Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
October 14, 1984
The Great Contest
1 Kings 18:21-39, KJV
How many of you watched either the Presidential or Vice-Presidential debates this past week? How many watched both? [few hands go up, as expected] That's what's great about America - informed voters - people who really care. Maybe only preachers can truly appreciate the challenge they went through.
Every week I have to stand up before one hundred or so of you but they had to face one hundred million and give a smooth answer to every question. Think of the pressure that was on them! Each debate may affect the prediction pools by a few percentage points. Ultimately, they could determine who gets elected.
The confrontation between Elijah and the false prophets was actually more intense. At stake was not a slight change in the polls but their very lives. If Elijah had come out on the losing end he would have been dead in a second. As it turned out, the same thing was true for the false prophets.
The arrangements for the confrontation were very simple. Each side would slaughter a bull and lay it on top of a pile of wood. The God who would send fire to burn up the sacrifice would be the true God. The false prophets would have thought they had a decided advantage because Baal was the god of fire. Elijah even let them go first. In verse 26 they butcher the bull, lay it on the wood and call upon Baal to ignite it. Nothing happened. The Bible says:
"There was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar that was made."
Verse 28 continues -
"And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out."
This kind of conduct would be unusual in a Baptist church but it fits what we know about Baal worship in particular and Middle-East religions in general. Just this last week on the evening news there was a story on the Shiite Moslems in Lebanon. To celebrate a holiday honoring a 12th century hero, the Moslem men shave the front of their heads, put on a white sweatband, then bang their heads with knives and swords, all the time chanting and running in mobs through the streets. It shows they're very dedicated, just like the priests of Baal. But dedication alone can never prove you are right.
All of this makes a very dramatic Bible story but what does it mean for us today? We don't have a problem with Baal worship and even the fanatics over in Lebanon are hard for us to relate to. I believe the real lesson of Elijah's confrontation concerns our struggle with the opposing philosophies of the world. The opposition we commonly face in the United States comes in many forms but much of it can be grouped under the philosophy call Secular Humanism.
For some people secular humanism is just like a religion. For others it is more like a mindset which they may not even be aware of. Everyone in this church has been influenced by secular humanism. Some are more influenced by it than by Biblical Christianity. Many authorities believe Christianity and humanism are engaged in a struggle that is just as significant as what Elijah faced on top of Mount Carmel. To find out why, we have to take a closer look at what secular humanism means.
Humanism is a philosophy that tries to realize the full potential human beings have. A humanist believes people can accomplish a great deal if they only try hard enough. We can solve many of our problems and live on a high level because of our natural abilities. So far, so good. There's nothing wrong with a Christian being a humanist. God has given all of us abilities which can be used. To get new lights for the church we did more than just pray for them to appear supernaturally. We hired a contractor. We got a company to manufacture them. Christians should be humanists in that we want people to live up to their potential and have happy, productive lives.
The word "secular" is where the difference lies. Secular means something that is not religious, or something that only deals with this world. A secular humanist, therefore, tries to fulfill human potential without any dependence on God. Humans can solve all their problems by trusting only in themselves. A secular humanist isn't necessarily an atheist but they think God is so far away he can't, or won't, help us. Because of this, a true secular humanist opposes religion because it deceives people into thinking God will help them. Since they are deluded, religious people will never live up to their potential.
The results of this philosophy are far-reaching and many have lost the faith because of it. Secular humanists do away with more than just God. They also say there is no such thing as revelation, where God speaks to us and tells us what he expects. To a Christian, the Bible is revelation. If you take revelation away then it is hard to say what is true and what is not. There's no source or foundation to look to. That is why humanists must resort to the theory of relativity when it comes to morals. If there is not absolute source of truth, then truth depends on whom you are talking to. Since different cultures have different views of truth and morality, you can never put your finger down and say, "This is wrong." It may be considered wrong in your town but not elsewhere.
This only makes sense: if there is no God to tell us right from wrong in a book, or in our hearts, then truth and morality are whatever people want them to be. Sin would no longer exist, either. It becomes "sickness" instead. When someone is antisocial or commits a terrible crime we no longer say, "He's wicked." We say, "That guy is sick. He needs a shrink."
The humanist approach to sin was beautifully brought out on CBS News this week. It was a story about the drug problem in Amsterdam. The city has become upset because the heroin addicts are shooting up their drugs in plain daylight and a crime wave has resulted. Amsterdam's solution was this - if they have to inject their drugs then let's build them shelters where they can do it quietly and safely. To bring down the crime wave the city will provide free heroin so addicts won't have to steal.
With secular humanism there is no God, no absolute truth, no standards of right and wrong, no sin and also no Savior. If a problem cannot be humanly solved, there is no hope. There is no guarantee things will progressively get better or work out in the end. We are seeing these attitudes more and more in the world. In Europe, where secular humanism is much stronger than it is here, many young people are pessimistic about the future and see no meaning in their lives.
Christianity has a much different way of looking at things. God not only exists, he cares about each person and wants to have contact with us. We can know God in our hearts and we can also know him from the Bible. The Bible does not cover every situation in life but it contains principles that we can apply to every situation. Christians have every human potential that anyone else has. When we trust in God, we also have supernatural power that cannot be limited. The prophet Elijah had this power and when the right time came he called upon God to answer his prayer. The sacrifice and wood had been soaked with water and according to the passage there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Nevertheless, fire came out of the sky and reduced everything to ashes. What could God do in your life if you let him?
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Typed on December 8, 2005, by Sharon Lesko of Ledgewood Baptist Church, New Jersey
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