By Stephen Lowe
About 15 years ago, I read the book 7 Men Who Rule The World From The Grave, by Dave Reese. It was one of those books that really stuck with me, but I hadn’t read it since. I finally bought a copy this fall, and read it again this week.
Though the 20th century has seen the greatest advance in all human endeavors (for good and for ill), the intellectual advances of the 18th, and especially the 19th century, are the true culprits that have shaped and informed the world that we know today.
I hear preachers blame it on the Beatles and Rock-n-Roll; video games; sexual liberation; the removal of prayer in public schools; urbanization; etc. But these are all symptoms of the modern humanistic worldview that permeates science, government, academics, media, and even, to some degree, the institutionalized Church.
The seven men who rule the world from the grave?
1. Charles Darwin Science
2. Karl Marx Government
3. Julius Wellhausen Christianity
4. Sigmund Freud Sexuality
5. John Dewey Education
6. John Maynard Keynes Economics (Keynesian Economics)
7. Sóren Kierkegaard Philosophy
These men came out of the same time period, roughly, and were encouraged by the Enlightenment. These men came onto the scene at one of the most pivotal points in history; a time when revelation gave way to reason. A time when men evolved from creatures of faith to men of scientific proof.
Their influence on the modern world is profound. So profound, that it almost seems to be a satanic conspiracy. Ironically, we are fortunate enough to observe the utter catastrophe that their collective influence has wrought on the world in the 20th century. In their enlightened minds, they promised a world of peace and prosperity based on the superior evolution of man, and of a world without the encumbering burdens of religion.
Though it is blaringly obvious to the Believer that man is utterly corrupt, the world seems to have missed the message. It seems that this new century – this post-modern era – has people looking for different answers. Sadly, they are still trying their damndest to keep God out of the equation.
What men will come out of this generation? How will they affect the coming generation(s)? As Christians, do we just turn this world over to Satan and hope for Christ’s imminent return, or is God waiting for his remnant to turn this world on its head with the Good News that Christ has defeated the world? What does the Spirit say to you?
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