Sirens blasted the quiet night in London, the capital of the vast British Empire. Thousands rushed into basements and underground shelters to escape the coming invasion.
German bombers swarmed the sky, carrying their deadly payloads—tons of bombs. Hitler, Germany’s bloodthirsty dictator, boasted that he would march through London within weeks.
The Londoners called the dreaded bombing raids the blitzkrieg, German for lightning. Almost miraculously, the city and country survived months of bombings almost nightly.
Later in World War II, the tables were turned and the Germans knew what it was to face invasion. This time the invasion was brutally successful. The German empire crumbled under bombings and destructive armies. Starvation, pain, death, and all that goes with war, ravaged the land.
No one can adequately understand the horrors of invasion until he has experienced it. We in Canada and the United States know nothing of what Germany experienced.
Yet, we are facing a calculated, destructive invasion just as real as that in World War II. It was planned by Satan and his diabolic hosts. This invasion has swept around the globe. Its effects are more devastating than nuclear warfare or acts of terrorism.
This invasion is taking place almost unnoticed by millions of people. Probably the most accurate name to describe this invasion is humanism.
This invading humanism is man worship. It is a philosophy, and it is a religion, winning millions of converts, even from the churches. Humanism invades in many forms. Some are obvious and some are more subtle.
One of the hideous forms humanism takes is the idea that man can do anything, given enough education and effort. Millions worship science and its achievements, hoping that man can eliminate most of his problems.
Within the last few years this type of humanism has lost some converts. As the world situation has become more hopeless, many are losing faith in man’s abilities to lift himself out of his despair. Instead of turning to God, most of these people are trying to find peace in drugs, lawlessness, and even suicide.
In one very subtle form this idea is filtering into the Christian church. How many of us trust our physical strength, our moneymaking abilities, or our built-up securities to provide all our needs? Will it take health failure or economic collapse to help us see this as crass humanism?
Another subtle form of humanism is the idea that man decides his own goals and his own future. Modern education reeks with this man-centered philosophy. The main goal of schooling and the main goal of life centers on trying to get ahead in the world and on perpetuating our materialistic, humanistic society.
It is good to learn a trade, but that is not the Christian’s main purpose in life. To be a genuine Christian and to be a testimony for Christ is more important. Our vocations should serve those Christian goals. The Apostle Paul did not spend his life amassing a fortune from the tent industry in Tarsus. He made enough to help him most effectively fulfill his evangelistic calling.
Unfortunately, some Christian schools and churches bow to humanistic goals. Spiritual things are tacked on to a moneymaking, comfort-seeking rat race.
Some claim to be working hard to make plenty of money to keep the church’s programs running. That sounds noble. If that is the case with some of us, then let’s plan to live as if our incomes were below the national average. Think how much more could go to the work of the Lord if professing Christians would sacrifice most of their pleasure equipment, lavish extras in home and car, high restaurant bills—the list could go on.
What shall you and I as Christians do about this subtle humanistic invasion?
We can escape, but the way will require sacrifice in our humanistic, materialistic society.
Hear the Bible call to deny humanism. “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and, take, up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
This means denying man-centered ideas and goals. It means denying pleasures and riches to serve Christ and our fellowmen.
Stop! Evaluate your life. Check your priorities. Put Christ first. Stop the humanistic invasion in your own life. Pray for Holy Spirit power. Stop the invasion and put Christian living and witnessing above self.
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. I have suffered the loss of all things . . . that I may win C7irssi“(Philippians 3:7, 8).
-Roger Berry