any good bridge placed on an immovable foundation, GAP has sunk four pillars into the bedrock of eternal truths from God’s Word, namely:
- Bible: “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law” (Prov. 29:18).
- We embrace Revelation over Reason and teach the Bible as a comprehensive and connected story of fellowship, sin, redemption, and restored fellowship. Our aim is not to create Bible-answer-men and women, but godly men and women who walk in wisdom and the fear of the Lord.
- Worldview: This is the glasses through which you see the world. Your worldview shapes your perspective on everything.
- We embrace a Christian worldview, rooted in the Word of God, rather than a secular worldview rooted in reason and materialism, to guide our values, standards, and convictions. We reject individualism but value the individual. We reject self-promotion but value selflessness. We view all men as holistic image-bearers of God, yet in need of gospel grace received only by faith in Jesus Christ and repentance from sin. Furthermore, we view the Christian life as a cooperative endeavor, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and lived out in daily choices. Ultimately, growth is through grace supplied by God through various means such as God’s Word, prayer, fellowship, confession, active participation in a local church, and more.
- Leadership: Living a circumspect life that begins with following God, leading self, and finally moving out to all spheres of life.
- Leadership begins by yielding in faith and repentance to God. What follows is a life of leading oneself, every day, wherein lies the very freedom sought by modern man. Sacrifice, hard work, and responsibility pave the way for developing intuitions. It’s a slow and grinding journey, but its reward is commensurate with its struggle. As one is led by God, they lead themselves; then they are better equipped to lead others properly.
- Life Skills: Not skills apart from values grounded in God’s eternal character, but integrated skills for honoring God and serving others.
- From home to physical fitness, to defensive tactics and survival outdoor training, to hunting, fishing, woodworking, leather crafting, welding, running, cooking, baking, and even making their bed, we promote order over chaos and excellence over efficiency. Life skills also provide a means for forging and fostering shoulder-to-shoulder relationships.
These four pillars hold up the bridge that these 29 young adults will cross. It won’t be easy, but it will be good. In the end, these students will have the joy of having completed this journey and crossed the bridge themselves. While we will all share in their joy, their satisfaction will be theirs alone.
Biblical Charge
To parents… “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). What can I say? We will treat them with the same care as if they were our own.
To friends, ministry leaders, volunteers… “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances” (Prov. 25:11). Use your words to bring life. Lights. Mirrors. Love.
To those hosting students… “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). You’re not to be perfect, but mature, setting an example in godly wisdom through love (1 Cor. 13).
To students… “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15-16). Embrace the hard. This season will be simple, but not easy. Daily fight the urge to be distracted. P.S. We will ensure you do, ;).
Conclusion
In conclusion, I wonder how many of you, unlike Robespierre, who succumbed to the untethered ideas of philosophical thought and fell into the void of secular humanism (man-centered values and truth), will stand in the gap…not fall into the void of ideas…of pleasure…of victim-status…of complacency…of apathy…of fear?
I wonder which of you will rise in your generation and, with poise, stand against any lofty idea that removes God. Who will say, like Job, up to this point and no further? I wonder who will recognize that most of your battles begin in the mind, and are fought in the everyday, mundane aspects of life. I wonder who will seek to order their affections and desires according to God’s will, God’s way. I wonder who will be willing to fight on the battlefields of sustaining a sacred marriage, keeping their vows, resisting voyeuristic tendencies of sexual pleasure and amusement—longing for another’s life—and embracing with contentment in the life, circumstances, and lot God has granted them, face each day fighting for joy.
God, help us all. Amen.