What Will You Decide – Humanism or Christ?

Posted on May 20, 2012 by jlue

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (February 4, 1906 – April 9, 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, anti-Nazi, and founding member of the Confessing Church.

Bonhoeffer, in Hitler’s Germany is quoted as urging the Christian church to “remain a church…Confess…Confess.”

The following is taken from Erwin Lutzer‘s When A Nation Forgets God.

The day after Hitler was installed as chancellor he (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) warned the people over the airways that when a people idolize a leader, “the image of the leader will gradually become a misleader. Thus the leader makes an idol of himself and mocks God.” Bonhoeffer’s microphone was mysteriously switched ‘off’.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was arrested in April, 1943 on the charge of conspiring to assassinate Hitler.  He eventually was hanged as a traitor.

Dr. Lutzer warns the people of the U.S. that the struggle under Hitler gave the Germans a deciding point – Germanism or Christianity? He believes that we are facing a similar decision in this country – humanism or Christianity?

Dr. Lutzer is so accurate in this appraisal of our choice in America today. The power of Christ is displayed in two main areas of life – Creation and Redemption. Humanism denies both creation and a need for redemption.

The Bible teaches in Genesis that God is the Creator. Humanism’s first tenet is the denial of God as the Creator.

First – Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created.

Christianity acknowledges that mankind is sinful and in need of redemption. Christianity has power because of Christ and his work on the cross. The idea behind humanism is that mankind can be “good without God.”

Christians are followers and believers of Christ and with this commitment comes a surrender of self-will to follow the Christ and his words as given in the Bible.

Humanism is in reality the opposite of Christianity. It is a ‘religious’ teaching that self-will should not be denied. It is a system of thought that rejects ‘religious’ beliefs while establishing a religion or belief in humans and their values, capacities, and worth.

Christians are warned about these in 2 Timothy 2-5.

For men will be lovers of themselves…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 2 Timothy 2:5

To accept humanism, a person must close his eyes to atrocities committed by man. The person must deny sin in his own life and ignore the suffering brought on by sin, such as the holocaust of Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler.


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About jlue

I am a grandmother of seven and I like to garden, read, study the Bible, and spend time with family. I am not very politically active, but very interested in who is elected to lead our country.
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2 Responses to What Will You Decide – Humanism or Christ?

  1. smijer says:
    May 21, 2012 at 2:08 am

    It is nearly impossible to construct a dichotomy that it is not false. So, of course, other alternatives suggest themselves besides Christianity and humanism… One alternative would be Christian Humanism… As a matter of fact, at least one Christian Humanist organization seems to especially admire Bonhoeffer. (Another)

    According to Eva Fogelman, what the rescuers and protectors of Jews and other minorities during the holocaust had in common was something else:

    The factors that transformed bystanders into rescuers were grounded in a value system instilled and internalized in childhood that emphasized altruism and tolerance for those who are “different” and empathy to stimulate direct action consistent with these values in situations where, unless one acted, the helpless victims would die.

    It took a certain kind of environment, however, for such lessons to take hold. Most Holocaust rescuers came from loving families that fostered a sense of self-worth and love; parents reasoned rather than punished when disciplining.

    I was already planning to post a link to this essay on Facebook, but I think it’s worth posting here, too. Dietrich Bonhoeffer did great things, but he was one of millions of Christians in a Christian Germany. I’m not sure Christianity was able to rescue the country from the evils it fell into. To avoid future calamities, it may be that the element needed most is reason, who knows?

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