Jeremiah 14.14
“Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.”
The Apostle John was quite aware of the dangers of subjective mysticism and the false teachers who sought to deceive people. John wrote his gospel, as well as his epistles, as a response to the mystical claims of Docetism, which asserted that Jesus did not possess a physical body. The Docetists taught that Jesus only appeared to be a flesh-and-blood man; his body, they said, was an illusion. They claimed that Jesus was pure spirit.
Thus the importance of John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John is declaring that the physical body of Jesus was real, and that Jesus himself was God incarnate. The deity of Christ was in no way diminished by his physicality.
Other forms of subjective mysticism claim that there is some benevolent spirit or energy force in the universe, and that when we tap into this energy force, good things will happen. This philosophy was made famous recently in the book “The Secret.”
The exact nature of the force is very ambiguous. It is rarely described as a personal being, yet it supposedly takes action to benefit us or sends power in certain situations to help us. Provided, of course, that we “believe.”
And increasingly in our time, this worldview manifests itself simply as radical subjectivism, which means that the reference point for something being “true” is nothing more than it feels like it’s true. As such, it rejects the reality of objective truth, and it allows any person to claim that anything is valid simply because they believe it or feel strongly about it. The validity of the object toward which faith is directed becomes irrelevant.
Social media has provided a platform for the rapid spread of reckless assertions that have no basis in fact, but are rapidly believed based on nothing more than subjectivism.
Radical subjectivism is rampant in our political and social system, and has been on full and frightful display in the hysterics that have gripped the nation with respect to the most recent—and previous—presidential elections. Because subjectivism is totally disconnected from facts and rationality, it is free to create and promote any narrative that advances its agenda.
Subjectivism doesn’t appeal to reason; it appeals to emotion. In particular, it appeals to people’s greatest fear or strongest desire, which makes them easily manipulated.
Each of these belief systems—rational materialism and subjective mysticism—is a distortion of life as God created it. Rationalism appeals to the logical mind, but is disconnected from meaning and purpose. It diminishes the spiritual nature of man. Subjectivism appeals to the spirit, but is disconnected from facts and reason. It diminishes the rational nature of man. The consequence is that both belief systems produce behavior that is destructive for individuals and society.
In the end, these belief systems can stimulate, but they cannot fulfill. This is because they do not explain life as it actually exists, nor do they explain life as we experience it. Each describes a part of life, but fails to understand and embrace the whole.
“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (I Timothy 4.7-8)
Next week we will look at what historic Christianity says about the origin and purpose of life.
